Help a future Green Beret increase stamina!

F

finalhope

0
Hello all, my name's Kyle. For many years I have looked into the Army SFs as the career for me. Because of my dedication, I have lost around 25lbs of fat, and gained about 40lbs of muscle. However, there is a slight problem. The basic Army entry requirements for running is one 8 min. mile. That's just the beginning, soon we have rucksack marches, 5 mile timed runs, etc...

I have trouble getting just a 9:30 mile. Only once have I succeded at an 7:56 mile. Even after the first run, I still have to pass the Army Physical Fitness test of a 2 mile run in 15:54. This is also the step above failing...in order to complete my SFs contract I need to get a time of about less than 14:12, other wise I may not be selected, or have a high enough score.

Through my better general fitness I have seen an increase in stamina, a mile used to take about 16:00. I am going to start some HIIT, to see if that helps.


A little info: 16 years old, 155lbs (With goal weight of 145lbs, still have a stomach), 5' 9", but I don't have a BF% (No calipers), very good overall muscles. Any advice for this much needed boost of stamina? It is my last real hurdle for achieving my dream.
 
Your age is the ideal time to increase your stamina, especially your overall fitness level! I'm assuming you have 2 years or so until you will be enlisting. You might try signing up for sports which require a lot of running, like cross country, basketball, soccer, track, etc. Or you can just go out and run for distance yourself. That will increase your oxygen uptake level (increase the size and efficiency of your lungs, chest cavity and associated muscles). You probably want to work up to at least a 10-12 mile run once a week. Try a weekly schedule like 1,3,1,3,1,4 to start and gradually increase the distance to 2,4,2,4,2,12. Once you get to that level there are some other techniques you can try to incerase your 1 mile times.
 
well first of all wow! it sounds like you've come a long way! joining cross country (or any other running sport) like dswithers said is a GREAT way to cut your mile time down, guys from cross country at my school run REAL fast, and i know from expirience that cross country cuts down A LOT of time for a mile, my mile used to be 9 30 and after cross country my mile was 7 30. cross country offers a lot, you learn techniques on how to run, and it keeps you on track with running, coaches know great ways to increase your speed. so a sport would be a great way for you to achieve your goal. good luck!
 
Another person here saying cross-country/track is good, heck, i was the worst person on the team for the mile and i always ran about 6:30-7 min mile during track season. Don't forget to do strength training as well.
 
First of all, don't rely only on running for cardio. I'd run 3-4 days a week if I were you. The other days try biking, swimming, stairs, etc. Try throwing in some interval training. That's the fastest way to get your cardio level up QUICK. Run 1/4 mile as fast as you can, then walk until your pulse drops below 120, then run another, walk,etc. Go until you've dome 6-8 quarters as fast as you can, with some walking in between. Do that for twice a week for 6 weeks, and your mile time should be under 7:00 easy. The other runs in your program should be longer, slower, steady runs.
---Trainiac!
 
Thanks for all the advice! I live in South Dakota, so it's hard to run in the winter, but now it's spring. With the new warmth, I am going to try out your suggestions. And I am definitely going to start running more. Track and cross-country are already over at my school, however, I might check in with some outside orgs.

This spring and summer I plan to run to increase my times, and I am going to do some rucksack marches for probably 5-10 miles, and a LOT of hiking, camping, and other outdoor physical activities.

You guys really helped a lot, thanks!
 
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