Distribution of concurrent training sessions does not impact endurance adaptation

Changes in physical performance during British Army Junior Entry, British Army Standard Entry and Royal Air Force Basic Training

INTRODUCTION

The purpose was to quantify physical performance in men and women during British Army Junior Entry (Army-JE), British Army Standard Entry (Army-SE) and Royal Air Force (RAF) basic training (BT).

DESIGN

Prospective longitudinal study.

METHODS

381 participants ((339 men and 42 women) n=141 Army-JE, n=132 Army-SE, n=108 RAF) completed a 2 km run, medicine ball throw (MBT) and isometric mid-thigh pull (MTP), pre-BT and post-BT. To examine changes in pre-BT to post-BT physical test performance, for each course, paired Student t-test and Wilcoxon test were applied to normally and non-normally distributed data, respectively, with effect sizes reported as Cohen's D and with rank biserial correlations, respectively. A one-way between-subjects analysis of variance (ANOVA) (or Welch ANOVA for non-normally distributed data) compared performance between quartiles based on test performance pre-BT. Where the main tests statistic, p value and effect sizes identified likely effect of quartile, post hoc comparisons were made using Games-Howell tests with Tukey's p value. Data are presented as mean±SD, with statistical significance set at p<0.05.

RESULTS

During BT, 2 km run time improved by 13±46 s (-2.1%±8.1%), 30±64 s (-4.8%±12.3%) and 24±27 s (-4.5%±5.1%) for Army-JE, Army-SE and RAF, respectively (all p<0.005). MBT distance increased by 0.27±0.28 m (6.8%±7.0%) for Army-JE (p<0.001) and 0.07±0.46 m (2.3%±10.9%) for Army-SE (p=0.040), but decreased by 0.08±0.27 m (-1.4%±6.0%) for RAF (p=0.002). MTP force increased by 80±281 n (10.8%±27.6%) for Army-JE (p<0.001) and did not change for Army-SE (-36±295 n, -0.7%±20.6%, p=0.144) or RAF (-9±208 n, 1.0±17.0, p=0.603). For all tests and cohorts, participants in the lowest quartile of pre-BT performance scores demonstrated greater improvements, compared with participants in the highest quartile (except Army-JE MBT, ∆% change similar between all quartiles).

CONCLUSIONS

Changes in physical performance were observed for the three fitness tests following the different BT courses, and recruits with the lowest strength and aerobic fitness experienced greatest improvements.

Changes in physical performance, body composition and physical training during military operations: systematic review and meta-analysis

Systematic review and meta-analysis applying PRISMA guidelines with a PICOS format was constructed to provide an overview of changes in physical performance, body composition and physical training in soldiers during prolonged (≥ 3 months) military operations. Twenty-four studies out of the screened 4431 records filled the inclusion criteria. A small decrease in endurance performance was the most consistent finding (Hedge's g [g] - 0.21, 95% CI - 0.01 to - 0.41) while small overall increases in maximal strength of the lower (g 0.33, 95% CI 0.16-0.50) and upper body (g 0.33, 95% CI 0.19-0.46) were observed. In addition, small increases in strength endurance (push-up, g 0.34, 95% CI 0.15-0.52; sit-up g 0.26, 95% CI 0.07-0.44) were observed. The overall changes in body composition were trivial. Heterogeneity in the outcome variables varied mainly between low to moderate. Large inter-individual variations were observed in physical training volume, including decrements especially in endurance training frequency and volume. A reduction in total training load was often associated with negative changes in body composition and physical performance according to the principle of training specificity. Individuals with higher initial fitness level were more susceptible to decrements in their physical performance during operation.

Physical Training Programs for Tactical Populations: Brief Systematic Review

This review aims (i) to identify and analyze the physical training programs used for tactical personnel (TP) and (ii) to understand the effects of physical training programs on the health and fitness, and occupational performance of tactical personnel. A literature search used the keywords 'Physical Training Program', 'Police', 'Law Enforcement', and 'Firefighter'. A total of 23 studies out of 11.508 analyzed were included. All studies showed acceptable methodological quality in assessing physical fitness (PF), and training programs' effect sizes (Cohen's d) on PF attributes were calculated. The results showed that physical training programs (duration > four weeks) can improve (medium-to-large effects) (i) measures of physical fitness and (ii) performance in simulations of occupationally specific tasks. This review provides summary information (i) to help select (or adjust) physical training programs for TP and (ii) to clarify the effect of different occupational-specific training interventions on fitness measures and health-related parameters for TP.

