Development of physical fitness standards for Canadian Armed Forces older personnel

The purpose of the study was to develop a minimum physical fitness standard for Canadian Forces personnel, 35 years and older, based on common criteria for physically demanding tasks. A random sample of 100 men and 76 women performed the Exercise Prescription (EXPRES) test and five physically demanding tasks that simulate common military tasks, while restricted, for safety reasons, to 90% maximal predicted heart rate. Results indicated poor predictive power, as variances ranged from 5 to 55% between EXPRES fitness scores and task performance. With approval from an expert panel, the 75th percentile score for each task was selected as the cutting criterion. The passing-group data were converted to Z-scores in order to determine the 5th percentile from each EXPRES item: these scores became the EXPRES fitness standard. The minimum fitness standard had a greater impact on women than on men but was representative of the passing groups for both sexes.