Gender differences in the physical demands of British Army recruit training

Abstract

This study examined gender differences in the physical demands of British Army recruit training in 3 platoons with different gender compositions. Subjects wore heart rate monitors to measure cardiovascular strain and accelerometers to measure physical activity during weeks 1, 6, and 9 of the 12-week program. There was no difference in physical activity between platoons or genders (p > 0.05). In the mixed gender platoon, males operated at a lower cardiovascular strain than females (24 ± 2 vs. 33 ± 2% heart rate reserve (HRR), p < 0.001), probably because of their greater aerobic litness (p< 0.001). Males in the mixed gender platoon experienced lower cardiovascular strain than the male-only platoon (24 ± 2 vs. 33 ± 2% HRR, p < 0.001). Females experienced the same degree of cardiovascular strain, irrespective of platoon (33 ± 2 vs. 33 ± 3% HRR, p = 0,814). The additional cardiovascular strain experienced by female recruits may increase fatigue and predisposition to overuse musculoskeletal injury. Reprint and Copyright © by Association of Military Surgeons of U.S., 2009.