title: The effect of training of military skills on performance in cold environment.
abstract: This study was conducted to evaluate how training for disassembling and assembling a weapon and patrol data message terminal and loading a magazine in different temperatures affected the ability to perform those skills in a cold environment. One group trained six times on separate days in a warm environment (19 degrees C), the second group trained three times in a warm environment and then three times in a cold environment (-15 degrees C), and the third group trained six times in the cold environment. Training first in warm and then in cold shortened performance time by 6% to 28%, in comparison to training only in a warm environment. Also, training in cold made the subjects faster than training in warm. In conclusion, before performing military operations in a cold environment, it is most beneficial to train first in warm and then in cold. Training only in warm produces the lowest level of performance in a cold environment.
authors.affiliation: Oulu Regional Institute of Occupational Health, Laboratory of Physiology, 90220 Oulu, Finland.
authors.forename: Juha
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Oksa
authors.forename: Hannu
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Rintamäki
authors.forename: Tero
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Mäkinen
mesh_terms: D000222:Adaptation, Physiological; D000886:Anthropometry; D003080:Cold Temperature; D003213:Conditioning, Psychological / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D005387:Finland; D005389:Firearms; D006358:Hot Temperature; D006801:Humans; D008887:Military Medicine; D008889:Military Personnel / Q000193:education*; D009048:Motor Skills / Q000502:physiology*; D010806:Physical Education and Training; D012881:Skin Temperature / Q000502:physiology; D013647:Task Performance and Analysis