Changes in fitness and shipboard task performance following circuit weight training programs featuring continuous or interval running

Summary Pre- and post-physiological data were collected on 57 Navy men (¯x age=19.5 years) who participated in either circuit weight training/ continuous run (CWT/CR) (N=31) or circuit weight training/interval run (CWT/IR) (N=26) programs. Measured variables included 4 measures of upper torso dynamic strength (one repetition maximum [1RM] for arm curl, bench press, shoulder press, and lat pull-down); two measures of lower torso dynamic strength (1RM) for knee extension and leg press); one measure of power (number of revolutions completed on an arm ergometer (Monark^®) at maximum drag); three measures of muscular endurance (number of repetitions at 60% 1RM for bench press and leg press and maximal number of bent-knee sit-ups in 120 s); one stamina measure (time to exhaustion on a cycle ergometer (Monark^®) maximal work capacity [MWC] test; and three simulated shipboard tasks: manikin shoulder drag, open/secure a water tight door and paint bucket carry. Composite shipboard performance derived from the summed time (s) required to complete the three tasks was also calculated. Results show performance on the manikin shoulder drag and majority of evaluative fitness measures was significantly (p<0.05) enhanced following both circuit weight training/run formats. Significantly (p<0.05) higher values for shoulder press (F=7.2), arm ergometer (F=5.3), and sit-ups (F=6.8) and lower values for leg press muscular endurance (F=5.1) were observed in CWT/IR when compared to CWT/CR. Regression analysis yielded the following prediction equation: Composite shipboard performance (s)=194.15097-1.59492 (arm curl) -0.18369 (leg press)r=0.74.It can be concluded that exercise participation was associated with differential changes in fitness but not job performance. Furthermore, the association between fitness gains and job criteria performance appeared to be specific to the task modelled. Important predictors of criterion task performance included parameters of upper torso and lower torso muscular strength.Report No. 85-33 was supported by the Naval Medical Research and Development Command, Department of the Navy, under research Work Unit M0096-PN.001-1050. The views presented in this paper are those of the authors. No endorsement by the Department of the Navy has been given or should be inferred