Jani P Vaara

• Phd (exercise physiology and coaching/fitness testing) Adjunct Professor (soldiers physical performance)
• National Defence University at National Defence University

The physical capacity of male and female warfighters is challenged on the modern battlefield by heavy loads and high-intensity work. When designing training programmes for warfighters, approaches for developing strength and power alongside endurance must be considered. Strength training often requires facilities that may not be available during dep...

INTRODUCTION: Strong neck muscles may decrease the risk of flight-induced neck pain and possible disability among fast jet pilots. The purpose of this study was to examine the intra- and interrater reliability of a commercial force gauge attached to a pilot’s helmet for measuring isometric force production of the neck muscles. METHODS: A total of 4...

Introduction Casualty evacuation has been identified as a typical and essential single military task which every soldier should be able to perform rapidly during combat. Previous studies suggest that casualty evacuation is typically conducted by dragging and demands e.g., lean body mass and anaerobic performance. Association of physical fitness wit...

Background Vitamin D supplementation may lower the risk of acute respiratory infection (ARI), and the effects may be mediated through the induction of cathelicidin production. Objective To study the effect of vitamin D supplementation on ARI and cathelicidin concentration in a randomized controlled trial (RCT) and to study the associations between...

Background Musculoskeletal (MSK) disorders represent a significant burden to society and can be unpleasant for the affected individuals. Physical activity (PA) can prevent MSK disorders while conferring other health benefits. The present study aimed to investigate associations between device-measured PA and perceived MSK disorders among young adult...

Background: Military operations in urban environments requires faster movements and therefore may place greater demands on soldier strength and anaerobic ability. Objective: The aim was to study how physical fitness and body composition are associated with occupational test for urban combat soldiers before and after a 5-day military field exerci...

Background Exercise self-efficacy is a crucial aspect of adopting and maintaining a physically active lifestyle. Regular physical activity may enhance exercise self-efficacy. This study aimed to investigate the baseline associations of physical fitness, physical activity, and body composition with exercise self-efficacy and the effects of military...

Systematic review and meta-analysis applying PRISMA guidelines with a PICOS format was constructed to provide an overview of changes in physical performance, body composition and physical training in soldiers during prolonged (≥ 3 months) military operations. Twenty-four studies out of the screened 4431 records filled the inclusion criteria. A smal...

Changes in physiological markers and physical performance in relation to paratroopers’ initial body composition were investigated during a 20-day winter military field training (MFT) and the subsequent 10-day recovery period. Body composition, serum hormone concentrations and enzymatic biomarkers, and physical performance of 58 soldiers were measur...

Purpose: Modern warfare requires soldiers to perform physically demanding tasks, like lifting and carrying heavy equipment, moving long distances in rough terrains, and maneuvering through buildings in urban environment. Thus, a modern soldier needs not only good aerobic endurance, but also high level of neuromuscular performance to be able to effe...

Objectives Survival training can provide a unique setting for scientific examination of human stress responses and physical performance in a realistic operational military context. The aim of the present study was to observe effects of a 36-h recovery period on serum hormone concentrations, salivary cortisol, and marksmanship during 10-day winter m...

Helén, J, Kyröläinen, H, Ojanen, T, Pihlainen, K, Santtila, M, Heikkinen, R, and Vaara, JP. High-intensity functional training induces superior training adaptations compared with traditional military physical training. J Strength Cond Res XX(X): 000-000, 2023-This study examined the effectiveness of concurrent strength and endurance training with a...

The present study investigated physiological, mental and physical performance changes during a 20-day winter military training course and the following 10-day recovery period. Fifty-eight (age 19 ± 1 years, height 182 ± 6 cm, body mass 78.5 ± 7.2 kg) male soldiers volunteered. Body composition, serum biomarker levels and performance tests were meas...

The present study investigated performance changes during three runs (1 min recovery) of repeated military simulation task test (RMST) and its associations with physical performance. Voluntary male soldiers (N = 114) participated in a series of measurements of physical performance. Lower body explosive force production, anaerobic endurance and uppe...

PURPOSE: Military operations in urban environments include faster movements and higher cardiovascular strain than traditional operations. It also sets higher demands to strength and anaerobic performance in soldiers. The aim of this study was to develop an occupationally relevant test for Urban Combat soldiers and study how a 5-day military field e...

