Elementlmage said:
No, I am not joining the Navy, however, I am looking to take a job that requires passing the test:
http://www.navy-prt.com/malestandard/20-24.html
I can easily make Good for the push-up portion right now, and in a week should be able to pass the sit-up portion as well. My problem is going to be the 1 1/2 mile run. I need to beat the clock, and it's been forever since I've had any serious cardio.
I could probably do an 8 mile as of now, but I don't think I could hit the 12 min. mark for the 1.5 mile run. Has anyone got some tips to help me over the hurdle in the next week or so? I'm thinking just some hard work ought to do it, but anything that will make it easier will be much appreciated.
Hell, we may even get a nice fitness thread going here. God knows a bunch of us here could use it!
A gym helps, but all the advice I'll give doesn't require anything.
Here's what I did for the Army PFT
First, run at least twice the distance required of you everyday. For me, that's a four mile run. That run? It's the warm-up.
Afterwards, pick to either work abs, upper body, or lower body.
For upper body, google different push-ups. The three main push-ups you should be familiar with are the regular, diamond, and wide-arm. Diamond push-ups work your arms more, wide-arm works your back. Regulars work in a balance. Do five sets of push-ups. Two sets are two minutes, and three are one minute. Aim to burn yourself out. If you can't make the at least passing in your first minute, you're wrong. Fix that. Form is more important than anything else. Always do a push-up facing forward, breath out as you lower yourself, breath in as you raise yourself. Keep your body in one plane, and, when training, always go lower than you normally would. This way, when you get tired, you won't start stopping short of a correct push-ups. Over work outs you can do are dips, pull ups, and overhead arm claps.
Abs are similar to push-ups. Same sets. Try also crazy-eights, mountain climbers, supine bicycles, and planks. As for form, you have to just get the base of your spine perpendicular with the ground, and only the bottom on your should blade has to touch the ground. Let yourself fall instead of using your abs. You'll fall faster and use less energy.
Lower body is squats and lunges. Remember form. It's not a squat or a lunge if you're not parallel. Don't go too low, and don't stop too high. Don't cheat yourself out of it because you're tired. Form is everything.
Now for running. Like everything else, form is important. Run like you're trying to make no noise. If you slap the ground with your feet instead, you're going to tire yourself out. Keep your head up. If you're tired, lean your head back instead of down. Leaning your head down will close your windpipe. Breath in through your nose and into your belly, not your chest. Chest breathing is shallow and wrong. After your warm-up, think about running either sprints, circuits, or a long run. Whichever you hate the most, chose that. A long run is 45 minutes to an hour, at least. It doesn't matter how fast you go. Just that you run the entire time. Circuits is jogging 45 seconds and sprinting 15 seconds. Do not pussy out of your sprints. Sprints are suicides. Try not to sprint down hills. Try running with a five pound medicine ball if you have one. Gyms help in this regard, but a poor man's weight is some books in a backpack. Do not compensate your form. Keep it at all times. Always straight. If you have trouble running up hills, remember you have to hit them with more power and lengthen your stride. It's a good idea to make sure you run once a week in the afternoon when it's hot. That way you'll become acclimatised. Bring lots of water and a gatorade. Do not keep running if you're dizzy.
Swimming is like running. Swim laps using different techniques, and in between changing up your technique, do push-ups and sit-ups. It requires some creativity. I know some workouts, but it's not that important in the army.
Always stretch before working out. Stretch after you're done too. Drink lots of water. Drink water before you eat, while you eat, and after you eat. When you're bored, exercise or stretch until you're not bored.
Running sucks. I had the same problem. I still hate it. One sergeant who agrees with me just said to run as fast as you can so you can get it over with.
If you're wondering, I had to do the same thing as listed above and more to get in shape for the Army. It took me about a month, and I had a captain there with me the entire time. I worked out in a gym with a pool and a track one hour, four times a week, and ran everyday. That was to get the required 70 in all events required of ROTC cadets at my school. Although 70 is really nothing to be proud of when you see guys talk about a 100 in each event being an off-day because they were drunk the night before.
