title: Test-retest reliability of barbell velocity during the free-weight bench-press exercise.
abstract: The purpose of this study was to calculate test-retest reliability statistics for peak barbell velocity during the free-weight bench-press exercise for loads corresponding to 10-90% of the 1-repetition maximum (1RM). Twenty-one healthy, resistance-trained men (mean ± SD age = 23.5 ± 2.7 years; body mass = 90.5 ± 14.6 kg; 1RM bench press = 125.4 ± 18.4 kg) volunteered for this study. A minimum of 48 hours after a maximal strength testing and familiarization session, the subjects performed single repetitions of the free-weight bench-press exercise at each tenth percentile (10-90%) of the 1RM on 2 separate occasions. For each repetition, the subjects were instructed to press the barbell as rapidly as possible, and peak barbell velocity was measured with a Tendo Weightlifting Analyzer. The test-retest intraclass correlation coefficients (model 2,1) and corresponding standard errors of measurement (expressed as percentages of the mean barbell velocity values) were 0.717 (4.2%), 0.572 (5.0%), 0.805 (3.1%), 0.669 (4.7%), 0.790 (4.6%), 0.785 (4.8%), 0.811 (5.8%), 0.714 (10.3%), and 0.594 (12.6%) for the weights corresponding to 10-90% 1RM. There were no mean differences between the barbell velocity values from trials 1 and 2. These results indicated moderate to high test-retest reliability for barbell velocity from 10 to 70% 1RM but decreased consistency at 80 and 90% 1RM. When examining barbell velocity during the free-weight bench-press exercise, greater measurement error must be overcome at 80 and 90% 1RM to be confident that an observed change is meaningful.
authors.affiliation: Department of Health and Exercise Science, University of Oklahoma, Norman, Oklahoma, USA. mattstock@ou.edu
authors.forename: Matt S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Stock
authors.forename: Travis W
authors.initials: TW
authors.lastname: Beck
authors.forename: Jason M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: DeFreitas
authors.forename: Michael A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Dillon
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001835:Body Weight; D005080:Exercise Test; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D053580:Muscle Strength / Q000502:physiology; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal / Q000502:physiology; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D055070:Resistance Training; D034941:Upper Extremity / Q000502:physiology; D014891:Weight Lifting / Q000502:physiology*; D055815:Young Adult