Ten minutes endurance test at 50% upper body weight: a pilot study in healthy controls and physically active people

Abstract ObjectiveIntense endurance and strength training mark virtually opposite parts of basic motor skills. Extreme high load physical demands are getting sparer but endurance demands are still present. Therefore, healthy controls and endurance and strength trained athletes at competition level were exposed to a submaximal endurance test of their back muscles.In this pilot study 38 healthy male subjects participated: physically inactive controls (C, n=12), endurance trained (ET, n=13), and strength trained subjects (ST, n=13). All participants were asked to finish a ten minutes back muscle endurance test at 50% of their upper body weight. ResultsMaximum holding times were shortest in the ST group (469±142 s; ET 600±0 s; C 600±0 s), but statistical significance could only be proven for ET vs. ST (p<0.01). Hedges gs values for comparisons of maximum holding times showed relevant differences among all groups: ET vs. ST 10.64; ET vs. C 2.38; ST vs. C 0.78. Values of perceived exertion increased over time with lowest values for the ET group, except after the first minute. Especially between 180s and 420s ST group showed highest exertion values, but between group differences could not be determined.