This week at Northeastern I learned the back extension endurance test. It is an exercise that measures, in seconds, an athlete’s ability to keep his or her back extended. This test is one of a variety of exercises that the Northeastern athletes are required to perform at the beginning of each season.
The back extension endurance test is performed on a hamstring machine. The athletes need to keep their back and legs straight. Also, the athlete’s feet need to be flat against the back of the machine. The athlete is facing towards the floor during this exercise and they have to keep their upper body suspended in the air, while also keep their legs and back straight. The time begins once the athlete’s body is suspended in the air and ends once the athlete is no longer able to keep that position.
It was my job to show that I could perform the exercise and coach it. Some important coaching points I found were to have the athlete keep his or her hands tucked closely to their chest, so that they can keep their body compact and minimize body movement during the exercise. Also, having a conversation with the athlete can be helpful because it takes their mind of off the difficulty of the exercise.
Coaching the athlete is important while he or she is are doing the test because as a coach you want to correct any mistakes that the athlete is making, as well as encouraging the athlete with positive reinforcement.