EFFECTS OF A PHYSICALLY DEMANDING TRAINING PROGRAM ON WOMEN'S HEAVY WORK TASK PERFORMANCE 760

Abstract

To determine if women can be trained to perform heavy work tasks typically performed by men, 41 women (27.5±4 yrs, 164±6 cm, 68.3±12 kg) trained 60-90 mins/day, 5 days/week for 14 weeks, with weight-lifting, running, backpacking, and specificity drills. Testing included 1-rep max box lifts, submax box lifts for reps, load carriage for time, and aerobic power. The following (mean±SD) all improved significantly (p<0.05) with training: Table Lifts over 45 kg are considered “very heavy” work tasks in the U.S. Army (lift height not specified). Virtually all of the subjects could lift over 45 kg to 76 cm even before training. While only 26% of the subjects could lift over 45 kg to 132 cm before training, 60% could do so afterwards.Conclusions: A specially designed physical training program can greatly improve the ability of women to perform job tasks categorized as“very heavy”. The subjects will continue training for an additional 10 weeks to determine if their heavy work performance can be further improved.