Efficacy of a 12-Week Virtual ACFT Training Program Amongst Females
Presentation
Overview
Overview
Description
Introduction: The dearth of research investigating the efficacy of virtual Army Combat Fitness Test (ACFT) training programs among female populations necessitates further exploration. The Army replaced the 40-year-old APFT, with the Army Combat Fitness Test (ACFT) consisting of 6 physically demanding gross motor movements that parallels the stressors placed upon a modern-day combat soldier. The female ACFT pass rate ranges from 52%, 41%, and 42% amongst enlisted Army, Reserve, and National Guard soldiers, respectively, which is much lower compared to their male counterpart’s pass rate of 92%, 83%, and 83%, respectively. The objective of this pilot study was to determine the effectiveness of a 12-week ACFT virtual exercise program amongst females.
Materials and Methods: Nine female participants (Age = 19.7±1.3 yrs; Height = 165.9±4.9 cm; 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 min 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 ≤ 0.05. Cohen's d was calculated to quantify the magnitude of the observed effect.
Results: 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 = 0.03). No statistical differences were displayed amongst 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.
Conclusions: Following the intervention, female participants experienced a significant increase of approximately 7% in their overall ACFT scores, with upward trends observed across all six 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.
