Physical and Physiological Characterization of Female Elite Warfighters

Abstract

IntroductionThis study characterized a sample of the first women to complete elite United States (US) military training.MethodsTwelve female graduates of the US Army Ranger Course and one of the first Marine Corps Infantry Officers Course graduates participated in 3 d of laboratory testing including serum endocrine profiles, aerobic capacity, standing broad jump, common soldiering tasks, Army Combat Fitness Test, and body composition (dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry, three-dimensional body surface scans, and anthropometry).ResultsThe women were 6 months to 4 yr postcourse graduation, 30 ± 6 yr (mean ± SD); height, 1.67 ± 0.07 m; body mass, 69.4 ± 8.2 kg; body mass index, 25.0 ± 2.3 kg·m−2. Dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry relative fat was 20.0% ± 2.0%; fat-free mass, 53.0 ± 5.9 kg; fat-free mass index, 20.0 ± 1.7 kg·m−2; bone mineral content, 2.75 ± 0.28 kg; bone mineral density, 1.24 ± 0.07 g·cm−2; aerobic capacity, 48.2 ± 4.8 mL·kg−1·min−1; total Army Combat Fitness Test score 505 ± 27; standing broad jump 2.0 ± 0.2 m; 123 kg casualty drag 0.70 ± 0.20 m·s−1, and 4 mile 47 kg ruck march 64 ± 6 min. All women were within normal healthy female range for circulating androgens. Physique from three-dimensional scan demonstrated greater circumferences at eight of the 11 sites compared with the standard military female.ConclusionsThese pioneering women possessed high strength and aerobic capacity, low %BF; high fat-free mass, fat-free mass index, and bone mass and density; and they were not virilized based on endocrine measures as compared with other reference groups. This group is larger in body size and leaner than the average Army woman. These elite physical performers seem most comparable to female competitive strength athletes.

Body composition changes during 8 weeks of military training are not accurately captured by circumference-based assessments

“…In contrast to the current observations, these same equations have been shown to significantly overestimate %BF in female soldiers who have succeeded in the Ranger course ( McClung et al, 2022 ) as well as female Marines ( Potter et al, 2022 ). In the study of Marines, the largest overestimates of %BF by circumferences were in the leanest individuals ( Potter et al, 2022 ), and thus the underestimation of %BF by circumferences in our population may be due to the greater %BF of women at the beginning of training.…”

“…In more than 30 years since military body fat standards have been in place, the makeup of the U.S. Army has changed. In particular, all job roles, including combat arms and Ranger positions, have recently opened for women, resulting in a substantial increase in the number of women in the U.S. Army with a greater lean mass than previously noted ( McClung et al, 2022 ). Furthermore, the population of the United States, and thus the recruiting pool for the military, has become increasingly overweight and less fit ( Bornstein et al, 2019 ), placing a greater need on Basic Combat Training (BCT) to produce positive body composition changes to ensure a fit and ready army.…”

The 300 Marines: characterizing the US Marines with perfect scores on their physical and combat fitness tests

“…The USMC has a broad emphasis on High Intensity Tactical Training (HIIT) programs in their fitness facilities ( Haddock et al, 2016 ), making this training available to all Marines. It may be noteworthy that the characteristics of this group of women are comparable to those reported for another group of elite women in a much smaller sample ( McClung et al, 2022 ). That sample included one Marine graduate of the Infantry Officers Course along with a dozen soldier graduates of the Army Ranger course.…”

Psychological and Sociological Profile of Women Who Have Completed Elite Military Combat Training

“…The in-person structured lifestyle interview was conducted 48-72 hours into a larger study (i.e., physiological and physical performance data not presented in this paper were also collected) (McClung et al, 2022) to allow rapport between the participant and the interviewers prior to the structured interview. Interviews lasted anywhere from one to two hours and were conducted by the same trained research staff with no financial or professional stake in the data obtained during the interview.…”