Good workout routine help

[M_Kournikov]

I am joining the Army in a year and a half and would like to know of a good workout routine that will best prepare me for the Army. I would like to gain about 20 pounds of muscle mass probably more with the 3,000 calorie diet I am working on.

I already have a 15 mile hike with rucksack planned every Sunday and a 5 mile run planned every Tuesday and 3 mile run planned every morning. But I would like to build muscle mass in biceps, neck, back, shoulders, abs, pecs, forearms, thighs, and whatever else there is to work.

I also have a question about taking breaks. Should you take days off? Because in the Army you do not take days off in training and yet they are in great shape. So why should I take days off doing workouts as a civilian? Does taking days off from workouts actually help build muscle mass more than not taking days off from workouts?

 

[bblazer]

Whatever your routine turns out to be, it must be anchored by the big three lifts - deadlift, squat, and bench press (personally I would substitue standing overhead press for bench, but that's me).

We take breaks, or days off, to recover from our workouts. In BT, the pt is geared t a more all body aerobic, general fitness regimen. Remember that the DI's are tying to get a bunch of couch potatoes into Army shape. That is generally a lean, high aerobic capacity, and sustained activity preparedness. On the other side, strength training as a core requires you to rest your muscles to allow them to grow and recover.

If you want an easy routine that will get you going, google Wendler's 5/3/1.

B-

 

[stevesmi]

I also have a question about taking breaks. Should you take days off?
no. some type of activity should be done everyday. an hour of sex, walking the dogs, bicycling, anything like that counts as an activity. as far as hard workouts rest sore muscle groups. listen to your body.

Because in the Army you do not take days off in training and yet they are in great shape. So why should I take days off doing workouts as a civilian?
you don't need to. I work out 5-6X/week in the gym, and one day off i am doing some other type of activity, the key is not to overtrain specific muscle groups. like yesterday i worked out my chest and shoulders. i will wait 3-4 days to work them out again.

Does taking days off from workouts actually help build muscle mass more than not taking days off from workouts?
i'm a big believer in working out hard. i think the person who came up with the theory of light workouts a couple times a week was a person who did not have time to dedicate to the gym.

I would suggest boot camp at a gym or Y. it isn't gonna be as hard as the real thing but what you can do is run before, do pushups/pullups, then do the class. then after run more or go swimming. so go above and beyond what everyone else does to benefit for the class.