Soldier Fitness Research Articles

Tirzepatide and exercise training in obesity.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of 6 weeks of resistance training (RT) combined with aerobic training (AT) and Tirzepatide supplementation on lipid profiles, insulin resistance, anthropometric characteristics and physical fitness in prediabetic obese soldiers. 61 obese men were randomly divided into six groups: Placebo; Tirzepatide 5 mg (T5); Tirzepatide 2.5 mg (T2.5); Hypertrophy, Strength, Power-Circuit Training+Placebo (Ex+P); Hypertrophy, Strength, Power-Circuit Training+Tirzepatide 5 mg (Ex+T5); Hypertrophy, Strength, Power-Circuit Training+Tirzepatide 2.5 mg (Ex+T2.5). All training groups performed aerobic training (AT) after resistance training. Subjects trained for six weeks, three sessions per week. Before and after the intervention period, the participants were evaluated for anthropometric measures, body composition [body weight, body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), waist to hip ratio (WHR) and fat mass (FM)], cardiorespiratory fitness (VO2max), and muscle strength (chest press 1RM and leg press 1RM). Blood biochemistry evaluations included triglyceride (TG), total cholesterol (TC), low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), fasting blood glucose (FBG), insulin level and insulin resistance (HOMA-IR). To evaluate the differences between the groups, ANCOVA statistical method was used along with Bonferroni's post hoc test, and the significance level was P < 0.05. Body weight, BMI, WC, FM, FBG, LDL-C, TC, TG and HOMA-IR were significantly decreased in Ex+P, Ex+T5 and Ex+T2.5 groups compared to Placebo, T5 and T2.5 groups. WHR significantly decreased in Ex+P, Ex+T5 and Ex+T2.5 groups compared to Placebo group. HDL-C, chest press and leg press significantly increased in Ex+P, Ex+T5 and Ex+T2.5 groups compared to Placebo, T5 and T2.5 groups. VO2max significantly increased and insulin significantly decreased in Ex+P group compared to Placebo, T5 and T2.5 groups. FM, FBG and TG were significantly decreased in both the T2.5 and T5 groups compared to Placebo group. HOMA-IR, LDL-C and TC significantly decreased in the T5 group compared to Placebo group. Also, leg press significantly increased in Ex+P group compared to all other groups. Performing six weeks of combined resistance and aerobic training in the form of RT+AT alone is more effective than the simultaneous use of Tirzepatide on cardiorespiratory fitness, strength, and modulating insulin levels. Taking Tirzepatide in doses of 5 mg and 2.5 mg in combination with exercise training did not have a significant advantage over exercise training alone. Finally, taking Tirzepatide in doses of 5 mg or 2.5 mg in combination with exercise training is not significantly superior to each other.

Physical Fitness Tests in the Army-Legitimate Diversity or Randomness?

In this article, I present my views on the diversified approaches to assess the physical fitness of soldiers within selected armies worldwide. I discussed the related common features and paradoxes associated with these approaches. For the comparative analysis, national diversity was taken into account and subjective selection of the physical fitness tests conducted in the armies of the United States, Finland, Germany, India, China, Israel, Netherlands, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom, and Poland was done. An analysis of the physical fitness tests reveals significant variations, despite the purpose of the assessment being the same, that is, to evaluate a soldier's physical preparedness for combat tasks. Based on the analysis, I categorize the variation in physical fitness tests of soldiers at four levels: (1) single-system function tests (e.g., push-ups, sit-ups) vs. multi-system tests (obstacle courses), (2) considering health aspects vs. not considering health aspects during physical fitness tests, (3) motor components vs. coordination components (e.g.,balance), and (4) tests differentiated by gender and age vs.tests not differentiated by gender and age. In conclusion, I am in favor of multi-system tests, comprised of obstacle courses mirroring potential situations in combat tasks. In my opinion, multi-system tests are superior compared to single-system function tests since they enable a comprehensive assessment of effort, coordination, and mental predispositions necessary for functioning in real-life conditions. I also support physical fitness evaluation that is not differentiated based on a soldier's gender and age, as there is no logical justification for such distinctions.

