Is this serious or another one of those parachute papers? Having served in active duty with a hard requirement to pass a physical fitness test twice each year,

Is this serious or another one of those parachute papers? Having served in active duty with a hard requirement to pass a physical fitness test twice each year, and being a former smoker who was motivated to quit as my 1.5-mile run slipped every year despite each time feeling like I had exerted myself more than the prior instance, I'm inclined to respectfully call bullshit. EDIT: Err, should have read the abstract first...parachute paper.