New Army Physical Fitness Test to Simulate Battlefield Activities

On February 28, 2011 the Official U.S. Army website reported that, after 30 years of using the same physical fitness test, the Army is developing a new physical fitness test battery to better simulate battlefield activities. The previous test was comprised of the following 3 tests done with a short rest in between:

• As many pushups as possible in 2 minutes
• As many situps as possible in 2 minutes
• Running 2 miles a quickly as possible

Scoring was based on age and gender. See our web site for testing details and scoring charts.
The revised test has not been finalized, but trials are being held this month on 7 Army bases and at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. A review and approval process will take place before full implementation. The article states that there will be a general physical readiness test for all soldiers and a physical readiness test for those going into combat:

Army Physical Readiness Test

• 60-yard shuttle run
• one-minute rower (see diagram)
• standing long-jump
• one-minute push-up
• 1.5 mile run

Army Physical Readiness Test
The examinee will be timed while performing the following obstacle-course sequence while wearing a combat uniform and helmet and carrying a rifle:

• 400-meter run
• Low hurdles
• high crawl
• Over and under
• casualty drag
• Balance beam while holding ammo cans
• Point and move
• 100 yard shuttle sprint while holding ammo cans
• Agility sprint around cones

See the Army article for a diagram of the course. As with the current Army Physical Fitness Test, scoring charts will be developed that take age and gender into consideration.

The change in the fitness tests appears to be a good one because the new test more closely simulates battlefield physical demands. It might even be better if the Physical Readiness Test were performed while the examinees carried a combat load similar to those normally worn by soldiers.

Mens-fitness-and-health.com is very supportive of functional training that seeks to improve performance in sports, combat, or daily living. Function-based training programs emphasize improved physical performance rather than appearance. Workouts designed to “get big” generally train isolated muscle groups and do not prepare the body for strenuous whole-body physical demands.

Dynamic Stretching Beats Static Stretching for Team Sports

Introduction
Static stretching involves attaining a stretch to the point of mild discomfort and holding the position for at least 10 seconds. Dynamic stretching involves rapid repeated alternation between a stretched and a relaxed position.

A recent article by Amiri-Khorasani et al. in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research (vol. 24, no. 10, pp. 2698-2704, 2010) showed that static stretching detracts from performance on a physical agility test, while dynamic stretching tends to improve it.

Method
Nineteen professional soccer players were divided into more-experienced and less-experienced subgroups. Their performance on an agility test, which involved 14-15 seconds of changing direction and zigzagging as fast as possible around a number of cones, was tested after each of the following:

• No stretching
• Static stretching
• Dynamic stretching
• Combined static and dynamic stretching

Results

• The subjects were 4-5% slower after static and combined static/dynamic stretching than they were with either no stretching or dynamic stretching alone.
• Among the less-experienced players, dynamic stretching resulted in about 3% faster course times than no stretching.
• Among the more experienced players, there was no difference between the course times after dynamic stretching and no stretching.

Bottom Line
The evidence indicates that dynamic stretching is superior to static stretching for the kind of agility needed for most team sports. This is probably due to a reduction after static stretching in the spring-like stiffness of muscle. The results support those of other studies that have shown a detrimental effect of static stretching on strength, jumping ability and sprint speed. It is not clear why the experienced players in this study showed no advantage of dynamic stretching over no stretching at all. However, since these were professional soccer players, it seems safe to conclude that the effects on amateur athletes would parallel those on the less experienced professional players. Thus, their performance would likely be enhanced by dynamic stretching.