Physical Training Programs for Tactical Populations: Brief Systematic Review

This article was published in Healthcare Journal 2023 (DOI: 10.3390/healthcare11070967).

Note: This article was not submitted to ExultX Spotlight by the authors. However, due to its relevance, we have decided to share it with our community. This text is a commentary on the original article, attempting to highlight the key points. For a more thorough and complete understanding of the content, we strongly recommend everyone to read the original article.

All rights to the findings belong to the authors of the article. Responsibility for the commentary lies with ExultX.

This article systematically reviews physical training programs for tactical populations. Its primary goals are to:

Identify and analyze commonly used physical training (PT) programs for tactical personnel (TP).

Examine the effects of these programs on physical fitness (PF), health, and occupational performance.

Key findings include:

PT programs longer than four weeks yield moderate to large improvements in PF and occupational task performance.

Effective training programs often combine endurance, strength, speed, and flexibility exercises to meet job demands.

The study analyzed 23 high-quality papers and calculated effect sizes (Cohen’s d) to quantify training impacts. The results emphasize that structured PT programs can significantly improve the PF and health of TP while enhancing their ability to perform job-specific tasks.

The study employed a systematic review methodology following PRISMA guidelines. The search strategy involved querying databases such as PubMed and SPORTDiscus | EBSCO using terms like "Physical Training Program," "Police," "Law Enforcement," and "Firefighter." The inclusion criteria emphasized recent studies (within the past ten years) that involved TP participating in structured training programs. Studies that focused solely on body composition or tool validation were excluded.

Critical appraisal of the selected studies was conducted using the NHLBI checklist to ensure the methodological quality of the data and to minimize bias.

During data extraction and analysis, essential information such as population characteristics, PF tests, and PT programs was compiled. Fitness measures assessed included endurance, strength, agility, and simulations of professional tasks. Additionally, effect sizes were calculated for various fitness metrics before and after interventions to quantify the impact of the training programs.

Key Takeaways

Program Effectiveness:

Programs longer than four weeks produced meaningful improvements in PF, especially in endurance and muscular strength.

Medium-to-large effect sizes were observed for measures like push-ups, sit-ups, and specific occupational tasks.

Components of Successful Training:

High-intensity interval training (HIIT), circuit training, weight training, and calisthenics were the most effective methodologies.

Flexibility and agility training played supportive but critical roles.

Recommendations for TP Training:

Implementing structured, functional, and specific PT programs is vital for improving performance in job-relevant tasks.

Continued emphasis on long-term fitness and health is essential to sustain benefits.

Occupational Relevance:

Enhancing PF among TP not only boosts performance but also reduces injury risk and improves overall health.

These insights provide a comprehensive framework for designing and evaluating PT programs for tactical populations.

Learn more about the article here.