Run Run Away

Question:

(Raphael Rodriguez) writes: I just joined the army and I’m leaving on the third of july. I need a fitness program made of cardiovascular and strength training.

Try some other method of leaving the army on 3rd July rather than runnning away from the base.  The army officers are probably already on a "fitness program made of cardiovascular and strength training" and they’ll catch up with you. Sorry if I misunderstood your American English             l -’                                    _ /

Response:

The Airborn Ranger school has it’s physical fittness requirements posted on it’s web sight.  Check it out.  It gives you a good feeling of whats to come.  Relax, Basic is as much about mental stress as physical.  I would start running at least two miles a day and work up.  If you can’t run, walk.  As for strenght training I’m sure your gym coach or local YMCA will be happy to help.  Swimming is good too.  Remeber, no matter how much they yell at you they probably won’t kill you if you try to do what your told.  Also work as a team with your unit.

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- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -(Wayne Matthews) I just joined the army and I’m leaving on the third of july. I need a fitness program made of cardiovascular and strength training. Please someone, help me out with a work out program Assuming you’re in the 17-21 age group, to receive a passing score you must complete the 2-mile run in 15:54 as well as 52 sit-ups and 42 push-ups in 2 minutes for each event. The Army used to have in place an excellent weight control program. As I recall, it went something like this:  "More PT, Drill Sergeant!"

Hey guy don’t worry basic trainees need only score a 50% on each event to go off to their new duty assignment.  It is when they get at their first duty assignment they have to get the 60%.   "You just have to come to an understanding with pain!"

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I just joined the army and I’m leaving on the third of july. I need a fitness program made of cardiovascular and strength training. Please someone, help me out with a work out program

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I just joined the army and I’m leaving on the third of july. I need a fitness program made of cardiovascular and strength training. Please someone, help me out with a work out program

I was never in the army, but my brother talked about his army days quite a bit. they have periodic tests for sit-ups (2 minutes), pushups (2 minutes) and the 2 mile run. he held the record for Fort hood, TX by running it it 7:42 (he could probably run a legit course in just under 9:00), so you can imagine the inaccuracy. the army likes to have "hikes" with full combat gear and backpack. longest one was about 9 miles. the master Sargents like to take it at a jog, because they’ll be wearing running shoes, shorts, and no pack. My brother weighed 160 when he enlisted. besides one overweight guy, he was the biggest in his group. hope this gives you an idea of what you’re up against.

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I just joined the army and I’m leaving on the third of july. I need a fitness program made of cardiovascular and strength training. Please someone, help me out with a work out program

Three basics: Pushups, situps and running. 1. Regulation pushups means no sagging, bowing or raising of the rear end. You should be a line. Your head should be looking ahead, not down. Your shoulders need to break the plane of your elbows (in order words, go all the way down until you almost (within an inch or so) hit the ground with your chest. I’ve seen guys that can do "100" pushups – barely make 20 Army reg pushups. 2. Situps. Bend your knees but be warned, you can’t touch your knees with your arms – (you hit your knees with your chest) you have to go all the way down and up again for 1 to count. Your body also has to break the vertical plane to count. 3. The run. Someone previously posted about a 7:30 something two mile run – that’s rediculous and a great beer story, but little else. You will run on a track, could be 1/8 mile, could be a 1 mile lap, depends on where you are. It isn’t a "course" but just laps on a track. When you run off the track – it will be in formation (with the cadence calls, etc) — that means everyone is running the same speed, no exceptions — you’ll also probably go with a group that is similar to your speed – it’s great if you are on the fast side, and it sucks if you are on the slow side. You’ll alsoget to play roadguard which means you get to run out in front of everyone and stop traffic, wait for them to go by, and then catch up, so work on your sprints. Oh yea, you get to do this at 5am, and you are already fatigued from the days before. I would follow: "Run every other day" 2 miles +. Do at least 100 pushups a day. Do at least 100 situps a day. As many chin ups as you can. Also, if you are in the mood, do mountian climbers (crawl on the ground in the same position), ski jumpers (put hands behind head, legs together and jump up left and right), and stay in the "up" push up position for 30 minutes at a time. Don’t worry. You’ll get to push up quite abit.

