Comparison of Weight Training and Calisthentic Exercise Programs in Developing Strength and Muscular Endurance in United States Army Recruits.

摘要

This investigation attempted to find the most effective program for developing upper body strength and muscular endurance by comparing the effectiveness of the current Army physical training program used in Initial Entry training with four other supplemental programs. The subjects for this investigation were 214 Army recruits. The subjects were divided into five groups: the current Army training program group, an alternate day calisthenics group, a daily calisthenics group, an alternate day weight training group, and a daily weight training group. The soldiers in all five groups were tested on the pushup test, the one-repetition maximum bench press test, and the 75 percent of one repetition maximum bench press test. The tests were given on three occasions: before the start of training, in the middle of the training period, and at the conclusion of the seven-week training period. The results of the investigation showed that there were no significant differences between the five groups on the pushup test at the end of the seven-week training period. There were significant differences between both weight training groups and the alternate day calisthenic group on the bench press tests. There were no significant differences between the daily and alternate day training groups on any of the three tests at the end of the seven-week training period.