Hand grip strength test is not an indicator of flexibility performance among teenagers

Abstract

There are some opinions that say the hand grip strength test can be a good predictor of the overall fitness of an individual. How correct is that? Thus, the main aim of this study is to investigate the relationship between hand grip strength test results with flexibility level as measured by the sit-and-reach test. For the purpose of this study 69 teenagers aged 18 to 23 years old mean ± SD = (19 ± 2.7), with body weight mean ± SD = (64.49 ± 13.47 Kg) and height mean ± SD (163.82 ± 8) have been recruited voluntarily. All participants performed two times hand grip test on their dominant hand, and the best performance was selected for further analysis. Participants then performed three trials of the sit-and-reach test with only the best performance recorded for analysis. The Pearson-correlation was used to analyse the data. Results indicated weak or no correlation between hand grip strength performance with sit-and-reach performance (r = 0.08, p > .01). It can be said that muscular strength performance measured by hand grip strength test may not be used to also indicate flexibility performance. Further studies are suggested to be performed on other age groups and other fitness components.