Lower-Limb Explosive Power did not Improve during 8 Weeks of Integrative Military Physical Training

Objective: Military populations require a range of physical capabilities to meet the demands of the military profession. It is not known whether a specific within-session balance of the core components of physical fitness provides more effective training adaptations. The purpose of this research was to determine the effects of combinations of high-intensity endurance training, resistance training, anaerobic training and plyometric training. Methods: Twenty-eight healthy young cadets participated in an 8-week training program. Training was performed 6 days per week. Testing occurred before and after the 8-week training regimen. The pre- and post-training measures included the basic physiological and performance levels.Results: Physiological indices, such heart rate, heart rate variability, anaerobic power and maximal oxygen uptake, responded positively to training (P < 0.05). The components of physical fitness, such as muscle maximal strength and endurance, 600 all-out effort, 5000-m run time and 18-km military load carriage, were also significantly improved (P > 0.05). However, the jump capacity did not significantly increase. Conclusion: The results of this study indicate that during short-term integrative training, the lower-limb muscle maximal power did not improve. Given that many military tasks demand explosive (power) abilities, a switch to integrative training may have far greater consequences for transferring the benefits of the training program to military human performance.