# Shin Splints, Blisters, and PT [Merged]



## paracowboy

I've been getting a few pms and e-mails from you li'l civvies, FNG's and Cherries, asking advice about how to deal with Shin Splints, Blisters and how to improve your PT. (Hence the title. See how this flows?) So, in the interest of, well, me, really, I've stuck most of it here.
SHIN SPLINTS
I live with shin splints. Always will. No reason you should, though. (Unless you want to be the incredibly hard, good-looking, and macho he-man that I am.) Shin splints is the name given to pain experienced at the front of the lower leg. The most common cause is inflammation of the periostium of the tibia. (Yeah, I can pronounce it, screw you!) Your tibia is the front bone in your lower leg (Your 'shin bone.' Which is connected to...) The periostium is the muscular sheath that surrounds that bone. The injury comes from overuse of that muscle, and can be caused by running on hard surfaces, running up the toes or "ball" of your foot or by an activity where a lot of jumping is involved. If you "over pronate" then you are also more susceptible to this injury. Over pronation is a common problem that is caused by too great an angle of medial (middle of body) roll of one or both your feet. Your foot rolls inward putting undue stress on the knee and hip and can cause them to become misaligned. Good running shoes will correct most over pronation problems but you may need to have orthotic devices designed for your shoes. This is actually a lot more common than we've realized in the past, and is especially prevalent amongst athletes, so you non-infantry types that suffer from the sort of delusion that marathons are fun may want to listen up here.

Symptoms of shin splints usually include : 
	-Tenderness over the inside of the shin 
	-Lower leg pain. 
	-Occasionally, edema (swelling) will be present. 
	-Lumps/bumps/nodules over the bony prominence of the shin (the front of your lower leg). 
	-Pain when you move your toes or foot bending them in a downward position. 
	-A redness over the inside of the shin. 

What can I do about it? 
	-Rest them. 
	-Apply ice in early stages. RICE is the doctor approved method for recovery. RICE works (Rest, Ice, Compression and Elevation). Ice your shins for a couple minutes every night and elevate them above your heart while watching TV or sleeping. 
	-Get better fitting shoes or orthotic inserts. Age does matter, just not your age. When's the last time you bought a pair of running shoes? And I do mean running shoes. Not cross trainers, not basketball shoes, RUNNING shoes. If they're over 6 months old, you're probably due for a new pair. Oh, and despite what your girlfriend tells you, SIZE matters. When you buy the running shoes, make sure they're the right size. Don't measure size with a Brannock Device (the metal measuring device at shoe stores). You must go off of feel, not written size. Different manufacturers have different standards for size. Remember, your feet expand from the pounding when you run, so you need the size to accommodate for it. The rule of thumb is to keep trying on bigger and bigger sizes until the shoes feel like clown feet, then go back down a 1/2 size and you have the correct size. Trust me it works.   
	-Utilize other non weight-bearing exercises to strengthen the surrounding musculature. 
	-Apply heat after the initial acute stage, particularly prior to heavy exercise. 
	-Take an OTC (over the counter) NSAID (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug) like Motrin. 
	-Properly stretch prior to, and especially following, exercise. The best way to stretch your calf is to stand with your toes on a curb or wall, and your heel on the street and lean into it. Another way is to get into a push up position, then, keeping your knees lock straight, walk your hands closer to your feet until your heels almost touch the ground. Hold this for 10-30 seconds and slowly let it out. Repeat. 
Now, kneel with your feet together, toes pointed out, and sit on your heels. Hold this for 10-30 seconds and slowly let it out. Repeat. 
	- Change the surface you're running on. Concrete (side walks) is the hardest and worst for your legs, knees, etc. Asphalt (roads) is a close second. The best is a soft surface like grass or sand. Consider changing your route to a softer area. Or just run along the grass beside the road/sidewalk. Whenever possible, try to find grassy or dirt paths. Not only are they easier on your body, they're usually more visually stimulating.
	-Change your cardio routine. You can still do Cardio everyday (or every second day) as you like. Just minimize the impact cardio. Instead of running, get on an elliptical trainer. Take a bike ride once a week. Swim. Anything that lets you get the heart rate up without pounding on your shins until your body has a chance to stretch the calves out again and reduce the swelling in your shins. 

The usual full recovery time for this injury is two to four weeks. 

From personal experience - don't be a hard *** if ya don't need to be. I got shin splints on the inside of my calves back in Basic. I sucked it up until Basic was over, and I was in Battle School. At that point, I couldn't put any weight on my leg without it feeling like someone was taking a spiked rolling pin to my shin so I went to the UMS. Found out I had stress fractures in my legs and had been running on them for a few months. From what I understand the muscles in your lower leg can get broken down and become so weak that they transfer all the weight onto the bone. I ended up being re-coursed and stuck in Holding Platoon for months. Whenever possible, take a day or two off when ya first get shin splints. It's a lot better than having to take 8 weeks off because you got a broken tibia.

Blisters
You're going to get blisters eventually. There's no easy way out. The best way to prevent them is to keep on marching, in order to form thick callus on your soles and heels. Your feet need to be as tough a saddle leather to do the job. It takes quite a few miles of marching and quite a few blisters to get them that way. Over the long haul, trying to prevent yourself from EVER getting a blister is like arguing with a woman - it doesn't do you any good, and you end up worse off than before. 

Blisters come from two contributing factors. Dampness and friction. Minimize (or better, eliminate) friction and moisture and you minimize your chances of blisters. 
Moisture comes from external (rain, swamp, etc) and internal (sweat) sources. There are ways to minimize each of those. Unfortunately, sometimes the methods to counter-act the one source, work against you being able to counter-act the second. For example, Gore-Tex socks. Foot powder is your friend. You can never carry enough socks. You cannot change socks often enough. If you're out of foot powder, antiperspirant on the soles of your feet works. It's a tip I learned from an SF medic. I thought he was screwing me around, until I watched him do it. It works. Gold Bond medicated foot powder is still the best bet.
Friction comes from walking (not much you can do about that. Unless you're smart enough to find a job where you weapon caries you, instead of vice versa) and from your foot sliding around in your boot (you CAN do something about that). Wear two pairs of socks. I wear the issued desert sock inside a properly cushioned white sports sock on a particularly nasty-sounding ruck march. Works every time. They cushion, the allow moisture to wick away, and there is less movement as they are snug enough that they don't rub or ball up. Make sure you have boots that FIT. They have to be broken in and fitted to your foot properly. 

Training (road marching) toughens your feet to increase your resistance to blisters through calluses. There are tricks to help accelerate the toughening process as well. 

You have to be careful with mole skin. The adhesive on the mole skin is not enough to keep the patch on your feet. Mole skin is for AFTER the march. I know some guys who try to wear it before a march. They always pay. I've seen guys use moleskin improperly. It always came off during the march, ended up being a ball of crap in their boot, and actually made their feet worse than if they wouldn't have used it at all. 
Do NOT wear band aids! I don't know where this crazy crap came from, but don't do it. Band aids come right off and ball up in your boots, so not only will you have the pounding of the pavement to worry about, but also a balled-up band aid in between the foot and the boot. It won't be a pleasant experience. I promise you. 

Some peoples feet react to and take the abuse of the march differently than others. And I've seen experienced troops get blisters. A buddy of mine had his entire sole come right off his foot. Most repulsive thing I've ever seen. All of the callus just sloughed off and took the skin with it. It happens.

Bottom line: Cowboy up. Just powder your feet and put on fresh socks when they give you a break.


PT
I don't claim to be a master anything (maybe baiter), but I can offer a few tips on PT. 

Diet: Eat six smaller meals a day, not three big ones. Keep your meals 60% carbs, 20% protein, 20% fats. Don't eat after 20:00 hours. If you must nosh after 8:00 pm, eat popcorn. Drink lots of water. A lot of the time, your body thinks it's hungry, but it's not. It's thirsty. Whenever you think you're hungry, try drinking some water. You may very well find that you're no longer hungry after.

On water: the human body only absorbs .5 litre an hour. Guzzling down a quart isn't gonna do you any good. You're only gonna piss it out, and actually lose hydration. The best method is to keep some water handy and drink it throughout the day. Keep your caffeine intake down. 4 cups of coffee a day, max. Less, if you drink tea and pop as well. 

Supplements: Don't go throwing away a lot of cash on supplements. Get a good multi-vitamin; take some anti-oxidants if you like, such as beta-carotene and vitamin C; if you're a guy, take some zinc and magnesium. These two minerals will cause your body to produce more testosterone, up to 40% more. Don't go buying the pro-hormones Androstendiol, Androstendione, etc. These have been shown to actually increase your body's estrogen. To help your body recover faster, you can take creatine monohydrate. This will cause water molecules to bond to your muscle cells more efficiently. You will gain a fast 7-12 pounds in a week, but it's all water retention. However, it can work against you if you're trying to improve your cardio. The extra weight can be a pain in the knees. Also, if you decide to take creatine, drink more water than usual.

Okay, now the physical training part:
Find your resting heart-rate. Now double it for 20 minutes a day. That's all it takes to lose flab. Doubling your resting heart-rate for 20 minutes a day. Are you gonna tell me you don't have 20 minutes in your day? 

Don't get hung up on weight. It doesn't matter if you lose weight or gain weight, really. What matters is how much blubber you're packing. That's what's gonna kill ya. The fat on your frame, and the fat in your arteries. Do you really care if you weigh 300 pounds or 30 pounds, if you feel great, and look fab-u-lous?! Of course not. And, once you begin to work out, you're going to gain weight. Muscle tissue weighs more than fat tissue. So don't get your panties in a twist.

Studies show that a weight-training program, combined with a cardio program will cause you to lose the most fat and gain the most muscle, in the shortest time. Gaining muscle is the goal, because it raises the metabolism, even when you're resting. Your body will burn fat tissue to feed the muscle tissue, even while you're sitting on your gluteus maximus stuffing your yappeus maximus.

If you can't find enough time in your day to both work out with weights and do an aerobic workout, sacrifice the run. Studies have proven now that a proper weight resistance workout is almost as effective in improving the cardio-vascular system as a cardio workout. And weight training does more to gain muscular strength, muscle mass (thus raising your metabolism, thus burning fat more efficiently), tendon/ligament strength, bone strength, and flexibility/agility/coordination. Weight training is the better workout. If you plan it properly, you can get just as much aerobic value as anaerobic. (What was that? Some dumbass in the back just say “But I don't wanna get muscle-bound"?) You can't. If you're doing the movements properly, with a full range of motion, you are getting a stretch with every repetition. If you can't get a full range of motion, you're using too much weight. Drop the poundage and concentrate on proper form. Feel the stretch. Lou Ferigno, at 300 pounds, could do the full splits.)

Speaking of stretching, I know some of the old-school types out there have some weird and wonderful stretches that involve a lot of bouncing, or they like to stretch before working out or going for a run. Don't. _(Oops! I mean, don't stretch hard. Stretch, but don't strain.) _ Stretching before a workout is like stretching a cold retainer band. It's gonna tear and snap. Stretch after warming up. Do something active for a couple of minutes, then stretch. But definitely stretch after a workout. Don't bounce when you stretch. Period. Every stretch is a slow movement. Take it to the point of stretching, not to pain. Pain is bad when you stretch. Hold the stretch for 30 seconds. For those who simply can't take that much time, at least hold it for 10 seconds. Stretch for at least 10 minutes. It would be better to stretch for a half hour every day. Do it while watching TV.

Ah, the fairer sex, I just heard the delicate bell-like tone of a damsel saying something about not wanting to lift weights because she “doesn't want to look like a man." Sweetheart, you can't. Unless you're some kind of genetic freak, or are taking some serious doses of steroids, you simply cannot put on enough pounds to look like a man. It requires major testosterone to get that “she-male" look that champion female bodybuilders get. Their bodies can't produce that much, so they get it from needles and pills. You won't get that look. If you want to know what you'll most likely look like from a healthy weight training program, see pictures of Rachel McLish. >Drool.< If you want to “tone up" or “firm up" or whatever the heck the new terms are, you wanna lift weights.

Now, on to lifting. Use free weights as much as possible. Machines are great for finishing movements, and isolation exercises. But, to gain strength, you need free weights. And use big, compound movements. These are the ones that strengthen more than one body part. They involve the stabilizer muscles. That's why push-ups, sit-ups, pull-ups, and other body-weight resistance callisthenics are great for strength training. They involve so many muscle groups. The big compound movements are the likes of bench press, squats, dead lifts, bent-over rows, and cleans-and-jerks. And don't work the same muscle group for more than 40 minutes, or you enter into a catabolic state. That's where the body begins to feed off the muscle instead of the fat tissue. 

If you decide you wanna do it right, and combine weight resistance training with aerobic workouts, do your cardio (running, stair-master, etc) after your weight training. Do the resistance workout first. Otherwise, you'll be too spent to get a proper workout. Cardio is simple, put one foot in front of the other. Now repeat. But weight training can be hazardous if you're new (or stupid like me. “Sure! Throw some more plates on there! Nah, I don't need a spotter. OW!"). So it's best to do the cardio after. You don't need to keep running the same distances and trying to lessen the time. You need to incorporate speed training, hill training, and distance training to develop a sound running base. Try just doing wind sprints or Fartleks every few runs. I guarantee you'll see your endurance increase, and your running times decrease.   

That's about all I can think of right now. I hope these are some help to somebody out there.

oops! Forgot a supplement that's out there. Ephedrine. Okay, I have used the old ephedrine/caffeine/aspirin stack. I don't recommend it to anyone, because it is dangerous. I have a heart condition (mild murmur) but, through research, and trial and error, I know the best dosage for me to use. It is an effective fat-burner. It does generate a lot of energy before a work out. But I advise against it. That means all those over the counter products as well (Xenedrine, etc). Just don't mess with it folks. Especially you young 'uns out there. This crap kills kids.

I don't know why I'm bothering to do this. After all if you're so damned lazy, you can't do the research, then you won't do the PT either.

Oh, yeah, and for (Well you know who you are, so I won't embarass you further) Sex and PT. Those old myths from your football coach in high school are just that: myths. It doesn't 'drain' you. In fact, steady sexual activity increases your testosterone production. Which improves your fitness and recuperation. So, now you have another excuse to use when you try and get into Betty and Veronica's cheerleader skirts. Good luck with that.