PURPOSE: In military operations, various combat tasks (e.g. sprints, load carriage) are performed in a repeated manner and with inadequate recovery time between the tasks. Previous studies have reported fitness predictors for a military simulation or individual tasks performed only in a recovered state. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to d...

Severe energy deficit may impair hormonal regulation and physical performance in military trainings. The aim of this study was to examine the associations between energy intake, expenditure, and balance, hormones and military performance during a winter survival training. Two groups were studied: the FEX group (n = 46) had 8-day garrison and field...

Evidence on the relationship between psychosocial well-being and physical activity (PA) is insufficient, especially in young adults between 18 and 29 years. Identifying protective factors for psychosocial well-being as well as factors that may promote PA behaviour in this specific age group is crucial. The aim of the present study was to explore th...

Purpose: The present study examined the association of vitamin D measured by serum 25(OH)D with physical performance outcomes and serum levels of anabolic hormones in young men. Methods: 412 young men (age 19 ± 1 year) entering their compulsory military service volunteered to participate in the study. The study consisted of two groups from two diff...

Introduction The physical and mental training load can be high during military service. Therefore, tailored preconditioning programmes based on assessment of physical fitness could increase readiness for military service, especially among those ones with lower baseline fitness level. The purpose of present study was to investigate how self-assessed...

Purpose: To investigate physiological changes in Finnish paratroopers during a 20-day winter military training course and the following 10-day recovery period. Methods: Fifty-eight (age 19±1 years, height 182±6 cm, body mass 78.5±7.2 kg) male soldiers participated in a 20-day military field training course with two phases. The first phase consiste...

Background There is limited evidence of how physical activity (PA) associates with low back pain (LBP) and neck pain (NP). Particularly, the association between occupational or commuting PA and LBP/NP is unclear. The aim of the present cross-sectional study was to investigate the association between spinal disorders and different physical activity...

Physical activity (PA) has been shown to associate with many health benefits but studies with metabolome-wide associations with PA are still lacking. Metabolome studies may deepen the mechanistic understanding of PA on the metabolic pathways related to health outcomes. The aim of the present study was to study the association of accelerometer based...

Understanding the effect of stress, fatigue, and sleep deprivation on the ability to maintain an alert and attentive state in an ecologically valid setting is of importance as lapsing attention can, in many safety-critical professions, have devastating consequences. Here we studied the effect of close-quarters battle (CQ battle) exercise combined w...

Healthy lifestyle behaviors including physical activity (PA) have been recognized to contribute positively to mental health. Most of the evidence on relationship between PA and mental health relies on self-reported PA results. Device-based measures on PA or sedentary behavior (SB) are less frequently used in mental health research. The present stud...

Physically demanding essential military tasks include load carriage, manual material handling and casualty evacuation. This narrative review characterizes the main physical attributes related to performance of these occupational tasks and reviews physical training intervention studies in military settings to improve performance in these military ta...

The aim of the study was to examine whether sports participation (SP), engagement in competitive sports (CS), and the type of sport undertaken at the age of 12 are associated with the physical and mental components of health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in young adulthood. The data were collected using questionnaires prior to a compulsory milita...

Limited data are available regarding strength and endurance training adaptations to occupational physical performance during deployment. This study assessed acute training-induced changes in neuromuscular (electromyography; EMG) and metabolic (blood lactate, BLa) responses during a high-intensity military simulation test (MST), performed in the beg...

Introduction/Purpose: Physical activity and sedentary time may associate with physical fitness and body composition. Yet, there exists some observational studies that have investigated the associations of device-based measures of sedentary time and physical activity (PA) with cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) and body composition but associations wit...

Background: An adequate level of muscular fitness is related to occupational performance in military personnel, including pilots flying high performance aircraft. The aim of this study was to describe the baseline level and the change in muscular fitness between the first and the second years of the Air Force Academy among fighter pilot cadets. Met...

Background: In the military context, high levels of physiological and psychological stress together can compromise individual’s ability to complete given duty or mission and increase dropout rates. The purpose of this study was to investigate if baseline physical fitness, body composition, hormonal and psychological factors could predict dropout fr...

Introduction Physical fitness is a fundamental capability required of military personnel, but studies focusing on longitudinal changes in physical fitness and anthropometrics in soldiers are lacking. The aim was to evaluate physical fitness and anthropometrics in soldiers during their early career. Methods A 3-year prospective study included 180 m...

