Flexibility Tests

Measurement of flexibility can be divided into general flexibility and specific flexibility. It is simpler to test flexibility if you have someone help you. Otherwise, you may need to resort to a more functional assessment, such as whether you can touch your toes without bending your knees. Two easy tests for general flexibility are the sit-and-reach test, which can be modified to do at home, and a combined shoulder movement test (ACSM 1995). The sit-and-reach test gives you some information about low back and hamstring flexibility, while the combined shoulder test evaluates multiple movements of the shoulder. I have modified a clinical test called the Apley's scratch test for combined shoulder movements and have identified some functional criteria for the test, since no normative data are available for it. Therapists often use this test to screen for shoulder joint involvement (Hoppenfeld 1976).

Specific joint flexibility identifies the available range of a joint in each of the normal movements for that joint. For example, the shoulder joint (for which you can check general flexibility using the modified Apley's scratch test) performs flexion, extension, internal and external rotation, adduction, and abduction. Specific joint flexibility is best measured by a professional, but you can estimate it visually if necessary. Assess how much knee flexion you have by sitting on the edge of a chair and moving one foot back into flexion (toward your buttocks). If you consider completely straight as zero degrees, you can determine how many degrees you can attain without using your hands for assistance. You can then compare it to the other joint, or to someone with healthy joints, and determine if you need to work on that range. If flexibility is noticeably lacking in one area, your physician may refer you to a therapist. Many of us have some small deficits in motion, but they require assessment when function is affected —that is, when you cannot perform a specific task.

Again, the more concrete the baseline and your objectives, the easier it will be for you to monitor your progress. You might make a sheet that lists your baseline measures and your goals. It will aid you when you start designing your program, a process I cover in the next chapter. One way to improve adherence to an exercise program is to keep an exercise diary. You can begin with your baseline measures and objectives, then use the diary to keep track of your training sessions.