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## The_Falcon

Also for those that don't know about it, *Exertional Compartment Syndrome* (google that if you what info, I am to tired right now to describe it) in the lower legs is another problem that people who do alot of running/walking/marching can suffer.  Many people confuse it with shin splints, mostly cause they don't know what ECS is.  It can be very serious, and in my case required surgery to fix it.


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## Strike

Plantar Fasciitis is another issue with feet.  Different treatments include physio, chiro (yes chiro), accupuncture (really hurts but worked for me), rest, and chortisone (last resort).  Can be prevented with orthotics.  I haven't had any problems since.


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## paracowboy

RUNNING
	I hate running. No, I mean I REALLY hate running. Hate it with the intensity of a billion burning stars. So I have to use simple tricks to keep my ass going. It's easy at work, I have to keep up with the company or platoon. On days we're not running in formation, I can run with a buddy who's a better runner than I am. It's harder on Leave, though. On Leave, I run early in the morning, or late in the evening when it's dark. I listen to the night sounds, and watch the stars, I run with a Discman, and anything else that distracts me from feeling like I'm about to expire. I forget about the pain, and lose track of time, and before I know it, I've run farther and longer than before. I run trails, or up roads that if you ran out a ways, you're out there. You have to get back somehow, so why not run back? After all, if you walk, it'll take hours.
	One way I keep it fun (well, okay, running is never fun) is by running in/through wooded areas. I enjoy the trees, the wildlife (early in the morning), sometimes you meet another runner or someone walking their dog, but mostly it's just you and Momma Nature. Plus, there's no cement trails in the woods, so it's easier on the body.
	However, if you know you're going somewhere it's gonna be hot, you can't run at night when it's cool. Practice running in the heat. It's called acclimatizing. You will get used to it if you practice. Running at night won't help. The heat will kick your ass. Run in the sun and the heat. Start slow, start small. Short runs. Wear sunscreen and a hat (not a sombrero, but something to keep the sun from frying your brain.) Don't forget to hydrate. Drink water constantly the entire day prior and ensure you eat normal meals at normal intervals. Bottom line is to keep water in your body so it can cool itself down during the run. Keeping in mind, of course that the body can only absorb so much. Don't go guzzling litres at a time. Don't hydrate 15 minutes prior to a run, either. That'll give you cramps or induce vomiting. Also make sure to do a good cool-down after running hard in the heat and make sure you keep your head above your heart until you regain a closer-to-normal heart rate.
	Run hills often. Push hard on the uphill part, slow down on the down slope. Don't look down when running uphill. Keep your head high. Imagine a rope tied to your chest, and the other end tied to a car. Your chest should be 'pulling' you up the hill. Keep your head up and you'll breathe easier. Look down, and you constrict your breathing. No breath, no energy. Pretty straightforward, no? Running down hill on a slight grade will teach your body to kick your feet forward farther and create muscle memory. This gets your body used to moving at that higher speed without smoking yourself. Helps develop proper form.
	When turning corners, make a wide arc. That means taking more steps, but at least you won't be making any of that braking action when you cut corners squarely. The braking action can kill your momentum, and sap your strength. Think of an airplane banking, and try to emulate it (I don't recommend sticking your arms out, and making the 'brrrmm' noises unless you're alone, or enjoy making people nervous like I do.)
	When running on Leave, or even in formation when the weak are falling out, strive to overtake the next guy in front of you. On that note, its better to overtake when the other guy's weakest. Like when going uphill where he's in no condition to maintain a lead. If you try to overtake downhill, you're in for a race leaving both of you tired. By beating him, you boost your own confidence. Also, it works to improve you cardio, because you are putting more effort than you would otherwise. Finish strong. Sprint the last half kilometre.
	Interval running is hands down the best way to improve your run time. Can't beat windsprints and Fartleks. If you are going to be doing sprints, it is essential that you either stretch beforehand, but after you have at least run a bit slowly to warm up. If you are going to be running distance, it is not necessary to stretch beforehand - but it is essential to stretch after your run. In fact studies have shown that for distance runners, stretching beforehand can actually lead to injuries because the muscles get too relaxed and the tendons and ligaments around the knees and ankles can move around more than they should, providing inadequate support for the distance runner. (Now you youngsters keep in mind that by 'distance' I mean DISTANCE. A kilometre is not distance. 10 kms is the beginning of distance.)
	Economy of motion is very important for proper form. Do not swing your arms side to side, or pump them like mad unless you're sprinting. Relax as much as possible. The entire body above the waist should be relaxed, right down to the fingertips. There's no need to make fists. The elbows should be bent, but still relaxed. The feet should just skim above the ground, almost grazing the dirt. Try to take longer strides. This'll allow you to gain greater distance while exerting less energy. The more you extend your legs, the less time they have to be on the ground exerting energy at the same speed. Run from your hips, not your knees. Extend the stride from the hips.
	Establish a breathing rhythm. Developing a good breathing rhythm can help a lot.
Don't over think it, though, your body will find what works best for it. When you're sucking wind out your arse, don't focus on breathing in. Focus on exhaling. The body will inhale on it's own, and will take in the amount of air it needs. Using this method, my legs get tired before my lungs ever do. (My heart, on the other hand is trying to explode, and take my spleen with it.)


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## dk

Thank you very much paracowboy.

This info is great. 

Just a question, when I do cardio my heart rate is around 180. I trust most info on this site, but someone at work mentioned that anything above 140 is burning muscle and not flabb - how correct is this?

My resting HR is 85 which doubled would be 170.


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## neuromancer

Hmm yeah I forgot to meantion about my heart rate as well.

My resting heart rate is 55, so double would be 110, but when Im doing
heavy exercise my heart jumps to about 125-135. Does that mean Im more fit, or less fit?


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## Jungle

For heart rates, use the following formula:

200 - (your age) = max heart rate.

Max HR - 30 = min HR.

Anything in between is your cardio trg zone. Anything above your max is dangerous;
Below your minimum, you burn fat but don't train your cardio.

Good posts Paracowboy... work hard, play hard. Have a good one Trooper !!!


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## 45506445210414924

I thought it was* 220 - (age)=Max Heart Rate*


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## paracowboy

thanks for getting my back, Jungle. 
Sorry 'bout that troops, I dropped the ball. 

For more good info on fitness check out crossfit.com, and for good info on all-around Army-type training check out GET SELECTED FOR SPECIAL FORCES  at www.warrior-mentor.com.  This guy is the real deal and is much respected on several other websites.


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## Jungle

Mike F. said:
			
		

> I thought it was* 220 - (age)=Max Heart Rate*


I believe the 220 figure is used by athletes. For the rest of us mortals, 200 is the correct figure to use...


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## 45506445210414924

Heres a half decent link that I found related to heart rates:


http://www.health24.com/fitness/Cardio/16-1371-2173,30883.asp


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## Aislinn

220 - age is the most usual way to calculate maximum heart rate, but this is very dependant on a lot of other factors. Age, fitness level, cardiac condition, etc. I have a really low resting heart rate, too. Lucky us. It means we're quite healthy. And yes, this also means that our maximum heart rate can be more than three times our resting rate. I was once told my target rate should be 150, but I found this too low. I aim for 170 to 180 and am quite comfortable at this rate. I can't carry on a conversation (which always seemed like ridiculous advice, to me), but I can keep at this rate for a while and finish my runs feeling good, if a bit tired for a little while after. Recovery time is also a good indication of all over fitness level.

Cheers.


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## paracowboy

*Sit-ups, Chin-ups, Push-ups, other '-ups*
*Sit-ups* 
	The standard is - Starting position: feet flat on the ground, knees bent at a 90 degree angle, shoulder blades touching the ground, hands at the sides of your head slightly cupping the ears (NOT behind the head with fingers laced!). A partner will hold your feet for you. Bring the upper body towards the knees, by curling at the waist, until the elbows touch the tops of the knees. Lower until shoulder blades touch the ground again. That's one. Now repeat. Keep the soles of your feet flat on the ground, ensure your shoulder blades touch on every 'down', your elbows touch the tops of your knees on every 'up', your ass doesn't leave the ground (no 'bouncing') and your fingers never leave the sides of your head. 
	To improve - foistly, start doing your sit-ups without anything securing your feet, but willpower. Simply perform your standard sit-up, but with no bar or partner to hold your feet down. If you can do 33 like this, when your feet are secured you'll pump out 50. Now, start adding weight. Hold a plate across your chest, and do sit-ups. Keep your form strict. 
Incline boards are found in every gym, and are easy to make. Start doing your weighted sit-ups on an incline, thereby increasing gravity's effects. Do leg-raises, both while hanging from a bar and while laying on the ground. They help improve the hip flexors, which you need to perform proper sit-ups. On a bar, work on bringing the entire leg up until they are at a 90 degree angle. Now, start gripping a dumbbell between your feet. Do crunches. These isolate the abdominals. Focus on feeling the abdominals 'curl' the upper body towards the pelvis. Work the lower back. Perform hyper-extensions, good-mornings, and the like. Also, hit the obliques. The abdominals are more of a girdle, than anything else. They are all inter-connected and you need a strong lower back in order to have a strong stomach and vicey voisy.  Find a Swiss ball and any one of a dozen mid-section/core workouts using one. Marvellous device to torture yourself with.
To stretch the abdominals, lay on your front and slowly raise your shoulders up until your entire upper body is off the ground. It looks like the Yoga movement 'the cobra'. Your waist and legs remain in contact with the ground, but your head and shoulders are upright.

*Chin-ups*
	All right, there's been some questions as to what is a chin-up and what is a pull-up. Simply put, chin-ups are done with the palms facing you, pull-ups are done with the palms facing away. Actually, the difference between a pull-up and a chin-up is more than the positions of the palms. Chin-ups almost isolate the biceps, while pull-ups share the workload between your lats, rear deltoids and biceps. Pull-ups are more difficult than chin-ups for most people. The pull-up, I believe, is the most important upper body exercise for soldiers. It's the best exercise for your back. It's application goes beyond Airborne. You need concentric force to snatch/lift heavy objects, climb mountains, pull yourself onto a rooftop, etc. Also, doing chin-ups on  bar is more difficult than doing them on a board, as you do at CPC. The board provides leverage. So if given the choice, use a bar.
	Of course, your weight may be a limiting factor. The heavier you are, the more difficult it is to pull your body up (that's physics, son! You can argue with me, but you can't argue with figures!) If you can't do a single pull/chin up, you can do negatives or assisted pull-ups first. Negative pull-ups are done by raising your body to the 'up' position by any means, then lowering yourself under control to the 'down' position. Assisted pull-ups are done with either the help of a partner who aids you through the sticking points, a machine that employs counter-weight, or by placing a bench under the bar, and using your own feet to assist you. There are also at least two different machines in most gyms that will help strengthen the body for chin-ups: the cable pull-down and the Hammer Strength lat pull-down machines. 
	To improve your pull-ups, start adding weight. Get a belt, loop the chain around a weight, start pulling your ass up. The same result can be achieved by doing pull-ups whilst wearing your ruck. When you can do 5 pull-ups with 45 lbs hanging off you, you can do 10 pull-ups without. 
	Start doing your pull-ups with a fairly wide grip, almost double shoulder-width. The wider your grip, the more difficult the movement. As you reach failure, between sets start bringing your hands closer together. Now, when you can't do another pull-up, drop and switch your hands to a chin-up position. Start with your hands at shoulder-width, and bring them in as you fail.  
	The proper performance of a pull-up is: grasp the bar with an overhand grasp, hang from the bar with the arms fully extended and no bend in the elbows, pull your body up until your chin breaks the plane of the bar (chin is above bar), lower. That's one. Chin-ups are performed in an almost identical manner, except that you grasp the bar with the palms facing you. Any bend in your elbows at the bottom and that one will not count. Any touching of your feet to the wall or supporting framework, and that one doesn't count. Failure of your chin to break the plane of the bar and that one doesn't count. Excessive kicking of the feet, or swinging at the waist, and it don't count. Do them right. It's incredibly demoralizing to hear “9...9...9...9...9." I imagine it's worse to hear “3...3...3...3...Dismount the bar. Report to the Course Warrant, tell him you are RTU'd". You want to be able to do them in strict form, with a distinct pause at the top and the bottom. It's best if you can maintain a sort of bored composure on your face. 

*Push-ups*
	It doesn't matter if you can do 10 or 1000. If your form isn't right, they don't count. Just because your chest hits the ground doesn't mean it's a good push-up. The standard for push-ups is that when you go down your elbows must be at a 90 degree angle (although I understand the civvies running PSP want you to touch your chest to the ground). In the 'up' position, your arms must be straight, with no bends in the elbows. Lay on your face, place your hands below your shoulders, keep your elbows snug to your sides, point your fingers forward, push up until the arms are fully extended, and then lower yourself so your elbow breaks a 90 degree angle. Repeat as necessary. This targets the pecs, shoulders, back, and of course triceps defining those muscles. All the while, you must be looking straight to your front. A typical thing to do when doing push-ups is to lower your head. Don't. Do your push-ups in front of a mirror both ways and you'll see what I mean. Your body must remain straight from the head to the heels. No lifting of your ass, no arching of the back, no drooping your stomach to the ground. Once you've begun, you cannot move your hands or feet. Bottom line, focus on proper form EVERY time you do push-ups.
	There are a multitude of push-up variations. They all work the entire body to some extent, but certain variations hit certain body parts specifically more than others. For instance Airborne or triangle push-ups come into play when you want to focus on the triceps. You put your hands on the floor, so your index fingers and your thumbs form a triangle. You lower yourself until your pecs touch your hands, and push up keeping your elbows as tight against the side of your body as possible. 
	The wide push-up, is when you put your hands approximately 12 inches farther apart than you do your normal push-up. This still works your pecs, shoulders, and back. The only difference is you are using more pec muscle, developing that more than your triceps, back and shoulder. If you widen your stance by a good 12 inches, you won't have to go down quite as far, and you should be able to do more reps because you aren't putting so much work on your triceps. Instead, you're hitting the pectorals and the rear deltoids rather than the front deltoids as is more common with push-ups. Max out on regular push-ups then widen your stance and max out. 
	Another favourite push-up variation of mine is to keep one hand at the usual position (about 2 inches below the shoulder, elbow tight against the body) while placing the other level with the ear, and in line with the shoulder. Then I raise one leg about a foot off the ground. Now perform push-ups.
	Perform push-ups using three chairs (one under each hand and one under the feet), or two blocks (one under each hand). Use these to ensure that, on the 'down' your chest is lower than your hands. This gives a complete range of motion to the push-up, and a good stretch to the pectorals. Try doing push-ups with one hand on a block, and the other on the ground. Use a Swiss ball (or a soccer ball) under the feet, forcing the body to hold itself still, and employing more secondary muscles. Try using a wobble board under either the feet or the hands. Try it with a ball under each hand.
	Finally, we can't forget fingertip push-ups. Performed in any variation but instead of splaying the fingers and taking the weight on the palms, make a claw with each hand and push off the fingertips. This strengthens the grip and the forearm.


