Pull-ups

With this test the strength-resistance of the upper arms group, as well as all the shoulder girdle muscles can be measured.

• Required material: A pull-up bar and a stopwatch.

• Procedure: The subject must perform the highest number of pull-ups in a pre-established time, which must be set in advance. Each pull-up should start from the starting position, with the arms fully extended. The chin must be clearly above the bar level in each movement, so the subject must pull him/herself until the lower third of the neck approaches the bar. During the test the body must be fully extended and no swinging or thrusting movements are allowed. It is strictly forbidden to extend the head backwards and the subject must pause briefly between each repetition to avoid the stretch-shortening cycle. The subject should not release either hand from the bar during the test nor remain suspended for more than 5 seconds between repetitions. The types of grip that can be used are the pronated-wide grip, the supinated-narrow grip, the neutral-closed grip and the mixed grip. Regarding the leg positioning, they must be fully extended at all times, although some tests allow the legs to be bent . Both the grip type and the position of hands and legs must be set before the test is performed.

• Assessment: The number of pull-ups that the subject is capable to perform in the established time is recorded. All those pull-ups that are not performed correctly are considered null and discarded. The subject has only one attempt.