Achieving maxes

[JEEPER1219]

Well, I really hate to bust anyone's bubble here, but...
The PRT regs state that the hands MUST be below the shoulder and cannot move from that position once the event has begun. Not saying that everyone follows that, but that is the correct way to do them. Also about the feet away from the butt comment with the situps. The feet MUST be no more than 1 foot from the buttocks. That is pretty much what you stated so that is legal but is also a requirement so no real new information. Quite amazing that here are a bunch of prospective Navy officers discussing ways on "beating" the PRT. Sad really sad. :icon_rage My advice is (and someone stated it) the best way to get better and an element of the PRT is to practice the PRT. There was a workout program on the BOOST welcoming package website that had some good workout regimens for getting your PRT higher.

 

[Jas1029]

Update

Thank you all for the advice, I used the advice in the first couple of replies that seemed the most credible (although every method here sounds like it would work in time), and this is what I did differently:

1. Ran fartlek training two times this week. It may very well help me past my plateau, although I havent tested my run but will on Tuesday. However, my heart rate feels more "normal" at higher rates on the elliptical, 150 bpm for 40 minutes is no longer as tiring.

2. I took the advice of doing pushups and situps as fast as possible, keeping a continuous movement until the end of two minutes. This has brought my PU count up 7. However, situps are still around 90. I am doing more weighted crunches now to improve that, as well as heavy upper body lifting once a week in addition to my usual calisthenics I do 3 times per week.

I'll continue to update shortly.

 

[Geese]

2. I took the advice of doing pushups and situps as fast as possible, keeping a continuous movement until the end of two minutes. This has brought my PU count up 7. However, situps are still around 90. I am doing more weighted crunches now to improve that, as well as heavy upper body lifting once a week in addition to my usual calisthenics I do 3 times per week.

With the weights, resistance, and movement that I am using, I find that I can do about "half" of my normal numbers when I am doing the crunches by grasping a 25-35lb weight on my chest. This means that if I want to work up to 100 situps in 2 minutes, what I want to do is work up to the point where I can do sets of 50 resisted situps, and go do something else (like pushups) and come back and do as many sets as it takes to get to muscle failure, or at least close to that point. When I can do 30 nonstop, I can easily crank out 60, when I can do 40 nonstop, I can easily crank out 80, when I can do 50, I can crank out 100. I'm sure this is fairly personal so the "ratio" may not work out for everyone, but you also have to think about way you train. If I am doing sets of 40-50 resisted crunches, that means that I can do 100 situps just about anywhere, any time. Because I have gotten my body used to performing at a higher level, maxing the situps on the PT is no longer a big deal.

Here's the kicker though, when you are improving yourself or increasing your ability, it is not going to be easy. You are going to get to about half of your goal, and you'll feel like you should stop. When you get to the last 5 or 10 reps of whatever you are trying to do, you'll feel like there is no way you can do them and that you should stop. I'm not saying to injure yourself, but to increase your ability/performance it is going to very uncomfortable and when you crank out those last few reps, you should have "just barely" made it, because if you are doing less than that you are not giving your body enough resistance and it is not improving itself. So you have to be constantly improving your goal. Do your resisted situps, maybe you can only do 30-40 at first. Set a number. Then decided that every week or every half a week that you'll increase that number by 2. You HAVE to be ever-increasing the number of reps to put enough strain on your body to make it increase it's performance.

Another way to do well on situps/crunches involves doing an "ultra-slow" crunch. This builds tone and has helped me, in the least it allows me to change things up a little and not just do the same thing. The "slow crunch" should be started from the up position, then go down untill right BEFORE you touch the ground, this should take about 5 seconds, no less. Then reverse direction and come back up to the "up" position, again about 5 seconds. This means you never go all the way down, there is a constant strain on your abs, and it does seem to help quite a bit. These are a little time consuming, but I think they are helpful.

