Cardiorespiratory responses to heavy military load carriage over complex terrain.

This study examined complex terrain march performance and cardiorespiratory responses when carrying different Soldier loads. Nine active duty military personnel (age, 21 ± 3 yr; height, 1.72 ± 0.07 m; body mass (BM), 83.4 ± 12.9 kg) attended two test visits during which they completed consecutive laps around a 2.5-km mixed terrain course with either a fighting load (30% BM) or an approach load (45% BM). Respiratory rate and heart rate data were collected using physiological status monitors. Training impulse (TRIMP) scores were calculated using Banister's formula to provide an integrated measure of both time and cardiorespiratory demands. Completion times were not significantly different between the fighting and approach loads for either Lap 1 (p = 0.38) or Lap 2 (p = 0.09). Respiration rate was not significantly higher with the approach load than the fighting load during Lap 1 (p = 0.17) but was significantly higher for Lap 2 (p = 0.04). However, heart rate was significantly higher with the approach load versus the fighting load during both Lap 1 (p = 0.03) and Lap 2 (p = 0.04). Furthermore, TRIMP was significantly greater with the approach load versus the fighting load during both Lap 1 (p = 0.02) and Lap 2 (p = 0.02). Trained military personnel can maintain similar pacing while carrying either fighting or approach loads during short mixed terrain marches. However, cardiorespiratory demands are greatly elevated with the approach load and will likely continue to rise during longer distance marches.

Metabolic Costs of Military Load Carriage over Complex Terrain.

INTRODUCTION: Dismounted military operations often involve prolonged load carriage over complex terrain, which can result in excessive metabolic costs that can directly impair soldiers' performance. Although estimating these demands is a critical interest for mission planning purposes, it is unclear whether existing estimation equations developed from controlled laboratory- and field-based studies accurately account for energy costs of traveling over complex terrain. This study investigated the accuracy of the following equations for military populations when applied to data collected over complex terrain with two different levels of load carriage: American College of Sports Medicine (2002), Givoni and Goldman (1971), Jobe and White (2009), Minetti et al (2002), Pandolf et al (1977), and Santee et al (2003). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Nine active duty military personnel (age 21 ± 3 yr; height 1.72 ± 0.07 m; body mass 83.4 ± 12.9 kg; VO2 max 47.8 ± 3.9 mL/kg/min) were monitored during load carriage (with loads equal to 30% and 45% of body mass) over a 10-km mixed terrain course on two separate test days. The course was divided into four 2.5-km laps of 40 segments based on distance, grade, and/or surface factors. Timing gates and radio-frequency identification cards (SportIdent; Scarborough Orienteering, Huntington Beach, CA) were used to record completion times for each course segment. Breath-by-breath measures of energy expenditure were collected using portable oxygen exchange devices (COSMED Sri., Rome, Italy) and compared model estimates. RESULTS: The Santee et al equation performed best, demonstrating the smallest estimation bias (-13 ± 87 W) and lowest root mean square error (99 W). CONCLUSION: Current predictive equations underestimate the metabolic cost of load carriage by military personnel over complex terrain. Applying the Santee et al correction factor to the Pandolf et al equation may be the most suitable approach for estimating metabolic demands in these circumstances. However, this work also outlines the need for improvements to these methods, new method development and validation, or the use of a multi-model approach to account for mixed terrain.