Which of the following is NOT a way to test muscular endurance?

• A. Do one bench press as heavy as possible.
• B. Suspend from a bar and hold on for as long as possible.
• C. Do as many reps as possible until muscle failure occurs.
• D. Do as many reps as possible for one minute.

Answer: (A)

Muscular endurance is the ability to perform repeated contractions or sustain a contraction over time. To measure it, you use lighter to moderate loads with many repetitions or hold a position for as long as possible. Lifting a very heavy weight for a single repetition focuses on maximal strength, not how long you can keep going or how many reps you can do at submaximal effort. So doing one bench press as heavy as possible doesn’t assess endurance; it assesses maximal strength. The other options align with endurance tests: holding onto a bar tests time under tension; pushing out as many reps as possible until fatigue tests repetition endurance; and counting reps within a minute also measures endurance under a time constraint.