The reasoning behind assessing push-up tests – an in depth analysis.

A good exercise does not necessarily make for a good measurement tool and using such a tool may lead to wrong conclusions if used for scientific measurement and personal evaluation, yet it happens when using pushup tests which are subjective and lack reliability. This study examined the reasons behind the questionable reliability of push-up testing. Material and Methods: Fifty videorecorded 30-second push-up test performances were evaluated by 10 highly experienced raters in two separate assessment trials. The assessment involved counting the number of acceptable repetitions and identifying any technical flaws in the execution of the exercise. The collected evaluations were analyzed using quantitative and qualitative methods. Results: Statistical analysis (p ≤ 0.05) revealed significant inter-rater differences in counting in both trials. Comparable counting was only found among raters who marked the same technique as "perfect" and overall concordance on perfect execution was 79.4%. Intra-rater counting reliability ranged from r = 0.57 to r = 0.92. Three main areas of technique deterioration were identified: incomplete arm extension (10.2% of denied repetitions), inadequate arm flexion (7%), and failure to keep the body straight and rigid (6.3%), which was also the most disputed between the raters. Additionally, male raters were more lenient towards the technique imperfections of female subjects. Many miscalculations were also detected, often correlated with perfect technique execution (88% of cases). The second most common cause of miscalculating was raters' willingness to count a repetition that was interrupted mid-execution due to time constraints. Conclusions: The study findings indicate that push-up assessment is highly subjective and should be avoided in scientific or personal evaluations that require a higher level of precision. The reliability of the assessment heavily depends on the individual administering the test, and the average evaluator demonstrates only moderate reliability. To mitigate gender-based bias, considering a female evaluator for female examinees is recommended. Therefore, caution is advised when relying on push-up tests when more reliable alternatives are available. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]