Bent-Arm Hang
The Bent-Arm Hang (also called the flexed arm hang) is the Eurofit battery measure of upper-body muscular endurance. The participant hangs from a bar with arms bent (chin above bar level) and holds for as long as possible. Data are from Tomkinson et al. (2018), a pooled analysis of 189,673 European children and adolescents from 23 countries aged 9 to 17.
How to Perform This Test (Protocol)
- Equipment
-
- Horizontal bar (adjustable height)
- Stopwatch
- Protocol Steps
-
- Set the bar to a height the participant can reach with feet off the ground.
- The participant grips the bar with an overhand grip (palms facing away), arms bent so the chin is above the bar.
- Start timing when the participant assumes the hold position with feet off the ground.
- Stop timing when the chin drops below the bar level or the participant lets go.
- Record time in seconds.
- Scoring
Time in seconds. Higher times indicate greater upper-body muscular endurance.
- Notes
The participant must not kick or swing to maintain the position. Chin must remain above bar height throughout.
Data source: Tomkinson et al. 2018 (Eurofit) About this study
Bent-Arm Hang Norms Chart by Age and Sex (s)
| Age | Sex | Percentile | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5th | 25th | 50th | 75th | 95th | ||
| 9 | Male | 1.48 | 3.89 | 7.48 | 14.56 | 35.62 |
| Female | 0.98 | 2.66 | 5.14 | 9.91 | 23.40 | |
| 10 | Male | 1.56 | 4.12 | 7.92 | 15.36 | 37.23 |
| Female | 0.97 | 2.66 | 5.15 | 9.96 | 23.60 | |
| 11 | Male | 1.63 | 4.33 | 8.32 | 16.09 | 38.62 |
| Female | 0.96 | 2.66 | 5.16 | 10.00 | 23.79 | |
| 12 | Male | 1.71 | 4.58 | 8.79 | 16.91 | 40.19 |
| Female | 0.96 | 2.66 | 5.17 | 10.02 | 23.86 | |
| 13 | Male | 1.90 | 5.13 | 9.81 | 18.66 | 43.30 |
| Female | 0.96 | 2.66 | 5.18 | 10.07 | 24.04 | |
| 14 | Male | 2.50 | 6.75 | 12.70 | 23.44 | 51.45 |
| Female | 0.94 | 2.66 | 5.23 | 10.28 | 24.86 | |
| 15 | Male | 3.73 | 9.66 | 17.43 | 30.45 | 61.48 |
| Female | 0.92 | 2.67 | 5.35 | 10.70 | 26.41 | |
| 16 | Male | 5.19 | 12.67 | 21.75 | 35.86 | 66.71 |
| Female | 0.91 | 2.74 | 5.63 | 11.50 | 29.19 | |
| 17 | Male | 6.48 | 14.90 | 24.46 | 38.41 | 66.92 |
| Female | 0.93 | 2.92 | 6.16 | 12.95 | 33.92 | |
What to expect by age group
| Age | Males | Females |
|---|---|---|
| 9 | 3.89 to 14.56 | 2.66 to 9.91 |
| 10 | 4.12 to 15.36 | 2.66 to 9.96 |
| 11 | 4.33 to 16.09 | 2.66 to 10.00 |
| 12 | 4.58 to 16.91 | 2.66 to 10.02 |
| 13 | 5.13 to 18.66 | 2.66 to 10.07 |
| 14 | 6.75 to 23.44 | 2.66 to 10.28 |
| 15 | 9.66 to 30.45 | 2.67 to 10.70 |
| 16 | 12.67 to 35.86 | 2.74 to 11.50 |
| 17 | 14.90 to 38.41 | 2.92 to 12.95 |
Detailed Breakdowns
Select an age group and sex below for detailed percentile charts, tables, and ratings.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is the distribution so spread out for boys?
The Bent-Arm Hang has a strongly right-skewed distribution, particularly for boys at older ages. For 17-year-old boys, the IQR spans 23.5 seconds, from 14.9 s to 38.4 s. That wide spread likely reflects large differences in training, sports participation, body mass, and pubertal muscle development.
Why do girls' scores barely change from age 9 to 14?
Girls' median times are essentially constant from age 9 to 14 (around 5.1–5.2 s), and P25 is identically 2.66 s across ages 9–14. Upper-body pulling strength develops more slowly in girls than boys over this age range. A modest improvement appears from age 15–17.
Is P25 interpolated?
Yes. Tomkinson et al. (2018) report P10, P20, P30, P70, P80, and P90 directly. P25 is approximated as (P20+P30)/2 and P75 as (P70+P80)/2, consistent with the convention for all Eurofit metrics on this site.
How does the bent-arm hang differ from pull-ups?
The bent-arm hang is a static hold: the participant starts with the chin above the bar and holds that position for as long as possible. Pull-ups are a dynamic exercise using repeated full-range reps. The hang measures isometric upper-body endurance, so its scores are not directly comparable with pull-up counts.
Are there adult norms for the bent-arm hang?
The norms on this page are for ages 9–17 from the Tomkinson 2018 Eurofit meta-analysis. Large-sample peer-reviewed adult percentile norms for this specific Eurofit protocol are not available. The flexed arm hang is used in some military fitness tests (e.g. Marine Corps) but those are scored against pass/fail thresholds rather than population percentiles.
Related Metrics
Eurofit Battery
This metric is part of the Eurofit, a standardised 9-test battery for children and adolescents aged 6-18.