Exercise: Zipper Test

Purpose: to test the shoulder and arm flexibility

Equipment required: tape measure/ruler

Pre-test: Explain the test procedures to the subject. Perform screening of health risks and
obtain informed consent. Prepare forms and record basic information such as age, height, body
weight, gender and test conditions. Measure and mark out the course. Perform a standard
warm-up. See more details of pre-test procedures.

Aim - To be able to bring the fingertips together behind the back by going over the shoulder
and under the elbow

Procedure –

A. For the one who’ll do the exercise

a.Stand erected

b. lift your right arm, bend your

elbow, and stretch your back as far
as you can.

c. At the same time, extend your

left arm down and behind your
back, fold your elbow over your
back, and attempt to cross your fingers over those of your right hand.

d. Reach with your right hand over your right shoulder and down your back as though
you were pulling a zip or scratching between your shoulder blades.
 e. Repeat the operation (a-d) with the left hand over the left shoulder to check the left
shoulder.

B. For partner who’ll do the measuring

a. Observe whether the fingers crossed each other or overlapped.

b. Measure the angle at which the fingers overlapped with

c. Record the centimeter value.

Scoring –

A. If fingertips touched each other, the score is 0.

B. If they do not touch, measure the distance between the tips of each middle finger.
Then put a negative sign together with the score. Ex. -2cm

C. If they overlap, measure the distance between the tips of each middle finger. Then
put a positive sign together with the score. +2cm

Standard Scoring

0 – did not touch fingers

1 – touched only tip of fingers
2 – fingers overlapped by 1 to 2 cm
3 – fingers overlapped by 3 to 4 cm
4 – fingers overlapped by 5 to 7 cm
5 – fingers overlapped by 8 cm or more

Score Remarks
5 Very Good
4 Good
3 Average
2 Poor
1-0 Very Poor
Advantages: A simple flexibility test that you can do inside your home.

Disadvantages: You need someone to help you measure your flexibility. Also, this test only
measures your shoulder and arms flexibility.

If you’re having difficulties understanding this exercise feel free to visit this link
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L0hSAZv9Fpc.

Reference: Johnsardona, “Zipper test procedure”, Retrieved at

https://brainly.ph/question/2240486