(73) EFFICACY OF A 12-WEEK VIRTUAL ACFT TRAINING PROGRAM WITH NATIONAL GUARD RECRUITS

Purpose: The Army Combat Fitness Test (ACFT) is the newest fitness assessment consisting of 6 physically demanding gross motor movements that parallel the palpable stressors with which are placed upon a modern-day combat soldier (1,2,3). To determine the efficacy of a 12-week virtual exercise program on individual and overall ACFT scores. The virtual coach provides detailed explanations and education of strength and conditioning principles, visual stepwise demonstrations of exercise techniques, and proper verbal cueing of exercises using only the TRX^® Elite ACFT Kit which contains one suspension trainer and four elastic resistance bands. The TRX^® Elite software application is designed to improve overall physical conditioning, while mitigating MSK injuries of recruits and soldiers training for the ACFT. Methods: Thirteen soldiers from the Army National Guard (Age = 29.8 ± 6.2 yrs; Height = 175.7 ± 6.1 cm; Service Experience = >18 mos to 18 yrs) volunteered to complete 3 Sessions. In Session 1, baseline height, body mass, body composition, and ACFT scores were collected. Session 2 was a suspension trainer tutorial in which all participants completed. Upon completion of Session 2, a TRX^® Elite ACFT Kit containing 1 suspension trainer, 4 resistance bands, and the 12-week virtual exercise training program available via iOS and Android were given to all participants. In Session 3, post-assessments of body mass, body composition, and ACFT scores were collected. Data was statistically analyzed using a paired sample t-test with a Bonferroni correction (p < .00065) to adjust for multiple comparisons. Results: There were no significant changes in mean body mass (83.8 ± 16.5 kg vs 83.9 ± 16.6 kg; p = .752); however, there was a significant reduction in mean percent body fat (19.5 ± 6.4% vs 18.3 ± 6.5%; p < .0001). Mean scores from 4 of the 6 individual ACFT assessments, specifically, deadlift, standing power throw, hand-release pushups, and sprint-drag-carry displayed improvements, however, did not attain statistical significance. Overall mean ACFT scores displayed significant improvements (319.4 ± 39.9 vs 390.4 ± 68.5; p < .0001). Conclusions: : The TRX^® Elite ACFT Kit which includes 1 suspension trainer, 4 varying resistance bands, and on-demand access to a stepwise 12-week virtual exercise program, was deemed effective by increasing the overall mean ACFT scores amongst participants. Practical Applications: From a practitioner’s perspective, the TRX^® Elite ACFT Kit should be widely distributed to all Army units and recruiting commands to provide vital assistance for recruits and soldiers to train and prepare for the ACFT. Moreover, given the ease and portability of the TRX^® Elite ACFT Kit, recruits and soldiers will be able to effectively train anytime, anywhere. Acknowledgements: None