(11) CHARACTERIZING THE U.S. MARINES WHO EARN PERFECT SCORES ON THEIR PHYSICAL AND COMBAT FITNESS TESTS

Background: Few U.S. Marines earn perfect scores on both their annual Physical Fitness Test (PFT) and Combat Fitness Test (CFT). Defining the physical characteristics of these high performing Marine women and men would provide modern-day fitness benchmarks for tactical and recreational athletes to aspire for.

Purpose: Identify key differences in anthropometry, body composition, and physical performance between U.S. Marines with perfect fitness test scores and their peers.

Methods: Data were analyzed from 497 women (age, 29±7 years; height 1.63±0.07 m; body mass, 67.4±8.4 kg) and 1,224 men (30±8years; 1.77±0.07 m; 86.1±11.1 kg). Marines were grouped by whether they earned perfect 300 PFT and CFT scores or not. We analyzed group differences in individual fitness test events (PFT, pull-up, abdominal crunch/plank, three-mile run; CFT, movement-to-contact, ammunition lift, maneuver-under-fire) as well as dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry measured body composition.

Results: Forty-three participants (2.5%) earned perfect PFT and CFT scores (twenty-one women, 4.2%; twenty-two men, 1.8%). Compared to sex-matched peers, these Marines performed more pull-ups with lower three-mile run, maneuver-under-fire, and movement-to-contact times (each p< 0.001). While perfect scoring Marines of both sexes had lower fat mass, body mass index, and percent body fat (each p< 0.001), women had greater lean mass (p=0.041) with similar body mass (p=0.085) whereas men had similar lean mass (p=0.618) with lower body mass (p=0.025)

Conclusions: Based on the current test components and scoring metrics of the PFT and CFT, Marines earning perfect scores are most distinguished from their peers by their maneuverability. While both sexes are considerably less fat than their peers, perfect scoring Marine women are relatively more muscular than other Marine women while men are lighter than other Marine men. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS: Strength and conditioning specialists can use the normative data reported herein from perfect scoring U.S. Marines as anthropometric, body composition, and physical performance benchmarks to motivate tactical and recreational athletes alike.  These results also provide insights into the physical characteristics and performance favored by the current Marine Corps testing metrics.

Acknowledgements: The views expressed in this abstract are those of the authors and do not reflect the official policy of the U.S. Government, Department of Energy, Department of the Army, or Department of Defense. Funding for this study was provided by the U.S. Army Military Operational Medicine Research Program (MOMRP), U.S. Army Medical Research and Development Command (USAMRDC).