Need help training for military.?

Question

I'm joining the Air Force and I am SOOO out of shape. I need help building lung capacity for running, building ab strength to do sit ups, and building arm strength for pushups. As it stands right now I can barely jog a quarter of a mile and I cannot do a single pushup.

Help? What exercises work best for each area?

Answer 1

i was going to go to the air force a few years back, but my husband wanted to go back in the army less than a month before i was to go to basic.  

i started out in the gym to get in shape.  the elliptical for ten minutes at first and worked my way up.  with each time i went to the gym (which was every day) i added a minute until i got to 40 minutes.  then i worked on miles.  at first 2.5 miles at 40 min.  then worked my way up to 4 miles in 40min.  took me a total of 2 months to get to that point.  i also push myself hard.  never give up.  the strength parts was all in weights at first.  i wasn't too good on the free weights until about a month of training with the machine weights.  once you build the muscles the push ups is easy.  the sit up  is something you have to work with your abs.  it all takes time and persistence.  if you go to the gym, you can ask for them to give you a tour on how to use the equipment right.  it's best not to hurt yourself.  i've seen some recruits not get in because of serious injuries due to training before basic.  if you opt not to do the tour, then ask around.  most people are nice enough to help.  the only thing is that they themselves might not know what they are doing.  just make sure that you rotate what you are doing to not wear yourself out.

after a while in the gym, start your workouts outside.  that is if you have time before basic starts.  if not, alternate the days.  one day in one day out.  there is a big difference between working inside a gym and outside.  remember that weather is no excuse in basic.  what weather is out there is what you run in.  

wish you the best.  when i say gym, you can also go to the local ymca.

Answer 2

Ok, so... quit smoking, drinking, and eating crappy food.  The trick is to build muscle, which will burn fat.  You sound pretty d**n out of shape.  I recommend focusing hard on your abs first.  Get yourself some ten minute targeting videos from netflix, down load them from pirates, or rent them from the video store.  You need to look into getting a protein supplement.  Whey protein is the best.  Twinlab is what I use, and I love it!  You know how you hurt like h**l the next day after a workout, so you have to wait a few days till you feel better, before you work out again?  Well if you take a protein supplement, it will allow your body to heal faster so you can workout again sooner.  Hot tubs are also great for this purpose.  You should intake about 1 gram of protein for every pound you weigh, every day!

Answer 3

You can make the pushups easier at first by doing them on your knees, or standing against a wall or the edge of a table, but you will eventually have to do them the real way, so work your way up ASAP.

I had a hard time getting into running shape when I was getting ready to go in.  I would just get so exhausted, but I imagined a pissed-off drill sergeant behind me, ready to kick my butt if I stopped.  Even a slow jog is better than walking.  Later on, when I was in better shape but needed motivation, I would hear the "Rocky" theme in my head.  Music can be very motivational.  Good luck, and push yourself!  You can do it!

Answer 4

There is no magic exercise.

You should train using the very exercises you want to get better at.

Run...start slow and build up. A good method on a track is to run the straight sections and walk on the curves.

Do sit-ups. Daily 3-4 times. As many as you can.

Do push-ups. Daily 3-4 times. If you can't do any, they just put your body into the starting position for push-ups and hold as long as you can.

Best of luck to you in your Air Force career and thank you for volunteering to serve our great nation.

Answer 5

Start doing those same exercises now...and DON'T wait until a month before you start basic. You'll need a good 6 months if you are really out of shape.

Join a health club or YMCA if you can. Hit the treadmill twice a day if you can. Us ethe Cybex or Nautilus machines if they have them. Bench press, sit-ups and running as much as you can tolerate.

If you can't make the minimum in basic they will recycle you back to DAY 1 GURL.....and you DO NOT wanna know about that. The heat and sand of San Antonio is a B*TCH...so do everything you can to make it the first time around. Try to delay you basic training until the "winter months" November thru Febuary if you can. Training is easier if you don't have to deal with the heat and humidity.

I was at Lackland in 1977-78 at it sucked. I was there in September and the heat was still unbearable. I also got re-cycled back 4 additional weeks because I kept failing the run....which I think was 1 1/2 miles. We didn't have to do sit-up or push-ups to pass the PT test.

In 1985 I also joined the US Army and went through basic a second time. I got re-cycled 3 times due to back injuries but REFUSED to quit and go home. I think I was in basic training for about 6 months. We had to do a 2 mile run in under 16 minutes, 40 push-ups and 40 sit-ups in under two minutes.

Answer 6

Just do those exercises. Start out slow and work your way up.