Association between flexibility measurements obtained by two different methods in extreme conditioning practitioners

Abstract

Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the association between flexibility measurements obtained using angular and quantitative methods in practitioners of extreme conditioning programs. Methods: This observational, cross-sectional study included 40 participants (17 men and 23 women), with a mean age of 31.02 ± 4.82 years, training experience of 11.65 ± 9.98 months, and a weekly training frequency of 4.17 ± 1.22 days. Flexibility was assessed using an angular method (Fleximeter) and a quantitative method (Flexitest). Comparisons were performed using Student’s t-test, and the relationship between methods was examined using Pearson’s correlation. Results: Positive and significant associations were observed for the following movements: medial rotation (r = 0.44, p = 0.003), shoulder extension (r = 0.34, p = 0.03), elbow extension (r = 0.41, p = 0.007), wrist flexion (r = 0.35, p = 0.02), spinal flexion (r = 0.42, p = 0.005), dorsiflexion (r = 0.40, p = 0.009), and ankle plantar flexion (r = 0.44, p = 0.003). Conclusion:The findings indicate that flexibility measurements show moderate associations when the movements assessed are more similar between tests, suggesting that, for these specific movements, both assessment tools may be used interchangeably.