After studying the Step Test (hereinafter referred to as ST), one of the method of measuring the endurance of whole part of body, another method of measuring the endurance against the load of upper limbs is considered necessary for those physically handicapped person and or those who reqires a consideration for local development, as in the ST the loaded parts of the movement is limitted only to lower limbs.
Following the method of ST, a method of measuring the endurance of upper limbs is worked out as shown belows;
A method of measuring the endurance of upper limbs;
Arm Test (hereinafter referred to as AT) (A tentative idea)
Kinetic load method;
for male: floor push-up type.
To bend and stretch successively for 30 times with two seconds each. (When stretching arms from bended position, to give a word every one second to prevent from using reactive power.)
To make him sit and count his pulse at following three different times;
P₁: 30 sec.-45 sec. after
P₂: 1 mm. -1 min. 15 sec. after
P₃: 1 min. 30 sec. -1 min. 45 sec. after
(However, the time to start measuring is quickened as well as measuring time is shortened because of quick recovery of pulse after the excersise.)
Exponential Equation:
AT=60 (loaded times/sec.) /P₁+P₂+P₃×100
(ST method is applied also in this case, but calculated based on basic calculation formula, as the marks obtained was one half of that of ST.)
The auther applied this test together with ST to several groups to find out that the sum of the marks of AT and ST as well as ratio differs in each group. In other word, the sum of the endurance of both upper and lower limbs is taked for as the endurance of the whole body and the ratio of these as the difference of the endurance between the upper and lower limbs.
We will study further on as to the appropriateness of this measuring method and calculation formula of the marks to find out method of measuring the endurance of upper limbs, and at the same time will study the method of evaluating the endurance of whole body.

View full abstract

The electrocardiogram during weight-lifting was recorded by means of a short wave (Very High Frequency, V.H.F.) wireless transmitter and the time course of variation of the cardiac cycle in each type of weight-lifting, i. e., press, snatch and jerk, was studied for seven weight-lifters, student champions in a high school.
The results may be summarized as follows.
1) Immediately before the start of weight-lifting, the cardiac cycle was observed to shorten rapidly in all of the case, and, in some of the case, it was found the tendency to prolong after the rapid shortening above written.
2) The time course of variation of the cardiac cycle after the start is presumably be influenced by the timing of respiration, the time from the signal of starting to the beginning to grip of barbell, the reflex effect from leg muscles, the change of the intrathoracal pressure, the deformation of thorax and so on.
3) Such a large fluctuation of the cardiac cycle as remarked during running was rarely observed during weight-lifting, probably because the weight-lifting is the static muscular exercise without locomotion.
4) The shortening of the cardiac cycle was found to be most slight in the press type weight-lifting and most significant in the jerk type, inferrably due to the difference in the lifted weight and the duration of lifting.

View full abstract

Electrocardiograms during 50, 100 and 400 meter swimming were recorded by means of specially designed all-transistorized underwater transmitter by modulated carrier current of high audiofrequency (about 10 kc/s), and the course of variation of the cardiac cycle during swimming was examined.
The results may be summarized as follows.
1) The variation of the cardiac cycle was rather similar in grade to that found in the middle-long distance running than to that in the short distance running.
2) Immediately after the start or 10-15 seconds after the start the cardiac cycle was slowly shortened, and then it stayed at a certain level for 10-20 seconds.
3) During 100 and 400 meter swimming the duration of the cardiac cycle showed the tendency of being prolonged at the turning, and, in general, as time goes in swimming, it showed the tendency of being shortened.
4) The degree of the shortening of the cardiac cycle was remarkably large in free style swimming as compared with those in breast, back and butterfly strokes.
5) It was found the differece in the variation of the cardiac cycle during 400 meter swimming between the trained and the untrained swimmers.

View full abstract

The pressure exerted by the index finger tip was continuously recorded while the human subject was trying to maintain the pressure at the level of a given pressure (this pressure is named ‘target pressure’, 0.5-500g) with optical information for ten minutes, and the results obtained under various conditions were analysed.
1) The errors tended to be minimal in the range between 40 and 50g target pressure, and increased approximately in proportion to the target pressure above 50g.
2) When the subject relaxed his index finger, the errors decreased with decreasing target pressure in the range of less than 50g.
3) The errors were increased by excluding optical information. In target pressure less than 50g, the increment of the errors due to a decrease in the skin pressure intensity was further increased by exclusion of optical information.
4) In small target pressures, the errors tended to decrease transiently in evening, while in large target pressures the errors showed a gradual increase from morning toward evening.
5) The errors showed generally minimal values 2 or 3 minutes after the beginning of the measurement, and thereafter increased more remarkably in large target pressures than small ones.

View full abstract

1) The reaction time of the avoidance movement of jumping off toward a given place, which was regarded as an indicator of the quickness of movement of the group of muscles of the lower limbs, was measured and compared with the quickness of these of the upper limbs.
2) The reaction time of movement of placing one's hand from one to the other of the two pushing-plates, by pushing which the electric circuits were closed, was measured. The reaction time of the commencement of the movement was similar to the simple reaction time, and its correlation with age was not high. The time taken to place one's hand on the other plate tended to be a little longer with subject of middle and high ages.
3) The dispersion of the values of reaction time of both the commencement and the termination of movement when measured repeatedly was similar to that of the simple reaction time, but the dispersion of the difference between these two kinds of reaction times, that is, that of the time taken to move one's hand was smaller than that of the simple reaction time.
4) Concerning one-step jumping aside to the right hand side, the reaction time of the commencement of movement under the condition that the legs were moved one by one was longer than the simple reaction time, and was also longer than that of the simultaneous movement of the both legs. The reaction time of both the commencement and the termination of movement was longer with higher ages, and was longer with women than with men. This relation was more evident in the successive movement of each legs than in the simultaneous one. The frequency distribution curve obtaind by repeating the measurement of the reaction time of jumping off showed a nearly normal distribution curve. The correlation between the reaction time of hand movement and that of jumping off was not so high.
5) The scattering of the landing position of one-step jumping aside to the right hand side did not show any correlation with the values of the time taken to move one's legs.There was, however, a high correlation (r=+0.96) between the scattering of the landing position and that of the reaction time.
6) There was no large difference between the reaction time of one-step jumping aside to the right hand side and that to the left hand side. With respect to forward jumping, the period of time during which the pressure at the first pushing-plate remained equal to the body weight was longer when the both legs were not simultaneously moved. There was no large difference between forward and backward jumping.
7) The variation of the reaction time of two-steps jumping with respect to age was similar to that of one-step jumping.
8) The results mentioned above indicate that one-step jumping aside is to be adopted as an indicator of the quickness of movement of the group of muscles of the lower limbs, and that it is practically useful to measure the time taken for one's one leg to tread on the second pushing-plate.

View full abstract