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8-MONTH LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM IMPROVES PHYSICAL ABILITIES IN CORP OF CADETS

G Palevo

Abstract

Gregory Palevo. Columbus State University, Columbus, GA.

BACKGROUND: The Leadership Development Program (LDP) is designed to prepare Cadets for future Military Commissions. A large portion of the LDP is physical training, preparing the Cadets for the vigorous Cadet Summer Training (CST) program, an intense 38-day physical training program that takes place at Ft. Knox Kentucky. Passing both the LDP and CST are required to become a commissioned officer in the U.S. Army. METHODS: Fourteen cadets (10 males and 4 female) from the Leadership Development Program participated in this study. The LDP starts in September and end in April, making it an 8-month program. The training program is highly structured and progresses in volume and intensity every 2-3 weeks throughout the training period. Winter break (Thanksgiving to mid-January, the Cadets are given a routine to follow on their own). Physiological data collected included oxygen consumption (CosMed), heart rate, blood pressure, rate of perceived exertion (RPE), body composition (BOD POD), upper and lower body strength (1-RM) and core strength (Sorenson Hold). The following variables showed significant findings: GXT time, peak VO2, peak HR, percent body fat and core stability. RESULTS: GXT Time to Volitional Fatigue. The test endpoint was the subjects predicted sub maximal HR. Total time of the GXT using the Bruce Protocol to reach the test end-point was the variable evaluated. Volitional fatigue was used as the testing endpoint. Total time was calculated in seconds and the average means were compared. The average pre-test time was 603 ± 63.98 seconds, and the average post time was 670.75 ± 61.69 seconds. These results were statistically significant at a P<0.022. CONCLUSIONS: The principal findings from our study identified that there are significant physical improvements from the 8-month LDP. Areas of significant improvement included peak VO2, volitional fatigue, and core stability. This was no surprise to the research team as we expected the rigorous program to elicit these findings. We also feel that the COVID-19 pandemic played a role in many facets of our study. Five cadets were quarantined for 14 days due to exposure to a person with an active case of COVID-19, 1 of the cadets did contract COVID-19 and was symptomatic for 30 days. During that time frame he was not able to perform any physical activities. Those that were quarantined were not able to condition or exercise as they would have otherwise. With these considerations we feel the results were skewed, impacting some areas of improvement.

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