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Effects of two different eight-week training programs on military physical performance
Everett A Harman1, David J Gutekunst, Peter N Frykman
1U.S. Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine, Natick, Massachusetts, USA. everett.harman@us.army.mil
Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research
|June 14, 2008
Summary
Weight-based training (WBT) and Army Standardized Physical Training (SPT) programs significantly improved military physical performance in untrained men over 8 weeks. Both training methods yielded comparable results in combat-relevant tests, with no significant long-term advantage identified for WBT.
Area of Science:
- Exercise Physiology
- Military Science
- Sports Medicine
Background:
- Soldier effectiveness and survivability are critically dependent on combat-specific physical fitness.
- Weight-based training (WBT) has demonstrated efficacy in enhancing physical fitness.
- The study investigates the applicability of WBT for short-term military training.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the effectiveness of a weight-based training (WBT) program compared to the Army Standardized Physical Training (SPT) program.
- To assess training-induced changes in combat-relevant physical performance tests over an 8-week period.
- To determine if WBT offers advantages over SPT for short-term military physical conditioning.
Main Methods:
- Two groups of male soldiers participated: a weight-based training (WBT) group and an Army Standardized Physical Training (SPT) group.
- Both groups trained for 1.5 hours/day, 5 days/week for 8 weeks.
- Performance was measured using combat-relevant tests including loaded runs, obstacle courses, sprints, and casualty evacuation.
Main Results:
- Both WBT and SPT groups showed statistically significant improvements (P < 0.05) in all measured combat-relevant physical performance tests.
- Improvements included faster times for loaded runs, obstacle courses, sprints, and casualty evacuations.
- The obstacle course demonstrated a significant difference in improvement between the two training groups, favoring one group, but overall performance gains were similar.
Conclusions:
- For short-term (8-week) training of relatively untrained men, both the Army's SPT program and an experimental WBT program yield similar, significant improvements in military physical performance.
- Further research is required to ascertain if WBT provides a distinct advantage over longer training durations.
- Both training modalities effectively enhance combat-specific physical fitness.
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