 

[Chris Hill]

Well, I really hate to bust anyone's bubble here, but...
The PRT regs state that the hands MUST be below the shoulder and cannot move from that position once the event has begun. Not saying that everyone follows that, but that is the correct way to do them. Also about the feet away from the butt comment with the situps. The feet MUST be no more than 1 foot from the buttocks. That is pretty much what you stated so that is legal but is also a requirement so no real new information. Quite amazing that here are a bunch of prospective Navy officers discussing ways on "beating" the PRT. Sad really sad. :icon_rage My advice is (and someone stated it) the best way to get better and an element of the PRT is to practice the PRT. There was a workout program on the BOOST welcoming package website that had some good workout regimens for getting your PRT higher.

Where do you get these regs? I posted a link here already that disagrees with what you are saying. Since you didn't read it, here it is:

http://neds.daps.dla.mil/Directives/6110/seven.pdf

Please, if you have anything more recent, give us the link. Otherwise, check your info before posting, especially if that info is an OPNAVINST link.

Otherwise, no one here is saying to do anything against PRT regs! You admit this yourself so I don't even know why you're complaining. But think of it this way: You are going to be an officer. An officer needs to know how to get tasks done to the best of his/her abilities within the requirements and supplies given him/her. Knowing how to do better on the PRT (within standards, of course) shows you are a better officer! Pushing yourself more on the PRT, just for the sake of pushing yourself more, doesn't show good character - it shows stupidity.

 

[Geese]

BTW, I'm currently in a PT "crash course" myself, to get ready to take the test after 4 years of just mountain biking. I've increased my situps/crunches from, well, almost nothing, up to 90+ in about 1.5 months. The resistance is working out great, and now my goal is to do 50 in a fast "burst", then 20, 20 and finally 11 to arrive at the max for my age. Since I'm at 90+, that is a realistic goal. I've improved my pushups and run time considerably too. I'm above 5,000 feet though currently, so my run time isn't counted the same at sea level.

Anybody have any experience training at high altitude and then taking the PT test at lower altitude, in terms of the run and being able to push yourself faster? Theoretically it should happen, but you'll have more O2 and you'll be able to ask more of your legs, more than they might be used to.

 

[JEEPER1219]

Where do you get these regs? I posted a link here already that disagrees with what you are saying. Since you didn't read it, here it is:

http://neds.daps.dla.mil/Directives/6110/seven.pdf

Please, if you have anything more recent, give us the link. Otherwise, check your info before posting, especially if that info is an OPNAVINST link.

Otherwise, no one here is saying to do anything against PRT regs! You admit this yourself so I don't even know why you're complaining. But think of it this way: You are going to be an officer. An officer needs to know how to get tasks done to the best of his/her abilities within the requirements and supplies given him/her. Knowing how to do better on the PRT (within standards, of course) shows you are a better officer! Pushing yourself more on the PRT, just for the sake of pushing yourself more, doesn't show good character - it shows stupidity.

WOW!!
Did you even read the link that you posted?

c. Push-ups
(2)(a) Participant shall begin in "front-leaning rest" position, palms of hands placed on the floor directly beneath or slightly wider than shoulders. Both feet together on floor.
(b) Back, buttocks, and legs shall be straight from head to heels and must remain so throughout test. Toes and palms of hands shall remain in contact with floor. Feet shall not contact a wall or other vertical support surface.

(4) Event is ended if participant
(b) Raises one or both feet or hands off deck or ground.

Therefore if you move your hands at any point during the test you are done. That includes "sliding" your hands to different locations on the floor. I am "complaining" (this is how you put it) because I have seen this attitude for the last 5 years (CFL at 3 commands). Yes it does happen and that is the reason there are CFLs. My original rant was towards this: "During the PRT, I start with my hands in just a little from my shoulders (regs say 90 degrees - hands in more means you don't have to go as low). This burns out the tri's first, which is the weaker muscle. I move my hands out as I go, which switches more to the chest." I don't want to detract too much from the purpose of this thread, so my rant ends here------->.

 

[vegita1220]

WOW!!
Did you even read the link that you posted?

c. Push-ups
(2)(a) Participant shall begin in "front-leaning rest" position, palms of hands placed on the floor directly beneath or slightly wider than shoulders. Both feet together on floor.
(b) Back, buttocks, and legs shall be straight from head to heels and must remain so throughout test. Toes and palms of hands shall remain in contact with floor. Feet shall not contact a wall or other vertical support surface.