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The Army’s Master Fitness site, which includes the new PT standards,  is located at the below listed URL. http://www-benning.army.mil/fbhome/TRAINING/FITNESS/zfitness.htm John Bowen

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tahnks but I can barely do two miles and I weigh about 220lbs. do you know  a way I can slim down?

Relax. If you don’t *look* obese, you’ll just huff and puff like all the other privates and at the end of eight or so weeks, "whala" – you’ll be jetting around the track. On the other hand, if you look chubby – be prepared for perhaps a 500 cal diet, and maybe some "get down rodriguez" (AKA; "do pushups") from your Drill just because he/she *likes* you. You also have to do 13 "that’s 13" correct push ups to move out of reception (your first few days) and onto your combat training unit – so be forewarded – if you can’t do it with ease, that’s what I would work on first. Some big guys have stayed back in the "remedial PT" company because the arms wouldn’t make it happen. Slimming down usually isn’t a problem. Relax, don’t stress yourself out, there’s enough of that well on it’s way. Live large while you can! Go and do good things. Jim

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Your statements about the inaccuracy of APFT courses are based, it appears, on only a few examples.     Commanders may establish any run course they desire, as long as it is within the parameters stated in Field Manual 21-20.  Amount of incline/decline is stated, and obviously it is minimal.  Most APFT run routes are measured with a measuring wheel, usually accurate to a meter or so per mile.  If your brother’s run route was short, he was probably in a "pogue" unit. The only "short" routes I have seen are by Combat Service Support units (Supply, Transportation, Finance, etc).   If anything Light Infantry, Airborne and Ranger Battalion run routes are usually slightly uphill, staying within the constraints of the regulation.     Most installations have active running clubs, with many elite runners. Accurately measured routes are usually available at the post gyms.  Running is a requisite part of many jobs in the military.   Because of this the Army has become more sophisticated than most civilians would believe in regards to training techniques.     The Army’s run standards will change significantly on 1 October 1998. Men over 38 have just lost a minute off their 2 mile time for max scores, now having to do it in 13:38  I think.  Men under 23 now only have to do it in 13:00 minutes, rather than 11:54.  The new standards were based on scientific research and appear well thought out, in most respects. John A. Bowen Major, Infantry United States Army Master Fitness Trainer – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – 3. The run. Someone previously posted about a 7:30 something two mile run – that’s rediculous and a great beer story, but little else. You will run on a track, could be 1/8 mile, could be a 1 mile lap, depends on where you are. It isn’t a "course" but just laps on a track. at Fort Hood, Texas, you run three laps (not on a track) for the 2 mile run. very inaccurate. my brother did it in 7:42  – that’s a minute to 1:15 too fast. don’t believe the army measures anything as accurate as runners do. he also did a 10,000 in 30:14. At first I thought he was really getty fast for an 18-year-old. but the best he could do in real runs in and around Dallas was in the low 32’s. a couple of years later, I ran in a 10k race at West Point (I lived a few miles south of there). I covered the first HILLY mile in just under 5 minutes, and there were a lot of people ahead of me. okay, just a mile marker out of place – but I finished the hilly course in something like 37:12. PR by about 10 seconds at the time. don’t believe anything the army measures. it may be good enough for a drive, but it’s certainly not up to USATF standards.

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tahnks but I can barely do two miles and I weigh about 220lbs. do you know  a way I can slim down?

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3. The run. Someone previously posted about a 7:30 something two mile run – that’s rediculous and a great beer story, but little else. You will run on a track, could be 1/8 mile, could be a 1 mile lap, depends on where you are. It isn’t a "course" but just laps on a track.

at Fort Hood, Texas, you run three laps (not on a track) for the 2 mile run. very inaccurate. my brother did it in 7:42  – that’s a minute to 1:15 too fast. don’t believe the army measures anything as accurate as runners do. he also did a 10,000 in 30:14. At first I thought he was really getty fast for an 18-year-old. but the best he could do in real runs in and around Dallas was in the low 32’s. a couple of years later, I ran in a 10k race at West Point (I lived a few miles south of there). I covered the first HILLY mile in just under 5 minutes, and there were a lot of people ahead of me. okay, just a mile marker out of place – but I finished the hilly course in something like 37:12. PR by about 10 seconds at the time. don’t believe anything the army measures. it may be good enough for a drive, but it’s certainly not up to USATF standards.

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