EFFECTS OF LOAD CARRYING TRAINING ON CORE STRENGTH, BALANCE AND JUMPING MECHANICS OF FEMALE RESERVE OFFICER TRAINING UNIT CADETS

Abstract

Carrying a backpack imposes stress to the back and lower limbs. In Reserve Officer Training Unit (ROTU), carrying a backpack is a must as it was included in the training drafted by the Malaysian Armed Forces. This study examined the effects of weight training on core strength, balance and jumping mechanics in 20 female ROTU cadets (Backpack group = 10, Control group = 10). Both groups undergone six weeks with twice a week of physical training, performing a 2.4 km run, three sets of jumping jacks (20 reps each set) and three sets of squats (10 reps each set). During the physical training, the Backpack group carried a military issue backpack with a total weight of 7 kg while the Control group carried nothing. Four tests were conducted prior and after the training sessions which were, Modified Plank test to assess core strength; Balance Error Scoring System test to assess static balance; Star Excursion Balance test to assess dynamic balance and Drop Vertical Jump test to assess the jumping mechanics through the evaluation of Frontal Plane Projection Angle (FPPA) of the knee joint. There were no statistically significant differences in the core strength, static balance and FPPA when comparing between the two groups at pre- and post-training. There were statistically significant differences in the dynamic balance between the two groups at pre-training, but no statistically significant differences at post-training. These results suggest that six weeks training with 7 kg-backpack does not have any major effects on core strength, static and dynamic balance, and jumping mechanics of female ROTU cadets.