Need to get in shape for the Navy

M

mmMatt

0
Hello there. I'll start off by describing myself and my goal. I'm 19 y/o and weigh roughly 191lbs. 6'2in tall and I haven't ran in over 3 years.

I signed up for a gym membership a few days ago and I've got 3 months until I ship out for the navy. The requirements are as follows:

1.5 mile run in 12.5 minutes
50 pushups in 2 minutes
65 situps in 2 minutes


I'm mainly worried about the run and pushups. I've run twice so far, the first night I ran a mile in about 10 minutes, then walked the last .5
The second time I ran the mile in 8 minutes and 45 seconds, then walked the last .5

I've been doing various arm/back workouts as well as swimming on my lifting days.

What would you folks recommend I do in order to get to my goal by January 10th?


Thanks in advance for the help,
Matt
 
Pushups and situps. Lifts that can help you are bench press, ab wheel (no idea what people call it there's been one in my house since i was a toodler). Narrow bench press, miltiary press, bentover rows etc Its the basic answer for most any strength goals, heavy compound movements.

I'd use a well rounded workout and make the situps and pushups a priority personally. The best way to get strong with an excercise is do it. Sounds simple but some people tend to forget that.
 
Matt,

I really wouldn't bother with a gym membership if it isn't too late to get your money back.Right now, I would focus pretty much on bodyweight training and running.

For the running, since you said you haven't run in awhile, I would do this; put in two miles of road three non-consecutive days per week.You are only being tested in the 1.5 mile, but by getting acclimated to a slightly greater distance, it should make the actual 1.5 seem easier.Start out easy.Alternate periods of running at a moderate pace with periods of walking.For example, run for 1 minute and then walk for 1 minute.The walking will act as a recovery period.Over the next month, gradually increase the intensity of your running period while still maintaining an easy walking pace.Once you have built up your speed, then focus on eliminating the recovery (walking) period, so you are running non-stop.Six weeks from now, you should test yourself and see how quickly you can run the 1.5.I would do this once every week until you ship.

For the bodyweight training, I would focus on basic exercises like squats, push-ups, sit-ups, mountain climbers, burpees, pull-ups and supermans.





(supermans are similar to this except the arms are held out straight as are the legs-works the low back muscles)

Don't do the same workout every time.Spice things up and work up to where you are really pushing yourself.Here are a few sample workouts:

Best Bang For Your Buck (if you are limited on time do just the following):
burpees 12 reps
-alternated with-
pull-ups 4 reps
-repeat for 10-20 minutes-

*No more than 30 seconds rest between exercises.This one works practically every muscle in your body.If you want to ace the run, key on your burpees.You can get into fantastic shape with this single exercise.

Long Circuit:
mountain climbers
squats
sit-ups
burpees
push-ups
supermans
pull-ups

*30 seconds per station with 30 seconds of rest between each station.Once you build up, start doing active recovery for 30 seconds between each station instead of just resting.Rope skipping is a good option.

Short Circuit:
squats 15 reps
push-ups 10 reps
pull-ups 5 reps

*No rest between exercises.1 minute rest between circuits.Repeat for 20-30 minutes.

"Murph" (from )
Hard run 1 mile
100 pull-ups
200 push-ups
300 squats
Hard run 1 mile


Good luck to you.



Matt
 
This is an easy one.
Before you wake up, go to bed, start a tv show and during any commercial break and before any meal- drop and do thirty seconds of push ups

When you can fill the full thirty seconds with push ups go to 60. Do not worry about how many you are doing. Just pump them out really quick and tell your self that it is only 30 seconds. They get harder towards the end. Those are the only push ups that really stem growth so don't skip out on them.

Go running every couple of days with some good music. This run is not a hard one. You can probably already do it.
Check your sit ups now before it is too late. I would recommend going to the thrift store and picking up any ab workout video (not to be confused with a weight loss vid).
If you don't want much in the way of results and just want to pass the test than after your run you can listen to 1 song and just do crunches from start to finish- wait a minute. And go again.

I could go into diet, motivation, strength training, cross training and endurance building or weight loss/gaining techniques but you probably just want to keep your job. You are not obscenely fat or underweight so this should be fairly easy
 
Thanks for the advice guys.

I actually joined the gym because it has a pool sauna :p

After I get into shape I plan on keeping it up. It's just getting there that is a pain in the ass. What do you guys think about this 4 day rotation until about 2 weeks before I ship out.

