(47) PHYSICAL FITNESS STATUS OF ROTC CADETS

Army Reserved Officer’s Training Corps (ROTC) cadets undergo weekly physical training to prepare for the tactical aspects of a military career. According to the National Physical Activity Plan (NPAP, 2020), only 41% of adults 17-24 years old are prepared for military training. Physical fitness characteristics of ROTC cadets are important to determine their readiness for a military career.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine the physical fitness status of ROTC cadets.

Methods: Forty-eight ROTC cadets from Eastern Michigan University (EMU) (37 males and 11 females; 21.4± 3.3 years old) were recruited to participate in this study. Participants came to the Running Science Laboratory at EMU on two separate occasions. Visit 1 consisted of descriptive measurements including age, height, and weight. Participants also completed physical fitness testing including seven site skinfolds to determine percent body fat, grip strength, vertical jump, and the agility t-test.  Visit 2 consisted of a VO_2max test on a treadmill (25 males and 10 females). The VO_2max test involved participants running at a self-selected pace while grade increased 2% every 2 minutes until volitional exhaustion. Mean and standard deviation were calculated for descriptive and physical fitness measurements. Age corrected and sex specific norms were used to categorize percent body fat, highest grip strength recorded, vertical jump, and VO_2max (ACSM, 2022). 

Results: Male participants (82.4±11.3 kg, 178.1±8.0 cm) had a VO_2max of 48.1±5.9 ml/kg/min (50^th; Fair), body fat of 17.4±5.5% (45^th; Fair), grip strength of 47.0±9.9kg (75^th), and vertical jump of 54.9±8.9cm (Very Good).  Female participants (71.6±11.6kg, 164.5±6.4cm) had a VO_2max of 39.6±4.3 ml/kg/min (55^th; Fair), body fat of 28.2±5.0% (20^th; Poor), grip strength of 35.0±7.1kg (95^th), and vertical jump of 36.1±6.9 cm (Very Good). Males and females scored 12.0±1.5 seconds and 14.0±1.7 seconds on the agility t-test, respectively, which are below those reported for recreational athletes (Stewart, 2014).

Conclusion: Results of the current study are consistent with previous literature that ROTC cadets have average physical fitness compared to age and sex corrected norms (Thomas, 2004; Oliver, 2017). PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS: Given the nature of a military career and requirements of army physical fitness testing, results of this study suggest that more attention towards improving physical fitness should be implemented in weekly physical training. 

Acknowledgements: None