Military operations at moderate altitude: effects on physical performance

The purpose of this study was to examine changes in select anaerobic and aerobic dependent physical performance tasks in U.S. Marines exposured to field operations at moderate altitude. The subjects (N = 16) completed Wingate anaerobic power, submaximal aerobic cycle ergometry, hand grip strength, and push-up tests on three separate occasions. Testing sessions occurred at sea level, at altitude after a 10-day acclimatization period (immediately before field operations), and at altitude immediately after 4.5 days of field operations. Anaerobic power was significantly (p < 0.05) reduced after the field operations at altitude. In contrast, the aerobic cost of doing submaximal exercise was slightly elevated (p < 0.05) after the altitude field operations. No physiologically significant effect was noted for hand grip or push-up results. The findings of this study indicate that field operations at moderate altitude do result in slight, but significant, anaerobic-aerobic performance decrement in U.S. Marines.