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Assessment

YMCA Bench Press Test

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muscular-endurancebench-pressymcacadenceupper-bodytestfixed-load

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DefinitionA short reference note, not a full lesson.
Definition

Bench-press a fixed light barbell (80 lb men / 35 lb women) in time with a 30-rep/min metronome until you can't keep pace; total reps rate upper-body muscular endurance against YMCA norms.

Detail

The YMCA bench press test measures upper-body muscular endurance using a fixed external load (unlike the bodyweight push-up test), making it useful for comparing people of different body masses on the same absolute task.

Protocol: load a barbell to 80 lb (36.3 kg) for men and 35 lb (15.9 kg) for women. Lying supine on a bench, the participant presses the bar up and lowers it to the chest in time with a metronome set to 60 beats/min = 30 reps/min (one full press up-and-down per 2 beats). Continue at cadence until the participant cannot keep pace or breaks form. Record the total reps; compare to age/sex norm tables. Use a spotter (Spotting Requirements).

Notes: the absolute (not relative) load means lighter, weaker individuals may fatigue quickly; it is an endurance, not a strength, test. Standardize ROM (bar to chest, full extension) and cadence.

Key facts

  • Fixed loads: men 80 lb (36.3 kg), women 35 lb (15.9 kg).
  • Cadence 30 reps/min (metronome 60 bpm); continue to failure/loss of cadence.
  • Score = total reps vs. YMCA age/sex norms.
  • Endurance test (fixed load), distinct from 1RM strength; spotter required.

Connections

Sources

Cited in text — not yet linked
Golding (ed.), YMCA Fitness Testing and Assessment Manual (4th ed.); ACSM's Guidelines (10th/11th ed.).

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Atlas Connections

Pectoralis Major
The chest muscle (clavicular and sternal portions); its primary action is horizontal adduction (flexion) of the arm — a powerful action.
Muscular Endurance Norms (Push-Up / Curl-Up)
Age- and sex-specific reference tables turn a raw push-up or curl-up count into a category (needs improvement → excellent); counts decline with age and differ by sex/protocol.
1RM (One-Repetition Maximum) Testing
The heaviest load that can be lifted once with good form through a full range — the criterion measure of dynamic muscular strength, found by a structured warm-up-and-build protocol.
Push-Up Test (Muscular Endurance)Closely related
Do as many consecutive good-form push-ups as possible (men on toes, women on knees in the standard sex-specific protocol); the count rates upper-body muscular endurance against age/sex norms.
Bench Press
Flat horizontal-adduction press driven by the sternal pectoralis major, with anterior deltoid, triceps and serratus anterior assisting; the chest mass exercise and one of the three powerlifts.
Spotting Requirements
Proper spotting ensures lifter safety — spotters must know the lift's technique, be strong/tall enough to assist, support the right body parts, and be present in adequate number (e.g., a heavy 1-RM squat).