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## paracowboy

*Attitude* 
A lot of wannabes and new soldiers psych themselves out. You start thinking about "how many do I need to pass", and the simple 2 minute test becomes an epic struggle to achieve the minimum standard. You develop a 'finish line' mentality. “Just...gotta...make...finish...line!" Then, they end up having to do another lap around the parade square, or having to do another 25 push-ups, and they quit. They concentrate on the number, and that becomes the target, and if they have to exceed it, they fail. Worse, you create a 'minimum standard' mentality. You focus on reaching the minimum  standard, instead of on exceeding it. Let's say you need to achieve 33 push-ups in 2 minutes to pass. That's the number you get in your head. “Just...have...to...make...it...to...thiiiirty...threeee." Put that number out of your head, or it will create the wrong attitude. That attitude will stick with you for a long time, effectively sabotaging yourself. In time, as your body slowly adapts to the demands placed on it, you'll find yourself knocking out 33 in a row to start the test -"OK, good, now I passed" - and then thinking everything else is gravy. So even after you've improved passed the point of worrying about passing, the best you're going to do is be mediocre. 
	What you should be asking is, “What's the number I need to achieve in order to max this sumbitch out?" Focus on reaching the maximum standards. Look to achieve the highest possible score, in the shortest possible time. 90% of everything we do is mental. Ignore the doubts, put the right mentality in play, and the body will do what the mind demands of it. Don't even wonder about 'how far' or 'how many'. Just run until told to stop. Hump as much weight as far as told. Do as many push-ups as you can, then strive for two more. Then two more. Then two more. It's all in how you look at it. You can whine and snivel and tell yourself how hard it is, or you can laugh at how hard it is, enjoy the challenge, and become the man you like to pretend you are.
Your call.


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## Jaxson

"Don't get hung up on weight. It doesn't matter if you lose weight or gain weight, really. What matters is how much blubber you're packing. That's what's gonna kill ya. The fat on your frame, and the fat in your arteries. Do you really care if you weigh 300 pounds or 30 pounds, if you feel great, and look fab-u-lous?! Of course not. And, once you begin to work out, you're going to gain weight. Muscle tissue weighs more than fat tissue. So don't get your panties in a twist "


okay i have a question, other then eating healthy is there a good possibly a QUICK way to get that fat out of your arteries? i mean for almost 8 months 2 meals of mine a day (at the time i was only eating 3 meals a day) came from the cafeteria in my workplace... which was not healthy at all, im eating alot healthier now, and watching all the fats and keeping them down, same for colesterol so my question is, 

if im not mistaken, they will slowly clear them selves up by eating healthy and excercise but is there a certain pill or excercise or anything that could help speed up the process and such?

thanks.


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## Fishbone Jones

Jaxson said:
			
		

> okay i have a question, other then eating healthy is there a good possibly a QUICK way to get that fat out of your arteries? i mean for almost 8 months 2 meals of mine a day (at the time i was only eating 3 meals a day) came from the cafeteria in my workplace... which was not healthy at all, im eating alot healthier now, and watching all the fats and keeping them down, same for colesterol so my question is,
> 
> if im not mistaken, they will slowly clear them selves up by eating healthy and excercise but is there a certain pill or excercise or anything that could help speed up the process and such?
> 
> thanks.



I was always under the impression, once it was there, it was there. I've watched medical shows where they literally slid tubes of plaque from someon'e arteries that had lived the "clean life" for quite a number of years. The implication was, you can clean up and extend things, but you can't repeal the things that have already taken place.


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## Jaxson

son of a ..... so yur saying im screwed unless i wanna go get some tubes shoved through my arteries?


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## Fishbone Jones

Yep. That's the implication. You can slow it down, or stop the progress, but once it's happened, you can't change it.

Think of your drain pipes. Once they're clogged, they stay that way. Except you can't put drain cleaner through yours. You can stop the accumulation, but you can't revert the damage, no matter how much soy and tofu you ingest.


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## paracowboy

Jaxson, that question is a little out of my lane. But I think recceguy is correct. I *believe* that there is very little one can do about fat in the arteries, but I do not_* know*_. If it's that much of a concern to you, I'd suggest seeking out a medical professional.


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## paracowboy

*Ruckmarch*
	The point of marching with a ruck is not to build your strength or endurance - you do better targeting PT (running, callisthenics, and weights) for that. The point of training with a ruck is to teach your body how to carry a ruck. It's called CONDITIONING for a reason. You do it so that your body is conditioned to it. If you try to walk or run with a ruck using the same body mechanics as you do without a ruck, you'll get hurt. The bottom line is that you'll carry heavy rucks for a long time in the Infantry. It may be on forced road marches. It may be in the field. You may have to run with a ruck. Your ruck may weigh 60 lbs, it may weigh 150 lbs. The weight will depend on your mission, but I can guarantee you'll be running with your ruck in the field at some point regardless of how heavy it is. That's just a fact, and all the army's official "No running in combat boots/no running with a ruck on" is bullshit. Plain and simple.
	Take a marathon runner and make him swim a mile in a pool. He has the cardiovascular and muscular endurance to do it, but he doesn't have the technique. He'll be winded after one length. After practice though, his body gets used to the motions and becomes more efficient at it. Pretty soon he can swim the whole mile. Same thing with humping a ruck. The reason you do it is so your body can become efficient at it. You can't learn it in a book (or on a website). You just have to go out and do it. If your knees hurt then try less weight. 
	Don't get me wrong, it will always suck. It's weight on your back that wasn't really meant to be there. If you enjoy it, then you are not pushing it nearly hard enough. Ruck marching sucks. That is a universal truth. The only satisfying thing about a ruckmarch is dropping kit at the end. But if you train your body to do it, it will suck less and you'll be less likely to get stress fractures or other injuries from carrying a load your body doesn't know how to carry.

*Carrying it:*
 	Get'cher ruck up high on your back and tighten those straps. Get rid of the POS ruck the Army gives you, and get a '64 pattern ruck (the so-called 'jump ruck'). Get some A7A straps. Suck everything down tight. A tight load is a light load. *Use your waist belt*. Get the weight down onto your hips, and off of your shoulders. All the weight should rest on your hips. The shoulder straps are just there to keep the weight in close to your body. You do not want that weight pulling away from your body, believe me. If you like, you can tighten the waist belt, loosen the shoulder straps, until the pain is too much then tighten the shoulder straps and loosen the waist belt. And change again. It doesn't actually do any good, but it tricks your mind into thinking it helps. Practice is the only key. The only way you can get in shape to hump a ruck is by humpin' a ruck. You'll get used to it. After a couple hunnerd miles you'll start missing it. 
	I try to put the extra weight flat against, and centred across my shoulder blades, as high in the ruck as I can get, in the valise if possible. This is a lot more comfortable than having it way down in the bottom of the ruck, pulling you backwards. I always tried to put the heaviest stuff in between the frame and the valise, such as mortar rounds, sand bags, etc. Eventually though, when you get to BN, you're going to have your ruck packed with mission-essential kit . Expect to be carrying all the extra accessories that you're responsible for, rations, ammo, water, batteries, etc. Then, on top of that, you'll have your body armour attached to the outside of your ruck, which makes sort of an experiment in Physics, when you start to contemplate gravity and how much heavier something feels when it is strapped to your body, yet is still 3 feet away from your back. (Ya know, leverage, and such.)
	Now, your pace: Well, the minimum standard is a 13 km ruckmarch completed in 2 hours, 26 minutes. On regular morning PT, you don't go quite as far, but you usually go much faster. On an advance to contact, you may go a little slower, but that just means that you're carrying that sumbitchin' weight on your back for that much longer. It just means, that at every halt, you're taking a knee and getting back up with that 60, or 80, or 120 lbs on your back. When humpin' cross-country you may go slower, but now you're goin' through woods so thick, you can barely squeeze that ruck through them. You're wadin' through swamps and rivers. You're twistin' your ankle at every second step, and slippin' down slopes. And the entire time, you'd best not make a damn sound, and you'd damn sure better be keepin' your head up and watching your arcs. You'd better be passin' the count up, and signals back.  It's easy on PT - put'cher head down and give 'er. It's a whole different world in the field with a Light Infantry Company. 
	Don't run. There is no need for you wannabe's to run with a ruck, yet. You won't do it in Basic, and it will just cause you to injure yourself, setting your training back. Ruck faster, or with someone else who is faster, till your body learns to carry the weight, and either take longer steps, or more of them.

*Starting out:*
	Put sand bags in the ruck. Failing that, buy bags of kitty litter, top soil, or dry cement. Steer clear of free weights, especially dumbbells. Free weights and rocks hurt. While marching they'll eventually become unbalanced, shift, and the ruck march will quickly become a self-inflicted torture session. So not only are you in unbearable pain, but you also realize what a dumbass you are at the same time. It doesn't help motivation too much. For you wannabe's, stick with sandbags or the like. They'll mould themselves your back more easily, and make it easier for you to learn how to hump. No need to add extra misery by throwing in pointed items, or solid stuff that'll just dig in. Sand bags are easier to work with, too. You can get several with different weights, label them, and use them as needed. 
	35 pounds is fine right now for your first time rucking. Take it slow. Work your way up slowly but steadily. Your goal should be about 60 lbs. When you can hump a 60 lb ruck for a couple hours at a good pace, you're pretty well at standard. Anything Basic or Battle School throws your way will be fairly easy to cope with. Don't just ruck up and start humpin' either. Make sure you're wearing comfortable, broken-in footwear. Two pairs of socks, etc, all the little tips I passed on earlier in this thread. Now, start light, start slow, and start easy. Just a few klicks is good, say 3 or 4. Work your way up in weight and distance. For the love of Pete, don't run out and throw 100 lbs in a backpack and try to run for 5 klicks! Or even put 25 lbs in, and run. Baby steps. Start short, slow, and light, and work up to long, fast, and heavy. If you screw up, and are say, 10 klicks into your walk when you notice significant blistering, I hope you have a cell phone. You will screw up your feet for at least a week by walking back. 

*Form:*
	If it's pulling you backwards, you need to lean forward some. Maybe you need to re-arrange the weight load. You may have the heavier stuff to low, or too far out from the body. Either that, or start going with a little less weight. It's about giving yourself a workout, learning to hump, and conditioning the body, not looking cool while doing it. Trust me, there is no way to look cool when humpin' a ruck. LCF is low, almost negative. Humping a ruck sucks ass, always has, always will. 
	Relax the upper body completely. From your shoulders to your fingertips, relax your entire arm. Don't tense your shoulders. Let them relax. Once the shoulder straps have bitten far enough into your trapezius, you won't feel them anymore, anyway. Let your arms swing naturally, don't force them, unless you need to pick up speed. Swinging your arms makes many people faster. I have seen guys go faster when they picked up a weapon for the walk, because when they held it with both hands, they swung into the rhythm. Lean forward slightly, but not too far. Use that to generate 'momentum'. Let your feet skim the ground, and place your feet down, don't drive the heel in. Reach from the hips and let the legs carry you along.  
	You need to train your body how to carry a ruck. Everything from the forward lean, to the position of your head, to how your carry your weapon, to how high you lift your feet, to how long your stride is - all of that falls into place over time. Miles and miles (and miles and miles and miles). At first it will hurt because you're putting your heels down too hard, or your stride is too long, or you're tensing your shoulders more than you need to - but after many miles of rucking it becomes more natural. You break your body in. You throw a ruck on your back and your body naturally assumes a rucking position. Your pace and gait changes to what it should be with a ruck on your back. Your motions become smoother so the ruck doesn't bounce as much. 

*Feet:*
	Take care of your feet. They can make or break you. Nothing sucks more than having the desire to complete the mission and having your feet bleeding, cracked, and infected. Your feet serve to support you and your load, absorb shock, and to provide balance and forward motion. Your feet need to be tough, yet getting them there means they have to be protected, and cared for. This is achieved by rucking in well broken-in, but not broken-down boots, by monitoring your feet's status, and knowing how to care for them when problems arise.
	Rotate different pairs of boots or running shoes from day to day. Make sure that the boots are comfortable, getting the proper insoles or orthotics as required. Sizing is also critical. Try on new boots with the socks you intend to wear. Get them slightly large, as most people's feet will swell a half size or so on extended walks. Socks are just as important. Wear new, clean, correctly sized socks. They will help absorb some of the punishment, and thin, ratty, old socks do little to assist in protecting your feet. (I know some of this is repeated, but it bears repeating, so listen up.) When breaking in your new boot or shoes, use them for shorter walks. They're going to hurt.
	As you break in your boots, you will notice painful "hot spots" forming. Stop and treat them as soon as the pain becomes noticeable. Any hot spot areas starting to redden should be closely monitored, and moleskin applied as needed. An experienced Medic is probably the best source for advice. While rucking, you should plan on stopping for a break for five or ten minutes every hour or so. Do not waste that time sitting on your ruck. Take the ruck off, take your boots off, and examine your feet. If they look good, let them air out for a minute or so, powder them, and change socks. Once you have started to blister, you will lose training time waiting for them to heal. Do not let them get that bad. 
	Never ruck with wet feet. Even well-conditioned feet are vulnerable and soft after a good soaking. Do not try to combine training activities (like swimming and rucking), and carry a spare pair of boots and several pairs of socks to change into should the ones you are wearing become soaked. (Now this doesn't hold when you get Battalion. You WILL march with wet feet. Deal with it.)
	Areas of your feet that get a lot of friction and contact will start to harden and calluses will form over time. This is a good thing. The dead material of the callus will absorb the friction and impact that would hurt the skin on your feet. Soon enough, your feet will become the leathery flippers that all infantrymen have. I've seen some guys hold lighters to their feet, the callus was so thick. Most people find that issue boots will cause calluses to form on the balls of the feet, the heel, and on the outside of the foot, depending on the contact points of the boots on your feet. 
	As you walk, the boots and your feet will develop a symbiotic relationship. The boots will soften and begin to flex where required, and the contact points on your feet will toughen up. Eventually, your boots will be almost as comfortable as a pair of slippers, and your feet will be tough as nails. You will need to keep your nails trimmed properly to prevent injury or damage. But that, and foot powder will be all the maintenance you will require. Even if you walk long distances in combat boots your feet will blister, however, and you may even lose feeling in your feet.


