Impact of physical training provided in 12 different Swiss army basic military training schools on fitness development of trainees

Introduction:

It is essential to provide recruits with an appropriate physical fitness training (PT) during basic military training (BMT) to boost their fitness level for the successful completion of military tasks and for injury prevention (Wyss et al., 2014). The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of different physical training quantities provided on fitness development in 12 Swiss Army BMT Schools.

Methods:

All recruits of 12 Swiss Army BMT schools were asked to volunteer in this study. Their physical fitness was tested at the beginning and after 10 weeks of BMT using a fitness test battery which consists of five disciplines described in Wyss et al. (2007) and results in a total fitness score (FS) ranging from 0 to 125 points. The PT-instructors registered the duration and content of each PT session in a questionnaire. A linear regression was conducted to quantify the influence of PT quantity, proportion of sports games within PT and initial fitness level on fitness development.

Results:

1329 recruits from 12 different BMT schools volunteered in this study. The subjects were 20.69±0.14 years old, had a height of 177.57±0.87 cm and a body mass of 73.69±1.48 kg. At the beginning of BMT, an average FS of 74.85±4.68 points was reached, whereas, after 10 weeks, 80.98±6.38 points were achieved. The training schools provided mandatory PT for 124.05±40.26 minutes per week, of which 26.09±12.49% was spent on sports games. The linear regression model showed that a low initial FS (B= 1.033, p=0.026) and a high amount of time spent on PT (B=0.128, p=0.021) were significant predictors for an increase in FS. Together with the factor “low percentage of sport games” (B=-0.253, p=0.078) and the intercept of 76.41, these variables describe 68.1% of the variances of the change in FS between BMT schools (R²=0.681, p=0.022).

Discussion:

The results indicate that on average, 60 minutes of PT per week are needed to maintain the initial fitness level, whereas 140 minutes are needed for a fitness improvement of 10%. The higher the initial FS, the higher the amount of PT necessary to improve the fitness level. However, not only the quantity, but also the quality of provided PT is crucial. A high percentage of sports games seems to be detrimental to fitness development. Sport games might be more often provided when PT-instructors are lacking time to prepare the PT sessions. It can be concluded that a certain amount of time has to be invested in both the preparation and the execution of PT to ensure recruits are getting physically fitter during their military service.