Resumen de Physical Fitness Profile of Army ROTC Cadets
David Q. Thomas, Samantha A. Lumpp, Jamee A. Schreiber, James A. Keith
One role of Army Reserved Officer�s Training Corps (ROTC) programs is to physically prepare cadets for the demands of a military career. Cadets participate in physical training 3 days per week as part of their military science curriculum. Limited research has been conducted on the fitness level of ROTC cadets; therefore, the purpose of this study was to profile the physical fitness status of a cadre of ROTC cadets. Forty-three cadets (30 men and 13 women) performed Army Physical Fitness Test (APFT) assessments (2-mile run, 2- minute maximum push-ups and sit-ups) and clinical assessments of fitness (Bruce protocol Vÿ O2max, underwater weighing, and 1 repetition maximum [1RM] bench press tests). Mean +- standard deviations were calculated to provide the physical fitness profile for each parameter. Male cadets (21 +- 2.2 years;
height 177.4 +- 6.6 cm; mass 79.2 +- 9.4 kg) scored 49.6 +- 6.1 ml·kg-1·min-1 for V O2max, 14.8 +- 4.2% fat, 86.5 +- 24.9 kg 1RM bench press, 2-mile run of 13.97 +- 1.4 minutes, 70.5 +- 12.8 situps, and 60.2 +- 13.2 push-ups. Female cadets (20 +- 2.4 years;
height 165.1 +- 8.0 cm; mass 63.5 +- 10.0 kg) scored 40.8 +- 3.9 ml·kg-1·min-1 for V O2 max, 23.9 +- 3.8% fat, 35.3 +- 8.2 kg 1RM bench press, 2-mile run of 17.0 +- 1.6 minutes, 65.0 +- 12.9 situps, and 33.3 +- 11.2 push-ups. The mean scores were above the 83rd percentile on all APFT items and average (percent fat) to above average (V O2max and men�s bench press scores) when compared with peer-age and sex-corrected norms. Only the women�s bench press score was below average. With the exception of the women�s bench press, these ROTC cadets possessed average to above average levels of fitness.