Про еквівалентність контрольних вправ стандартів фізичної підготовки табличній системі оцінювання фізичної підготовленості військовослужбовців та їх адекватність вимогам бойової діяльності

The purpose of the study was to investigate the adequacy of the standards of physical training of soldiers of the Ground Forces to the requirements that are objectively imposed on the physical fitness of soldiers by the content, nature and conditions of modern combat operations, as well as their equivalence to the tabular evaluation system; determine the possibility and expediency of their use in the educational process to assess the physical fitness of cadets. Materials and methods. To achieve the goal, a complex of general scientific research methods was used. The methods of theoretical analysis, synthesis, systematization, generalization of available information and practical experience were used to argue the main provisions of the research, generalize the available data, justify the place and role of control to ensure the effective functioning of the system of physical improvement of cadets of higher military educational institutions. The main material of the theoretical analysis was scientific articles and guiding documents on the management of physical training of military personnel of the leading countries in the military field of the world. Preference was given to printed official documentary materials, scientific articles and textbooks related to the development of methods for checking and assessing the physical condition of military personnel. Results and discussion. When assessing the physical fitness of the same cadets at the same time using the exercises of the standards of physical training of the Ground Forces soldiers and according to the requirements of the Physical Training Manual, radically opposite results were obtained. In accordance with the requirements of the standards, 100% of the personnel completed the established standards of control exercises and received a rating “completed”, and the physical readiness of the unit was rated “ready”. When assessing the physical fitness of cadets in accordance with the requirements of the 2021 Physical Training Instructions, only 53 cadets (42.4%) received positive evaluations, the remaining 72 cadets (57.6%) did not score the required 80 points in one or more exercises and, accordingly, received an unsatisfactory rating. The physical training of the unit according to the requirements of the 2021 Physical Training Instructions is also rated unsatisfactory. Conclusion. The norms of control exercises of the standards of physical training of servicemen of the Army of the Armed Forces of Ukraine are not equivalent to the norms of the tests of the tabular system for evaluating the physical fitness of servicemen, and their availability to cadets whose physical fitness is assessed as unsatisfactory according to the tabular system indicates their inadequacy to the requirements of combat activity for the physical fitness of servicemen. They do not allow obtaining reliable information about the level of physical readiness of personnel to perform combat tasks. Thus, their use in the educational process of physical education and special physical training to assess the physical fitness of cadets of military academies is inappropriate

Physical fitness assessment for lower limb disability: rationale and design to develop a new formula

Introduction: Injuries are a major medical problem in military populations. The physical fitness assessment is a series of tests that measure and monitor physical fitness levels. The existing physical fitness assessment and formula used by the Indonesian Military requires a running test that only applies to healthy soldiers. This study attempted to construct a formula for assessing physical fitness using tests that soldiers may perform with lower limb injury/disability. Method: The design of the study was an internal cross-sectional comparison. This study included 104 healthy, well-trained male normal soldiers (NS) and 50 injured or disabled soldiers (DS) who matched the inclusion criteria. The NS was required to perform a 12-minute running and wheeling test, a ball-throwing test, push-ups, and lunges. The DS was also required to perform the same tests except for the 12-minute running test and lunges. The analysis of the data consisted of four steps: constructing a conceptual framework, describing the characteristics of each group, identifying significant indicators using Partial Least Square-Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) to develop a physical fitness formula, and determining whether the formula is appropriate for assessing physical fitness in running and wheeling tests. Result: There is no significant difference in the characteristics of NS and DS (p&gt;0.05); thus, the subjects in both groups are comparable. Physical fitness test has several major contributing factors: distance, test method, muscle strength, and age. There is no significant difference in the number of NS in each category between the running and wheeling tests (p&gt;0.05). Conclusion: Physical fitness formula= {1.1 × (0.98 × distance*) + (0.97 × method value**)} – (0.093 × age) – (0.17 × muscle strength***) Note: *) Distance traveled during running or wheeling test (meter). **) The running test method value is entered as 1, and the wheeling test method value is entered as 2. ***) The value of wheeling muscle strength is obtained from the ball-throwing test. In contrast, the value of running muscle strength can be determined by multiplying the result of the ball-throwing test by 2. These findings may be used for assessing the physical fitness of normal soldiers or those with lower limb injury/disability.

