Two Repetitions May Be Enough! Reliability of Movement Timing in Physical Fitness Exercises Performed by Young, Trained Adults Using Inertial Sensors

Abstract

This study aimed to determine the minimum number of repetitions for a high reliability of movement timing in fundamental physical fitness exercises using inertial sensors. Fifteen young men and fifteen women performed eight exercises (two-leg hop, forward lunge, squat, sit-up, shoulder abduction, hip abduction, back extension, and push-up) (preferred tempo, 3 trials, 20 repetitions per trial). The movement timing (cycle of movement in seconds and its phases in seconds and %tcycle) was tested for intra- and inter-trial reliability (SPSS 28.0, p ≤ 0.05). Just two repetitions were adequate for excellent intra- and inter-trial relative reliability (ICCs ≥ 0.75, isolated exceptions only for durations expressed as %tcycle, in only three out of the eight exercises: hip abduction, back extension, and push-up), as well as for high absolute intra- and inter-trial reliability (average SEM% at 5.9%, respectively, and 6.8% and average MDC95% at 13.7% and 15.9%, respectively, which was consistently higher than the upper boundary limit of SEM%, and a rather low CV% ranging from 1.5% to 4.9% and averaging at 3.1%). A total of four repetitions, excluding the initial and the final one, appears adequate for high overall reliability of movement timing in the eight physical fitness exercises examined.