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Ultimate Fitness Thread

Gatordev

Well-Known Member
pilot
Site Admin
Contributor
Any gouge on maxing out the plank?

In true O-4 form, makes some sort of poorly communicative statement causing juniors to create over-reactive responses and answers. Seriously, just give it up. You're not going to make O-5....at least until next April. Then we can recall you and fix everything all over again.
 

Jim123

DD-214 in hand and I'm gonna party like it's 1998
pilot
In true O-4 form, makes some sort of poorly communicative statement causing juniors to create over-reactive responses and answers. Seriously, just give it up. You're not going to make O-5....at least until next April. Then we can recall you and fix everything all over again.
But now they'll be better prepared for the fleet- I was actually doing them a favor by getting them spun up and sending them on a virtual wild goose chase.

#leadership
 

Toadbob

Member
Thank you for posting! If anyone knows how expensive or difficult it would be to find a good personal trainer for 10 weeks or a set, standardized regiment like this one, they know how valuable this is.
 

blueriver

New Member
Alright figured I'd share some of my secrets of getting PFT/PRT fit. Previously I was working with the Marines Corps for about 5 years, so during that time I climbed to perfect 300 and repeated consecutively.

Running: 1.5 miles is considerably easy to max out, a very short distance. But here's how I would get there in all my experience training (20+ year soccer player as well). Start off doing a few days a week of just a mile or 2 miles if your body can handle it. Don't go in thinking you'll blow it away right away. Once you work up to being comfortable with the runs, start a 4-day running program. Give one day as your "recovery/distance" run (3 miles), gives you the chance to run at a leisurely pace, improve your endurance, and look at 1.5 like it's nothing. Next I would do a "splits" day, running 2 or maybe even 3 once you build up to it, of .75-1 mile trials, you will want to push very hard for these. 3rd Day is the "test day" where you should run a little over 1 mile (1.25) at 100%, I don't suggest 1.5 because that last bit missing adrenaline and hype will carry you through but it still gives you a good measure of your progress/pace. Lastly are INTERVALS! These help with pace tremendously, split it into 2 .5 mile sprint, 3 .25 mile sprints, and then 4 .13mile sprints. Rests are walking pace of 1/2 of what you sprinted.

Push Ups: I've used an awesome Pull Up program for the PFT when I was doing marines so I'm not as experienced or knowledge in this area. I'd recommend mirroring the Armstrong Pull Up Program, you do 3 max sets of push ups when you wake up, and rest at least 3 hours until you do the actual workout program. Go to work, do your day whatever, then do the actual program. Maybe you could even get away with doing 5 max sets at night if you don't feel like following a program, if you see progress then keep it up! Eventually you might "plateau" and I suggest adding weight on your back (vest/backpack filled with books will do). You will see your reps drop obviously, but when you take it off you WILL see gains.

Sit Ups (for now): I highly recommend following the Killer Crunch (Sit Ups in our case) plan. Abs should be most people's strongest point, so I usually give this training cycle the shortest amount of preparation before I know I will be taking a test.

Overall, consistency is key! Just take the 30 minutes everyday to knockout the body exercises, and the running program should also be quick as we are training for 1.5 miles, intervals being an exception. You WILL have shitty days, days you underperform and think wtf. Do not get flustered, I look at it as "if I didn't do this workout, I'd be even worse off so a minimal performance still goes into the bank of improvement as opposed to nothing." For all you gym buffs, who doesn't love to get big and lift heavy? Unfortunately that's not our game anymore, nothing wrong with keeping a heavy set in the mix, but you really should be looking at rep ranges at least 12+. Of course you will want to decrease set amounts as you're doing a much larger amount of reps. Also. REST is important! Listen to your body, if you are feeling tired or groggy carb load and make sure to get a solid 7. Every 8 weeks or so you should be taking the entire week off if you're following all my recommendations, overtraining is worse than not training. Can lead to injuries, sickness, loses in gains, etc.

I am not a fitness god nor do I know what exactly works for your body as everyone is different and variations of my program customized to your needs and bodily reactions is ok. But just my two cents, wanted to share as it got me from not even qualifying for minimal PFT standards to b2b2b2b 300 PFT scores.