Introduction: Military training programmes are often similar for male and female recruits despite sex differences in physical performance that may influence training adaptations during military service. The present study aimed to compare changes in physical fitness and anthropometrics between Finnish female and male recruits during military servic...

Background: There is growing evidence on positive effects of physical activity (PA) on mental health. However, the focus of previous research on this relationship has typically been on mental health from the perspective of mental health problems rather than from the perspective of mental wellbeing. Further, previous research has commonly focused r...

Background: Despite numerous studies providing evidence for positive effects of physical activity and physical fitness, evidence for association between physical fitness and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in young adults is limited. The aim of the present cross-sectional study was to investigate the association of cardiorespiratory and mus...

Objectives: The purpose of the present study was to investigate how aerobic fitness, muscle fitness and body mass index (BMI) change in relation to their baseline levels during 6-12 months of military service. Design: Retrospective longitudinal follow-up study. Methods: The study group consisted of 249279 healthy young male conscripts (age 19....

Introduction Active commuting is an inexpensive and accessible form of physical activity and may be beneficial to health. The aim of this study was to investigate the association of active commuting and its subcomponents, cycling and walking, with cardiometabolic risk factors, physical fitness and body composition in young men. Methods Participant...

Introduction: Physical fitness is strongly related to health and may offer valuable information about public health. We investigated trends in physical fitness, leisure-time physical activity (LTPA) and anthropometry of young healthy adult Finnish men in representative population based samples between 2003 and 2015. Methods: Three independent cr...

Background: There are only a few studies that have assessed awareness and knowledge regarding aerobic type of physical activity (PA) guidelines recommendations, while no previous studies have examined muscular type of activity recommendation guidelines. The aim was to assess knowledge and awareness and study the associations with demographic variab...

Tausta: Liikunnalla tiedetään olevan myönteisiä vaikutuksia fyysisen hyvinvoinnin lisäksi myös mielen hyvinvointiin. Erilaisilla liikuntainterventioilla on siten mahdollisuus edistää väestön mielenterveyttä. Jotta osaamme kohdistaa oikeanlaisia interventioita oikealle kohderyhmälle, tarvitsemme tietoa fyysisen passiivisuuden syistä erityisesti siin...

Importance High physical fitness is associated with a reduction in risk of cardiovascular diseases and death, but the underlying mechanisms are insufficiently understood. Objective To determine how aerobic fitness and muscular strength are associated with serum metabolome measures. Design, Setting, and Participants This cross-sectional study incl...

Sedliak, M, Sedliak, P, and Vaara, JP. Effects of 6-month military deployment on physical fitness, body composition, and selected health-related biomarkers. J Strength Cond Res XX(X): 000-000, 2018-The purpose was to study the effects of 6-month deployment to Afghanistan on physical performance, anthropometrical, and health-related biochemical para...

The effect of 60-h sleep deprivation (SD) on physical performance and motor control was studied. Twenty cadets were measured for aerobic performance (VO2) before and immediately after the SD period. Maximal strength and EMG of the knee extensor muscles were measured before and after 60 h of SD. Balance, reaction times and motor control were assesse...

Purpose: Few large-scale population-based studies have adequately examined the relationships between steroid hormones, health status and physical fitness. The purpose of the study was to describe the relationship of serum basal endogenous steroid hormones (testosterone, TES; empirical free testosterone, EFT; cortisol, COR) and sex hormone-binding g...

Introduction Military training loads may induce different physiological responses in garrison and field training and only a little is known about how short-time recovery, lasting a few days, affects neuromuscular fitness and hormonal profile. This study aimed to investigate the effects of garrison and field military service on neuromuscular perform...

There is a growing body of evidence that higher level of physical activity is associated with a better state of mental health. Less is known about the relationships between youth competitive sports and mental health in the adulthood. The aim of the study was to examine whether retrospectively assessed sports participation (SP) and competitive sport...

Finnish summary of the findings of the published paper "Appelqvist-Schmidlechner K, Vaara J, Häkkinen A, Vasankari T, Mäkinen J, Mäntysaari M, Kyröläinen H. (2017). Relationships between youth sports participa-tion and mental health in young adulthood among Finnish males. American Journal of Health Pro-motion. First Published December 21, 2017"

Purpose To examine whether retrospectively assessed sports participation (SP) and competitive sports (CS) at the age of 12 years is associated with mental health and health behavior in young adulthood among males. Design A cross-sectional study using self-administered questionnaires. Setting Conducted prior to compulsory military refresher traini...