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## paracowboy

*Attitude Again:*
Some of you youngsters out there need to realize that this ain't no movie. I don't mean to preach again, I just see a lot of young guys going into this with visions of grandeur and thinking it's gonna be like some damn TV show. Sorry, kids. They're not gonna start handing out the black nomex and MP5's when you get here. They're gonna hand you some wore out 70's era kit with a heavy ruck and a worn-out rifle. When that kidney pad on that ruck digs a hole in your back and your feet have been wet so long that they are cracking and bleeding, think back about the big adventure. Think I'm being dramatic? If you stay the course, it WILL happen. Reality is a cold slap in the face. If you want some good photos, take some shots of your feet after a few days of trenchfoot on the move. That'll be something to show the grandkids. This ain't TV, guys. It's not high adventure. Most of the time it just sucks. 
	The point of this post is so you can get your head right for what is to come. It's not about nomex, velcro and MP5's, guys. It's about jumpin', humpin', freezing', walkin' and hurtin'. The new guys on here always say, "I know that" but I really don't think you do. But you will. I promise you that. The thing is, you can't quit. That's it. It's that simple. Never quit. A man who quits must be shunned. He sets a precedent of weakness that may drag others down with him. Other cherries may quit too. The quitter never thinks about others and the extra weight they will have to carry in his absence. He doesn't think about the extra shifts that his section will have to cover off. He only thinks of himself. 
	Bein' an Infantryman is persistence. Never quitting. Ignoring pain, hunger, exhaustion, fear, and doubt. No warm and fuzzies, no hero's accolades, no cookies, just pain and sweat and suffering.  You just have to fight the pain. Fight through to the other side of it. Become one with it. Endure. Outlast. Overcome. Ruck up, lean forward, and hump! Time to heal later.
	Everyone thinks about pullin' the trigger, and bein' the he-ro. "Lookee here, everybody! I'm bustin' caps!" Well, sorry tough guy, but pulling a trigger is easy. Humping a ruck is when you find out who will be on the ambush to pull that trigger. That's the Infantry. Slogging along under a heavy load with your buddies. Being part of a team. Let's look at that again: *Being part of a team*. The men you are with at the end of a long hump are good men. The men to your front and rear in a chalk preparing to jump from the sky are good men. The men to your left and right in a trench system in -1, 000, 000 degree weather at EndEx are good men. Tested men. Training is good for more than just teaching you the skills you need. It also weeds out quitters, before they can get you killed.
	The other side of the coin are those granola-munchin', tree-huggin' types who think that they're enlisting to hand out soap and blankies to the Third World. Sorry, again. That's not what Canada does. Despite the propaganda you've had shoved down your throat the past decade, that is not 'Peace-keeping', and it most certainly is not what we do overseas. We don't pose for cameras cuddling babies, and we're not constantly surrounded by smiling happy people. When you go on a tour, you will be in a different country where the majority of the populace are indifferent to your presence, a small percentage welcome you because of your money, and a small percentage will actively try to kill you. Thing is, that small percentage will be on BOTH sides of the conflict. You are in the middle of both warring factions. Just to make it more interesting, you are an Occupation Army, so a number of the indifferent population will support those who are trying to kill you. Then, you have the bandits, thugs, slavers, drug runners, local law enforcement, politicians, and other criminals whose businesses you are hampering. Add to that the branches of several different terrorist cells, and you can begin to understand that (oh my!) Canadian soldiers regularly face death from violent forces. And Canadian soldiers regularly deal death. So, if you're not willing to kill for Peace; if you don't honestly believe that Truth, Justice, and the NHL are worth committing cold-blooded murder for, maybe you shouldn't join our little club.
	I didn't type all that shit out to demean any of you. I have better things to do with my time. I'm trying to help you. If you don't wanna listen, don't let the door hit you in the ass on your way out. You can accept that and learn something or you can move along. I don't care either way.

	Oh, yeah: The grey man. The grey man is a very important concept or attribute. You must blend in, not stand out in the crowd. DO NOT DRAW ATTENTION TO YOURSELF. That means keeping your mouth shut and doing what your told. Look like the rest. Doing what your told to the best of your ability. Being PART OF THE TEAM. That is the grey man. That is why so many of you wannabe's, civvies, and cherries get slapped down on these sites. That is why you get chewed out in person. If you want to be a hero, don't enlist. If you want to be part of something greater than yourself, to become PART OF THE TEAM, sign the line. If you need recognition, or attention, the Infantry ain't for you. If you have an ego that needs gratification, and you can't place the interests of others before your own, this ain't the place for you.
	If it were easy, anyone could do it. It ain't, and they can't.


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## The_Falcon

good posts paracowboy, however one comment.   Yes you need to learn to ignore discomfort and some types of pain (especially on ruckmarches).   From my experiences dull, throbbing pain can be ignored and "usually" indicates nothing more serious than some muscle soreness that a little A5-35 or tiger balm will fix.   Sharp/stabbing usually idicates something more serious like an injury that requires medical attention/diagnosis/treatment.   Continuing on with this type of pain is ill advised, as you will become ineffective and a liability to your teammates.   I would think it would be better to gone for a short while to get treatment rather than continue on only to aggrevate the injury to the point that you will be gone for a much longer stint, and possibly do long term damage.   

My little story, When I first started in the reserves 6 years ago, I had no problem doing ruckmarches, but 1 year after I joined I started noticing that I would start to get this sharp pain in my calves after a couple of clicks.   I figured heck, its a weekend ex, I will just put up with it.   Well as the years progressed the distances that I needed to go before I would start felling pain were getting shorter and shorter.   I always put it off, as I just need to do more training/stretching etc.   Finally it got to the point were just that just going 10 meters at a brisk pace and I was in agony.   It litterally felt like my calves were going to burst like a ballon.   This is the point I sought treatment.   I was told I had Exertional Compartment Syndrome, and I tried non-invasive therapies, and was assured by my doc that if got orthotic insoles it would help to alliviate my problems.   So I got the insoles.   At the same time I found out about taskings for Athena Roto 3.   I got on and went to pretraining. The orthotics did not help.   I could not keep up with the rest of the group during our ruck marches,   The base MO, excempted me from marching, which did not sit well with my platoon or company commanders until they had a chat with the MO and did there own research.   They quickly changed there minds, when they realized that I had a serious problem.   I was sent down to a clinic in Toronto that did specific testing for my condition, just to confirm that yes I did have it (my doctor never sent me for this initially).   I did the test, which showed that yes I had ECS, and yes it was pretty bad.   The Doctor who performed the test wrote in his report that because my case had gotten so bad my only option left was surgery as all other treatments had failed.   So I was medically RTU'd from pretraining, and placed on a restricted medical category.   I have had the surgery, and I think it worked, but I will see what the surgeon thinks, I go for my 3 month post-op visit next week.   Until he says it worked I can't go to the base MOs and change my med cat, which means I am severely limited in my employment options.

The morale of this story,   don't ignore serious pain. It could very well mean you have a problem thats needs sorting out ASAP.   You don't wanna get told you can't go on tour cause you require surgery for a problem that could have been fixed long ago, if you had sought medical advice.


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## paracowboy

quite true. You gotta learn to differentiate between 'hurt' and 'injured'. If you're 'hurt', you can suck it up and soldier on. If you're 'injured', you need to suck back and seek medical attention.
As you put it quite well, "dull, throbbing pain" is usually indicative of being 'hurt'. "Sharp/stabbing" pain is generally indicative of a potential injury. 
The trick is for cherries to figure out when they're 'hurt' and when they're 'injured'. Just as nobody wants anything to do with a quitter, you also gotta find that line between 'Hard' and 'Stupid'. You don't want to find it by looking back. Having jumped with cracked ribs, and marched on a broken ankle, I can tell you that from experience. It just takes much longer to heal. It doesn't make you Hard, it makes you Stupid. (Although in my defence, I was told both times that the injury in question was something far less than it actually turned out to be.)


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## Gunnar

And if you want to know more about ECS, you can look here:

http://www.physsportsmed.com/issues/1996/04_96/edwards.htm


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## Island Ryhno

Hey Paracowboy, this is fantastic stuff you have going here, keep up the good work. A word about something you mentioned way back in your earlier posts about muscle weighing more than fat. That's not actually the case, of course a pound of muscle and pound of fat are...well both a pound. What that(statement) means is that muscle is more dense than fat.  A pound of muscle weighs the same as a pound of fat, but muscle mass is more compact and only takes up 1/3 the space! And of course muscles burn up calories and fat doesn't. Thanks for all the good info.


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## The_Falcon

Gunnar said:
			
		

> And if you want to know more about ECS, you can look here:
> 
> http://www.physsportsmed.com/issues/1996/04_96/edwards.htm



Thanks for posting that, I lost my links to all the ECS info I have gather.  Even with all the medical terminology it is fairly straight forward.  The Base MO in Meaford (where I did my pretraining), knew quite abit about ECS.  He told me that they had sent 5 soldiers from the battle school there, down to Toronto for the pressure tests, as the had ECS as well. Not to hijack this thread or anything, but anyone reading this tread who exerpiences sharp pains in their calves (not the shins), when they run or march, you should be speaking to doctor.  The Doctor at the clinic told me that they have seen a number of army guys for ECS testing, and it was thier opinion that the Mark IIIs are contibuting factor.  So get checked out.  

Paracowboy, couldn't have put it better.  Hurt and injured are not always the same (Reminds of the line in GI Jane).  And I think there are quite a number of people who need to learn the difference between hard and stupid as you said.  Keep up the good work.


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## paracowboy

Island Ryhno said:
			
		

> A word about something you mentioned way back in your earlier posts about muscle weighing more than fat. That's not actually the case...


I know, but it _sounds_ better, if you know what I mean. It seems to make sense to people more than going into detail about mass and density and weight. A pound of feathers and a pound of bricks both weight the same, of course. But, I'm trying to get a message across in the simplest terms so that it reaches the broadest spectrum.

And, on that note, I think I've pretty much answered all the basic variations of the pms and e-mails I used to receive. I've covered PT, ruck marching, foot care, and attitude. I think this thread is done, unless other BTDTs have something to add.


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## paracowboy

maybe one last point, to hammer it home. Let this sink in.

to all you recruits: Listen up. Quitters are a disease. They are weak, and weakness is contagious. You let a quitter's mentality into your head, and it will destroy you. Then, it will destroy your section. The DS will smell the weakness, and they will go into a feeding frenzy. They will turn up the Suck so high, the knobs will twist right off, baby. One person will quit, then another, and another, until only a few days into the course, over 10% of the class will quit. A week or so later, with the stench of weakness still there, nearly HALF of the class will quit. It all starts with one quitter. He quits, and then all the other weak ones see how easy it is to give up on oneself. Quitters must be shunned, once they refuse to accept encouragement. 

Quitters will always have an excuse: "oh, my back/knees/>insert bodypart with an untraceable problem here< gave out."  Or "the staff hated me". Blah, blah, blah. It's all part of the same physical ailment: a lack of spine. Quitters are invariably too weak-willed to face the truth, and so will go to extraordinary lengths to lie to themselves. Lying to others is as natural to them as breathing. Dishonesty and weakness are part and parcel of the same character flaws, and neither can be tolerated in the Army.

Never, EVER, quit - no matter what. I don't give a rabid rat's @ss in a rolling doughnut what you do in life. Not everyone is cut out to be a soldier. In fact, very few have the parts. But whatever you do decide to do with your life, don't quit. Stick it out, and see it through - because there is nothing on Earth worse than a quitter. 

And there is nothing on Earth better than over-coming what you *thought* was impossible.


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## GNR

I have to agree with PARACOWBOY, never quit.
If you are incapable the staff will toss your butt to the sidewalk, they don't need your assistance.

Don't mistake your fear for failure.  The course staff doesn't want you to fail, they want you to overcome and achieve what you thought wasn't possible.


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## NavComm

paracowboy said:
			
		

> maybe one last point, to hammer it home. Let this sink in.
> 
> to all you recruits: Listen up. Quitters are a disease. They are weak, and weakness is contagious. You let a quitter's mentality into your head, and it will destroy you. Then, it will destroy your section. The DS will smell the weakness, and they will go into a feeding frenzy. They will turn up the Suck so high, the knobs will twist right off, baby. One person will quit, then another, and another, until only a few days into the course, over 10% of the class will quit. A week or so later, with the stench of weakness still there, nearly HALF of the class will quit. It all starts with one quitter. He quits, and then all the other weak ones see how easy it is to give up on oneself. Quitters must be shunned, once they refuse to accept encouragement.
> 
> Quitters will always have an excuse: "oh, my back/knees/>insert bodypart with an untraceable problem here< gave out."   Or "the staff hated me". Blah, blah, blah. It's all part of the same physical ailment: a lack of spine. Quitters are invariably too weak-willed to face the truth, and so will go to extraordinary lengths to lie to themselves. Lying to others is as natural to them as breathing. Dishonesty and weakness are part and parcel of the same character flaws, and neither can be tolerated in the Army.
> 
> Never, EVER, quit - no matter what. I don't give a rabid rat's @ss in a rolling doughnut what you do in life. Not everyone is cut out to be a soldier. In fact, very few have the parts. But whatever you do decide to do with your life, don't quit. Stick it out, and see it through - because there is nothing on Earth worse than a quitter.
> 
> And there is nothing on Earth better than over-coming what you *thought* was impossible.



