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Frykman, Peter N.

Publications and source records attributed to Frykman, Peter N..

4 records
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2022

Occupational Experience Effects on Physiological and Perceptual Responses of Common Soldiering Tasks

Abstract Cohen BS, Redmond JE, Haven CC, Foulis SA, Canino MC, Frykman PN, Sharp MA. Occupational Experience Effects on Physiological and Perceptual Responses of Common Soldiering Tasks. J Strength Cond Res 37(4): 894–901, 2023—This study measured the impact of occupational experience (i.e., time spent deployed, in military service, and in job and task performance frequency in training, deployment, and study practice) on the physiological (heart rate [HR] and oxygen consumption [VO 2 ]) and perceptual (rate of perceived exertion [RPE]) responses to performance of critical physically demanding tasks (CPDTs). Five CPDTs (road march, build a fighting position, move under fire, evacuate a casualty, and drag a casualty to safety), common to all soldiers, were performed by 237 active duty soldiers. Linear regression models examined the association between measures of experience and physiological and perceptual performance responses to task demands. The level of significance was adjusted for multiple comparisons and set at ρ ≤ 0.0125 for this study. Significant and notable effect sizes included the impact of time spent deployed on the physiological measures of the road march (PostHR F = 24.84, p < 0.0001, β=-9.65), sandbag fill (PostHR F = 8.26, p = 0.005, β = −2.83), and sandbag carry (MeanHR F = 7.51, p = 0.007, β = −1.12; PostHR F = 7.35, p = 0.007, β = −0.87). For the road march task, there was a nearly 10 bpm decrease in postperformance HR for every year spent deployed. Road march, sandbag fill, and sandbag carry tasks PostHRs were also notably negatively associated with the experience measures of time in their MOS (job and time in military service but not for other physiological and perceptual responses, including VO 2 and RPE. Frequency of task performance in training, deployment, and study practice was not meaningfully associated with experience. The results suggest that increasing task familiarization through on-the-job occupational operational experience may result in greater proficiency and reduced physiological effort.

Sport Sciences↗
DOE OSTI2021

Modeling the Metabolic Costs of Heavy Military Backpacking

Existing predictive equations underestimate the metabolic costs of heavy military load carriage. Metabolic costs are specific to each type of military equipment, and backpack loads often impose the most sustained burden on the dismounted warfighter. This study aimed to develop and validate an equation for estimating metabolic rates during heavy backpacking for the US Army Load Carriage Decision Aid (LCDA), an integrated software mission planning tool. Thirty healthy, active military-age adults (3 women, 27 men; age, 25 ± 7 yr; height, 1.74 ± 0.07 m; body mass, 77 ± 15 kg) walked for 6–21 min while carrying backpacks loaded up to 66% body mass at speeds between 0.45 and 1.97 m·s -1 . A new predictive model, the LCDA backpacking equation, was developed on metabolic rate data calculated from indirect calorimetry. Model estimation performance was evaluated internally by k-fold cross-validation and externally against seven historical reference data sets. We tested if the 90% confidence interval of the mean paired difference was within equivalence limits equal to 10% of the measured metabolic rate. Estimation accuracy and level of agreement were also evaluated by the bias and concordance correlation coefficient (CCC), respectively. Estimates from the LCDA backpacking equation were statistically equivalent ( P < 0.01) to metabolic rates measured in the current study (bias, -0.01 ± 0.62 W·kg -1 ; CCC, 0.965) and from the seven independent data sets (bias, -0.08 ± 0.59 W·kg -1 ; CCC, 0.926). The newly derived LCDA backpacking equation provides close estimates of steady-state metabolic energy expenditure during heavy load carriage. These advances enable further optimization of thermal-work strain monitoring, sports nutrition, and hydration strategies.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2021

Comparison of Different Variants of the U.S. Army Occupational Physical Assessment Test

The U.S. Army Occupational Physical Assessment Test (OPAT) is a pre-enlistment physical employment screening assessment developed to place recruits and soldiers into Military Occupational Specialties (MOSs) based on their physical capabilities in order to optimize performance and limit injury. The OPAT consists of the seated power throw (SPT), strength deadlift (SDL), standing long jump, and interval aerobic run. During the scientific validation of the OPAT, two variants of the SPT and two variants of the SDL were used. Although the OPAT was validated using both variants for each test, U.S. Army scientists and policymakers have received queries regarding how these variants compare to each other. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to compare different variants of the SPT and SDL. Thirty-two participants (14 male and 18 female) between the ages of 18 and 42 years visited the laboratory on one occasion and performed two variants of the SPT (seated on the ground [the current OPAT standard] versus seated in a chair with a 35 cm seat height) and two variants of the SDL (using a hex-bar [the current OPAT standard] versus using paired dumbbells). Testing order for the different variants was randomized. The protocol was approved by the U.S. Army Medical Research and Development Command Institutional Review Board. Performing the SPT from a chair significantly (P < .05) increased performance when compared to performing the SPT from the ground (5.4 ± 1.3 m versus 5.0 ± 1.4 m, respectively). Values for the two SPT variants were correlated (tau = 0.90). Performing the SDL using the hex-bar significantly increased the maximal weight lifted when compared to performing the SDL using paired dumbbells (86.9 ± 18.4 kg versus 83.1 ± 18.0 kg, respectively). Values for the two SDL variants were correlated (tau = 0.83). Performing different variants of the SPT and SDL influenced the resulting score. Although these findings do not alter the administration or scoring of the OPAT, they do provide a valuable reference in the event of future inquiries regarding the development of the OPAT.

General & Internal Medicine↗