Effects of Age, Maturation, and Sex on Trunk Muscle Performance in Elementary and Secondary School Students: ISQUIOS Program

Physical education students participated in this study to explore maturity status (MAT), chronological age (CA), and sex-specific trunk muscle endurance differences. Method: Static and dynamic trunk endurance were assessed using five field-based tests. The main results show differences in all trunk endurance tests according to CA and MAT, with greater performance being found at an at older CA or higher MAT. With respect to CA and sex, differences were only found in the DEE test and from the age of 14 onwards, where boys performed better than girls. In addition, interactions were also found between sex and MAT, where boys classified as having circa- and post-peak height velocity performed better than girls in all tests. Physical fitness appears to be particularly sensitive to MAT, so it is important to consider biological maturation when assessing physical fitness rather than the CA factor commonly used in international fitness batteries for children and adolescents.