The importance of resistance training (Conley & Pennington, 2022; Pennington, 2020) cardiovascular fitness (Pennington, 2015; 2016), and anaerobic power (Pennington, 2014) cannot be overstated for individuals enlisted in our country’s armed forces. The Army Combat Fitness Test (ACFT) is the new branch wide fitness test designed to replace the outdated Army Physical Fitness Test (APFT) (USAPHC TG 358, n.d.). The APFT was implemented in 1980 as the measure of Service Member (SM) fitness. However, this test is very limited in scope and failed to tell unit commanders how ready their SMs were for the rigors of a combat environment (US Army ACFT Field Testing Manual, n.d.). The APFT was a gender-based test that consisted of three events: a two-minute pushup evaluation to measure upper body endurance. The second event was a two-minute sit up evaluation to measure core and hip flexor endurance. While the final evaluation was a two-mile timed run, which was designed to test aerobic endurance and leg endurance. This test was simple to set up and administer but, it was not a good metric to judge SM’s actual fitness in a combat environment. If a SM had good endurance than he or she would max the test with ease. This is not a complete reflection of what is required in a combat environment. In a combat environment the SM will be loaded down with a rifle, helmet, rucksack, plate carrier, water, and ammo which often exceeds 80 pounds. The new ACFT which is still being implemented into the forces as of the writing of this paper is a much better test as it has more events to it which measure soldier strength and ability to move while under load.

Background: Everyone, irrespective of age, sex, colour, ethnicity, or present overall fitness level, can benefit from regular exercise. To improve one's health, one must engage in regular physical activity. People with underlying illnesses like long-term impairment can benefit from regular physical activity at the individual level, especially young women. Thus, the current study aimed to assess the prevalence and determinants of physical activity among female school-aged adolescents in the West Coast Region of The Gambia. Methods: The present study used an institutional-based cross-sectional analytical study to collect quantitative data from 384 female high school students in The Gambia. The study used a content-validated, pretested structured questionnaire that consisted of both open and closed-ended questions on physical activity. The data were processed and analyzed using IBM SPSS version 26.0. Descriptive statistics and Chi-square and/or Fisher exact test were used with a p-value <0.15 for inclusion in the logistic regression model. Adjusted odds ratios (aORs) and 95% confidence intervals were calculated, while p-value <0.05 was considered for statistical significance. Results: The proportion of female students involved in physical activity was 37.5%. The mean age of students was 18.8 years with a standard deviation of 1.7 years. Factors such as female students between 17 – 20 years (aOR:3.05, 95% C.I. (1.807 – 5.138)), father never been to school (aOR: 2.82, 95% C.I. (1.495 – 5.334)), primary education (aOR: 2.15, 95% C.I. (1.027 – 4.493)), upper basic school (aOR: 2.31, 95% C.I. (1.055 – 5.074)) and science major students (aOR: 2.21, 95% C.I. (1.203 – 4.047)) had increased odds of involving in PA. Furthermore, students who knew that exercise would strengthen bones (aOR: 2.62, 95% C.I (1.444 – 4.739)), do a planned brisk walking (aOR: 19.16, 95% C.I. (6.698 – 54.811)), basketball/football (aOR: 29.76, 95% C.I. (10.004 – 88.512)) and skipping with rope (aOR: 29.15, 95% C.I. (9.726 – 87.333)) had increased odds to involved in PA after controlling for confounders. Other factors such as students whose mother never been to school (aOR: 0.31, 95% C.I. (0.140 – 0.674)), primary level (aOR: 0.25, 95% C.I. (0.123 – 0.518)), senior secondary level (aOR: 0.42, 95% C.I. (0.189 – 0.935)), nuclear family (aOR: 0.23, 95% C.I. (0.119 – 0.458)) and extended family (aOR: 0.45, 95% C.I. (0.225 – 0.915)) had reduced odds of involving in PA. Conclusion: There is low physical activity among female adolescents in schools. For this, it is imperative that suitable interventions be implemented to raise the level of physical activity among secondary school students. A future intervention for school-aged adolescents could benefit from these findings.

Resistance exercise is the performance of physical exercises designed to improve strength, muscular, endurance, hypertrophy, and neuromuscular efficiency with the use of weights (Braith & Stewart, 2006)[1]. Resistance exercise has long been utilized for its beneficial health qualities and propensity to elicit certain desired physiological changes (Fry, 2004)[2]. There has been a recent, and significant, increase in resistance exercise activity in American adults (NCHS, 2018)[3] attributable to factors such as autonomous compulsion and self fulfilment to extrinsic factors like health and physical appearance (Fisher et al., 2017; Heinrich et al., 2014; Ingledew & Markland, 2008)[4,5,6]. As such, there is an ever-increasing need for educational material regarding resistance exercise, its benefits, purpose, and manner in which it should be conducted. Purpose- to (a) provide resistance exercise-based educational material regarding the background and rationale behind resistance training; (b) to provide a specific resistance-based exercise program to elicit strength gain; (c) to provide individuals with the knowledge to safely and effectively engage in said program; and (d) to provide the participant with expected physiological adaptations to completing the program. Methods- Two 6-week, 5-day per week resistance exercise programs – with a brief nutritional guide accompaniment – are outlined for a hypothetical participant, age 25-40, of moderate experience with fitness training, and with the goal of strength gain and moderate fat loss as a secondary goal. Results- Anticipated benefits of the program include: increased maximal strength caused by training above 85% 1RM for 2-6 sets of 1-6 reps; increased synergistic muscle groups strength which will contribute to improved prime mover strength; hypertrophy of skeletal muscles throughout the body, induced by lifts of 67-85% 1 rep max (RM) for 3-6 sets of 6-12 reps and increased resting energy expenditure (basal metabolic rate) accompanied by improved body composition. Conclusion- Continued progression though this protocol with modifications to resistance include potential improved running speed, explosive power potential, and other anaerobic sport performance factors, as well as enhanced neuromuscular efficiency associated with increased prime mover force production capabilities.