PHYSICAL ENDURANCE OF BORDER GUARDS AS A KEY CONDITION OF PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITY

Abstract

The article addresses the issue of developing physical endurance of border guards as a key factor in their professional activity under modern military challenges. It emphasizes that endurance integrates physiological, psycho-emotional, and professional-applied aspects of military training, ensuring the ability of servicemen to effectively perform their duties under difficult and prolonged conditions. The main types of endurance are identified—general, strength, and special endurance—and their significance in shaping border guards’ readiness for operational and service functions is underlined.

The study summarizes the results of scientific works by Ukrainian and foreign researchers, particularly scholars of the Bohdan Khmelnytskyi National Academy of the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine (Hnydiuk, Lipatova, Kovalchuk, Chudyk, and others), as well as modern approaches to the physical training of military personnel (Shepel, Avzalova, Refel). It is shown that the development of endurance is closely linked with the formation of psychological resilience, the ability to withstand neuropsychological and physical overloads, and the adaptability to changing conditions of combat and service activities.

Special attention is paid to practical means of developing endurance: cyclic aerobic exercises, strength complexes with a high number of repetitions, high-intensity interval training (HIIT), exercises in full combat gear, forced marches, hand-to-hand combat, swimming in equipment, shooting while moving, and other military-applied elements. It is proved that the integration of physical and psychological loads contributes to the simultaneous development of endurance, stress resistance, and self-confidence.

The article emphasizes that systematic physical training of border guards should be as close as possible to the real conditions of their operational and service activities and should combine modern training methods with the use of technical innovations—monitoring of physiological indicators, simulators, and virtual training systems. It is concluded that the formation of a high level of physical endurance is not only a guarantee of the professional reliability of border guards but also an important factor of national security.