Fitness, Performance, and Risk of Injury in British Army Officer Cadets

The objectives of this study were to investigate the effectiveness of the Commissioning Course (CC) to develop and maintain standards of fitness, to assess capability to perform military tasks, and to determine the relationship between fitness and risk of injury in 106 British Army officer cadets (OCdts). Aerobic fitness, muscular strength, endurance, and body composition were regularly assessed. Performance on four representative military tasks was measured at the end of the CC. All injuries in term 1 were documented. Over the CC, changes in fitness were generally modest and equivocal. Aerobic fitness improved by approximately 10% (p < 0.01), strength by 5 to 9% (p < 0.05 to p < 0.01), and muscular endurance by 55% (p < 0.01). Reductions in fat (p < 0.01) and gains in fat free mass (p < 0.05) averaged 3%. The females demonstrated greater improvements than the males. The majority of OCdts passed the representative military tasks, although females in some trades showed high failure rates. Forty-six percent of OCdts sustained injuries in the first term, resulting in 5% of man-days lost. No gender difference was found in injury rates. The least aerobically fit OCdts sustained more injuries than their fitter counterparts. In conclusion, there is scope for optimizing the effectiveness of the CC to enhance fitness and improve the focus of physical training on maximizing military task performance.