Evaluation of physical and motor readiness of cadets based on army international norms

Due to the urgent need for physical activity during training and in the field, military forces require to a relatively high level of physical readiness. The present study was conducted to evaluate physical and motor readiness of cadets based on army international norms.
This study was performed among 272 healthy graduated cadets (mean age 21.89 ± 1.07 years, height 175.36 ± 5.91 cm, and weight 69.95 ± 9.12 kg). Firstly, height, weight, and body composition were measured for each of the participants. Then, all subjects followed a warm up for 15 minutes, and finally performed physical and motor readiness tests. The data analysis was done using SPSS software (version 22).
According to our findings, the average of physical and motor readiness was within the normal range. Also, results revealed that students got the highest scores in Swedish swimming test and two-mile run test, and the lowest in sit-up test. The assessment of body mass index showed that 81.98% of students were within the healthy weight range. In addition, 97.42% of students were in the normal range for waist-hip ratio.
Given the results in this study, students got the best scores in cardiovascular tests and the weakest results in muscular endurance of the central part of the body. In general, due to the importance of the central part of the body to prevent injuries in military activities, it is recommended to pay more attention to the training of this part.