Physical fitness of elite women's rugby union players over a ...

ar on the ascent with arms fully extending (straightening) on the descent. A repetition was
not considered valid if these requirements were not fulfilled. Being a maximal effort test, the
player continued until she could no longer lift her chin to the bar. The maximal amount of
valid pull-ups completed was from an extended arm position to where the chin touches the bar
and back down. The reliability of the pull-up test is 0.95 (Vanderburgh & Edmonds, 1997).
1 min push-up
The player assumed a prone position with her hands on the floor, shoulder width apart, elbows
fully extended and a training cone placed below the chest. Keeping the back and body straight,
the player descended until her chin touched the training cone and then ascend until elbows are
fully extended (straightened). If the player did not adhere to these specifications, the repetition
was not counted. The test was scored as the number of push-up correctly performed in one
minute. Players were allowed to rest within the one minute period, in the extended arm
position. The number of push-ups performed in one minute was recorded as their score
(Jackson, Fromme, Plitt, & Mercer, 1994).
3.6.9 Maximal Aerobic Power
Multiple stage shuttle run test
The purpose of the test is to estimate the aerobic endurance. The progressive multistage
shuttle run was based on the protocol of Léger and Lambert (1982). Players were required to
run back and forth on a 20m marked floor according to the pace determined by a pre-recorded
sound signal. If they failed to complete the 20m distance in the required time for two
consecutive laps they were withdrawn from the test. Players were allowed to voluntarily
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