(4) Event is ended if participant
(b) Raises one or both feet or hands off deck or ground.

Therefore if you move your hands at any point during the test you are done. That includes "sliding" your hands to different locations on the floor. I am "complaining" (this is how you put it) because I have seen this attitude for the last 5 years (CFL at 3 commands). Yes it does happen and that is the reason there are CFLs. My original rant was towards this: "During the PRT, I start with my hands in just a little from my shoulders (regs say 90 degrees - hands in more means you don't have to go as low). This burns out the tri's first, which is the weaker muscle. I move my hands out as I go, which switches more to the chest." I don't want to detract too much from the purpose of this thread, so my rant ends here------->.

You can slide your hands without raising them off the ground?

What if your palms get slick from sweating?

What if you started out wrong and you're stressing a joint the wrong way?

If there's anything about pushups that pisses me off is that people get away with camelbacking and doing pushups that go maybe 30 degrees down. That's a much bigger issue.

 

[JEEPER1219]

You can slide your hands without raising them off the ground?

What if your palms get slick from sweating?

What if you started out wrong and you're stressing a joint the wrong way?

If there's anything about pushups that pisses me off is that people get away with camelbacking and doing pushups that go maybe 30 degrees down. That's a much bigger issue.

1. Exactly
2. SOL
3. SOL
4. Agree

 

[Geese]

.

Therefore if you move your hands at any point during the test you are done.

If you are "sliding" your hands they are remaining in contact with the ground. If you raise your hand, it is not. There's a difference. I have to ask, have you even been in the military before?

It doesn't say you can't move your hands, it doesn't say you can't slide your hands, it only says they must be in contact with the ground at all times.

 

[vegita1220]

Sorry, that should read: "You can slide your hands without raising them off the ground." No question mark.

You're saying SOL for somebody who after doing one pushup, realizes their wrist is canted a little off, slides their hands a little bit to adjust, then continues? When you consider the consequences for failing that way, isn't that a bit extreme? Or if it's a hot day, they tend to sweat a lot, and their hand kinda slips...might want to move to a less slick area.

Like I said, there're much worse offenses which are going by than sliding hands...maybe we should focus on the people who get by doing only about 20 REAL pushups before they completely halfass them.
The big guys will love that...make the skinny armed shrimps work a little to pass...big guys with upper body strength can't cheat on the run, so don't let the spaghetti armed speed demons cheat on pushups.

 

[JEEPER1219]

Can you move your hands without physically removing them from the floor? Yes

Is it taught in the CFL course that doing so contitutes an illegal movement? Yes

Will a CFL with any spine fail you for moving your hands to find a less slick area? No

Will said CFL fail you for working the system? Probably not...but should

There are many things in the Navy that we are supposed to do and do not. This one is among those things. Should we as supervisors hold our people to a higher level and expect that there are no "interpretations" of the policies? I think so. I agree with all the flaming...there is an "interpretation " that "allows" for the movement of your hands. Do what you may.

 

[Jas1029]

Why not just work harder to do the exercise with the one position and work numbers up from there, so in the end it won't matter how you do them? Just makes sense, and less worry.

 

[Geese]

I don't care what the CFL is taught, the navy regulation is clear. If they can read and understand the regulation, they shouldn't fail anyone for moving their hands whilst remaing in contact with the floor at all times. If you are terminated for sliding your hands, you have a legit case because the regulation is on your side.

Sliding hands along the ground is perfectly within the regulation. Raising your hand is not. Those are the bounds of the regulation. If you don't like it then you should try to get the regulation changed.

 

[zab1001]

we have a new

WORST.THREAD.EVER.

 

[A4sForever]

...moving their hands whilst remaing in contact with the floor at all times...

...move your hands without physically removing them from the floor....

... moving your hands to find a less slick area...

... Sliding hands along the ground is perfect ...

... if your palms get slick from sweating ...

... and you're stressing a joint the wrong way ... !!!!

Zab --- please don't shut down this thread ... I don't get out too much and, and, and ..... I'm just an old man and I'ts exciting reading (?) ... !!!

(HEY !!! these are all quotes ..... smiles, smiles, and excitement ... :icon_eek: