army basic preparation

[jvilma51]

wats up fellas,

i am going to be joining the infantry in the army reserves(actually the nj national guard) but regardless must go through army basic and infantry school... i am going to talk to a recruiter as soon as i get everything squared away with my college stuff...

okay now i wanna be able to start preparing and have pretty much just upped my cardio which is running no eliptacle and have thrown in alot more sit ups into my work out..

i was wondering if anyone has any experience with preparing for this because i wanna be in top shape when going in...

thanks for your time and help

 

[OneBreath]

I did the same thing. National guard and i went Combat Engineer (12 bravo instead of 11 bravo). This was back in 1995 but i'm sure not much has changed.

If you go in top shape you will be squared away. Immediately you will be better off than 80% of the others.

What you want to do is train for the PT (physical training) test. It is # of pushups in 2 minutes, # of situps in 2 minutes and a 2 mile run.

Set your goal at:

60 pushups (full pushups, go down to 90 degree angle at elbow and all the way up to lock out)
80 situps (fingers interlaced behind your head, all the way down to hitting the back of your hands on the ground to all the way up where your torso clears your knees)
2 mile run in 13:30

If you can do these 3 things you will have NO problems in basic or AIT. And you will have a great PT score that goes a long way in determining promotion.

good luck.

 

[beachhead06]

What "onebreath" said. Cardio is a BIG part of military training. Don't forget to train your mind. The Instructors are going to yell and just be a general all around misserable jerk to you and every other recruit but everyone gets it. Remember they just want to make sure you can handle stress.

"Sweat more in peace, bleed less in war."

 

[highlander555]

I'll +2 the above post. I was a big bodybuilder with a lot of strength when I went in, and while my size and strength didn't really hurt me, it didn't really help me either because, well, all you really have to be able to do is the PT test.

Keep in mind that most of the people who show up there aren't going to be in shape, especially for the pushups, so your drills are going to have you guys doing pushups like crazy. They'll claim it's because you did something wrong, but really they're just looking for excuses to have you practice pushups.

A respectable time in the 2 mile is pretty much anything under 14 minutes (for a new recruit). Be able to do at least 65 pushups and 75 situps (those aren't the exact standards, I just recall those as being safe numbers to shoot for for any male age group).

If I had to do it over again, I'd check out Crossfit and their style of workouts. They focus a lot on muscular endurance and strength, which is what you'll need. Go to Crossfit.com and read about their workouts. They have a TON of videos and lecture clips you can watch for free that demonstrate their workouts exercises. Crossfit is all the rage with the Special Forces guys right now.

Good luck bro, and thanks for volunteering.

 

[OneBreath]

this is bringing back old memories. Yeah, they do just make up excuses to have to practice pushups. Getting smoked if i recall. There was one in particular that where they say "Down" and you go down and start doing pushups and then they will say "Back" and you have to get back to do flutter kicks, and then they say "Up" and you get up and job in place. Then they start Up Down Up Down Back Down Back Down Up

LOL. You're a good man OP. Serve with pride. It will be a great experience.

 

[jvilma51]

yea this is all great info guys and i appreciate it....im gonna go check out crossfit....but to start i will probably just add more cardio and work in push ups between sets of my normal work out... i will lift a little less weight and push for more reps....


thanks again for all your help

 

[watevrpal]

I am still in the ARMY and have been for 19 years now. And yes pushups are a big part, however like other guys have said the majority of new recruits have never ran 1 mile in their lives. And for some reason if you can run then you are in shape in the ARMY's eyes. Dosent make sense but that is the way it is.

I am 38 weigh in at 210 lbs and 6ft2. I can do 75 pushups, 80 situps, and run 2 miles in 14:30 and I smoke just about everyone.

So with that said do an overall crossfit TNG program however concentrate on your run. They will run you like a DOG in basic TNG. 4-5 mile runs 3 or 4 times a week with 2 miles in between. With maybe one day off (SUN) GOOD LUCK

 

[snowyk12]

All the above info is on target but Im suprised no one mentioned a key factor...You will have to do two min of pushups and two minutes of situps before your two mile run. So train as you fight. Do a PT test once a week till you leave. So do your pushups then sit ups then your run. YOu get 10 min in between by Army regs.
Some tips:
= After p.u. and S.u.'s shake your arms. Stretch your legs. Jog for two to three min. Do this because all your blood will be in your upper body. You want to get blood flow into your legs asap before the run. This will improve your run time and save you from injuries like micro tears in your ligaments. I speak from experience.
= On your non P.T. days do half yor max pu and half your max sit ups. do it over and over again for tive times. IF you can.
= Run two miles, then a three miler, then a four then a five and back to a two.
= Give yourself at least a day rest each week.
= If you can go to an army surplus store get a ruck and put 30lbs in it. No more because your new. put it on and walk six miles fast. do this on dirt unless your in sneakers for the pavement.
= Eat alot of carbs. Breads , pastas. If your training hard enough you will need it.
= If your not sore after two days your not working hard enough.

Most of all when your ready to quit just rememeber...HEART.

"Somewhere a True Believer is training to kill you. He is training with minimal food or water, in austere conditions, training day and night. The only thing clean on him is his weapon and he made his web gear. He doesn't worry about what workout to do - his ruck weighs what it weighs, his runs end when the enemy stops chasing him. This True Believer is not concerned about 'how hard it is;' he knows either he wins or dies. He doesn't go home at 17:00, he is home. He knows only The Cause. Still want to quit?" ---NousDefionsDoc

 

[Black Boxster]

Never in the Army, but was an 0311 (rifleman) in the United States Marine Corp. Run my friend, run...I was a pretty big boy when I joined the Corp back in 1982...I lost 20lbs of muscle in Boot Camp...they want lean and mean fighting machines...Run with a pack and and some weight..start off running 2-3 miles...but start running. Push ups, bends and thrust...do a torrent search for p90X, download Tony's Plyometrics and core synergistics...do those with running and you'll be in good shape for the Military.

Good Luck and God bless you brother..it will change you...for the better for the rest of your life

 

[the small soldier]

RUN RUN RUN...Especially if you are lifter. last PT I did 91 push-ups 86 situps and ran in 15:25 i only passed the run by 30 or so seconds. Cardio is the hardest part, so if you start running now you'll be ok