Evaluating the Occupational Physical Fitness of Canadian Forces Infantry Personnel

Abstract

Fitness in the military is a time-honored and unquestionable axiom. Yet, there is limited objective knowledge as to what criteria of fitness are necessary to maintain combat effectiveness during sustained operations and how they should be assessed. The purpose of this study was to design an indoor standardized obstacle course (ISOC) related to specific trade-related tasks. A 19-item indoor obstacle course consisting of running, crawling, scaling, pulling, lifting, carrying, and pushing events arranged in a sequential order was designed. Forty-three healthy male subjects between the ages of 21 and 31 years underwent a series of intensive laboratory testing. They then ran through the obstacle course, set up in a local armory, on three separate occasions. Results indicated that ISOC performance is related to fitness components identified as important in the performance of military tasks, namely, aerobic and anaerobic power, muscular strength and endurance, and body composition. The ISOC provides a practical and challenging procedure to assess the fitness readiness of infantry and other field units in the Canadian Forces.