Objectives: Worldwide decreases in physical fitness and increases in body fat among youth have set challenges for armed forces to recruit physically capable soldiers. Therefore, knowledge of optimizing physical adaptation and performance through physical training is vital. In addition, maintaining or improving physical performance among profession...

Physical activity has been seen as an important tool to prevent both physical and mental disorders like depression and anxiety. However, previous research has mainly focused on mental health problems rather than positive mental health. The aim of the present study was to investigate the association of leisure time physical activity (LTPA) and physi...

Physical activity has been seen as an important tool to prevent both physical and mental disorders like depression and anxiety. However, previous research has mainly focused on mental health problems rather than positive mental health. The aim of the present study was to investigate the association of leisure time physical activity (LTPA) and physi...

No previous studies have investigated attitudes of the female soldiers toward physical fitness tests and physical performance requirements. The purpose of the present study was to investigate how military personnel group, age, physical fitness, and body composition are associated with female soldiers’ attitudes toward fitness tests and requirements...

Taipale, RS, Heinaru, S, Nindl, BC, Vaara, J, Santtila, M, Häkkinen, K, and Kyröläinen, H. Hormonal responses to active and passive recovery after load carriage. J Strength Cond Res 29(11S): S149-S153, 2015-Military operations often induce fatigue resulting from load carriage. Recovery promotes military readiness. This study investigated the acute...

A high volume of military training has been shown to compromise muscle strength development. We examined effects of added low-volume resistance training during special military training (ST) period, which took place after basic training period. Male conscripts (n 25) were assigned to standardized ST with added resistance training group (TG, n 13) a...

Vaara, JP, Kalliomaa, R, Hynninen, P, and Kyröläinen, H. Physical fitness and hormonal profile during an 11-week paratroop training period. J Strength Cond Res 29(11S): S163-S167, 2015-Physical fitness and serum hormone concentrations have been shown to change during military training. The purpose was to examine these chronic changes in paratrooper...

The aim was to study associations of maximal strength and muscular endurance with inflammatory biomarkers independent of cardiorespiratory fitness in those with and without abdominal obesity. 686 young healthy men participated (25±5 years). Maximal strength was measured via isometric testing using dynamo-meters to determine maximal strength index....

The aim was to study the relationships between different domains of physical activity and cardiovascular risk factors and physical fitness. 781 young men participated. Self-reported leisure-time (LTPA), commuting (CPA) and occupational (OPA) activity were determined. Blood pressure, s-HDL-cholesterol, s-triglyserides and s-LDL-cholesterol and gluco...

The aim was to study the associations of maximal strength and muscular endurance with single and clustered cardiovascular risk factors. Muscular endurance, maximal strength, cardiorespiratory fitness and waist circumference were measured in 686 young men (25±5 years). Cardiovascular risk factors (plasma glucose, serum high- and low-density lipoprot...

Background: Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is associated with increased oxidized LDL (ox-LDL), systemic inflammation, and poor cardiorespiratory fitness. We examined affiliations of these factors and the effect of muscular fitness on MetS in young healthy men. Methods: Physical fitness, ox-LDL, tumor necrosis factor α (TNFα), interleukin-6 (IL-6) and...

The purpose of the present study was to assess the relationships between maximal strength and muscular endurance test scores additionally to previously widely studied measures of body composition and maximal aerobic capacity. 846 young men (25.5 ± 5.0 yrs) participated in the study. Maximal strength was measured using isometric bench press, leg ext...

Book of Abstracts: p. 188

Insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) is thought to mediate many of the beneficial outcomes of physical activity. While IGF-I has previously been shown to be positively related with aerobic fitness, few studies have examined IGF-I relationships with other fitness and health parameters. The robustness of IGF-I as a biomarker of fitness and health has...

This study examined cardiovascular regulation and body temperature (BT) during 60 h of sleep deprivation in 20 young healthy cadets. Heart rate variability was measured during an active orthostatic test (AOT). Measurements were performed each day in the morning and evening after 2, 14, 26, 38, 50 and 60 h of sleep deprivation. In AOT, in the sittin...