Investigation of the effects of military training programs on the maximum consumed oxygen and physical work capacity of the students at a military training university

Declining physical fitness has posed a significant challenge for the armed forces to employ physically fit military personnel around the world. Therefore, knowledge of optimizing the performance and physical fitness of individuals through physical exercise is critical. The present study was performed to investigate the effects of an 8-weeks basic training program on the aerobic and physical capacities of the military forces.

The present research has been performed based on the before and after trial method with a statistical population of 39 healthy male students of the military officers’ university. According to the Brus protocol, aerobic and physical capacities were evaluated at the beginning and end of the training course. The military training program included eight weeks of physical activity with a frequency of five days a week, and each session lasted 120 minutes. The paired t-test was utilized for data analysis in SPSS software.

There was a significant decrease between the average weight and body mass index before and after the training program. Also, there was a significant difference (P<0.001) between maximum aerobic capacity (56.81±5.09 and 71.65±1.76 ml/kg/min), consumed oxygen (4.08±0.50 and 4.95±0.59 L/min), maximum physical capacity (20.40±2.51 and 24.79±2.98 kcal/min), and duration of activity (15.35±1.27 and 20.04±0.86 min) before and after the training program.

The present study results showed that the 8-weeks of basic military training (BMT) program improved the aerobic capacity, physical capacity and reduced the cardiovascular risk factors in comparison with the before-training period. Also, this training program is the most crucial factor in expanding the physical capacity of individuals before employing them to perform the desired tasks.