Assessing Muscular Strength in Youth: Usefulness of Standing Long Jump as a General Index of Muscular Fitness

• Published in: Journal of strength and conditioning research Vol. 24; no. 7; pp. 1810 - 1817
• Main Authors: Castro-Piñero, José, Ortega, Francisco B, Artero, Enrique G, Girela-Rejón, Maria J, Mora, Jesús, Sjöström, Michael, Ruiz, Jonatan R
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States National Strength and Conditioning Association 01.07.2010; Lippincott Williams & Wilkins Ovid Technologies
• Subjects: Adolescent; Child; Children & youth; College basketball; Exercise - physiology; Exercise Test - methods; Female; Human subjects; Humans; Lower Extremity - physiology; Male; Muscle Strength - physiology; Muscle, Skeletal - physiology; Muscular system; Physical Fitness - physiology; Sample size; Sports training; Studies; Upper Extremity - physiology
• ISSN: 1064-8011; 1533-4287; 1533-4287
• DOI: 10.1519/JSC.0b013e3181ddb03d

Castro-Piñero, J, Ortega, FB, Artero, EG, Girela-Rejón, MJ, Mora, J, Sjöström, M, and Ruiz, JR. Assessing muscular strength in youthusefulness of standing long jump as a general index of muscular fitness. J Strength Cond Res 24(7)1810-1817, 2010-The purpose of the present study was to examine the association among different measures of lower body muscular strength in children, and the association between measures of lower- and upper-body muscular strength. The study population comprises 94 (45 girls) healthy Caucasian children aged 6-17 years. Children performed several lower body explosive muscular strength tests (i.e., standing long jump [SLJ], vertical jump, squat jump, and countermovement jump) and upper body muscular strength tests (i.e., throw basketball, push-ups, and isometric strength exercises). The association among the study tests was analyzed by multiple regression. The SLJ was strongly associated with other lower body muscular strength tests (R = 0.829-0.864), and with upper body muscular strength tests (R = 0.694-0.851). The SLJ test might be therefore considered a general index of muscular fitness in youth. The SLJ test is practical, time efficient, and low in cost and equipment requirements.