Paracowboy, you are so right!

I suffered from shin splints after my first week at bmq. I went to MIR and they gave me some motrin and showed me a few stretches. When I returned with my chit to my instructors, one of them gave me a few more stretches to do. He was awesome! He suggested I do those stretches at every opportunity - which I did. I didn't miss any pt (other than my trip to MIR) or other classes over it and my shin splints went away.

Quitting wasn't an option for me. On the other hand there were a few whiners who every time they had a little bump they'd be filling out a VR. They did bring down the morale and I was glad that once they made that decision they were gone very quickly.

I was sent home after week 6 (very dissappointed) because I failed a PO. I am being recoursed for January. Nine people were sent home the day I was and one of them kept on saying *that's it, I'm never coming back". It made me so mad! I told her with that attitude she should just stay home. I never doubted I would be back and next time I'll be ready. My unit is keeping me busy and getting me ready for my return to bmq in January. I'm even more pumped up now than I was before!

Failure is a lesson. I believe we learn more from our failures than if we just breeze through life. Everything is possible, even joining the navy at age 45


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## paracowboy

ya see, kids? It's about FORM as much as it is about NUMBER. 1,000 bad push-ups doesn't equal 1 good one. It carries over into everything we do. 1,000 un-aimed rounds will not equal 1 well-aimed shot.

Now, on to today's lecture. I actually watched a few youngsters run past my PMQ today, while sipping a cup of tea (I was havin' the tea, not them. Just thought I'd clarify that.) And I looked, really LOOKED, at the difference between these li'l puppies draggin' arse, and the Sgt. leadin' them with a big grin on his face. It's all in the form, and the efficiency of effort. As well, it's the fact that the body is used to it, and the mind is conditioned to shut off. But I can't help you with that. It comes with time, or it doesn't come at all. So here's what I *CAN* help you with: Running Form.

	As I've said before, you gotta relax everything above the waist. Tension in the upper body robs the lower body of energy. Unclench the hands, let the fingers hang loose, let the wrist hang loose, let the elbows relax. Loosen the shoulders and neck, even let the jaw hang a bit. 
	How loudly are your feet hitting the road? You should barely hear them. Pretend you have to run quietly. This will make you land on the middle of your foot, not the heels or toes, and give you a shorter stride, which will give you greater stability and a quicker stride. If you land on your heel (like I do, too often), you are extending your foot too far out to the front. Your heel is acting like a brake, after all, that's how you stop isn't it? By pushing your leg out that far, you are using too much energy, and losing stability by not having your foot under the centre of gravity. You are using too much energy because your body isn't stable, and it recruits other muscles to stabilize you. Focus on running 'softly' (like ninja!), and thrust backwards. It's weird at first, kinda like shuffling, but it works.
	When I say "Thrust backwards," I mean to pull your foot backwards, the instant it makes contact with the ground. You should feel like you're barely skimming the earth. Rather than having the foot land, stop for an instant, then push off, as most non-runners do, your foot should barely touch the ground before it's in the air again. (Think "light," think "soft," young grasshopper!) This way, you're propelling yourself forward, not pausing then exerting backwards thrust. The less time your foot is in contact with the ground, the less energy is being wasted.
	Too many recruits and FNGs look like dogs romancing footballs when they run, all bent over at the middle. This is a result of weak abdominal girdles. You have to strengthen the abdominals, obliques, lower back, and core. Otherwise, you sorta 'fold' when you run, wasting energy. Pretend that there are wires holding your shoulders and head upright. This straightens your spine out, without causing undue tension, giving you less wasted energy and more breath. Push your hips forward a bit. Think 'tall'.
	Having said that, you also want to lean forward slightly, as I wrote earlier. You get the illusion of having momentum on your side. This also helps to shorten your stride, by having your feet impact closer to your body and under your centre of gravity. Now, the difference is , you're not leaning your upper body forward, you're leaning the entire body forward.
	When you breathe, let your body find it's rhythm, and breathe from the diaphragm, not the chest. Push air out with the diaphragm, don't try to suck air in with the lungs. The body will draw all the air in it needs on its' own, if necessary, it will knock you out to do so. By forcing the lungs to expel air due to constriction from the diaphragm, you force the body to draw in more air than it would by trying to suck air in. (I don't know if the explanation makes any sense to you, but...just do what I tell you damnit!) 
	Don't bounce. If you're bouncing, your stride is too long, and you're wasting energy. You want to move forward, not upwards. Imagine that you have something over your head, and if you bounce, you'll bonk your melon. This will help keep your stride smooth, and prevent bouncing.
	If you find that you have some, or all, of these bad habits, don't try to correct them all at the same time. Your brain will over-load, and you'll start tripping over grid-lines. Work on one at a time. Run on a treadmill, in front of a mirror. It'll allow you to observe your own form. It'll also help you to see if your body is moving asymmetrically. If one arm moves faster, is bent more, or swings more, you have an imbalance in the Force. The weaker side will lead you to injuries. Work on improving that side with strength movements.


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## Mighty Mouse

Hey Paracowboy (& co. with all your responses),

A good discussion and a lot of practical info and advice on running here. I run several times a week and love it. However, I have one problem with running...I could run a marathon on grass or trails, but I get shin splints within minutes of running on pavement. My question about BT is: what kind of surface do you have to run on?

Thanks,

Mighty Mouse


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## NavComm

Mighty Mouse said:
			
		

> Hey Paracowboy (& co. with all your responses),
> 
> A good discussion and a lot of practical info and advice on running here. I run several times a week and love it. However, I have one problem with running...I could run a marathon on grass or trails, but I get shin splints within minutes of running on pavement. My question about BT is: what kind of surface do you have to run on?
> 
> Thanks,
> 
> Mighty Mouse



In Borden we ran mostly on pavement (which was what started my shin splints). Sometimes we ran on trails and up sand hills. The problem for me was not enough warm ups, so I just started stretching every opportunity I got in case pt was the next class. The shin splints improved and I was able to run a lot farther.

Paracowboy I'm happy I could prove your point about form.....I think  :-\  Although at this moment, I wish it had been some other recruit I was talking about  :crybaby:


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## paracowboy

Mighty Mouse said:
			
		

> I have one problem with running...I could run a marathon on grass or trails, but I get shin splints within minutes of running on pavement. My question about BT is: what kind of surface do you have to run on?


I'd like to tell you that it's mostly trails and grass. But that would be lying, and I try very hard to never tell those. At least, it was mostly pavement when I went through (pavement being a new invention). Any FNGs fresh from Basic able to provide some more up-to-date info? Or maybe Jungle is willing to chime in?

Some stuff for shin splints I did that helped: 1) place a towel on the floor in front of you. Place a heavy book on the opposite end. Now, pull the book towards you by 'scrunching' the towel under your toes. Curl your toes like they were fingers scooping a handful of peanuts of the bar. Repeat until the book is touching your toes.

2) Place a weight or heavy book on your toes. Lift your toes towards the ceiling. Lower and repeat.

These will help strengthen the thin sheath of muscle running along the front of your shin.


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## paracowboy

Manimal said:
			
		

> i remember in grade school my PE teacher told use that sprinters would more their feet like you described, soft and light, as well as lifting their knees up higher to the point of looking dumb


yes. Sprinters focus on bringing their knees "up" rather than "forward". Which is one of the reasons I recommend hill and stair training. Sprinters also focus on bringing their heels "up" on the press off on each stride. They train often by kicking themselves in the arse with their heels as they step. Watch some sprinters warm up before a race. They bring their knees up to their shoulders, and their heels up to their butt cheeks. That's the form they need for explosive speed, and it's the form every runner should emulate (to a lesser extent - it would be exhausting to do that for more than a couple kilometers. The sprinters themselves are exaggerating the form they will use in their race.)


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## scm77

I can definately speak about how running lightly helps.

I use to run heavy, my feet would pound the ground.  One of the coaches on my football teach noticed this and worked with me before and after practice for a couple weeks helping me improve my form and run lightly. Doing stuff like kicking myself in the arse with my heels and lifting my knees real high while slowly jogging, like paracowboy just mentioned.

After 2 weeks of work, (3 days a week for 15 minutes before and after regular practice), I took 8 10th's of a second of my 40 yard sprint time - from 5.2 seconds to 4.4 seconds.  That may not sound like all that much but it's a huge improvement.  I went from one of the slowest people on the offense (excluding the fat lineman) to the second fastest.

I also noticed after I learned to run lightly that my legs didn't ache nearly as much after practices and games.


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## paracowboy

Below is a post from a while back. I'm putting it in here, because it has some extra detail on running that I've neglected to put in this thread, and it emphasizes the importance of rest and recuperation.



> there is no "best exercise" as it all depends on your fitness goals. However, wannabe's, for your purposes, I'd recommend the basics - running, push-ups, sit-ups, and chin-ups. I say this for a couple reasons:
> 1) they work the entire body, and will help you burn fat and gain muscle in short order;
> 2) these are the movements you'll be required to perform when (if) you actually get in. The sooner you teach your body to adapt to these demands, the easier you're gonna find PT when (if) you actually get to an Infantry Battalion.
> 
> Start with performing sets of 25 push-ups, 25 sit-ups, and chin-ups to failure. Do many sets. Rest about 60 seconds between sets. Do them often. Don't go to failure every day. Do a few on your off-day just to move the lactic acid through the muscles. Do a coupl'a sets every day, but not to failure all the time. This is over-training. Take a day off once in a while. Mix it up, too. One day, spend an hour just puttin' 'er to yourself: do dozens of sets, resting only 30 seconds between. The next day, do a set of push-ups, chin-ups, and sit-ups every hour. The next day, do nuthin'.
> 
> Running, hmmm, your goal is going to be completing 10 kms in 40 minutes. You need to build up an aerobic base, so you want to divide your runs into 3 categories: long runs, sprints, & hill runs. Do one of each on a day, dividing your program into a 4-day cycle.
> Day 1: long run. Don't worry about distance, go for time. Run for an hour to 2 hours. This is just to adapt your body to actually running. Relax your upper body completely, let your feet skim the ground. Shuffle. Just don't stop.
> Day 2: Wind sprints/Fartleks. Find a known distance. Football fields are excellent. Sprint for 50 metres, jog for 100. Repeat. Go for approx 40 minutes to an hour. Work your way up to 100 metre sprints, 50 metre jogs. When sprinting, concentrate on lifting your knees, & the faster your arms move, the faster your legs will move.
> Day 3: hills. Find a hill (or better, several). Run up it (them). Do it for about an hour.
> Day 4; off. Do nothing. Nada. Nema.
> Periodically, go for a 10 km run. Your times should decrease exponentially.
> 
> Diet: don't get caught up in the fads. Eat healthy. Stay away from junk food. That's it. Your body needs all the fuel it can get. FUEL, not crap. Proteins, fats, and carbs, Your body needs them all. Drink water. NOT pop. Water. Don't try to guzzle a gallon down at one time. Your body can only absorb 400 ml (.5 a litre, .5 a quart) at a time. Keep a water container nearby, and drink some every 15 - 30 minutes. Stay hydrated. You should be pissin' clear, or a light straw colour.
> 
> Rest: sleep. Sleep 8 hours a night. Your body needs to recuperate. That's when you get stronger. During your sleep. The time you are resting is the time your body is using to rebuild itself stronger in order to deal with the added demands you're puttin' on it. You don't rest, your body stops feeding on the fat and starts feeding on the muscle. The entire
> body goes into a catabolic state. It stops feeding on fat, because it believes it need that stored energy for bare survival. You actually make yourself weaker by over-training. So, take a day off once in a while. But don't make it the same day, all the time. Unpredictability, as much as extra exertion, causes adaptation.
> 
> Remember - the last reps, and the last steps are the ones that make you stronger. The hard ones. The ones that make you think you're going to die.
> 
> When you think you can't do anymore, do more.


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## paracowboy

*Intensity*
Okay, I've neglected an important point, troops. *Intensity*. Say it with me: In-ten-si-ty. And not the kind flashing out of my smouldering hazel eyes. 
It is the _intensity_ of your workout that will cause you to get stronger, or to improve your endurance. The intensity of your workout depends on several factors, including the number of sets and repetitions, the overall weight lifted, and the rest between sets. Or, for cardio, the number of miles covered, the amount of time it took to cover those miles, and the speed with which you covered those miles.

A muscle will only strengthen when it is worked beyond its normal operation. When it is *overloaded*. And since they adapt to stress placed on them, overloading must be progressive if you want to see improvement. That means, the more you can lift, the more you must lift. The more klicks you can cover, the faster you have to cover them, etc. (Using the guidelines in the paragraph above.)

Intensity components (weight/distance, duration, frequency) are somewhat inversely proportionate to one another. F'r example, if one component is decreased, increasing one or both of the other components may make up for this loss. For example, by training each muscle group every 4 days instead of every 3 days (decrease frequency), the number of exercises or sets may be increased (increase duration), or the amount of weight may be increased. Or all three, or any variation thereof. The same for running (which we all recall, I hate). Instead of running every second day, you decide to run every 3rd day. But, you decide to run further than usual, and faster, thereby increasing distance and duration, but decreasing frequency. 

So, the key to fitness gains is INTENSITY. It doesn't matter if you lift 845 lbs for 10 reps for 3 sets if that doesn't push your body to overload. It doesn't matter if you run 35 kilometres in 30 minutes if that isn't difficult for you. (Absurd examples, I know, but you get my point.) The key to strength/endurance gains is in the last few reps or meters. The ones that you don't think you can do. Those are the ones that cause your body to adapt to the new demands. So, working out for an hour isn't doing you any good if it isn't causing your body to grow stronger. Running all day when you aren't getting your heart rate up is not going to improve your aerobic fitness.

