Cadets' swimming and running performance with and without a combat uniform

• Published in: Aviation, space, and environmental medicine space, and environmental medicine, 2014-01, Vol.85 (1), p.39-45
• Main Authors: Kounalakis, Stylianos N, Kostoulas, Ioannis, Havenetidis, Konstantinos, Giossos, Ioannis, Paxinos, Thrasivoulos
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Army; Combat aircraft; Demand; Greece; Humans; Impairment; Lactates - blood; Male; Military Personnel; Obstacles; Oxygen consumption; Oxygen Consumption - physiology; Physical Exertion - physiology; Physical Fitness - physiology; Running; Running - physiology; Space life sciences; Swimming; Swimming - physiology; Work Capacity Evaluation; Young Adult
• ISSN: 0095-6562
• DOI: 10.3357/ASEM.3527.2014

The aim was to examine whether a combat uniform (CU) influences the cadet's exercise performance in and out of the water. Fourteen male Army Officer cadets performed on 6 separate days: (1) a maximal 400-m freestyle swimming trial; (2) a 4 x 50-m all-out freestyle swimming trial with 10 s rest in between; (3) a 50-m swim obstacle course with a CU (CUs); (4) a 50-m swim obstacle course without a CU (NUs); (5) a 1000-m track run with a CU (CU(R)); and (6) a 1000-m track run without a CU (NUR). In each trial, performance time, oxygen uptake (Vo2), lactate concentration ([La]), and capillary oxygen saturation (SpO2) were recorded. The mean performance time was 44.3 +/- 3.1 s and 33.4 +/- 1.8 s in CUs and NUs trials, respectively. Peak VO2 was similar in CUs, NUs, and 400 m (CUs: 59.1 +/- 1.1 ml x kg(-1) x min(-1), NUs: 57.3 +/- 2.1 ml kg(-1) x min(-1), 400 m: 58.2 +/- 1.6 ml x kg(-1) min(-1)). [La] was higher in CUs than in NUs (CUs: 10.0 +/- 2.0 mmol x L(-1), NUs: 8.5 +/- 1.8 mmol x L(-1)), but it was lower in CUs and NUs than during the 400 m and 4 x 50 m. SpO2 was lower (approximately 4.5%) in CUs than NUs. No differences were observed between running trials. The results suggest that the use of CU during swimming tasks induces high demands for energy and, thus, leads to a significant impairment of the swimming performance of the cadets. However, the influence of the CU seems to be less crucial during dry land running performance.