Perspectives on Aerobic and Strength Influences on Military Physical Readiness: Report of an International Military Physiology Roundtable.
Physical fitness training of military recruits is an enduring focus of armies. This is important for safe and effective performance of general tasks that anyone may have to perform in a military setting as well as preparation for more specialized training in specific job specialties. Decades of studies on occupationally specific physical requirements have characterized the dual aerobic and strength demands of typical military tasks; however, scientifically founded strategies to prepare recruits with a good mix of these 2 physiologically opposing capabilities have not been well established. High levels of aerobic training can compromise resistance training gains and increase injury rates. Resistance training requires a greater commitment of time and resources as well as a greater understanding of the science to produce true strength gains that may be beneficial to military performance. These are critical issues for modern armies with increased demands for well-prepared soldiers and fewer injury losses. The actual physical requirements tied to metrics of success in military jobs are also under renewed examination as women are increasingly integrated into military jobs previously performed only by men. At the third International Congress on Soldiers' Physical Performance, a roundtable of 10 physiologists with military expertise presented comparative perspectives on aerobic and strength training. These topics included the physiological basis of training benefits, how to train effectively, how to measure training effectiveness, considerations for the integration of women, and the big perspective. Key discussion points centered on (a) the significance of findings from research on integrated training, (b) strategies for effective strength development, and
1ORISE Knowledge Preservation Program, U.S. Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine, Natick, Massachusetts; 2U.S. Army Public Health Center (Provisional), Aberdeen Proving Ground, Aberdeen, Maryland; 3Department of Biology of Physical Activity, University of Jyväskylä, Jyväskylä, Finland; 4USAF Fitness Testing and Standards Unit, Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph, San Antonio, Texas; 5Centre for Human and Applied Physiology, School of Medicine, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia; 6Brazilian Army Research Institute of Physical Fitness, IPCFEx, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; 7Department of Applied Physiology and Kinesiology, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida; 8Directorate of Epidemiology and Disease Surveillance, US Army Public Health Command, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Aberdeen, Maryland; 9Department of Human Sciences, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio; and 10Neuromuscular Research Laboratory/Warrior Human Performance Research Center, Department of Sports Medicine and Nutrition, School of Health and Rehabilitation Science, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Karl E
KE
Friedl
Joseph J
JJ
Knapik
Keijo
K
Häkkinen
Neal
N
Baumgartner
Herbert
H
Groeller
Nigel A S
NA
Taylor
Antonio F A
AF
Duarte
Heikki
H
Kyröläinen
Bruce H
BH
Jones
William J
WJ
Kraemer
Bradley C
BC
Nindl
D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008889:Military Personnel; D053580:Muscle Strength / Q000502:physiology*; D010807:Physical Endurance / Q000502:physiology*; D010809:Physical Fitness / Q000502:physiology*; D055070:Resistance Training; D012737:Sex Factors; D014481:United States