Relationship of Soldier Load Carriage to Physiological Factors, Military Experience and Mood States

Abstract : This study examined the relationship between performance of a heavy load carriage task and various physiological measurements, military experience and mood states. Eighty-four soldiers underwent a series of tests, then completed a maximal effort load carriage task. Physiological tests included body composition (by densitometry), various measures of isometric and isokinetic strength, a treadmill VO(2) max, and an anaerobic capacity test. Field test included the Army Physical Fitness Test (APFT), a marksmanship task, a vertical jump and a grenade throw for distance. The Profile of Mood States (POMS) was administered before and after the march. Measures of military experience included rank, time in service and time in the unit. The load carriage task required soldiers to carry a total load of 46 kg over a distance of 20 km as fast as possible. The physiological measurements, field tests, military experience and mood states were correlated with the road march times. Body mass, fat free mass, absolute VO(2) max, and most muscle strength measurements were associated with faster road march time (p < 0.05). These relationships were reduced when partial correlation techniques were used to eliminate the intercorrelation between fat free mass and the other physiological measures, thus emphasizing the importance of fat free mass or muscle mass for successful load carriage performance.

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