Effects of Concurrent Strength and HIIT-Based Endurance Training on Physical Fitness in Trained Team Sports Players: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

BACKGROUND

Concurrent strength and HIIT-based endurance training (CT) has merit in time-saving in team sports. However, the effect of CT on physical fitness remained equivocal. This meta-analysis aimed to determine whether CT would produce an interference effect on the development of physical fitness when compared to strength training (ST) or HIIT-based endurance training (HET) alone in trained team sports players.

METHODS

A total of 2478 studies from three databases were screened. 52 full texts were reviewed. Seven studies were finally included and then subgroups were used for quantitative analysis.

RESULTS

Compared to ST alone, CT had a significant effect on the development of maximal lower-body strength in trained team sports players (MD 4.20 kg, 95% CI 0.71-7.68, p = 0.02, I² = 20%), but there was no significant difference between the groups on training adaptation in lower-body power (SMD 0.08, 95% CI -0.23-0.39, p = 0.62, I² = 26%). Furthermore, a sub-group analysis based on the internal organization order of CT revealed that there was no statistically significant subgroup effect between CT and ST alone in all parameters.

CONCLUSIONS

Well-designed CT regimens did not interfere with the development of physical fitness of trained team sports players.

Microdosing: Old Wine in a New Bottle? Current State of Affairs and Future Avenues

Purpose: Microdosing of exercise aims to deliver smaller daily training doses but at a higher weekly frequency, adding up to a similar weekly volume as in nonmicrodosed training. This commentary critically discusses this concept, which appears to be a rebranding of the “old” distributed practice of motor learning. Development: We propose that microdosing should relate to the minimal dose that develops or at least maintains the selected capacities or skills as this training dose matters to practitioners, especially during the in-season period. Moreover, microdosing has been applied mainly to develop strength and endurance, but abilities such as sprinting and changing direction could also be microdosed, as well as technical–tactical skills. Conclusions: The concept of microdosing should be reframed to avoid redundancy with the concept of distributed practice while providing valuable information concerning the minimum doses that still generate the intended effects and the thresholds that determine whether a dose is “micro” or not.

Effect of Exercise Training Programs on Physical Fitness Domains in Military Personnel: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

INTRODUCTION

Physical training is important to prepare soldiers for the intense occupational demands in the military. However, current physical training may not address all fitness domains crucial for optimizing physical readiness and reducing musculoskeletal injury. The effects of nontraditional military physical training on fitness domains have been inconsistently reported, which limits the design of the ideal training program for performance optimization and injury prevention in the military. The aim of this systematic review was to identify the effects of exercise training on various fitness domains (i.e., aerobic fitness, flexibility, muscular endurance, muscular power, muscular strength, and occupationally specific physical performance) that contribute to occupational performance and musculoskeletal injury risk in military personnel.

METHODS

An extensive literature search was conducted in January 2021 and was subsequently updated in July 2021 and December 2021. Included studies consisted of comparative groups of healthy military personnel performing traditional and nontraditional military physical training with at least one assessment representative of a fitness domain. Study appraisal was conducted using the PEDro scale. Meta-analysis was conducted via forest plots, standard mean difference (SMD, effect size), and intertrial heterogeneity (I2).

RESULTS

From a total of 7,350 records, 15 studies were identified as eligible for inclusion in this review, with a total of 1,613 participants. The average study quality via the PEDro score was good (5.3/10; range 4/10 to 6/10). Nontraditional military physical training resulted in greater posttraining values for muscular endurance (SMD = 0.46; P = .004; I2 = 68%), power (SMD = 1.57; P < .0001; I2 = 90%), strength via repetition maximum testing (SMD = 1.95; P < .00001; I2 = 91%), and occupationally specific physical performance (SMD = 0.54; P = .007; I2 = 66%) compared to the traditional group. There was no significant difference for aerobic fitness (SMD = -0.31; P = .23; I2 = 86%), flexibility (SMD = 0.58; P = .16; I2 = 76%), and muscular strength via maximal voluntary contraction (SMD = 0.18; P = .28; I2 = 66%) between training groups.

CONCLUSIONS

The current systematic review identified that nontraditional military physical training had a greater posttraining effect on muscular endurance, power, strength measured via repetition maximum, and occupationally specific physical performance compared to traditional military physical training. Overall, these findings suggest that nontraditional military physical training may be beneficial in optimizing occupational performance while potentially reducing musculoskeletal injury risk.