Day 1: Run 1.5-2 miles and work on abs
Day 2: Lift/work arms and swim
Day 3: HIIT and work on abs
Day 4: Lift/work arms and swim



For the last 2-3 weeks do the above as well as the burpees, squats, etc etc. That way I punish my body enough to make boot camp feel like a piece of cake ;)

Opinions?
 
Boot camp is primarally to train your mind. Your body gets worked out, but not if it supercedes your mental conditioning. I'm speaking of course on info I've gathered over the years and the fairly easy physical requirements. Try to keep this in mind and good luck.
 
If I was you I would get a pull up bar and do push ups, pull ups and situps several times each day and run every other day and worry about getting into real shape after bootcamp. Nothing is better for pushups than pushups. Beleive me I have tried everything to get good at push ups while staying off the dirty floor and the only compromise is to sweep the floor first.
Same with running and situps and pull ups. Starting a "real" program right now does not make a lot of sense because you will have to break it off anyways when you ship out. Now if you really want a good split I do not reccommend the one you outlined but you have got to set one goal.
What do you want out of THIS program that you are on right now. Why are you working yourself right now?
If it is for bootcamp than skip the weights. If is health and fitness- don't get your hopes up too far- its just till you ship out. If this is for after bootcamp than worry about then when you have a better idea of what your life looks like after bootcamp.
 
I'd second the advice given by Mr. Ninjaface.Forget the weights for now and hit the cals and running.You can pick weughts up again when you go to your specialty school after boot.
 
Don't stop working once you've reached your goals. You should try and get in the best shape possible before you go so you'll have an advantage over the other people who just trained up to doing 50 pushups or whatever.
 
Been there

I was in the Air Force for six years, just recently got out to go to school then will go back in. Regardless, I went to boot camp right after high school. At that time I was 71" and 130 pounds, dont know how I was ever that light. I did no preparation beforehand. Doing physical training everday there was what got me, instead of being lazy and half assing it, I tried my hardest. I started out running the 1.5 mile in 18:02. After five weeks I retested and improved to 13:??. I wouldnt get stressed about it, just concentrate on an all-around workout program and try to eat healthier. You should be fine and good luck!
 
tonymcclellan, I totally agree. There really is no need to do a ton of beforehand preparation for bootcamp if you aren't already in good physical condition. I mean, it helps to go out and run some everyday, just to get your body used to it. But there's really no need to worry. You don't seem to be too overweight and just a little out of shape and all. Your weekly PT will take care of that. Point in case, I joined the Marine Corps when I was 19, hadn't done much as far as physical workouts go since I got out of HS and was in pretty crappy shape. But I did a lot of PT during bootcamp and really worked at it instead of just sluggish complaining like a lot of guys did and I ended up passing with flying colors for the final PFT. So yeah, no need to be real worried, just jog each day to get your body used to the cardio, as for pushups and situps, you'll get used to those REAL quick. ;)
 
mmMatt-
Seeing that you are speaking of the Navy..have you ever heard of or read any of Stew Smith's fitness articles? He is a former Navy SEAL and an author of fitness books. He also trains SEALs and others upon request. I'm not saying you should book time with him (but if you had the money...) but it may be worth your time to read his fitness articles, and see if there is any help there for you. You can find his archived fitness articles at:
and his stand-alone websiste at stewsmith.com. Check out the archives first..Very valuable info there.
Hope it helps....
 
hmm Ill give you an advice how to kinda cheat in push up and situp.
In push up do the wide arm if you notice if you do wide arm push you only lowering body a little bit but if you do the normal your doing full range of motion less movement less energay burning.When i join the army i can only do 10 push up but now i can do 70+.
In doing situp when you go down just let your body fall,dont use any muscle when you go down.

try to do atleast fifty push up and situp in the morning and at night.If you cant do straight fifty try to do 2 sets,25 and 25.

In running remember this pace your self.Try to run slow at the beginning,if you run fast your gonna burn easily.Try to run atleast 2 miles every other day. try to run slow first then increase.Remember also proper breathing is the technique in running.
 
Well it seems like you and I are in a similar boat. I too am shipping out, but for the Coast Guard. Its a total coincidence that my leave date is January 10th also, its the first shipout of the new year. I recently joined a gym and started training, doing mostly cardio to build my endurance and stamina. Ive done so much research on coast guard basic training ive come to the conclusion its a lot more mentally intensive than physical, although there will be a good amount of physical training. Im not too sure about the navy, but 3 months of preperation should definitly be sufficient enough for you to be ready for what theyll throw at you, just stick to it. Just curious but what are your reasons for signing up, what made you decide on the navy?
 
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