The role of physical fitness training programs in improving armed personnel’s tactical and combat readiness to secure land and borders

Physical fitness is a fundamental tool for an effective soldier to maintain vigor, alertness, and stamina in operations, and in the performance of all assigned duties in tackling insurgency and insecurity across the nation. Through a review of past studies, this paper highlights the importance of physical fitness of soldiers for combat missions, and its efficacy in ensuring their combat readiness. It also highlights the role of commanders in ensuring that soldiers adhere to standardized physical training fitness programs. This paper concludes by recommending the importance of commanders, physical instructors, tactical unit leaders, coaches, and trainers in soldiers attaining the required physical professional standards in discharging their duties during missions and combat.

Physical fitness of students based on a test used to assess the physical fitness of soldiers of the National Reserve Forces

Background and Study Aim. The purpose of this study was to analyze the physical fitness of students based on a test used to assess the physical fitness of soldiers of the National Reserve Forces.&#x0D; Material and methods. The study included 30 students majoring in Physical Education, specializing in Physical Education in the Uniformed Services. The average age of the subjects was 23.53 years, where the youngest subject was 21.92 years old and the oldest was 28.67 years old (SD = 1.513). The National Reserve Forces (NSR – abbreviation using in Polish language) physical fitness test was used to assess the level of physical fitness of professional soldiers. Students completed a proprietary research questionnaire to investigate the level and type of additional physical activity of the subjects, their future career plans related to the uniformed services, and their level of satisfaction with their performance on the fitness tests.&#x0D; Results. It was shown that students who rated their level of preparation for uniformed service and satisfaction with their performance higher scored better on the NSR test. It was proven, equally, that students having a higher weekly volume of additional physical activity obtain higher scores in the fitness test. In addition, it has been demonstrated that better results in the fitness test are achieved by students who engage in physical activity at the level of active athletes.&#x0D; Conclusions. The recommendation to introduce classes similar to sports training under battlefield conditions into schools and universities preparing future uniformed officers is justified. This would give a simultaneous improvement in physical fitness along with an increase in the level of self-efficacy for combat operations. Those wishing to enter the selection process for uniformed formations should practice regular physical activity, preferably at an intensity and volume close to the competitive level. This significantly affects the result achieved in the fitness test.

Anthropometrics Impact Army Combat Fitness Test Performance in Reserve Officer Training Corps Cadets.

Fitness is a vital component in military success. The Army is in the process of implementing a new assessment for soldier fitness, the Army Combat Fitness Test (ACFT). Success on the assessment is a major factor in job assignments and promotional opportunities. This generates questions related to modifiable (i.e., fitness and body composition) and non-modifiable (i.e., limb length and testing equipment) factors impacting performance. Currently, anthropometrics differences in ACFT performance have not been investigated. Thus, this study aimed to assess the impact of anthropometrics on ACFT performance in Reserve Officer Training Corps Cadets. Anthropometric measures and ACFT scores were collected from Reserve Officer Training Corps cadets (n = 105, age: 20.4 ± 2.4 years, body mass index: 25.0 ± 2.8 kg/m2, and M/F = 84/21). All ACFT events were evaluated by certified graders. Measurement locations were based on established anthropometric assessment standards and previous research (hand, lower arm, upper arm, upper leg, lower leg, and torso lengths). The study was approved by the Auburn University Institutional Review Board (protocol code #21-410). There were weak correlations between hand length and three-repetition maximum deadlift [0.393; P ≤ .001], standing power throw [0.399; P ≤ .001], sprint-drag-carry [-0.315; P = .002], and ACFT score [0.212; P = .035]. The lower leg had weak correlations with standing power throw [0.249; P = .013], sprint-drag-carry [-0.215; P = .033], and ACFT score [0.213; P = .034]. Hand and lower leg length impacted individual event performances when comparing shortest and longest limb lengths [all P values <.05]. Hand and lower leg length significantly impact ACFT performance. These results present practical information to individuals responsible for developing protocols and scoring for the ACFT. Reassessment of events and the equipment utilized are warranted to assure that event performance is not hindered by a non-modifiable factor that is not representative of fitness or occupational demands. Future work should investigate how different trap-bar and kettlebell handle sizes, as well as medicine ball sizes, impact performance on the ACFT.

