Arm Hang Test Essay

The flexed-arm hang test is a physical fitness test used to measure upper body strength and endurance. It is done by timing how long one can remain hanging with the
(1) chin above the bar .
It is popular as a military training exercise. The United States of America Marine
Corps members have to pass the Physical Fitness Test (PFT) twice a year. This test includes the flexed-arm hang as an exercise used to gauge upper body endurance. In
order to pass the test, the marines need to hang for at least fifteen seconds. A perfect (1) score of one hundred can be achieved by hanging for seventy seconds .
The flexed-arm hang exercise is a good way to measure the strength to body weight ratio of an individual. Sports that require grip strength and
Currently there are four protocols that are popular. These are protocols from The
President’s Challenge Fitness Awards which is also used by FitnessGram, the International
Physical Fitness Test, the Eurofit Manual Bent-Arm Hang Test, and the United States (2)
Marine Corps Physical Fitness Test .
All of them share the same purpose of “measuring upper body strength and endurance by timing how long an individual can remain hanging with the chin above the bar”. The equipment required, a stopwatch and a horizontal overhead bar, is also the same across all protocols with only the International Physical Fitness Test specifying that
(2) the bar must be four centimeters in diameter .

The procedures of the test protocols are mostly the same where in the first step is to grip the bar while standing on a platform to achieve a flexed-arm position. The platform is removed and then the individual is timed on how long he can keep his/her chin above the bar. The President’s Challenge Physical Fitness Test and the United States
Marine Corps Physical Fitness Test allow either the overhand grip where the palms are facing away from the body or the underhand grip where the palms are facing