If anyone would like to talk about programs further feel free to DM me!
Thanks, this is just what I was looking for. Just applied for commission and don't really do any body weight. Needed an idea for a plan, and this has helped give me something to work with.
 

FormerRecruitingGuru

Making Recruiting Great Again
Thanks, this is just what I was looking for. Just applied for commission and don't really do any body weight. Needed an idea for a plan, and this has helped give me something to work with.

I would make sure you double check the “last seen” feature to see when was the last time said poster was online here.
 
  • Haha
Reactions: DBM

Kismet

New Member
Hi kind of a weird question, have broken my collarbone in march of this year. Now I have about 7 weeks to strengthen the shoulder to be able to do the pushups day to day in ocs and first friday and am kind of worried, as the shoulder isnt 100%. What are the best exercises to get it as best shape as possible? I did the 33 in 2 minutes for my age bracket np, but more worred about the DIs making me do them on the spot and how much they typically ask for (assume 20?). thank you
 

whereiswaldo

IDK where I am
Hi kind of a weird question, have broken my collarbone in march of this year. Now I have about 7 weeks to strengthen the shoulder to be able to do the pushups day to day in ocs and first friday and am kind of worried, as the shoulder isnt 100%. What are the best exercises to get it as best shape as possible? I did the 33 in 2 minutes for my age bracket np, but more worred about the DIs making me do them on the spot and how much they typically ask for (assume 20?). thank you
I would recommend maybe going to a physical therapist. I partially tore my rotator cuff and thank goodness I didn’t need surgery but it was significantly weaker than it used to be. I could barely lift my arm above my head. With only about a month of consistent PT I was back to functioning normally and a month after that it was back to 100% strength.

But I’m no medical expert and with your injury being bone related I’m not sure if PT is the best course of action. And if I were in your shoes, I wouldn’t want to go to OCS unless I was 100% healthy. Just my 2 cents.
 

sevenhelmet

Quaint ideas from yesteryear
pilot
Hi kind of a weird question, have broken my collarbone in march of this year. Now I have about 7 weeks to strengthen the shoulder to be able to do the pushups day to day in ocs and first friday and am kind of worried, as the shoulder isnt 100%. What are the best exercises to get it as best shape as possible? I did the 33 in 2 minutes for my age bracket np, but more worred about the DIs making me do them on the spot and how much they typically ask for (assume 20?). thank you

I'd talk to a physical therapist or a trainer and repeat this question to them.

I am neither of those, I don't even play one on TV, but I would think 7 weeks would be plenty of time for significant improvement. If you're already able to pass the PRT standard for your age bracket, you should be in good shape. Just don't overtrain and make things worse (see my first sentence, above.)

Good luck!
:)
 

Hair Warrior

Well-Known Member
Contributor
It probably matters whether you already have been to MEPS or not, and whether you already have an OCS date or not. Talk to your recruiter. The recruiter/ the Navy will find out eventually anyway.
 

hopeful96

New Member
Hi everyone,

I'm working on getting in shape for OCS, and I've been looking through this thread and online for advice. I'm posting my current stats, so if anyone has any advice on how to improve more quickly I'd be grateful. Fitness is the only thing stopping me from proceeding, and I want to get going asap.

If this is the wrong place to post this, please let me know.

5' 6, age 28, female
Weight: 198 lbs (max for height: 163, aiming for 150)
1.5 mi run: 28:56 (satisfactory medium: 15:45)
Plank: 1:20
Push-ups: 0 (satisfactory medium: 15)

I run on a treadmill at a 1% incline. I would run on a track, but the ones near me are usually occupied when I get there, while the treadmill is free and I can walk there. I had some issues with shin splints (which I now know are a Problem™ and not just a part of running), so I'm adding in other lower-impact forms of cardio such as stationary bikes and swimming so I can recover between runs.

For pushups, I'm working on doing inclined pushups on countertops and chairs. I can do the kitchen counter pushups, but on the chairs, my arms give out about halfway down. I'm doing dumbbell bench presses to try in increase strength. For right now, I'm benching 40 lbs, but I hope to increase that next week. At least my wrists don't hurt anymore.