A progressive intensity program seems to be the key factor in strength and/or endurance development. Weight training intensity also seems to be the key component for fat loss. Not only can anaerobic activity utilizes calories for several hours after training, but muscle mass increases calories expended at any activity level, even during rest. In other words, the more muscle you got, the more fat you burn, even doin' nuthin'.

What I'm getting at, here, kids, is the need for you to recognize when you're not pushing yourself and kick yourself in the arse. If you aren't breathing hard enough, add weight, shorten rest time, run faster. Not every workout should end with you puking. 

But a few should. 

In time, (and the more intensity you put into your PT, the shorter the time), you will find your workouts easy, and you will meet your goals faster.


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## Jungle

Just to add to the running techniques: When beginning on a cardio program, one should concentrate on "slow long distance" for example: 5 km in 30 min, or 10 km in 60 min. Doing this for a while will help the body prepare for more demanding exercises: INTERVALS !!!
There are two kinds of intervals you can (or have to) do: (not sure about the translation here) *muscle endurance* and *aerobic power*. Muscle endurance consists of sprinting a known distance, for ex. 100m, then recovering (jogging) 300 to 500m. By the time you sprint again, you should have fully recovered from the previous one. So basically, it's about one (sprint unit) to four (recovery units).
Aerobic power is two (sprint units) to one (recovery unit) so your cardio system is continually working up, without recovering. In both cases, repeat 4 to 6 times.
You need to do both occasionnally... on top of regular "fat burner" (slow long distance) runs.
And don't neglect upper body !!!  8)


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## The_Falcon

Jungle said:
			
		

> Just to add to the running techniques: When beginning on a cardio program, one should concentrate on "slow long distance" for example: 5 km in 30 min, or 10 km in 60 min. Doing this for a while will help the body prepare for more demanding exercises: INTERVALS !!!
> There are two kinds of intervals you can (or have to) do: (not sure about the translation here) *muscle endurance* and *aerobic power*. Muscle endurance consists of sprinting a known distance, for ex. 100m, then recovering (jogging) 300 to 500m. By the time you sprint again, you should have fully recovered from the previous one. So basically, it's about one (sprint unit) to four (recovery units).
> Aerobic power is two (sprint units) to one (recovery unit) so your cardio system is continually working up, without recovering. In both cases, repeat 4 to 6 times.
> You need to do both occasionnally... on top of regular "fat burner" (slow long distance) runs.
> And don't neglect upper body !!!   8)



Actually what your suggesting are both HIIT, with one allowing for more rest than the other.  Both would improve your muscular power/endurance and increase your ANAEROBIC capacity as well.


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## CdnArtyWife

I wrote this in another thread, and I have been asked by Paracowboy to copy it here.

I would like to give my 2 cents here, and if they are useful great, if not just ignore.

I am a civvie wife of a guy who learned how to run "the army way". We are now both learning how to run...the safe way. We are training for a marathon. I was a gal who, just three months ago, was very happy sitting on the couch with my bowl of super buttered popcorn. Hubby would try to encourage me to go for a run but I knew that meant run til my lungs exploded...then run home... No, that wasn't for me. 

A friend introduced me to RunningMania.com I went out of curiosity and found that there was some people there willing to give sage advice for anyone with a desire to get up off the couch. So I started running on Aug 10th. I couldn't run more than one minute straight without gasping for air. Now I run for 10K and feel like I could keep going. I use 10:1's for training. 10minutes running, 1 minute walking. My friend and I introduced our hubbies to this way of running....and now the two of them are running better than they ever have for the army. NO run should feel like a "bag drive" if you have trained properly. 

I reccomend anyone looking to improve their running abilities look into a proper training program...found in numerous places...but Hal Higdon has a really great set of programs for various abilities on his site. Training properly will increase aerobic endurance as well as reduce risk of injury....you don't want to be sent home from BMQ because you f*kt your knee or you have IT Band issues from trying to keep up...when, if you had built yourself up with the endurance in the first place, you would have had no issues. Running damages your body...recovery helps repair those damages and makes you stronger...that is why recovery is so important. 

Build up your base...increase your endurance by adding one long run a week at a slower pace...so that your body can get used to running for 40-60 minutes (I can now run for 2 hours straight...less than three months from starting). Once your base is set, then you can start on the speed work (intervals, Fartleks, sprints) and hills to build up your overall speed/pace.

I run outdoors whenever possible...even in the cold pouring rain...(I like to run in the rain the best!) My hubby and I were talking about something like this yesterday...if you never train in adverse conditions...you will never be able to give your best when performing in adverse conditions....that goes for everything in life...from being in the military to running. (If I only ever run on a treadmill and come race day it is raining...I won't do so well in my race, cus I don't know what it is like to run in the rain. Whereas if I train when it rains, snows, or is sunny...I know I can still handle whatever is thrown at me on race day...I will have something to gauge it against.)

That is the end of my rant...take it for what you will...as I said...if it helps, bonus....if not, ignore it.


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## NavComm

CdnArtyWife, thanks for that. That's pretty much how I got running also. I have a friend who runs marathons and he told me to start off by running from one telephone pole to the next (I hadn't run in years) then walk quickly until I caught my breath, run again, and so on. Within a weekI was running around the block and in a few weeks was running laps at the track.

At first I saw it as a real chore, some necessary evil to get into the military but now I actually enjoy running. Go figure!


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## paracowboy

*Core Strength * 
	All right, there have been a few posts made about back pain in reference to various exercises and such, so we're now going to address the usual culprit in North America: a weak Abdominal Girdle (which is what it was called when I started researching it, and now it is called the "Core". Whatever, a rose by any other name still stinks up the house, and removes the wonderful aroma of gun oil.) So, in the interest of being cool and modern, I'll use the term "core." 
	Norte Americanos are the worst sufferers of back pain in the world. Why? Because we're soft. We have an easy life, and it is human nature to revel in ease and comfort. So we don't exercise, we eat garbage, and if it isn't ready in 5 minutes, we won't bother with it. Then, we decide to get fit, go flat-out, and cripple ourselves. Or we let it get to the point where we throw our backs out picking up our children to play with them. Let's fix that for those wanna-be's, before they enlist, and screw up their chances, shall we? Actually, don't bother answering, because I'm gonna do it anyway. 
	The core is where all movement in your body originates. Whenever you begin to do anything, from throw a jumping-spinning-side-kick, to pulling on your socks in the morning, it all starts in your mid-section. Your body's core - the area around your trunk and pelvis - is where your centre of gravity is located. (For those of you who only have to glance downwards to see it, without moving your head, you may want to start taking this thread a little more seriously. For your own health.) When you have good core stability, the muscles in your pelvis, lower back, hips and abdomen work in harmony. They provide support to your spine for just about any activity. And without support to the spine, you're pooched. 
	"Core strength" refers to the muscles of your abs and back and their ability to support your spine and to keep your body stable and balanced. Learn how to strengthen your core, you reduce back pain, you reduce the chances of spinal injury, and you get strong abs. Strong abs and a strong lower back allow you to exercise harder, lift heavier, run longer, and hump that God-awful rucksack further, thus allowing you to carry out the mission better. And you look better come swimsuit season. A little Brazilian wax job, and I feel no embarrassment in my daring little two-piece.
	In years past many athletes vigorously performed countless sit-ups as they visualised the emergence of a six-pack. (Back in the days when people thought 'spot-training' was possible.) Chasing the illusive washboard abs left little thought for the practical benefits of possessing strong abdominals. Form over function - appearance, not practicality. (My biggest problem with "body-building", but that's a rant for another thread and another time.) That was until two words began infiltrating the fitness industry, stopping everyone mid sit-up. Common sense. Okay, actually it was "Core Stabilisation" but I like my phrase better. Exercise should be about health, not looks. 
	Core stabilisation refers to the ability of the abdominal (all of them, not just the ones you see when you eat straw for a couple weeks) and back muscles to work in unison and support spinal alignment. A strong core is vital in protecting the lower back and maintaining good posture. (Good posture is vital in promoting proper spinal alignment, you see how it ties together? It's a circular pattern - only you can decide if you want that cycle to be healthy or destructive.) This facilitates fluid movement of the limbs when the body is in motion. And that, Ladies, Gents, and Undecided, is our goal - functional strength that will maximize our performance as soldiers.
	Sit-ups alone are not effective. If you train only one, or even several of the abdominals, you are only partly training the core. In fact, the result is overly developed superficial muscles (rectus abdominus) and weak core stability. (Again, form over function. Like sticking a Geo Metro engine and tranny in a Lamborghini chassis. Useless, but looks cool.) It is the deep underlying muscles, the transverse abdominus (TVA), internal and external obliques and the entire back musculature that combine to make up our "core". 
	The 'discovery' that traditional abdominal exercises target only the superficial muscles had gym instructors and physiotherapists getting people off the floor and onto the Swiss ball. The instability of the Swiss ball rapidly recruits stabilisation of the core muscles, improves balance, promotes mobility and aids in correcting posture. I am a big fan of it. In the world of body-building, we saw a re-emergence of the 'Dinosaur' work-outs. People began to get away from machines that do most of the stabilizing for you, and away from the various isolation exercises that only work one specific muscle. They began to work the entire body, or at least use movements and exercises that incorporate several muscle groups together. (I touched on this earlier in the thread - the use of compound movements, push-ups, etc.) It also reinforced the concept of cross-training, using several different forms of exercise to work the entire body in totally unfamiliar ways. Then we saw the emergence of Pilates. (The irony in all this is that we are returning to what the early pioneers of bodybuilding were advocating all along. Forget the chemically-enhanced guys on the covers of today's magazines. Look to Steve Reeves, Bill Pearl, Jack Lalanne for role models and work out advice.)

Everyone still with me? Groovy, that was the intro. Now we get into the science part. Stay awake, it's important for you to grasp the concepts behind this before we get into actual workout movements. That way, you'll realize why you should do things in a certain manner, and can identify when you inevitably screw it up.

*Core Muscles*
The major muscles of the core itself are: 
Transverse Abdominis - The deepest of the abdominal muscles, this lies under the obliques (muscles of your waist). It acts like a girdle or weight belt, wrapping around your spine for protection and stability. This is the stuff you never see (at least I hope you never see yours. If you do, call a medic!), but is the most important, and most neglected.
External Obliques  - These muscles are on the side and front of the abdomen, around your waist. They're the one that are covered up by "love handles". Although who loves having handles on their body, hanging and flapping, I dunno.
Internal Obliques - These muscles lie under the external obliques, running in the opposite direction. See how the body is designed? Everything has cross braces, and they all need to be strengthened.
Rectus Abdominis - The Rectus Abdominis is a long muscle that extends along the front of the abdomen. This is the 'six-pack' part of the abs that becomes visible with reduced body fat. If all you want is a visible six-pack for looks, all you gotta do is stop eating. If you want to have a strong body, keep reading.
Erector Spinae - The erector spinae is actually a collection of three muscles along your neck to your lower back. These are so often neglected, and so often blamed for back pain, when it's the front stuff that is usually letting you down. It's all inter-connected, and ignoring one part will cause the entire framework to collapse at some point.
Be sure to target all of these muscles in your strength training workouts. While ab muscles can't be separated (they all work together in each exercise), there are exercises that favour certain portions of the abs. As well as the muscles themselves, you need to strengthen the various tendons and ligaments that connect them to the skeleton. If you over-develop the muscles, and neglect the connecting tendons and ligaments, you're heading for disaster. 

*Core Strength and Back Pain* 
	When the core muscles are weak or there's an imbalance (typically, you work your rectus abdominis with crunches but fail to strengthen your TVA), a common side effect is back pain. Back pain is common because so many muscles have to contract and relax in order to allow you to stand and move. Tendons attach muscles to bones, ligaments hold your vertebrae together and muscles protect your spine and hold your body in place. If all of these are healthy and strong, you're good to go. But, if you have weak muscles, poor posture and/or excess weight, your back will be the first place you feel the strain.
	It becomes worse when you begin an exercise regime after a long lay-off, or start an entirely different program than you are accustomed to. It's so much worse when you start one like that necessary to enlist and serve. If you have a weak core, push-ups are brutal, since the incorporate the core to such an extent. Sit-ups are entirely different from crunches, and place a higher demand on the physique. Humpin' a damn ruck is sheer torture if you have a weak core. When you get that extra weight on your back, it completely throws your posture out the window, unbalances you totally, and places a sever strain on your lower back. Runnin' demands a strong core to allow you to maintain the posture necessary to run efficiently. Now, do you see why I've been harping on proper form throughout this entire thread? 

G'head, read it again. 
See? 
Now ya getting' it?
Good, read on. We're getting to the exercise movements themselves.

to be continued...


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## paracowboy

*Using Weights for the Core*

*Ab Exercises* 
I'm calling it Ab exercises, but I'm throwing in stuff for  the erector spinae and obliques as well, in no particular order, just as they come to me. 
*Roman Chair* - with the Roman Chair, you can use your own body weight to work the entire Abdominal Girdle. In the order listed, they work Abs, erector spinae, and obliques. *Sit-ups:* Lie on it with your feet under the ankle supports, face up, and do straight-leg sit-ups. Keep your hands either crossed on your chest, or with the finger-tips touching the ears. Do not cup the head. Once you can do a sufficient number of sets that way, pick up a 25 lb plate, hold it over your chest, and do them like that. Don't lower yourself to far backwards. Try to bring yourself down until you're horizontal, but no lower. Keep the movement slow and controlled, especially when holding the weight. Do them straight-legged as you're also working on strengthening the tendons and ligaments in the hip flexors.* Hyper-extensions:* Lie on it with your feet under the ankle supports, face down this time. Lower your upper body until you're at a 90 degree angle, head down. Raise your upper body backwards to the horizontal. Keep your hands either crossed on your chest, or with the finger-tips touching the ears. Once you can do a sufficient number of sets that way, pick up a 25 lb plate, hold it across your chest, and do them like that. Add weight as needed. Keep the movement slow and controlled, especially when holding the weight. *Side-bends * (Side-lifts? I dunno what to call them, honestly)*: * Lie on it sideways, with your feet under the ankle supports.  Hold yourself parallel to the floor, or dip downwards slightly, then bring your body upwards as far as you can. Repeat. Once you can do a sufficient number of sets that way, pick up a dumbbell and carry on. Keep the movement slow and controlled, especially when holding the weight.