Agility and balance are useful tests to add to straight-line running in assessing fitness of Infantry Commander trainees

Background: Military training activities aim to establish a consistent level of fitness in soldiers and raise all to full combat standard. Physical fitness tests typically involve a combination of aerobic, agility and muscular strength activities. Various aspects of fitness have been shown to be predictive of reduced injury risk within this population. This study assessed the potential for tests of leg function to add value to the fitness testing protocol in the Infantry Commanders Course (IC Course) of the Israeli Defence Force (IDF).

Ocena wybranych elementów potencjału Sił Zbrojnych RP

The article contains a presentation of the Polish Armed Forces and in-depth characteristics of selected areas, which, in the author's opinion, determine the level of its military potential. The Armed Forces of the Republic of Poland were characterized, focusing on the main defense tasks that are set for soldiers of the Polish Army in the context of fighting and securing the interests of the Polish state, as well as tasks resulting from international agreements. A definition of the Armed Forces potential was showing the approach to this issue by various authors. The number of soldiers was assessed and compared with the strength of the world's most powerful armies as well as the armies of neighboring countries. An analysis of material resources was made, presenting not only their current state, but also the prospects for development. In this context, the current state of armament of the Land Forces of the Polish Armed Forces as well as the main armament and equipment of the Polish Armed Forces are presented in detail. Additionally, it was emphasized that apart from personal and material resources, an extremely important element influencing the military potential is the psychophysical condition of Polish soldiers. Therefore, the elements of the psychophysical condition were characterized, including mental health, personality traits and physical fitness. It was emphasized that a particularly important feature that should characterize a soldier is high level of physical fitness. In order to understand this problem well, physical fitness has been defined according to the approach of various authors, gross motor skills have been described, broken down into fitness and non-fitness skills, and the method of assessing the physical fitness of soldiers of the Polish Army has been presented. In the last stage, reference was made to the results of the physical fitness assessment presented in the available national literature. In this approach, the basic results of research carried out, among others, are presented. on soldiers of Special Forces and air cavalry.

Physical activity of daily life of Bundeswehr soldiers: a cross-sectional study

IntroductionActivity of daily life is an important key to maintaining and improving the health status. This is especially important for people in physically demanding jobs, such as firefighters, military and...

LONG-TERM MONITORING OF PHYSICAL FITNESS OF SOLDIERS OF THE ARMY OF THE CZECH REPUBLIC

Our study deals with long-term monitoring of physical fitness of soldiers, namely members of the 31st Regiment specialising in Radiation, Chemical and Biological Protection (prchbo) in order to determine whether the annual fitness test has rising trend, or in another words, whether the military service physical training process is fittingly effective. The study was carried out by comparing the assessment of physical fitness each year between 2012 and 2019. The monitored group consisted of 316 professional soldiers, who participated in this assessment regularly, without interruption in the same disciplines. Due to the managed long-term military physical training process, overall improvement in the strength and endurance disciplines throughout the monitoring period took place. Men improved by 0.32 sit-ups, 0.74 push-ups and 0.24 pull-ups in the strength tests. Women improved by 0.83 sit-ups and 0:21 min in pull-ups endurance test. Men improved by 55.8 meters in Cooper test and 0:17 min in swimming in the endurance tests. Women improved by 135.6 meters in Cooper test. Increase in the number of overall rating excellent and good and decrease in the assessment of satisfactory and unsatisfactory occurred concurrently in men throughout the monitoring period. Significant increase in the number of excellent assessments, while at the same time reduction in the number of evaluations good and satisfactory occurred in women. None of the women was assessed as unsatisfactory during the whole monitoring period. Based on the acquired data, it may be stated that in the monitored years, the annual testing showed rising trend and thus the efficiency of the in-service physical training process proved to be good and appropriate.

Physical fitness and anthropometrics in Finnish soldiers during their early career: prospective changes during a 3-year follow-up

IntroductionPhysical fitness is a fundamental capability required of military personnel, but studies focusing on longitudinal changes in physical fitness and anthropometrics in soldiers are lacking. The aim was to evaluate...

