Comparison between two motor tests used for muscular strength/endurance analysis

The aim of this study was to compare motor performance in modified pull-up (MPU)and flexed knee push-up (FKPU) tests in young women. Thirty-five apparently healthy women (20.1±2.2 years) were submitted to each one of the tests at an interval of48 hours in a random balanced design. Most individuals performed between 0 an d 10 repetitions (86%) of the MPU test, and approximately 17% did not perform even one repetitions. On the other hand, the highest prevalence of outcomes for the FKPUtest was between 16 and 35 repetitions (71%). The Wilcoxon test identified statistically significant differences (p<0.01) on motor performance in the tests analyzed (FKPU > MPU). A moderate agreement (kappa =0.40) was found between the performance in both tests. Negative correlations of low magnitude (r=-0.23 to 0.46) were found between morphological variables (body weight,height, fat mass, and lean body mass) and motor performance in both tests. The results suggest that the FKPU test is presented as a better indicator ofmuscular endurance levels, where as the MPU test seems to better discriminate muscular strength in young women.