fitness training unit in U.S. Army Basic Combat Training: Physical fitness, training outcomes, and injuries, The

Military Medicine, Apr 2001 by Knapik, Joseph J

This study involved a retrospective examination of physical fitness, training outcomes, and injury rates among personnel in the Fitness Training Unit (FTU). Personnel were assigned to the FTU based on low performance on push-ups, sit-ups, and/or a 1-mile run (N = 44 men, 95 women) and received an augmented physical fitness program before basic combat training (BCT). They were compared with 712 men and 379 women who took the same test but were not assigned to the FTU and went directly to BCT. FTU and non-FTU personnel trained in the same battalions. Army Physical Fitness Test scores and BCT outcomes (discharged or completed BCT in 8 weeks) were obtained from unit training records. Injuries during BCT were documented from a review of the medical records. On entry to BCT, FTU women had similar 2-mile run times compared with non-FTU women (21.6 vs. 21.5 minutes, respectively; p = 0.86); FTU men were considerably slower on the 2-mile run than non-FTU men (20.3 vs. 17.3 minutes; p

Introduction

The Fitness Training Unit (FTU) is a specialized training element with the mission of improving the fitness level of new recruits before basic combat training (BCT). Individuals are assigned to the FTU if they do not pass a special Reception Station Physical Fitness Test administered within 1 or 2 days of arrival. If trainees pass the test, they go on directly to BCT. Test criteria at Fort Jackson, South Carolina, during the summer of 1998 are listed in Table I. The goals of the FTU are to better prepare new trainees for the physical demands of BCT and to reduce injuries during BCT.

Trainees who enter the FTU perform a specific physical training program, which includes running, weight training, push-up and sit-up improvement, road marching, and developmental stretching. They also participate in military training, such as customs and courtesies, drill and ceremony, wearing of the uniform, Uniformed Code of Military Justice, and Army values. Criteria to exit the FrU and go on to BCT differ from the initial test and are also listed in Table I (summer 1998). If a trainee was sent to the FTU for a push-up or sit-up failure, he or she could go on to BCT after passing the exit criteria for that event; tests are given three times per week. If the trainee was a run failure in the summer of 1998, he or she had to stay in the FTU for a mandatory 3-week period and pass the exit criteria before entry to BCT.

Few studies have examined the effectiveness of the FrU in reaching its stated goals. One investigation' found that FTU personnel had higher sick call rates and lower end-of-cycle fitness measures but had similar discharge rates compared with non-FTU personnel. However, when that study was conducted, the only criterion to enter BCT was 1 or more push-ups for women and 13 or more push-ups for men; the test given in the summer of 1998 involved three events (Table I). An investigation conducted when the three-event test was in place was limited by a very small sample size.2 Data from this latter study suggested that the injury incidence for FTU and non-FIU women was identical. Male FTU participants had a higher injury incidence than men not in the FTU, but this was not statistically significant because of the small sample of FTU men (N = 7).

Because of changes in the fitness criteria and the limited data on the effectiveness of the FTU, further investigation was clearly warranted. The purposes of the present study were to compare and contrast physical fitness, training outcomes, and injury rates between personnel entering BCT from the FTU and those entering BCT directly without attending the FTU.

Methods

Study Design and Subjects

This study involved a retrospective review of training data and medical records on two battalions of basic trainees with a total of 1240 individuals. There were 756 men, 474 women, and 10 trainees excluded from the analysis because their gender was not present in their medical records. There were 44 men and 95 women who trained in the FTU then entered one of these 2 battalions. There were 712 men and 379 women who directly entered BCT without training in the FTU. The BCT training cycle was 8 weeks in length. One battalion began training on 8 May 1998 and graduated 1 July 1998 while the other began training on 15 May 1998 and graduated 9 July 1998. The training location was Fort Jackson, South Carolina.

Army Physical Fitness Test (APFT) Data

Company records provided raw scores for push-ups, sit-ups, and a 2-mile (3.2-km) run.3 The push-up and sit-up tests involved the maximum number that could be completed in separate 2-minute periods. For the maximal effort 2-mile run, the time it took to complete the distance was the performance measure. The first diagnostic APFT was administered within a few days of arrival in the BCT battalion; the final (record) APFT was administered in the sixth week of training, although in rare cases the test could be administered in the seventh or eighth week.

Training Outcomes

Two types of training outcomes were examined: (1) on-time completion of BCT (i.e., after 8 weeks), and (2) discharges. Trainees were on-time graduates if they were included on the training roster on the first day of battalion training and were not discharged, removed from training for injuries, or sent to another battalion to complete training (i.e., newstarted or recycled).