Heijnen Michel J H, Berni Angila, McNabb Phoebe, Caldwell Steven, Holland Stephen, Kawczynski Bill, McDaniel Alexander T, Noland Sarah, Strayhorn Shaila, Tseh Wayland
University of North Carolina Wilmington, Wilmington, NC 28403, USA.
North Carolina National Guard Headquarters and Headquarters Company 120th Infantry Headquarters Battalion Armory, ALPHA 2, Wilmington, NC 28403, USA.
Mil Med. 2025 Apr 23;190(5-6):e1066-e1070. doi: 10.1093/milmed/usaf034.
The dearth of research investigating the efficacy of virtual Army Combat Fitness Test (ACFT) training programs among female populations necessitates further exploration. This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of a 12-week ACFT virtual exercise program among female participants.
Nine female participants (age = 19.7 ± 1.3 years, height = 165.9 ± 4.9 cm, and body mass = 62.7 ± 5.9 kg) volunteered to complete 2 assessment sessions and the 12-week ACFT virtual exercise training program. In session 1, baseline height, body mass, body composition, and ACFT scores were collected. Upon completion of session 1, under supervisory guidance, all participants were scheduled to complete the 12-week exercise training program in-person. The ACFT exercise training program required participants to complete a warmup/cool down and exercise with suspension training straps 4 days per week, 60 minutes for 12 weeks. In session 2, post-assessments of body mass, body composition, and ACFT scores were collected. Statistical analyses were conducted utilizing paired sample t-tests to assess differences between pre- and post-intervention ACFT scores with P ≤ .05. Cohen's d was calculated to quantify the magnitude of the observed effect.
Overall mean ACFT pre-intervention scores (487.2 ± 66.5) increased significantly when compared to mean ACFT post-intervention scores (521.6 ± 44.0) (Cohen's d = 0.86, P = .03). No statistical differences were displayed among the individual mean ACFT pre- versus post-intervention scores. A consistent decline in adherence of 3.9% per week ensued from week 1 through week 12.
Following the intervention, female participants experienced a significant increase of approximately 7% in their overall ACFT scores, with upward trends observed across all 6 individual ACFT events. These findings suggest that 12-week virtual suspension training can be a valuable tool for enhancing physical fitness and performance among female participants, particularly within the context of military readiness.
针对女性群体的虚拟陆军战斗体能测试（ACFT）训练计划有效性的研究匮乏，因此有必要进一步探索。本研究旨在评估一项为期12周的ACFT虚拟运动计划对女性参与者的有效性。
9名女性参与者（年龄 = 19.7 ± 1.3岁，身高 = 165.9 ± 4.9厘米，体重 = 62.7 ± 5.9千克）自愿参加2次评估课程和为期12周的ACFT虚拟运动训练计划。在第1次课程中，收集基线身高、体重、身体成分和ACFT分数。第1次课程结束后，在监督指导下，所有参与者均安排亲自完成为期12周的运动训练计划。ACFT运动训练计划要求参与者每周进行4天热身/放松活动，并使用悬挂训练带进行60分钟的锻炼，持续12周。在第2次课程中，收集体重、身体成分和ACFT分数的后期评估数据。采用配对样本t检验进行统计分析，以评估干预前后ACFT分数的差异，P ≤ 0.05。计算科恩d值以量化观察到的效果大小。
与干预后的平均ACFT分数（521.6 ± 44.0）相比，干预前的总体平均ACFT分数（487.2 ± 66.5）显著提高（科恩d值 = 0.86，P = 0.03）。干预前后个体平均ACFT分数之间未显示出统计学差异。从第1周到第12周，依从性每周持续下降3.9%。
干预后，女性参与者的总体ACFT分数显著提高了约7%，在所有6项ACFT单项中均呈现上升趋势。这些发现表明，为期12周的虚拟悬挂训练对于提高女性参与者的身体素质和表现可能是一种有价值的工具，特别是在军事准备方面。
