Abstract des Autors

The validity of 2 field tests of abdominal endurance was examined in a sample of 22 male and 22 female college students. Scores on the modified trunk-curl and the 90-second bench trunk-curl were correlated with isometric trunk flexor strength and endurance measured on a Cybex TEF machine. There were no significant correlations (-0.21 < r < 0.36) between the field tests and abdominal strength. Only the bench trunk-curl was significantly correlated (r-male = 0.50 and r-female = 0.46, p<0.05) with abdominal muscular endurance. The nonsignificant association with the modified curl-up was likely due to a ceiling effect created by the ease of the test. The weak correlations between field tests of abdominal endurance and isometric abdominal endurance (about 25% common variance) and a recent longitudinal study suggest that the curl-ups scores and their hypothesized health-related fitness standards should be interpreted with caution. Verf.-Referat