I'm joining the army, is this an appropriate fitness regime?

Question

I trying to build up steadily, and I've still got a long time until I have to take the tests to pass as an officer. Can you tell me if what I'm currently doing is a good idea, or if I need to change anything?

Ok, on a Monday I run 2.5 miles at 6mph, it takes 25 minutes. That's on a treadmill. I do 70 situps and about 17 pressups, and I (try) to do a few pullups. I do these every day.

On Tuesday I run 0.5 miles at 8mph, it takes about 4 minutes.

Wednesday same as Monday.

Thursday is 1.5 miles at 6.5mph, it takes 13.5 minutes.

Friday same as Monday and Wednesday.

Saturday I run outside, basically until I collapse in a heap in the middle of the road...

Sunday is a day of rest, right?

I appreciate any tips, recommendations, etc, especially if you've had previous experience of something similar. Thanks a lot, and sorry about the length of this!

Answer 1

i suggest some dumbbells to streanthen the arms and pressups (20) situps (20) side to side swisting (20)

Answer 2

Looks good - just aim to increase the distance and reps each week. You want to be doing at least a 3 mile run every other day, along with several sets of press-ups, pull-ups and sit-ups before selection.

Answer 3

Any one can get fit, you don't need to join the army.

Answer 4

Since you're joining the Army, you might want to throw in a steady diet of monsters and eat donuts all day.

Answer 5

had a similar problem back in the day. Here are some tips to help you out.

1) Eat healthy. Don't starve yourself or you will end up binge eating. If you want to lose weight, aim for about 1lb a week (requires that you cut 3,000 calories from your diet during the week). Anything more then 2lb a week and you will probably gain it back. Make sure you get all the necessary vitamins and minerals (take a multi vitamin if you have to). Avoid fad diets and supplements. Follow the food pyramid guide to caloric intake (it works better than anything on the long term). Drink a lot of water too.

2) Stretch after a 10 minute warm-up before every workout. This will reduce your chance of injury, increase range of motion (i.e. your stride), and may help reduce soreness after exercising.

3) Exercise.

-Running: you need to run 2 miles for your PT test so I suggest doing long runs one day then sprints another day. Start out with a mile as your long run day. Gradually increase the distance until you can hit 4-5 miles continuously. For sprints, do sprint/walk or sprint/jog; so every 30 seconds you switch. As you become a better runner, increase the time to 1 min running and 1 min jog/walk. Do this for 15-30 min.

-Body weight exercises. Doing push-ups, sit-ups, crunches, pull-ups, squats, etc. will help in your overall fitness. Do these in sets and gradually increase the amount of repetition as you become stronger. Do each exercise till muscle failure. You can also cheat on some exercises if you can't do them normally. For example, you can do push-ups on your knees and use a pull-up assist machine (or someone to hold your legs).

-Weight training will also improve your overall fitness. Work on all your muscle groups and give yourself enough rest between workouts of the same muscle groups. For example, if you do upper body one day, don't do it again for another 1-2 days.

-Cross training with a bike and swimming can also help a lot. I found swimming and using a stationary bike to be useful when my knees were injured.

Some other tips that may help:

-Avoid eating out when you can. If you do, choose healthy options.

-Remember, 3,000 calories is 1 lb. This means that if your body burns 2,000 calories in a day but you ate 3,000 calories, you have roughly gained 1/3 of a pound. Try to burn ~428 calories a day to lose about 1lb a week.

-Treat yourself once a week or so. This way you don't miss some of your favorite unhealthy foods too much and end up eating 2 quarts of ice cream at once.

-Get some good running shoes ($60-100) that fit well. Along with good socks, these will help prevent injury (foot, ankles, knees) and blisters.

-Remember to avoid fad diets and supplements (including protein shakes). The average American diet has more than enough protein and the body is only able to absorb so much before it becomes urine. Unless you eat almost no meat/dairy, I would not recommend any protein shakes.

-Exercising with a friend will help keep you motivated and prevent you from slacking. They can also help you with some exercises and stretching.

Stay motivated and remember why you are exercising. Don't get depressed if you don't improve fast. Some things take time and the more you do now the less you have to do later (and less pain). Good luck.

Answer 6

Check out this link for the official British Army fitness programme for potential recruits:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2...

Answer 7

It sounds like an okay workout regime so far. Keep trying to get faster and stronger. Never settle.

I try to run 3-6 times a week with most runs between 2-5 miles. I try to do a long run once a week, over 5 miles. I vary my pace between 6:00-9:00 per mile. I swim once or twice a week for 20-40 minutes. I bike once a week also for about one hour. I lift weights every other day. And I do 102 push-ups (3 sets of 34) and 120 sit-ups (2 sets of 60) with little rest in between sets everyday before I shower.

I usually score a 330-345 on my APFT. Not bragging by any means, many of my peers are in the same range. Being an Officer, you should have the highest APFT score in your unit. 280 APFT minimum as an Officer in my personal opinion.