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An effective PRT program?

vincentjus

vincentjus

New Member
Has anyone else followed the program from www.navy-prt.com? I was wondering if anyone has any suggestions or advice.
I'm following the sit up schedule since I can do far more push ups than I can sit ups. I've noticed improvement in the number of sit ups I can do, but still have a ways to go. I've even traded free weights for push ups (contrary to the teachings of my own experience) Free weights have always helped me do prt push ups with almost no effort.

Also, how can I improve my flexibility for the sit and reach? I can reach, but just barely.
 
schwarti

schwarti

Active Member
Contributor
Flexibility is both easy and hard to improve - easy because it doesn't require much time, effort or money, but hard because you have to plan ahead.

I'm -very- stiff and always have been, so this is a concern for me too. What I've been doing is this - just bend as if you were going to touch your toes while standing up. Don't hurt yourself, but bend enough to feel a good stretch. Relax into it and do it throughout the day, especially when you get up and before you go to sleep. There are other exercises out there, but just doing that I've really improved my flexibility. It takes a few months, but it seems to be working.
 
Achilles

Achilles

That dog won't hunt, Monsignor!
pilot
vincentjus said:
Has anyone else followed the program from www.navy-prt.com? I was wondering if anyone has any suggestions or advice.
I'm following the sit up schedule since I can do far more push ups than I can sit ups. I've noticed improvement in the number of sit ups I can do, but still have a ways to go. I've even traded free weights for push ups (contrary to the teachings of my own experience) Free weights have always helped me do prt push ups with almost no effort.

Also, how can I improve my flexibility for the sit and reach? I can reach, but just barely.
Click to expand...

The key to improving flexibility is to make sure the muscle is already loose and warm. Flexibility is best improved after working out or running when the muscle is full of blood. It won't hurt to stretch from time to time throughout the day but to really improve flexibility work on devoting a lot of time to stretching after a workout. When you stretch hold it from 30-60 seconds and don't bounce during the stretch. The main muscle groups involved in the sit and reach are your back and your hamstrings so focus on those.
 
Optimum11

Optimum11

New Member
Flexibility plays a major role in daily activity. Not enough people take the time to stretch during the day and eventually will catch up with them (i.e. lower back problems, pulled muscles, torn muscles etc.) It is very important to make sure you are working on your flexibility as well as your strength and cardiovascular training.
There are different areas of focus when dealing with flexibility. The main categories are Static, Corrective, Dynamic and Ballistic.
You should focus on static stretching if increasing your flexibility is your main priority. When dealing with flexibility issues with athletes I tell them to take deep breaths and relax, almost to a state of meditation holding for at least a minute. It may seem like a pain but I promise you it truly works and your flexibility will improve quickly. If you have any questions PM me and I will be more than happy to help you out.
 
HH-60H

HH-60H

Manager
pilot
Contributor
Optimum11 said:
Flexibility plays a major role in daily activity. Not enough people take the time to stretch during the day and eventually will catch up with them (i.e. lower back problems, pulled muscles, torn muscles etc.) It is very important to make sure you are working on your flexibility as well as your strength and cardiovascular training.
There are different areas of focus when dealing with flexibility. The main categories are Static, Corrective, Dynamic and Ballistic.
You should focus on static stretching if increasing your flexibility is your main priority. When dealing with flexibility issues with athletes I tell them to take deep breaths and relax, almost to a state of meditation holding for at least a minute. It may seem like a pain but I promise you it truly works and your flexibility will improve quickly. If you have any questions PM me and I will be more than happy to help you out.
Click to expand...
Do you have any good references for this stuff? I have always wanted to learn about the basics of stretching and flexibility and have never found a useful, easy to understand reference.
 
helo_wifey

helo_wifey

Well-Known Member
Stretching by Bob Anderson

I have this book and found it useful for suggesting different stretches. It's simple and to the point with I think a section on explaining static and dynamic with modifications on the static stretches to make them dynamic.
 
vincentjus

vincentjus

New Member
I generally stretch for a couple of minutes a few times throughout the day and especially before and after exercising and running.
 
Spekkio

Spekkio

He bowls overhand.
Also, how can I improve my flexibility for the sit and reach? I can reach, but just barely.
Click to expand...
What do you mean by barely? The sit and reach is pass/fail. If you can touch your toes and hold it for 2 seconds, you're good.
 
D

DSL1990

VMI Cadet 4/c, MIDN 4/c
vincentjus said:
Has anyone else followed the program from www.navy-prt.com? I was wondering if anyone has any suggestions or advice.
I'm following the sit up schedule since I can do far more push ups than I can sit ups. I've noticed improvement in the number of sit ups I can do, but still have a ways to go. I've even traded free weights for push ups (contrary to the teachings of my own experience) Free weights have always helped me do prt push ups with almost no effort.

Also, how can I improve my flexibility for the sit and reach? I can reach, but just barely.
Click to expand...

One of the NROTC Commanders I have been corresponding with sent me a PRT plan. But it is the same one as is on the NROTC site:
https://www.nrotc.navy.mil/doc/pre-conditioning.pdf

But this doesn't have any training for the swimming part of the PRT. Does anyone have a good training plan for the swimming 500 yards? Can you do any stroke on the test, or only breaststroke like the SEAL's?
 
Spekkio

Spekkio

He bowls overhand.
Optimum11 said:
Flexibility plays a major role in daily activity. Not enough people take the time to stretch during the day and eventually will catch up with them (i.e. lower back problems, pulled muscles, torn muscles etc.) It is very important to make sure you are working on your flexibility as well as your strength and cardiovascular training.
There are different areas of focus when dealing with flexibility. The main categories are Static, Corrective, Dynamic and Ballistic.
You should focus on static stretching if increasing your flexibility is your main priority. When dealing with flexibility issues with athletes I tell them to take deep breaths and relax, almost to a state of meditation holding for at least a minute. It may seem like a pain but I promise you it truly works and your flexibility will improve quickly. If you have any questions PM me and I will be more than happy to help you out.
Click to expand...
Actually, I have seen quite a few articles that question the usefulness of stretching and found that there is very little correlation between stretching and injury. I can't find them anymore because I do not have access to my college library, but feel free to do your own research.

One of the NROTC Commanders I have been corresponding with sent me a PRT plan. But it is the same one as is on the NROTC site:
https://www.nrotc.navy.mil/doc/pre-conditioning.pdf

But this doesn't have any training for the swimming part of the PRT. Does anyone have a good training plan for the swimming 500 yards? Can you do any stroke on the test, or only breaststroke like the SEAL's?
Click to expand...
Almost any exercise program you find will be effective so long as you push yourself to the limit and stay consistent. That is why there are so many of them. So my advice to you would be: jump in the pool and start swimming. Take a few lessons or watch some instructional videos so you can learn the proper form. There is a sign on the wall at my gym that says "work smart, not hard, and get results." What a load of bullshit that is.
 
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