For diet, I'm trying to lower my carb intake, increase protein, and cut out sweets. I already don't drink sodas or juices, so those aren't a problem.
 

Fallonflyr

Well-Known Member
pilot
Hi everyone,

I'm working on getting in shape for OCS, and I've been looking through this thread and online for advice. I'm posting my current stats, so if anyone has any advice on how to improve more quickly I'd be grateful. Fitness is the only thing stopping me from proceeding, and I want to get going asap.

If this is the wrong place to post this, please let me know.

5' 6, age 28, female
Weight: 198 lbs (max for height: 163, aiming for 150)
1.5 mi run: 28:56 (satisfactory medium: 15:45)
Plank: 1:20
Push-ups: 0 (satisfactory medium: 15)

I run on a treadmill at a 1% incline. I would run on a track, but the ones near me are usually occupied when I get there, while the treadmill is free and I can walk there. I had some issues with shin splints (which I now know are a Problem™ and not just a part of running), so I'm adding in other lower-impact forms of cardio such as stationary bikes and swimming so I can recover between runs.

For pushups, I'm working on doing inclined pushups on countertops and chairs. I can do the kitchen counter pushups, but on the chairs, my arms give out about halfway down. I'm doing dumbbell bench presses to try in increase strength. For right now, I'm benching 40 lbs, but I hope to increase that next week. At least my wrists don't hurt anymore.

For diet, I'm trying to lower my carb intake, increase protein, and cut out sweets. I already don't drink sodas or juices, so those aren't a problem.
You should probably seek counseling from a fitness professional to help you prepare.
 

taxi1

Well-Known Member
pilot
Hi everyone,

I'm working on getting in shape for OCS, and I've been looking through this thread and online for advice. I'm posting my current stats, so if anyone has any advice on how to improve more quickly I'd be grateful. Fitness is the only thing stopping me from proceeding, and I want to get going asap.

If this is the wrong place to post this, please let me know.

5' 6, age 28, female
Weight: 198 lbs (max for height: 163, aiming for 150)
1.5 mi run: 28:56 (satisfactory medium: 15:45)
Plank: 1:20
Push-ups: 0 (satisfactory medium: 15)

I run on a treadmill at a 1% incline. I would run on a track, but the ones near me are usually occupied when I get there, while the treadmill is free and I can walk there. I had some issues with shin splints (which I now know are a Problem™ and not just a part of running), so I'm adding in other lower-impact forms of cardio such as stationary bikes and swimming so I can recover between runs.

For pushups, I'm working on doing inclined pushups on countertops and chairs. I can do the kitchen counter pushups, but on the chairs, my arms give out about halfway down. I'm doing dumbbell bench presses to try in increase strength. For right now, I'm benching 40 lbs, but I hope to increase that next week. At least my wrists don't hurt anymore.

For diet, I'm trying to lower my carb intake, increase protein, and cut out sweets. I already don't drink sodas or juices, so those aren't a problem.
You have a *lot* of progress to make. I concur with the idea of seeking out professional from a professional fitness instructor.

Here’s another idea, go hike the Appalachian Trail. Or go on a long backpacking trip in the Rockies, etc. Moving daily under load, carrying your caloric intake in the backpack, will blowtorch the excess weight off and get you fit all over. At a minimum, it will get you on a trajectory that you can sustain once started.

Just a thought.
 
Hey everyone, I’m a 27-year-old male, 5'7" and 145 lbs, preparing for my pre-OCS PRT next week. I want to give the best performance as much as I can do, but my biggest challenge is maintaining a steady pace on the 1.5-mile run.

Last week, I attempted the run and finished in 13:11. I started off too fast at a 7:30 minute per mile pace, but around the half-mile mark, I started feeling out of breath. My pace gradually dropped to 8:00 per mile, and by the end, I had slowed further to 9:00 per mile. I think my main issue is pacing, I go out too fast and burn out too early, which affects my ability to finish strong.

My goal now is to lock in an 8:00 minute per mile pace for the entire run, but I need to do it without relying on a smartwatch. I’d love to hear from anyone who has trained for the PRT or OCS. What strategies helped you maintain a consistent pace without using a watch? Any advice would be greatly appreciated!
 
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