TASK-SPECIFIC AND GENERALIZED PHYSICAL-TRAINING FOR IMPROVING MANUAL-MATERIAL HANDLING CAPABILITY

Physical training can be defined as muscular activity designed to enha nce the physical capacity of the individual by improving one or more o f the components of physical fitness. Components of fitness include mu scular strength, muscular endurance, and cardiorespiratory endurance. Studies examining the influence of physical training on manual materia l handling (MMH) capability can be separated into two categories: thos e that use the same task for testing and training (task-specific train ing studies) and those that do not (general training studies). In task -specific training studies, reported relative improvements in maximal symmetric lifting and repetitive lifting are 26-183% and in general tr aining studies, 16-32%. Psychomotor learning probably accounts for a l arge proportion of performance gains in task-specific training but som e localized improvements in muscle activation and hypertrophy also occ ur. Generalized training studies have exercised more major muscle grou ps, and more widespread improvements in muscle activation and muscle h ypertrophy account for gains here. While both types of physical traini ng are effective, general training may be useful for improving a wide range of MMH tasks, while task-specific training results in larger gai ns in targeted MMH tasks. Models for both types of training can be der ived from examples in the military. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.