WEST POINT HUMAN PERFORMANCE LABORATORY

WEST POINT

ASSOCIAT ION OF GRADUAT

ES

Throughout the course of their training and education, we are

committed to developing cadets who are sound of mind and body .

The Army needs smart, creative officers, and it needs physically fit

officers who can meet the demands of military service .

It’s easy to think of ways that we can optimize the academic

experience for cadets: support innovative and expert teachers,

stock labs and classrooms with state-of-the-art technology and

equipment, and provide modern facilities conducive to learning .

Exactly how to maximize cadets’ physical strength and stamina

isn’t as easy to pin down .

West Point is seeking to fill this need by developing the Human

Performance Laboratory, in the Department of Physical Education,

to improve the accuracy of cadets’ training regimens and to

reduce training-related injuries . The Laboratory would provide

testing, analysis, and feedback on physical fitness and training

for the cadets .

Currently, within the curriculum and through varsity sports

teams and extracurricular clubs, West Point offers cadets a wide

range of options to pursue physical fitness and athletic prowess .

From basketball to rugby, and soccer to cross-country, our cadets

take to the field and the court with enthusiasm . Often, they are

quite successful: our teams have recently won national

championships in boxing, crew, judo, orienteering, team

handball, and triathlon .

Yet, just as with academics, cadets arrive at West Point with

different aptitudes for sport and varying levels of physical fitness .

Increasingly — and mirroring a larger trend in American society —

some cadets are coming to us with lower fitness levels than was

usual in the past . As a result, new cadet failures on the initial entry

Army Physical Fitness Test conducted in Cadet Basic Training have

increased 38% over the last 10 years . Cadets in the Department of

Physical Education’s kinesiology major have initiated research

designed to help reverse this trend and better assess cadet/soldier

physical fitness .

For some, the obstacle to realizing their full physical potential

comes from their misunderstanding or lack of knowledge about

important markers of training and performance that are not readily

observable . For instance, lactate threshold can correlate extremely

well to aerobic performance, but it can also limit prolonged

performance . Likewise, a subtle change in running form can result

in significant gains in performance on the one hand, or chronic

injury that requires extended recovery on the other .

HUMAN PERFORMANCE LABORATORY

Many of these types of markers can be measured accurately only

under laboratory conditions, which the venue will provide .

Specifically it will provide tests and measures such as:

• Three-dimensional motion of the whole body;

• Speed, force, and power production

• Cardiovascular fitness and performance

• Body composition

• Muscle mass and bone density

• Muscular activity, coordination, and timing

Left: Cadets estimate energy expenditure during walking from measurements of oxygen consumption by analyzing the amount of oxygen inhaled and exhaled with each breath. This provides the total number of calories expended during work. Right: Using a technique known as electromyography, this cadet is determining the level of nervous system activation of the various skeletal muscles used to perform the push-up exercise.

The Performance Laboratory has the individual cadet in

mind, empowering him or her to design or refine a personalized

work-out program that will maximize overall health and fitness .

But it will also work in conjunction with other Army agencies

to contribute to the effort to maximize the fitness and health

of our nation’s soldiers .

Research data generated by the Human Performance

Laboratory will help the Army develop training doctrine . It also

will provide opportunities for cadets studying kinesiology,

chemistry, and life-sciences to see real-world applications behind

their classroom learning . The Department of Physical Education

is currently working with the training and doctrine command

on various ideas to improve soldier fitness assessment .

West Point currently lacks the resources necessary to perform

exercise testing and evaluation for any member of the Corps of

Cadets who is interested in Human Performance . Our facilities are

limited, and our staff, currently numbering only two, is stretched

too thin . We want to provide cutting-edge equipment and offer

increased one-on-one interaction between nutrition and fitness

experts and cadets .

Please support our initiative to give cadets the necessary tools

and understanding to make smart decisions about their health

and fitness, now and in the future . The Lab may focus on one

cadet at a time, but its cumulative effect will be transformative —

for the strength of our Army and the health of our nation .

Please join us as we ensure West Point’s reputation for

excellence in all endeavors, and take pride in the transformative

power of the generous gift you can make today .

“The Indoor Obstacle Course Test (IOCT) was the best

physical training I have received, period. If I had known

the ‘feats’ I would have to do in combat, like hopping

rooftop-to-rooftop, running along ledges, and climbing

over walls, I would have run the IOCT every day with

all my gear on because it is as realistic a training course

for fighting as anything I have seen or done.”

— Captain Rob Calhelha ’04

Left: Force plates in the treadmill allow this cadet to investigate the ground impact forces on the body during walking or running. An analysis of the mechanics of the movement pattern is accomplished using the infrared cameras positioned around the cadet. Right: Using a low-dose X-ray device, body composition and bone mineral density can be determined. This testing procedure provides valuable information regarding physical fitness.

WEST POINT

ASSOCIAT ION OF GRADUAT

ES

as of December 17, 2014

GENEROUS GRADUATES AND FRIENDS OF THE ACADEMY WHO SUPPORT THE WEST POINT HUMAN PERFORMANCE LABORATORY WILL TAKE PRIDE IN THE TRANSFORMATIVE POWER OF THEIR GIFTS.

Total Laboratory Endowment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$3 .7 million

Funding & Recognition Opportunities

West Point Human Performance Laboratory Naming . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$2 .5 million

Research Scientist Naming . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $1 million

Conference Room (reserved) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $100,000

Office Recognition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $100,000

Chris Frawley | West Point Association of Graduates698 Mills Road, West Point, NY 10996Phone 845 .446 .1537 | Fax 845 .446 .1696WestPointForUsAll.org