Abstract

The aim of the present study was to investigate the physiological response to different duration sit-ups tests in female university students (n=19; 21.2+/-1.3 yrs; 168.3+/-6.7 cm; 62.2+/-7.3 kg; BMI: 21.9+/-2.4 kg.m-2; body fat% 19.7+/-4.5%). Five different duration maximal speed sit-up tests were performed: 30, 45, 60, 75 and 90 sec. There was at least three days rest between tests. Heart rate (HR) was measured continuously (Sporttester Polar Vantage NV) during tests, while blood pressure was measured before and after the test. Blood lactate (LA) was measured three minutes after the test enzymatically using a Lange (Germany) analyzer. The ratings of perceived exertion after every test were measured using the Borg scale. The mean numbers of sit-ups were 23.0+/-2.9; 33.1+/-4.9; 40.0+/-5.9; 50.3+/-7.0; 57.2+/-9.0 during 30, 45, 60, 75 and 90 sec tests, respectively. Maximum HR was lowest at the end of the 30 sec test (141.7+/-13.3 beats/min) and highest at the end of the 45 sec test (154.8+/-13.6 beats/min). Only systolic blood pressure (SBP) increased significantly after the test with increasing test duration. Blood LA concentrations were 3.4+/-1.3; 5.0+/-1.2; 4.4+/-0.9; 5.1+/-1.2 and 5.8+/-1.3 mmol/l after 30 sec, 45 sec, 60 sec, 75 sec and 90 sec duration sit-up tests, respectively. The ratings of the Borg scale increased by increasing the test duration from 11.9+/-1.1 to 17.8+/-1.1. Correlation analyses indicated that only SBP from the measured physiological parameters at the end of 45 sec (r=0.75), 60 sec (r=0.72), 75 sec (r=0.67) and 90 sec (r=0.74) sit-up tests correlated significantly with the number of repetitions, which explained 57.5%, 51.6%, 44.3% and 54.5% of the total variance, respectively. In conclusion, the results of our study indicated that the 30 sec sit-up test is highly recommendable for testing abdominal muscular endurance in young females. Verf.-Referat