Exercise Testing of Muscle Strength in Military

Abstract

Strength training has been routinely used in exercise programs of military groups; however, no review has been ever conducted to clarify the selection of exercise tests to monitor its effectiveness. Therefore, the aim of the present review was to critically evaluate the current practices in the choice of assessment methods for muscle strength in military and suggest directions for future research. Methods: The Scopus and Pubmed databases were searched in December 2018 using "fitness assessment OR muscle strength AND military OR army" as keywords. Results: Methodological concerns were highlighted in exercise testing of muscle strength, where the use of appropriate tests were recommended (handgrip, isokinetic or 1RM in bench or leg press) to complement tests that measured muscle endurance rather than muscle strength (e.g., timed push-ups or sit-ups). Conclusions: Although strength training has been included in military training, it was concluded that the existed physical fitness test batteries focused mostly on muscle endurance rather than on muscle strength. Therefore, it would be suggested that muscle strength tests be included in future physical fitness test batteries in order to evaluate effectively the content of military training.