*Chin-up Bar * - *Abs:* Reach up and grab the bar in an over-hand grasp, thumbs either over, or under the bar, whichever you prefer. Using the abdominals and hip flexors, raise the legs to 90 degrees. Lower, and repeat. (You can incorporate this movement into your regular pull-ups if you choose. Working more body parts at once, burning up more calories.) Once you can do several, grip a dumbbell between your feet to add weight. (This also causes you to employ more muscle groups.) This movement can also be performed on that one particular stand with the back-rest and arm supports designed specifically for the movement, but it doesn't incorporate as many stabilizing muscle groups. *Obliques:* Reach up and grab the bar in an over-hand grasp, thumbs either over, or under the bar, whichever you prefer. While hanging there, curl your knees upwards, feet hanging naturally, in a sort of sitting position. Now, using the muscles in your entire side, but specifically the obliques, bring your legs sideways and upwards. Your goal is to bring the legs horizontal, parallel to the ground, but out to your side. If (unlikely, but if) your grip gives out before your obliques do, use wrist-straps.
Along with the leg raise performed here, you can also utilize a bench. Sit on a bench with your legs out in front of you, gripping the bench behind you with your hands. Raise your legs up and curl your knees to your chest. Straighten them back out, and ensure you keep your upper body upright at all times. To add to the difficulty, you can eventually start gripping a dumbbell or medicine ball with your feet.

*Dead-lifts:* Place sufficient weight on a barbell, lower it to the floor from it's stand. Now, with legs straight, (leaving a slight bend in the knees) bend over and grasp the barbell. Using only the muscles in the lower back and hamstrings straighten up. The barbell should hang naturally downwards the entire trip up, coming to rest across your thighs. Lower, and repeat. For an extra stretch, once you've built up to it, you can perform these standing on a sturdy box or bench, to allow the plates to go lower than your feet. There are several slight variations to this movement, and you can look them up to find the ones that work best for you. I prefer straight-legged dead-lifts as they are the hardest, and therefore, work the most muscles, and junk. My favourite variation, and one I've begun to utilize the most due to my back injury is this - *Romanian One-Legged Dead-lift:* standing with your feet close together, reach down and pick up a light dumbbell in one hand. Raise one foot, the opposite to the one in which you are holding the dumbbell, and straighten up, now lower the dumbbell to the floor again. That's one. By removing one foot from the equation, you are trying to maintain your balance, and with the extra weight in the opposite hand, it calls upon even more stabilizing muscles. Change feet after a 8 - 12 reps, and repeat. Perform this after regular dead-lifts and Good Mornings, which we'll get to next.   

*Good Mornings:* Place sufficient weight on a barbell, in a squat rack. (In fact, you shouldn't really need a squat rack for hits, since you should only be using enough weight to be able to pick it up and place it on your shoulders.) Get your shoulders under it, step back from the rack a good distance, now slowly, and under control lower your upper body face downwards, until your torso is parallel to the ground. And raise yourself back up. Good morning! Repeat. Your feet should be far enough apart to balance properly. You don't want to over-balance with your face down and a barbell across your neck.

*Sideways Dumbbell Raise * (or something, again, I don't know if this has a proper name or not. I saw an old boxer doing them years ago and he showed me how to do them properly.)*:* Standing with your feet shoulder-width apart, grab a dumbbell in one hand. Lower your upper body to the side, with the dumbbell running along the leg to ensure you aren't twisting too far. Try to bring your upper body as close to parallel with the ground as you can. Now, raise yourself back to upright. Once you've done a set, switch hands and do another set with the other side.

*Cables:* kneel in front of a cable stack, ensuring that you have either a long handle or better, the triceps ropes on the cable. Holding the ropes in each hand, with your fists about level with your ears, curl your upper body down, performing a 'crunch' in the kneeling position. Play with the weight stack until you find the one that's right for you. To make it more difficult, face away from the stack. 
You can incorporate the Swiss ball in this movement by placing it in front of the stack and putting the ropes on the bottom pulley. Lie face up on the ball, with your feet spread far enough to give stability, but not so far that the stabilizing muscles are removed from the equation. Now, grip the ropes in the same manner previously, and perform a 'crunch' bringing the torso upwards, and the chest towards the pelvis. The extra stretch from using the ball, along with the difficulty of balancing, really adds the number of muscles used, hitting most of the core group.


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## paracowboy

*Ab Exercises - Floor*
*Bicycle* - The Bicycle exercise is the best move to target the rectus abdominis (i.e., the 'six pack') and the obliques (the love handles ), according to a study done by the American Council on Exercise (whoever they are). To do this exercise correctly: Lie face up on the floor and place your fingers beside your head, touching the ears. Bring the knees in towards the chest and lift the shoulder blades off the ground without pulling on the neck. Straight the left leg out to about a 45-degree angle while simultaneously turning the upper body to the right, bringing the left elbow towards the right knee. Switch sides, bringing the right elbow towards the left knee. Continue alternating sides in a 'pedaling' motion for 12-25 reps. 

*Vertical Leg Crunch* - The vertical leg crunch is another effective move for the rectus abdominis and the obliques. Lie face up on the floor and extend the legs straight up with knees crossed. Contract the abs to lift the shoulder blades off the floor, as though reaching your chest towards your feet. Keep the legs in a fixed position and imagine bringing your belly button towards your spine at the top of the movement. Lower and repeat for 12-25 reps. If you want, reach forwards (upwards) and form a triangle with your hands. Use the 'sight' formed to focus on your toes, and 'aim' at them while performing the movement.

*Reverse Crunch * - It may seem like the reverse crunch is for the lower abs but, remember, the rectus abdominis is one long muscle, so you can't separate upper from lower. To do this move right: Lie on the floor and place your hands on the floor or behind the head. Bring the knees in towards the chest until they're bent to 90 degrees, with feet together or crossed. Contract the abs to curl the hips off the floor, reaching the legs up towards the ceiling. Lower and repeat for 12-25 reps. It's a very small movement, so try to use your abs to lift your hips rather than swinging your legs and creating momentum.

*Full Vertical Crunch * - In a full vertical crunch, you really work the abs by involving both the upper and lower body. To do it right: Lie face up on the floor and place your fingers beside your head, touching the ears, and contract the abs to lift the shoulder blades off the floor. At the same time, press the heels towards the ceiling, creating a 'u' shape with the torso. Lower down and repeat for 12-25 reps. For you old-school guys, it's basically the "V-Sit".

*Plank* - The plank exercise (remember it from Gym class?) is a great way to build endurance in both the abs and back, as well as stabilizer muscles. To do it right: Lie face down on mat resting on the forearms, palms flat on the floor. Push off the floor, raising up onto toes and resting on the elbows. Keep your back flat, in a straight line from head to heels. Tilt your pelvis and contract your abdominals to prevent your rear end from sticking up in the air. Hold for 20 to 60 seconds, lower and repeat for 10-15 reps.

*Oblique Abdominal Crunch* - Lie face up on a mat. Flex your knees and bring your heels close to your buttocks. Cross your hands over your chest. Tuck your chin into your chest. Slowly curl your upper body towards your knees and rotate your body so that your left elbow moves toward your right knee. This should be a rolling, curling motion. Concentrate on strongly contracting your abdominal muscles. Hold this position for a moment. Slowly allow your upper body to curl back to the floor. Alternate between moving your left elbow to your right knee and your right elbow to your left knee.

*Lying Leg-lifts* - Lie face up on a mat. Place your hands beneath the small of the back, and raise your legs 6 inches to a foot off the ground. Hold. Hold. Hold. Hold. Release. Vary it by using your feet to spell words in the air, 6" off the ground. Scissor-kick, or splay the legs outwards. It's all good.

Everyone knows what a sit-up is, and how to do a crunch, so I'll just give examples of variations: the best over-all is the straight-leg sit-up with the feet unsupported. But, it's also the most difficult, and should not be done right away. Work up to it. It employs the most muscles and tendon/ligaments, but can cause more harm than good if you just jump not it. Don't neglect the decline bench for sit-ups or crunches and don't be shy about grabbing a 25 lb weight once you're ready.


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## paracowboy

*Exercises on the Swiss Ball*
The Swiss ball (Exercise Ball, whatever your gym calls it) is a friggin' great tool for strengthening those never-seen-in-a-bathing-suit-so-they're-always-ignored, hard-to-get-to muscles (such as the TVA and erector spinae), as well as improving your balance and overall coordination. I use these after working the crap out of my abs, obliques, and lower back with conventional weight training movements. By that time, the visible, outer muscle groups are exhausted, and they recruit the interior muscle groups more and more to complete the task I'm demanding of them. Also, by burning out the exterior muscles with weights, I'm not in the gym for 3 hours using only my body weight. I can usually be in and out of the gym in 45 minutes, totally spent. (A not uncommon procedure, my wife tells me - in, out, totally spent, and way to soon. I don't know what she's talking about.)

*Back Extension * - Lie facedown with the ball under your hips and lower torso. Look around to make sure there are no Catholic priests nearby. On your toes or knees, and with your hands on the sides of the head or behind your back, slowly roll down the ball. Lift your chest off the ball, bringing your shoulders up until your body is in a straight line. It's essentially a version of the hyper-extension, except that it recruits more stabilizer muscles. Repeat 12- 16 times. Wait 30 seconds and do another set. And, once more. Make sure your body is in alignment (i.e., head, neck, shoulders and back are in a straight line), your abs are pulled in and that you are breathing continuously. Don't consciously hold your breath in any exercise movement.

*Ball Balance * - Lie facedown with the ball under your abs and hips, hands on the floor and legs straight. Hold that position for 20 to 30 seconds, keeping your body in a straight line, abs pulled in. Keeping your balance, slowly raise your right arm out to the side, taking care not to roll or allow any part of your body to collapse. Hold that for a few seconds and switch arms. Rinse, and repeat as necessary.

*Hip Extension* - Lie face up on the floor with your heels propped on the ball. Keeping your abs tight, slowly lift your hips off the floor (squeezing the buttocks) until the body is in a straight line. Your weight should be on your shoulders and trapezius muscles. Hold for a few seconds and lower, repeating 10 to 15 times. Do a few sets, resting 30 - 60 seconds between sets. To make it easier, place the ball under your knees rather than under your heels. To make it harder, cross your arms across your chest. To make it nasty, cross your arms across your chest, and raise one leg in the air slightly.

*Ball Twist* - Face down, lying on the floor, place your feet on either side of the ball (twisting your ankles so that you are 'hugging' the ball with them). Hold your body in a straight line with the abs 'pulled in,' hips straight and hands directly under shoulders. You are now in a push-up position, with your feet on each side of the ball. Slowly twist the ball to the right, keeping your torso straight, then to the left. Don't sag in the middle. Do as many as you can for 10 to 20 seconds, rest and repeat.

*Ball Crunch* - Lie face-up on the ball, feet flat on the floor, with the ball resting under your mid/lower back. Cross your arms over the chest or place them behind your head. Contract your abs to lift your torso off the ball, pulling the bottom of your ribcage down toward your hips. As you curl up, keep the ball stable (i.e., you shouldn't roll). Lower back down, getting a stretch in the abs, and repeat for 12-16 reps. Do several sets. Your shoulder-blades and neck should touch the ball on the down-stroke to get a full stretch. If you aren't getting a full extension, you won't get a full contraction, and you are cheating yourself out of an excellent movement. Hey, it's your call.

*The Plank * - Just like the one you used to do in Gym class, but using a Swiss ball. Roll over the ball face-down, until your hands are on the floor and the ball is under your knees or further down your shins. Eventually, you will have the ball under your toes. You should be in a push-up position with unlocked elbows. The spine is in a neutral position (that is, your hips are square and parallel to the floor). Contract your abdominals by drawing them toward your spine. Hold the contraction for up to 30 seconds. Increase the difficulty by walking further out on your hands. Now, make it tougher by raising one foot in the air. Now raise one foot and the opposite hand. Now bring 'em both in and do push-ups. Now do push-ups with one foot in the air, and your hands alternating - one hand under your shoulder, one hand up past your ear. Switch!

*I don't know what to call this one * - Lie face-up on the ball, feet flat on the floor, with the ball resting under your torso. Now roll over onto your side, with the ball under your armpit, and your weight on your ribcage and edge of the foot. Hold yourself  stiff, sorta like doing a Plank, but sideways. Hold the contraction for up to 30 seconds. Relax, and allow the body to sag until you're sitting sideways, and then repeat. Do a few sets.

Annnnd...collapse!

more to follow, over....


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## paracowboy

message continues, 

All right, so far we've discussed how to directly target the Core muscles. Now, let's look at how to indirectly target them. As stated above, every time you do something in the least bit physical, you're activating them. The problems start when they haven't been hit often enough. Like the calves, these muscles are used every day, and all the time. But, like all muscles, they adapt to the stresses placed on them, and try to as little as possible, or to adapt as little as possible. This is why we end up with back pain when we think we're only working our legs that day, or only going for a run. So, let's look at ways to hit them indirectly. This'll cause them to realize that they will be called on everyday, and they'll adapt to this demand.

Like I said waaay back in this thread, you want to get away from typical bodybuilding exercises and routines unless that "sport" is your goal. If your intention is not to appear to be strong, but rather to actually BE strong, you need to look at the big compound, multi-body part movements. If your intention is to have muscular strength and endurance, and to burn off fat tissue, you need to look at exercise routines that incorporate these movements. 

Basically, the easiest way to decide how to make any weight training routine into more of a compound type one, is simply to avoid sitting down to perform a movement, and to avoid machines except towards the end of a workout. Do everything you can standing up. Now, you're constantly stimulating several muscles at once, especially the stabilizing muscles of the core.

For instance, and for example, the overhead triceps extension. The conventional wisdom has people seated in a chair with a big back to brace yourself against, and allowing you to spread your feet, very effectively isolating the triceps, and permitting you to use heavier weight. But, movements like this remove the stabilizers from the equation. The irony of movements like this, is that while making the exercise safer in the short term, it acts against your well-being in the long run by making you more susceptible to back injury.

