Physiological Responses to 12-Km Loaded March Carrying a Machine Gun or a Rifle

Effect of Weapon Weight in Physically Fit Military Personnel

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.52781/cmm.a099

Keywords:

military, weight-bearing, walking, physical exertion, physiological responses

Abstract

The objective was to compare physiological responses, during a 12-km march following Brazilian Army protocols, between two groups carrying different loads (personal equipment plus machine gun and personal equipment plus rifle). Additionally, we investigated whether there is a correlation between load weight, in percentage of total body mass (%TBM), and those physiological responses. The following variables were analyzed: mean heart rate, heart rate variation, blood lactate variation and mean rating of perceived exertion. The personal equipment + machine gun group presented significantly higher median values for mean heart rate and heart rate variation. Furthermore, our data showed that load (%TBM) was positively and significantly correlated with all physiological variables assessed, except for blood lactate variation. Performing long-distance load carriage with a machine gun caused greater cardiovascular effort than carrying a rifle.

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Published

2023-05-04

How to Cite

SANTOS, Lucas Vieira Coelho dos; MUNIZ, Adriane Mara de Souza; SOUZA, Bruno Trassi Fernandes Silva de; FALCÃO, Ricardo Alexandre; SALERNO, Verônica Pinto; IMBIRIBA, Luis Aureliano; MAINENTI, Miriam Raquel Meira. Physiological Responses to 12-Km Loaded March Carrying a Machine Gun or a Rifle: Effect of Weapon Weight in Physically Fit Military Personnel. Coleção Meira Mattos: revista das ciências militares, [S. l.], v. 17, n. 59, p. 187–200, 2023. DOI: 10.52781/cmm.a099. Disponível em: https://ebrevistas.eb.mil.br/RMM/article/view/10789. Acesso em: 12 feb. 2026.

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