The effect of training of military skills on performance in cold environment

• Published in: Military medicine Vol. 171; no. 8; pp. 757 - 761
• Main Authors: Oksa, Juha, Rintamäki, Hannu, Mäkinen, Tero
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Oxford University Press 01.08.2006
• Subjects: Adaptation, Physiological; Anthropometry; Cold Temperature; Conditioning (Psychology) - physiology; Female; Finland; Firearms; Hot Temperature; Humans; Military Medicine; Military Personnel - education; Motor Skills - physiology; Physical Education and Training; Skin Temperature - physiology; Task Performance and Analysis; Finland
• ISSN: 0026-4075; 1930-613X
• DOI: 10.7205/MILMED.171.8.757

This study was conducted to evaluate how training for disassembling and assembling a weapon and patrol data message terminal and loading a magazine in different temperatures affected the ability to perform those skills in a cold environment. One group trained six times on separate days in a warm environment (19 degrees C), the second group trained three times in a warm environment and then three times in a cold environment (-15 degrees C), and the third group trained six times in the cold environment. Training first in warm and then in cold shortened performance time by 6% to 28%, in comparison to training only in a warm environment. Also, training in cold made the subjects faster than training in warm. In conclusion, before performing military operations in a cold environment, it is most beneficial to train first in warm and then in cold. Training only in warm produces the lowest level of performance in a cold environment.