Flexibility Lab Report
Measures of Flexibility and Their Correlations to Sit-and-Reach and Modified Sit-and-Reach Tests
Jacob Palmer
University of Puget Sound
March 3rd, 2015
Measures of Flexibility and Their Correlations to Sit-and-Reach and Modified Sit-and-Reach Tests
INTRODUCTION
Flexibility can be defined as the capability of something to bend easily without breaking. The flexibility of a person is commonly measured during fitness tests, and the most frequently used test of a person’s flexibility is the sit-and-reach (Jackson and Baker, 1986). Though it is commonly accepted that the sit-and-reach produces an accurate and relative measure of a person’s flexibility, the validity of the test has been examined a number of times (Jackson and Baker, 1986). A common issue with the sit-and-reach test is revealed when one of the subjects taking the test has disproportionate arm or leg length to the rest of their body, resulting in noticeable outliers and not accurately representing the subject’s flexibility (Jackson and Baker, 1986). The sit-and-reach test has been used to record lower back and hamstring flexibility in the past (Jackson and Baker, 1986). The purpose of this study was to determine the contributors to the sit-and-reach flexibility test.
METHODS
The subjects in this study were 11 female and 10 male college aged students that appeared to be healthy and active. Four methods were used to obtain the flexibility measurement of the test subjects.
A goniometer was used to find the flexibility measurements of the subjects for the shoulder flexion, shoulder extension, hip flexion, and hip extension tests. Using the joint as the fulcrum, the goniometer was aligned with the axis of rotation of the desired flexibility measurement. The immovable arm of the goniometer was aligned next to the non-moving portion of the body while the moveable arm of the goniometer was aligned with the extending or flexing part of the body. For the shoulder flexion and extension tests, the
Jacob Palmer
University of Puget Sound
March 3rd, 2015
Measures of Flexibility and Their Correlations to Sit-and-Reach and Modified Sit-and-Reach Tests
INTRODUCTION
Flexibility can be defined as the capability of something to bend easily without breaking. The flexibility of a person is commonly measured during fitness tests, and the most frequently used test of a person’s flexibility is the sit-and-reach (Jackson and Baker, 1986). Though it is commonly accepted that the sit-and-reach produces an accurate and relative measure of a person’s flexibility, the validity of the test has been examined a number of times (Jackson and Baker, 1986). A common issue with the sit-and-reach test is revealed when one of the subjects taking the test has disproportionate arm or leg length to the rest of their body, resulting in noticeable outliers and not accurately representing the subject’s flexibility (Jackson and Baker, 1986). The sit-and-reach test has been used to record lower back and hamstring flexibility in the past (Jackson and Baker, 1986). The purpose of this study was to determine the contributors to the sit-and-reach flexibility test.
METHODS
The subjects in this study were 11 female and 10 male college aged students that appeared to be healthy and active. Four methods were used to obtain the flexibility measurement of the test subjects.
A goniometer was used to find the flexibility measurements of the subjects for the shoulder flexion, shoulder extension, hip flexion, and hip extension tests. Using the joint as the fulcrum, the goniometer was aligned with the axis of rotation of the desired flexibility measurement. The immovable arm of the goniometer was aligned next to the non-moving portion of the body while the moveable arm of the goniometer was aligned with the extending or flexing part of the body. For the shoulder flexion and extension tests, the
References: Heyward, V. (2010). Assessing Flexibility. In Advanced fitness assessment & exercise prescription (6th ed.). Champaign, Illinois: Human Kinetics. Jackson, A.W., Baker, A.A. (1986). The Relationship of the Sit and Reach Test to Criterion Measures of Hamstring and Back Flexibility in Young Females. Research Quarterly for Exercise and Sport, 57 (3), 183-186. Mayorga-Vega, D., Merino-Marban, R., & Viciana, J. (2014, January 20). Criterion-Related Validity of Sit-and-Reach Tests for Estimating Hamstring and Lumbar Extensibility: A Meta-Analysis. Retrieved October 16, 2014, from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3918544/