Correlation of Resilience with Good Relations with Neighbors

Correlation of Resilience with Good Relations with Neighbors

Growing Academic Physiatry: The Impact of the Baruch's Grants on Harvard Medical School and Columbia College of Physicians and Surgeons. Part II.

Growing Academic Physiatry: The Impact of the Baruch's Grants on Harvard Medical School and Columbia College of Physicians and Surgeons. Part II.

Enabling Militarism? The Inclusion of Soldiers with Disabilities in the Israeli Military

AbstractSoldiers are rarely imagined as having disabilities, other than when they are injured in war. Yet in recent years the Israeli military has devoted considerable resources to programs promoting the inclusion of soldiers with intellectual disabilities. This paper critically examines two such programs, arguing that they should prompt a reexamination of assumptions in both critical military studies and critical disability studies. These two fields are rarely placed in dialogue, especially in international relations. Yet this paper argues that they have productive insights to offer each other and suggests that the Israeli case raises important questions when their analytical frames are combined. First, the paper argues that this example complicates the category of soldier fitness in critical military studies and reveals that militarist distinctions between ability and disability can be destabilized in ways suggested elsewhere by critical disability studies. Second, however, the paper cautions that the emancipatory potential of alternative “crip” subjectivities explored in critical disability studies remains circumscribed by geopolitical processes (including neoliberalism, settler colonialism, and militarism), which international relations is well placed to analyze. These arguments are advanced by showing how these inclusionary programs for soldiers with disabilities are implicated in the debilitating violence of Israel's settler colonial project.

Secular Trends in BMI and Waist Circumference and the Prevalence of Overweight and Obesity in Austrian Candidates for Conscription from 2007 To 2016

Abstract The increase of prevalence of overweight and obesity progressed worldwide and is associated with lifetime diseases. Operational readiness of armed forces is depending on anthropometric data and physical fitness of soldiers. The aim of the study was the investigation of temporal and regional trends of BMI and waist circumference of Austrian conscripts.Data came from the Ministry of Defence of Austria. Mean of body mass (BM, kg), body mass index (BMI, kg/m2,) and waist circumference (WC, cm) across age, urbanity and regions were analysed, effect size was checked by Cohen’s d and f eta. Significance was selected at p values &lt;0.05.Mean of BM, BMI and WC showed significant differences, effect sizes were trivial. A significant high correlation was ascertained by BM (r = 0.78 – 0.82) and BMI (r = 0.77 – 0.81) to WC in all age cohorts. Regional differences were detected in BM, BMI and WC. The results show a significant increase of BM, BMI and WC in the years 2007 to 2010 and a stabilisation during the rest of investigation period. Prevalence of overweight and obesity in young men has reached a worrying level for public health in Austrian society.

Positive Psychology: A Personal History.

As president of the American Psychological Association in 1998, I organized researchers and practitioners to work on building well-being, not just on the traditional task of reducing ill-being. Substantial research then found that well-being causes many external benefits, including better physical and mental health. Among the applications of Positive Psychology are national psychological accounts of well-being, Positive Psychotherapy, the classification of strengths and virtues, Comprehensive Soldier Fitness, and Positive Education. Positive Psychology has spread beyond psychology into neuroscience, health, psychiatry, theology, and even to the humanities. Positive Psychology has many critics, and I comment on the strongest criticisms. I conclude with the hope that the building of well-being will become a cornerstone of morality, politics, and religion.

Physical Training of Candidates to Professional Military Service in Lithuanian Armed Forces

Research back ground and hypothesis. There is a basic military training course (BMT) carried out in the Lithuanian Armed Forces. The aim of this course is to train soldiers for military service that they were able to perform individual tasks and acquire basic military preparation. There is a lack of research dealing with the effect of physical training programmes in military training courses on the changes in soldiers’ physical fitness. We hypothesize that in the course of military training physical fitness of would-be soldiers improves.Research aim was to analyse the structure and content of the BMT programme and the effect of its implementation on the changes in physical fitness for would-be soldiers.Research methods: literature review, analysis of military physical training programmes, physical fitness testing.Research results. During the first testing only 26.8% of would-be soldiers achieved the standards of physical fitness complex test, and during the second testing the standards of the complex test of physical fitness were achieved by 89.5% of service people. In the period of the course VO 2 max and Roufier index improved (p &lt; 0.001). Indices of physical fitness and functional capacity improved more in the first half of the course. At the end of the course the results of adapted military physical fitness of service people were worse compared to the results of their general physical fitness.Discussion and conclusions. The program of general physical training was effective, but more attention should be paid to the improvement of adapted military physical fitness programme aiming at better results. During the basic military training course physical fitness and functional capacity of candidates improved and at the end of the course it reached the normative level of physical fitness.Keywords: physical fitness, adapted military physical fitness, basic military course, testing.

