Page 112 - Journal of Special Operations Medicine - Summer 2015

An Ongoing Series

Monitoring Training for Human Performance Optimization

Krista G. Austin, PhD, CSCS; Patricia Deuster, PhD, MPH, FACSM

ABSTRACT

Physical fitness can significantly impact the mission the best training program for optimizing their physical
success of Special Operations Forces (SOF). Much like performance. By determining how well the body toler-
athletes, Operators have multiple training components ates training and how each aspect of training influences
including technical, tactical, physical and mental con- performance, the Operator can then develop training
ditioning, which must simultaneously be developed for plans across the deployment cycle, especially during
mission success. Balancing multiple physical stressors times of high operational tempo, to optimize physical fit-
to ensure positive results from training can be achieved ness without fatigue. As such, the focus of this article will
through periodization—the intentional planning for be on methods to quantify training and how they can be
success. Monitoring the training load can assist SOF in applied by SOF to optimize physical performance.
managing training stress and designing periodization
that minimizes fatigue. The present article provides an Significance
overview of modern technology developed to quantify
1
the stress of training. The training load maintained by Bannister and colleagues originally developed a con-
SOF consists of external loads created through physi- cept known as the “training impulse” to understand
cal work and internal units of load determined by the how training programs effected athletes and to provide
rate of perceived effort during training that must be in- coaches with a means to determine the “ideal” dose of
tegrated in a manner that minimizes the accumulation training and recovery necessary for improving perfor-
of fatigue. Methods for determining training load are mance. Similar terms and definitions—training load,
2
discussed in this article and examples are provided for training strain, and training stress—have also been used
determining training load, developing conditioning ses- to simplify the Bannister et al. approach and improve
2
sions and utilizing training load to maintain physical fit- its ease of use. For the purpose of this report, the term
ness, and improve return from injury. “training load” will be used and defined as the sum of
the frequency, intensity, and duration of the training
Keywords: training, monitoring; load, training; load, exter- performed to produce improvements in performance.
nal; load, internal; rate of perceived effort
Like athletes, Operators have multiple components to
train—technical, tactical, physical, and mental condi-
tioning—and each one must identify the best means for
Introduction
managing the stress provided by each form of training
Physical fitness is a key component of human perfor- to sustain their physical and operational performance.
mance optimization in Special Operations Forces (SOF). The training load concept should be used to quantify
In order to enhance physical fitness, it is crucial for SOF training stress in order to understand the training neces-
to understand the importance of balancing training sary to achieve a physical fitness goal or improve spe-
and rest to optimize performance. The original training cific technical, tactical, or other operationally specific
3–5
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programs used by SOF personnel have been based on skills. Lorturco et al. used the concept of training
intuition and the experience of their predecessors, not load to evaluate two forms of resistance training used
necessarily from scientific evidence. As a result, physical by SOF personnel. Power was used to define the amount
fitness for mission readiness cannot be easily determined. of work performed by each training method. When a
However, with emerging technology, Operators can eas- power-based training program was compared to a tra-
ily and quickly quantify training in order to determine ditional maximum strength-based training program, the

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