Physical Training and Manual-Material Handling: Literature and Military Applications

Abstract

Manual material handling (MMH) is performed in 83% of all U.S. Army enlisted military occupations. Studies that have examined the influence of physical training on MMH can be separated into two types: those that use the same task for testing and training (task-specific training studies) and those that do not (general training studies). Reported relative improvements in maximal symmetric lifting and repetitive lifting are 26% to 99% in task-specific training studies and 16% to 23% in general training studies. Psychomotor learning probably accounts for a large proportion of performance gains in task-specific training while both psychomotor learning and muscle hypertrophy account for gains in general training studies. While both types of training are effective and currently practiced in the military, general training may be useful for improving a wide range of MMH tasks while task-specific training results in larger gains in targeted MMH tasks.