The Effects of Exercise During a 10-Week Basic Military Training Program on the Physical Fitness and the Body Composition of the Greek Naval Cadets

Abstract

ABSTRACT Introduction The period of basic military training (BMT) is a sudden change in the individual habits of the trainees and is characterized by significant improvements in body composition such as the percentage of body fat (%BF) and lean body mass (BM). Research has shown that physical activity during the period of BMT lasting 7–10 weeks has positive effects on the physical condition and BM of cadets. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of training combining cardiovascular conditioning, circuit strength training, swimming, team sports, and obstacle course on physical fitness and body composition during a 10-week BMT period over 4 years in the Hellenic Naval Academy (HNA). Materials and Methods The sample consisted of 185 Greek cadets of the HNA (age: 18.4 ± 0.7 years, height: 1.77 ± 6.7 m, BM: 72.6 ± 9.1 kg), of which 153 was male (age: 18.3 ± 0.6 years, height: 1.79 ± 5.8 cm, BM: 75.3 ± 7.6 kg) and 32 was female (age: 18.6 ± 0.9 years, height: 1.68 ± 2.8 cm, BM: 59.9 ± 3.1 kg). The cadets participated each year for 4 years in the BMT, performing 94 training sessions, five times a week. The weekly training program included cardiovascular conditioning, circuit strength training, swimming, team sports, and obstacle course. The measurements of the participants before and after BMT were on BM, %BF, and body mass index (BMI); on the number of sit-ups (SU1), push-ups (PU1), and pull-ups (PullU1) in 1 minute; and on the 12-minute aerobic Cooper test (12-min run). Results The results of the study showed that the BM of the cadets decreased significantly by 2.5%, (t184 = 17.591, P < .01), in men by 2.7% (t152 = 16.243, P < .01) and in women by 2.2% (t31 = 9.280, P < .01). Body mass index (BMI) decreased significantly by 2.6% (t184 = 17.681, P < .01), in men by 3.0% (t152 = 16.046, P < .01) and in women by 2.3% (t31 = 9.224, P < 0.01). Reduction in %BF in all cadets reached 11.3% (t184 = 8.134, P < .01), for men −14.8% (t152 = 8.918, P < .01) and women −2.1% (t31 = 0.860, P > .05) without significant differences between the measurements. The number of push-ups in 1 minute (PU1) significantly increased by 27.6% (t184 = −27.813, P < .01), in women by +35.6% (t31 = 13,864, P < .01). The number of sit-ups in 1 minute (SU1) significantly increased by 27.3% (t184 = −30.501, P < .01), for men +28.8% (t152 = −29.862, P < .01). The number of pull-ups in 1 minute (PullU1) reached 20.8% (t184 = −13.426, P < .01) in total, at similar levels in men (t152 = −13.918, p < .01) and women (t31 = −2.820, P < .01). On the 12-min run, the significant improvement exceeded 10.8% (t184 = −45.289, P < .01), in men by 11.1% (t152 = −45.222, P < .01) while in women by 9.0% (t31 = 15.709, P < .01). Conclusions The results of this study showed that 10 weeks of BMT, which combined cardiovascular conditioning, circuit strength training, swimming, team sports, and obstacle course improved the body composition, cardiorespiratory endurance, and the strength of the Greek HNA cadets.