Sustained shoulder flexion endurance can be relevant for overhead sport, gym training, work tasks, carrying tasks, reaching and repeated arm elevation. Holding the arm in a flexed position under load provides a different endurance challenge to repetition-based testing.
The 5% bodyweight version is typically more manageable than a 10% bodyweight repetition test and may be useful when the goal is to assess sustained shoulder position tolerance rather than repeated movement.
The result should be interpreted alongside symptoms, shoulder range of motion, shoulder strength, shoulder flexion repetition testing, external rotation endurance, overhead tasks and training demands.
Test name: Shoulder Flexion – Hold 5% BW
Category: Shoulder flexion isometric endurance
Load: 5% of body weight
Primary score: Hold time in seconds
Best use: Sustained arm elevation tolerance, baseline comparison and retesting
Key limitation: It is position-specific and should not be interpreted as complete shoulder endurance
The Shoulder Flexion – Hold 5% BW Test assesses how long a client can hold a standardised shoulder flexion position using a load equal to 5% of body weight.
The test may be performed using a dumbbell, plate, cable, machine or other measurable load, provided the setup is standardised.
Common positions include:
Standing shoulder flexion hold
Seated shoulder flexion hold
Single-arm shoulder flexion hold
Double-arm shoulder flexion hold
Supported or unsupported shoulder flexion hold
The exact setup must be recorded because arm angle, body position, grip, load type, elbow position and compensation all change the result.
The test may be used to assess:
Sustained shoulder flexion endurance
Arm elevation tolerance
Fatigue response under a scaled load
Baseline and retest change
Symptom response during sustained shoulder flexion
Position-holding capacity
Technique change under fatigue
Overhead or reaching tolerance context
It is most useful when the same load calculation, equipment, arm angle, body position and stopping criteria are repeated over time.
The primary score is hold time in seconds.
The result may reflect:
Sustained shoulder flexion endurance
Anterior shoulder loading tolerance
Arm elevation endurance
Scapular and trunk control
Grip and elbow position control
Pain or symptom response
Technique control under fatigue
Motivation and familiarisation
It should not be described as isolated anterior deltoid endurance because shoulder flexion holds involve several shoulder, scapular and trunk contributors.
The test may be useful for:
Overhead athletes
Gym clients
Field sport athletes
Swimming and racquet sport clients
Clients with repeated reaching demands
Workplace or tactical clients with shoulder loading demands
Professionals monitoring sustained shoulder endurance over time
It may not be suitable for clients with high shoulder irritability, pain during loaded flexion, poor shoulder flexion ROM, poor control under load or inability to maintain the required position.
Dumbbell, plate, cable or measurable load
Scale or known body weight
Calculator for 5% bodyweight load
Measurz stopwatch
Optional Measurz metronome if using periodic position checks
Optional Measurz AR measurement or inclinometer for arm-angle consistency
Optional video for technique review
Measurz platform for load, hold time, symptoms, compensation and retest comparison
Record the client’s body weight.
Calculate 5% of body weight.
Select the closest practical load and record the exact load used.
Choose the test position: standing, seated or supported.
Record side tested, grip, equipment type, arm angle and elbow position.
Ask the client to lift the load into the selected shoulder flexion position.
Start timing once the correct position is achieved.
The client holds the position without leaning back, shrugging, bending the elbow, rotating the trunk or dropping below the target angle.
Stop when arm position is lost, technique changes, symptoms become unacceptable or the client chooses to stop.
Record hold time and reason for stopping.
Repeat on the opposite side after consistent rest if side-to-side comparison is required.
Record:
Body weight
Calculated 5% load
Actual load used
Side tested
Hold time
Arm angle
Elbow position
Equipment type
Body position
Pain or symptoms
Technique changes
Compensations
Reason for stopping
Retest date
A longer hold time generally suggests better sustained shoulder flexion endurance under the 5% bodyweight protocol. However, interpretation should consider load rounding, arm angle, fatigue, symptoms, trunk compensation and technique quality.
The most useful comparison is usually the client’s own baseline using the same setup, or left versus right using the exact same protocol.
There are no widely accepted universal norms for Shoulder Flexion – Hold 5% BW across all populations.
Use practical field bands only when the same protocol is repeated:
60+ seconds: strong current tolerance
30–59 seconds: moderate current tolerance
15–29 seconds: developing current tolerance
Under 15 seconds: low current tolerance
These are practical guide ranges only. Baseline comparison, symptom response, retest consistency and sport or work demands are more useful than rigid cut-offs.
Reliability depends on consistent load calculation, load rounding, body position, arm angle, elbow position, equipment type, warm-up, instructions and stopping criteria.
The 5% BW protocol provides a standardised way to scale sustained shoulder flexion load to body size, but the result should still be interpreted as test-specific performance rather than a complete shoulder function measure.
Validity should be interpreted cautiously. The test may help monitor sustained shoulder flexion endurance under load, but it should not be used alone to diagnose shoulder pathology, injury risk or readiness.
Common errors include:
Incorrect bodyweight load calculation
Not recording actual load used
Changing equipment type
Changing arm angle
Leaning backwards
Shrugging the shoulder
Bending the elbow
Rotating the trunk
Allowing the arm to drop gradually
Ignoring symptoms
Comparing 5% and 10% BW tests directly
Limitations include load rounding, fatigue, motivation, symptom irritability and influence from trunk and scapular control.
The Shoulder Flexion – Hold 5% BW Test can help professionals:
Monitor sustained shoulder flexion endurance
Track arm elevation tolerance
Compare baseline and retest performance
Record fatigue response
Identify compensation under load
Guide endurance-focused programming
Compare hold endurance with repetition-based shoulder flexion results
It is most useful when interpreted alongside shoulder ROM, shoulder strength, external rotation endurance, push-up testing, overhead symptoms and sport or work demands.
Record:
Test name
Body weight
Calculated 5% load
Actual load used
Side tested
Hold time
Arm angle
Elbow position
Equipment type
Body position
Pain score
Symptom location
Technique changes
Compensation
Reason for stopping
Retest date
Use the Measurz stopwatch for hold time. Use AR measurement or the inclinometer to help document arm angle and ROM consistency where useful.
It measures sustained shoulder flexion endurance using a load equal to 5% of body weight.
No. It involves shoulder flexors, scapular control, trunk control and position-holding endurance.
Multiply body weight by 0.05. Record the calculated load and the actual load used.
There are no universal norms. Use baseline comparison and repeat the exact same protocol over time.
Yes, when side-to-side comparison is relevant.
The Shoulder Flexion – Hold 5% BW Test assesses sustained loaded shoulder flexion endurance.
The primary score is hold time in seconds.
Load, arm angle, body position and equipment must be standardised.
The result should not be treated as isolated shoulder muscle endurance.
Measurz can track body weight, load, hold time, side, symptoms, compensation and retest progress.
Movement Assessment Technologies. (2024). Strength Endurance Test: Shoulder Isometric Endurance Tests (5% BW).
Kardor, S., Gorji, Z., Ghotbi, N., Attarbashi-Moghadam, B., Shadmehr, A., & Gorji, M. (2023). Upper extremity physical performance tests in female overhead athletes: A test–retest reliability study. Journal of Orthopaedic Surgery and Research, 18, 527. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13018-023-03974-4
Wilk, K. E., Macrina, L. C., & Reinold, M. M. (2022). Nonoperative and postoperative rehabilitation of the shoulder. In Clinical Orthopaedic Rehabilitation: A Team Approach.
