How do they compare?: an assessment of predeployment fitness in the Arizona National Guard.

Currently, there is a paucity of literature that describes physical fitness levels in deploying service members. There has been no data collected that evaluate the Army National Guard or Reserves. This descriptive study will provide physical fitness data for soldiers in the Arizona National Guard (AZNG), allowing for a comparison between the active and reserve components. Sixty soldiers from the AZNG were tested before deployment. Body composition was measured by using air displacement plethysmography. Flexibility testing included the sit and reach (SNR), trunk extension (TE), and shoulder elevation (SE) assessments. Muscular strength was determined by the completion of 1 repetition maximum (1RM) bench press and back squat. Muscular endurance was determined by the completion of the Army push-up (P/U) and sit-up (S/U) test. Muscular power was assessed by the completion of the Wingate cycle test and the standing broad jump (SBJ). Cardiorespiratory fitness was determined by the completion of a VO2peak test. The AZNG soldiers demonstrated a fat mass of 22.7 ± 8.9%, SNR, TE, and SE of 30.0 ± 8.9, 117.1 ± 25.2, and 145.5 ± 50.3 cm, 1RM bench press and back squat of 82.2 ± 29.9 and 104.6 ± 29.0 kg, P/U and S/U of 50 ± 18 and 53 ± 14 reps, peak power of 660.9 ± 177.8 W, SBJ of 191.8 ± 28.4 cm, and VO2peak of 48.9 ± 8.8 ml·kg(-1)·min(-1). This is the first study that provides descriptive data for physical fitness in a reserve component. The data demonstrate that these AZNG soldiers are relatively fit and have comparable results to their active duty counterparts. This descriptive data will provide military leadership a better understanding of the condition of soldiers before deployment and will assist them in better preparing soldiers for future conflicts.

Effect of augmented plantarflexion power on preferred walking speed and economy in young and older adults.

With age, loss of skeletal muscle mass (sarcopenia) results in decreased muscle strength and power. Decreased strength and power, in turn, are closely linked with declines in physical function. Preferred walking speed, a marker of physical function, is slower in older adults compared to young adults. Research suggests that older adults may walk slower as a consequence of decreased plantarflexor power at push-off. In this study, we hypothesized that providing additional plantarflexion (PF) power during push-off would (1) increase preferred walking speed, and (2) reduce metabolic cost of transport (MCOT), in young and older adults. PF power was augmented using powered ankle-foot orthoses (PAFOs). The PAFOs, which use pneumatic actuators to provide an additional PF moment, were based on a design by Ferris et al. [Ferris DP, Czerniecki JM, Hannaford B. An ankle-foot orthosis powered by artificial pneumatic muscles. J Appl Biomech 2005;21:189-97.]. Nine young (23.3+/-1.6 years) and seven older (74.6+/-6.6 years) adults participated. For the young adults, eight out of nine increased their preferred walking speed when push-off power was augmented (1.18+/-0.16 to 1.25+/-0.16m/s, p=0.03). A similar, but non-significant, trend in preferred walking speed was observed for the older adults. With augmented push-off power, MCOT for young adults decreased from 0.395+/-0.057 to 0.343+/-0.047 (p=0.008); indicating that the neuromuscular system was able to adapt to use external energy to reduce metabolic cost. Only three older adults were tested but MCOT values showed a similar trend. Augmenting PF power increases gait speed and reduces MCOT in young adults. Older adults may need a longer period to take advantage of additional push-off power.

Evaluation of physical activity measures used in middle-aged women.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the reliability and validity of five commonly used physical activity questionnaires (PAQ) in women aged 45-65 yr with varying physical activity (PA) levels. METHODS: Data were obtained from the Evaluation of Physical Activity Measures in Middle-aged Women (PAW) Study and included 66 women (aged 52.6 +/- 5.4 yr). PAQ evaluated include Modifiable Activity Questionnaire (past week and past month version), Nurses' Health Study PAQ, Active Australia Survey, and Women's Health Initiative PAQ. Intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC) between administrations of the PAQ were used to assess test-retest reliability. Spearman rank-order correlation coefficients were used to examine the associations of PA and physical fitness data with PAQ summary estimates. RESULTS: Accelerometer-determined median (25th, 75th percentiles) times (min.d) spent in moderate-lifestyle [760-1951 counts (ct)], moderate-walk (1952-5724 ct), vigorous (> or =5725 ct), and combined moderate and vigorous PA (MVPA > or = 1952 ct) during the 35 d of observation were 66.0 (51.2, 81.3), 23.1 (14.1, 34.6), 0.4 (0.0, 2.3), and 24.3 (15.9, 41.6) min, respectively. The PAQ were shown to be reproducible and relatively stable over time (ICC = 0.32 to 0.91) and were associated with total counts per day (ct.d, 0.46 to 0.60, all P < 0.001), and most were associated with many facets of physical fitness, including cardiorespiratory fitness (0.36 to 0.46, P < 0.01), body composition (-0.27 to -0.34, P < 0.05), and muscular fatigue (-0.25 to -0.44, P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The PAQ evaluated in this study were shown to be reliable and associated with PA and physical fitness measures. Current findings support the utility of these PAQ for PA assessment in research studies of middle-aged women.