Objectives Despite the important role of the trunk muscles in athletic performance and the onset of injury, consensus is lacking as to the best methods to assess trunk strength and endurance in athletic populations in the field. This study aimed to examine the intra-rater reliability of a battery of trunk strength and endurance tests. Design Test-retest reliability study. Setting Isometric trunk strength using a hand-held dynamometer (HHD) and isometric trunk endurance using the McGill protocol and novel `long-lever` tests were evaluated. Participants Twenty-three male field-athletes. Main Outcome Measures: Intra-class coefficient (ICC) and standard error of measurement (SEM). Results For relative reliability, good to excellent results were found for all HHD strength tests (ICC = 0.70-0.91). Relative reliability for trunk endurance tests showed excellent results for the McGill protocol (ICC = 0.80-0.89) and moderate to excellent reliability for the long-lever tests (ICC = 0.57-0.96). The V-Sit endurance test and the isometric lateral flexion strength test showed lower absolute reliability, with relatively high SEM values. Conclusions Therefore, we recommend practitioners assess athlete trunk function by using a HHD to evaluate isometric flexion, extension and rotation trunk strength and the Biering-Sørenson, and long-lever lateral flexion and flexion tests to assess trunk endurance. Highlights • The trunk muscles play a role in athletic performance and injury prevention. • Trunk strength can be tested with a hand-held dynamometer with excellent reliability. • Extension, flexion and lateral flexion are recommended for trunk endurance testing.
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