Strength Endurance Test: Wall Sit (Single Leg)

The Single Leg Wall Sit is a useful test focusing more on quadriceps and anterior thigh endurance strength and requires little equipment.

Most research on this test has been performed on high school participants with some research suggesting that an average of 50-75 seconds for males and 35-45 seconds for females should be achievable at 90° of hip and knee flexion. As with many strength tests, this can be useful to measure the client you are working with and also to look for discrepancies from side to side.

Procedure:

1. The client is positioned up against a wall and adopts a position of either 90° (more challenging) or 45° (less challenging) of knee and hip flexion. This can be measured and standardized by placing an inclinometer on the front of the thigh.
2. Hands are placed on hips to standardize arm position and the opposite foot is lifted off the floor.
3. Cue the client to remain in this position for as long as possible. Failure is when the client cannot continue any longer or puts their opposite foot down. 
4. Measure the time each side and compare from side to side.

The DL variation is performed the same way with both feet on the ground.