Lower-body muscular power predicts performance on urban combat simulation

Issue title: Special Section: Physical Employment Standards

Guest editors: Robin M. Orr, Gemma S. Milligan, Sam D. Blacker, Jace Drain, Tara Reilly, Etienne Chassé, Andrew Siddall, Stephen Foulis, Helen Kilding and Veronica Jamnik

Article type: Research Article

Authors: Sankari, Matias^{a; *} | Vaara, Jani P.^a | Pihlainen, Kai^b | Ojanen, Tommi^c | Kyröläinen, Heikki^{a; d}

Affiliations: [a] Department of Leadership and Military Pedagogy, National Defence University, Helsinki, Finland | [b] Training Division of Defence Command, Helsinki, Finland | [c] Human Performance Division, Finnish Defence Research Agency, Tuusula, Finland | [d] Faculty of Sport and Health Sciences, University of Jyväskylä, Jyväskylä, Finland

Correspondence: [*] Address for correspondence: Matias Sankari, National Defence University, P.O. Box 7, FI-00861 Helsinki, Finland. E-mail: [email protected] and [email protected].

Abstract: BACKGROUND:Military operations in urban environments requires faster movements and therefore may place greater demands on soldier strength and anaerobic ability. OBJECTIVE:The aim was to study how physical fitness and body composition are associated with occupational test for urban combat soldiers before and after a 5-day military field exercise (MFE). METHODS:Twenty-six conscripts (age = 20±1 yrs.) volunteered, of which thirteen completed the study. Occupational performance was determined by using the newly developed Urban Combat Simulation test (UCS); which included 50-m sprinting, moving a truck tire (56 kg) 2 meters with a sledgehammer, a 12-m kettlebell carry (2×20 kg) up the stairs with a 3-m ascent, 4-time sandbag lifts (20 kg) with obstacle crossing, and a 20-m mannequin (85 kg) drag. Aerobic and muscle fitness, as well as anaerobic capacity were measured, and, body composition was assessed with multifrequency bioimpedance analysis. RESULTS:The UCS performance correlated significantly with standing long jump performance, as well as lower and upper body maximal strength before (r = –0.56 to –0.66) and after (r = –0.59 to –0.68) MFE, and, with body mass and FFM before (r = –0.81 to –0.83) and after (r = –0.86 to –0.91) MFE. In the regression analyses, fat free mass (R2 = 0.50, p = 0.01) and counter movement jump in combat load (R2 = 0.46, p = 0.009) most strongly explained the UCS performance. CONCLUSION:This study demonstrated that muscle mass and lower body explosive force production together with maximal strength are key fitness components related to typical urban combat soldiers‘ military tasks. Physical training developing these components are recommended.

Keywords: Soldier, military, readiness, fitness, task performance, physical training

DOI: 10.3233/WOR-230239

Journal: Work, vol. 77, no. 4, pp. 1331-1340, 2024