An endurance training programme for frequent manual carrying tasks

This study was conducted with the aim of testing whether the endurance time of new employees engaged in frequent industrial carrying tasks can be significantly increased through a short training programme (2.5 weeks). Endurance time was here defined as the maximum length of time during which an individual can continuously carry a 20 kg load over a 4 m distance 8 times/min. The results showed that (1) endurance time increased by almost 100% over an 8-session training programme; (2) for a fixed workload, endurance time increased without changing job demand perception; and (3) overall body fatigue may be the limiting factor in frequent carrying tasks.