The effect of command emphasis and monthly physical training on Army physical fitness scores in a National Guard Unit.

Individual fitness, an important component of combat readiness, has been found to be deficient in some Reserve Component units of the United States Army. We evaluated a program of monthly physical training in an environment of increasing emphasis on unit physical fitness in an effort to determine the effect on unit performance on the semi-annual Army Physical Fitness Test (APFT). This program was examined in a retrospective manner to establish its effectiveness over a 6-month period. No statistically significant improvement in APFT scores could be found over the course of the study, suggesting that such a program is not an efficient means of improving unit fitness in the Reserve Components of the United States Army.