An Assessment of Pre- and Post-Fitness Measures in Two Remedial Conditioning Programs

Because of the severe sanctions that can be levied against personnel failing the PRT and body fat standards, it is important to assess the effectiveness of a Basic Exercise Program based program in reducing body fat and improving PRT performance among Navy personnel. The purpose of this study was to determine if taking part in a command-organized remedial program based on the BEP is effective in reducing body fat, improving failure-specific performance on the various components of the PRT, and improving overall physical fitness level. Remedial physical conditioning programs at a submarine base and an air station were evaluated. Pre- and postprogram PRT results were collected for participants at the submarine base (n=64) and the air station (n=44) to assess changes in the number of curl-ups, number of push-ups, run/walk time, overall classification score, percent body fat, and percent passing the overall PRT. In general, comparisons over time showed a trend toward improvement among participants in their performance on PRT fitness components and overall classification score.