Reliability and Validity of a Maximal Treadmill Test for Predicting Aerobic Fitness in Norwegian Prospective Soldiers.

The Norwegian armed forces reintroduced physical fitness testing of prospective conscript soldiers in 2011. Since then, a customized maximal treadmill test (MILMAX) has been used to screen aerobic fitness in 15-20,000 young Norwegian men and women annually. The aim of the current study was to investigate reliability and validity of the MILMAX test. Sixty-seven young Army recruits (including 11 women) participated in this method comparison study. The subjects completed the MILMAX test twice (test-retest), consisting of walking and running at increasing speed and inclination until voluntarily exhaustion. Performance was registered as exercise tolerance time (ETT). Later, the subjects performed a treadmill test of direct maximal oxygen uptake (V̇O2max). All tests were conducted within 15 days. The study protocol was submitted to the Regional Committee for Medical and Health Research Ethics for review, prior to study initiation. The Committee considered the study to be exempted from notification. The study was carried out according to the guidelines in the Declaration of Helsinki. There was no significant mean difference in MILMAX ETT between test and retest. Test-retest intraclass correlation coefficient was 0.95 (0.91, 0.97), while 95% limits of agreement was ± 60 seconds. Regression analyses showed that MILMAX ETT and gender explained 78% of the variance in directly measured V̇O2max, and a prediction equation with these two independent variables was generated. The Pearson correlation coefficient between predicted and directly measured V̇O2max was 0.89 (0.83, 0.93), while limits of agreement was ± 5.6 mL·kg-1·min-1. The MILMAX is equally reliable and valid compared with well-known maximal indirect tests like the 2-mile run and the 20-m shuttle run test, and may serve as an alternative indoor test of aerobic fitness in the military, in other potentially physically strenuous occupations, or in healthy civilians.

Assessing Psychological Fitness in the Military - Development of an Effective and Economic Screening Instrument.

There are a high number of soldiers with deployment-related and non-deployment-related mental health problems in the German Armed Forces (Bundeswehr): This has led to an increase in mental disorders and a decrease in quality of life. To tackle these problems and to strengthen resources among the Bundeswehr personnel, this study aims at developing a screening instrument for assessing the psychological fitness of soldiers on the basis of questionnaire scales. In this approach, psychological fitness describes a soldier's ability to integrate and enhance his/her mental and emotional capabilities using resources and trainable skills. Bundeswehr combat soldiers (N = 361) answered questionnaires about resilience (RS-11), sense of coherence (SOC-L9), quality of life (WHOQOL-BREF), mental disorders (PHQ-D) and post-traumatic growth (PTG). Additionally, they were interviewed by trained troop psychologists both before and after their deployment in Afghanistan from January to June 2014. The screening model is based on self-report data; the psychological fitness in the standardized interview serves as a validation standard. A linear logistic regression model was performed that includes the social relationship and the psychological scale from WHOQOL-BREF and the somatoform and the stress scale from PHQ. This model allows specialists a first assessment between participants who are psychologically fit before and after deployment and those who are less so. The chosen cutoff for sensitivity is between 70% and 79% and for specificity between 70% and 85%. This screening approach is still not applicable to large populations like that of the Bundeswehr, which currently has about 170,000 soldiers but it is limited to deployed combat troops. Classifying psychological fitness allows specialists to differentiate between people in need of special training or additional diagnostic measures and those in need of sustaining their fitness regularly at the earliest possible stage. A follow-up study that is representative of deployed and non-deployed military personnel will examine whether these results can be transferred to the entire Bundeswehr and whether the validity of the interview can be established.