Physical Training of Candidates to Professional Military Service in Lithuanian Armed Forces

Research back ground and hypothesis. There is a basic military training course (BMT) carried out in the Lithuanian Armed Forces. The aim of this course is to train soldiers for military service that they were able to perform individual tasks and acquire basic military preparation. There is a lack of research dealing with the effect of physical training programmes in military training courses on the changes in soldiers’ physical fitness. We hypothesize that in the course of military training physical fitness of would-be soldiers improves.Research aim was to analyse the structure and content of the BMT programme and the effect of its implementation on the changes in physical fitness for would-be soldiers.Research methods: literature review, analysis of military physical training programmes, physical fitness testing.Research results. During the first testing only 26.8% of would-be soldiers achieved the standards of physical fitness complex test, and during the second testing the standards of the complex test of physical fitness were achieved by 89.5% of service people. In the period of the course VO 2 max and Roufier index improved (p < 0.001). Indices of physical fitness and functional capacity improved more in the first half of the course. At the end of the course the results of adapted military physical fitness of service people were worse compared to the results of their general physical fitness.Discussion and conclusions. The program of general physical training was effective, but more attention should be paid to the improvement of adapted military physical fitness programme aiming at better results. During the basic military training course physical fitness and functional capacity of candidates improved and at the end of the course it reached the normative level of physical fitness.Keywords: physical fitness, adapted military physical fitness, basic military course, testing.

Physical Fitness Results of Soldiers Of Different Age Groups in the Land Force of the Lithuanian Professional Armed Forces in 2010–2011

Research background and hypothesis. Since 2009 Lithuanian Armed Forces have been formed from soldiers in professional service. Research on military physical fitness in the Lithuanian Armed Forces is scarce. This research aims at verifying the hypothesis that physical fitness indices of soldiers in the Land Force of the professional Lithuanian Armed Forces match the established physical fitness normative requirements.Research aim was to study peculiarities of changes in physical fitness results of soldiers of different age groups in the Land Force of the Lithuanian Professional Armed Forces in the period of two years. Research methods: literature review, physical fitness testing, statistical analysis of physical fitness indices. Results in each physical fitness exercise were evaluated in points according to physical fitness normative scales. The sum of points for all exercises was the final physical fitness evaluation result. Research results. In the period of half a year, from spring to autumn and from autumn to spring, physical fitness of soldiers in all age groups changed only slightly (p > 0.05). During the period of one year, from testing in spring till testing in spring of the following year, physical fitness indices improved (p < 0.05). Even 2–4% of soldiers failed physical fitness normative tests. Discussion and conclusions. Physical fitness indices of different exercise for soldiers in the Land Force of the professional Lithuanian Armed Forces were higher than the established minimal normative requirements. The highest physical fitness indices were achieved in the age groups of 18–21, 22–26, 27–31 and 30–36 years, however, the differences between the age groups were insignificant. In perspective, while developing military physical fitness control system, the evaluation of physical fitness should be differentiated according to the normative scale which includes such evaluations as “excellent”, “good”, “fair”.Keywords: Land Force, physical fitness, testing, physical fitness test, age group, points.