So, don't do it sitting down. Stand up. Now, you have a weight behind your head, forcing you to balance and support yourself against gravity pulling you backwards and down. The stabilizing muscles are getting hit indirectly, the triceps are getting hit directly. You're involving several different muscle groups throughout the entire body - triceps, biceps, handgrip, shoulders, back, core, and legs. In addition to gaining strength, you're also burning more fat. It's a friggin' two-fer! And that's the goal.

Same holds with the traditional barbell curl - avoid the Scott bench (Preacher bench, whatever your gym calls it) and do it standing up. Now, the weight is pulling you forwards and down. This is putting more demands on the erector spinae, but still involving the entire core, and the legs.

Shoulders: avoid sitting - do the lateral raises, behind the neck press, military press, front raise, etc all standing. To hit the stabilizers a little more directly, finish a shoulder routine with ONE-armed dumbbell presses. Grab a dumbbell in one hand, stand up, place your other hand over your midsection, or behind your back to get it out of the way, raise the dumbbell to ear level, and push it towards the sky. Do it a few times. You feel that? All the way from your shoulder, through the upper back, to the lower back? Maybe a little creeping into the stomach and leg? Pretty nifty, no?

Legs: when you work the legs, you are hitting the stabilizers more than with any other body part. So avoid the machines here like the plague, until the very end of the workout. Squats. Do squats. Do lots of squats. Do many different variants of squats. Think about it - you're placing weight onto your back and that demands the body balance itself forwards and backwards as well as side-to side. Try this variant: place the barbell across your shoulders (with a fairly light weight), cross your feet at the ankles, and now squat. You can't use a lot of weight, but it demands more from the legs and a lot more from the stabilizers. Try this lunge variant - place your forward leg onto a bench and perform a lunge that way. Again, you can't use a lot of weight, but it demands more from the legs and a lot more from the stabilizers.

I'm not going into every single weight-lifting movement here in great detail, it'd take too long, and I'm a lazy man. It's sufficient to say, when designing your workout routine, try to find a way to perform every exercise with free weights as opposed to machines (dumbbells being better than barbells), and try to avoid sitting down when you could be standing up. This serves the added bonus of not having to wait around while Joe Cool-guy is sitting on the Pec-deck chatting to Miss Spandex, cutting into your work-out time. You also don't end up sitting/lying in somebody else's sweat puddle because he's too big a slob to wipe it down once he's finished.

This works not only for newbies to PT, but also for guys 'n' gals who've been gym-rats for a while. If you've been following the type of workout advocated in most glossy supplement advertisers masquerading as body-building magazines, try doing what I've said above. Avoid the machines and stand up for 3 weeks. Then go back to your last workout routine, and let me know if you didn't see a dramatic improvement in strength and endurance. You certainly should, since you're now making demands on more muscle groups AND the tendons and ligaments of the entire body. Typical body-building routines focus on the muscle, using lots of isolation movements, so the tendons and ligaments are not hit as often, as hard, or from as many different angles. But, they're vital for strength. By employing them more in this manner, they are also forced to adapt and grow stronger.

Experienced gym-rats may have to drop the poundage in certain exercises at first, which body-builders and competitive power-lifters are often loath to do, but it will come back fast, and the pay off is huge. You'll blow past previous sticking points, burn more fat, and not waste your time waiting for Joe Cool-guy to stop hitting on the chicks in painted-on "work-out" clothes.


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## paracowboy

I just realized some dumbass is going to perform every single exercise I listed, back-to-back for 50 sets of 30 reps each, cripple himself, and not be any use to the Army.

Do NOT do that. I listed so many different exercises so that people can pick and choose, mix and match. Find the ones that you can do now, and work towards the ones you can't. Add numbers of repetitions and sets as you gain strength and edurance. Increase the weight to increase the intensity.

But, ease into it. If your core is weak now, doing everything listed above is not going to help. It's going to sideline you for days, and possibly longer.

There are enough exercises there that you can mix 'em up and get several different workouts from them.

Any specific questions, again, don't hesitate to pm me.


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## MacKenzie1NSH

Do you have any dieting tips as well? Like I know protein is nessesary, but how can I get enough of it without walking around with a T-bone steak in my pocket, or spend 80-100$ per month on suppliments? 
Chris


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## CdnArtyWife

There is protien in more places than you realize..

Peanut butter, cheese, yogurt and legumes (beans, lentils, etc) are just the tip of the iceburg.

Read your lables, you will find protien in places you would least expect it. (in a slice of bread, for instance)


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## paracowboy

tuna, skinless chicken, etc, these are wonderful if you're trying to be a bodybuilder. Unless you have some sort of eating disorder, though, they're not necessary. I eat the skin on my chicken (my blood type is KFC gravy). I don't advocate any special diets, they're fine for athletes who can watch what they intake. We are soldiers, and we eat whatever comes out of the ration box, or whatever the cook puts in front of us. (And we are thankful that we are in the Canadian Army when we do.)

MacKenzie,
just eat healthy, eat often, and take a multi-vitamin.


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## rf

Can someone who has been through the BOTP/IAP at St. Jean tell me what footwear I will be wearing to do running (my running shoes or issued boots)?  It goes without saying that marches are in boots, as is a lot of other activity, but we are told to bring two pairs of athletic shoes with us, one for outdoors and one for indoors. What is the surface for the runs (pavement, grass, snow, trails, ice?).

Cheers,
rf


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## I_Drive_Planes

Bring two GOOD pairs of runners, that you have ran in before (a lot).  You will be running a whole bunch on a wide variety of surfaces (I'm sure nearly everything will be there that you mentioned) , make sure that you are used to your shoes before you get there.  I never did any running in my boots when I was there.  

Planes


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## Sf2

I have a tip for those who get side "stitches" or cramps while they run.
First, why do you get cramps?

 If the cramp is on your right side, its most likely your liver.  Its the heaviest organ in that area, and it hangs there on ligaments attached to your diaphram.  All that a bouncing around stretches the ligaments, and it begins to hurt.  

If the cramp is on your left side, did you eat recently?  Most likely food still in your digestive tract getting sloshed around.

Here's the tip.  Exhale on the opposite side of your cramp.  So if your right side is hurting, exale when your left foot hits the ground.  Cramp on the left?  Exhale on the right foot down.

It may sound crazy, but it totally works.  Also, along with this breathing technique, try to limit the bounce in your stride during cramps.


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## MacKenzie1NSH

and trying to massage the pain away while running is pretty pointless, you only cause further irritation to the ligaments, but one thing that can help you stretch them out, is when you first start to feel them, put your hands ontop of your head and take deep breaths and exhale as Short Final explained


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## Sf2

You CAN place your hand into the stick....just don't massage it.  If you press into your right side, it prevents the liver from moving around.  It helps a bit.


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## IamCanadian

Hi all, just a quick question about shin splints. I don't feel any pain in my lower leg anymore when i walk around or run up stairs or anything, I do have a bump where the pain used to be though. Is this important? The people at The Running Room told me I should roll a water bottle on my shins when I get shin splints, they said something about breaking up the lactic acid. I don't know if that has any relevancy but I thought I would mention it. I've recently picked up a brand new pair of Asics and the snow is melting so I can run on the grass now, hopefully this will keep me from getting shin splints again....Thanks  ;D


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## William Webb Ellis

Jonathan said:
			
		

> I thought it ment that mymuscles arnt growing



No it ain't the case, if you are young you may never get DOMS.......consider yourself lucky, at 34 I get it all the time, and am expecting a new case, Sunday after the first rugby game of the season.

Take a look at this link for starters:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Delayed_onset_muscle_soreness

Also if you want more info on exercise this site is very detailed, you just need to dig: http://www.exrx.net/ExInfo.html


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## agent911

In regards to nutrition with the goal of endurance, strength and over all fitness and health in mind I would advise you to follow the Canadian food guide. http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/fn-an/food-guide-aliment/fg_rainbow-arc_en_ciel_ga_e.html

Of course different people will need different amounts of food. But according to the Canada food guide, you should be emphasizing grain products (5-12 servings a day) and vegetables (5-10 servings a day) with 2-3 servings of dairy(depending on age) and 2-3 servings of meat products a day. Emphasize cereals, breads, vegetables and fruit. I know its hard to eat a lot of fruit and vegetables; so instead of have some cookies or yogurt as a snack I eat an apple or have a banana or baby carrots. Pick vegetables with vribrant colours as these have the highest amount of nutrients. When choosing grain products keep in mind that one slice of bread is one serving; so if you eat a sandwich with two slices of bread - that's two servings. Stay away from white bread; choose multi-grain as often as possible. Generally, a serving is the size of your hand. Most importantly: eat a variety of foods. For example; don't strictly eat beef or chicken as your source of protien; switch it up and eat some eggs or tofu or peanut butter. Variety is key. If your looking to cut some fats out of your diet try little things like not using as many condiments, choose leaner meats, and read the label.
Hope this helped.


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## paracowboy

I just pruned 6 pages o' shite from this thread. If you have a valid point, please feel free to add it, but I ask that you ensure it will prove useful for the majority of readers.

If you have a question, first, for the love o' Pete, read the thread through from the beginning. If it hasn't been answered here, or in the other threads in this forum, feel free to pm me.

Thanks.


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## Thaern

So I've been trying like mad to break in my feet and boots before basic and after 3 laps  around my local golf course i am the proud owner of two huge blisters on each of my heels.  Now i am also an avid rower and i remember getting blisters like this on my hands before they became thick and calloused. Something I remember an old coach telling me was to soak my hands in very strong cold tea to help harden them up (he said something about the tanic acid hardening the skin like you would tan leather).  It worked quite well on my hands and i am about to try the same for my feet.  Just thought i would throw that out there and see if anyone has tried this and what results if any they have had.


----------



## paracowboy

Well, nobody with any medical knowledge has stepped forward, so…
I’ve seen/heard/read of this and similar things (peeing on your feet, for instance). My own view is: while some (SOME) of the ideas behind them seem to make sense (ie, tannic acid is used to toughen hides to make footwear) there is no evidence aside from anecdotal. Folk wisdom sometimes has some very strong truths to it, but modern medical science (to the best of my knowledge) hasn’t validated any of the ones dealing with toughening the feet. 

So, go ahead if you want (I’m not advocating it, but I certainly can’t stop you). The placebo effect may help you out psychologically, if nothing else. I would recommend you seek out some medical advice before you do it, though. I kind of tend to think that soaking your feet may actually be counter-productive, softening up any callus you build. But, I don’t *know*.

If you do try it, let us know how it turns out. If your feet turn to hamburger, it may prevent others from the same thing. If you find it works, then beauty!


----------



## Hot Lips

http://walking.about.com/cs/blisterschafing/a/blistersbegone_2.htm

Here's the site to support the use of tanic acid as well as advise of other ways to get feet toughened up...enjoy

HL


----------



## Thaern

Well i must say the tanic acid worked quite well.  Just soaking them for one day reduced all the swelling and after they dried they were pretty tough and i even managed to walk on them (in combats).  After a few treatments they turned into true callouses that got me through a 13k ruck march.  Who knows maybe in a month my feet will fall off but for now this seems to work and ill post any change that may occur.


----------



## Hot Lips

http://walking.about.com/cs/blisterschafing/a/chafing.htm

Here is some info on how to avoid chafing...and what areas might become chaffed if you don't prepare.

Be well
HL


----------



## paracowboy

Thaern said:
			
		

> Who knows maybe in a month my feet will fall off but for now this seems to work and ill post any change that may occur.


Well?


----------



## GaelicSoldier

This may not be good for your feet, but it works for me.

I have a gravel drive way and I find it helps to walk around in bare feet on the gravel and even on the pavement.  Mind you I also look for glass and other things that could potentially cause some damage to your feet.  Walking on the the rough surfaces helps.  I've broken in my combats by running in them for roughly 15k, didn't get a single blister, and all I did was walk around bare foot for about a week and a half before.

Hope this helps.

Cheers :cheers:


----------



## Kate723

Whether or not its good for you, walking on gravel and pavement toughened my feet up as well.


----------



## paracowboy

this should answer a lot of questions regarding the EXPRES test:

www.rmc.ca/athletics/pe/EXPRES/CF_EXPRES_Operations_Manual_e.pdf

You guys can thank Cobra-6. (And it's all avail on open-source.  It's created by, run by, and administered by, civvies. So don't even think about starting on me. You know who you are.)


----------



## Thaern

Sorry bout the Delay in re posting but i was off doing my BMQ and SQ.  So yeah my feet were more than just fine they were great and almost 100% blister free even after our ruck marches and the FTX.  The only blister i got was from walking in my civi shoes back from Cultis lake to STC/CFB Chilliwack, and that was on the top of my foot which was to be expected because i had lost my socks in the lake when someone knocked my shoes in (also therefore wet shoes).


----------



## nathanvs

Just a quick question about the tannic acid soaking method.  I realise the best source for a good soak is strong tea, but what tea specifically?  Do some types of tea have more tannic acid, or possibly no tannic acid at all?  What kind did you use Thaern?


----------



## Island Ryhno

nathanvs said:
			
		

> Just a quick question about the tannic acid soaking method.  I realise the best source for a good soak is strong tea, but what tea specifically?  Do some types of tea have more tannic acid, or possibly no tannic acid at all?  What kind did you use Thaern?



Peppermint, it'll soothe your feet at the same time.


----------



## blacktriangle

I think I've got shin splints again, but only on one side. Is this normal, as both times I have had them, It was only on one side. I suppose taking a week or two wont hurt me too much, and I've begun all the stretching excercises...too bad really because I have time to spare due to the holidays. I guess ruckmarching is still ok with shin splints?


----------



## NL_engineer

Smith2-0 said:
			
		

> I guess ruckmarching is still ok with shin splints?



No, you should keep stretching your shins, as you are off and can.  Avoid high impact lower body pt for a few days this with the stretching should help.  _Use this advise at your own risk as I am an Engineer not a Medic._


----------



## jdmoney

In regards to shin splints, has anyone ever tried using a TENS machine to stimulate the muscles and help cut down on the healing process?


----------



## VanMedic

Here's a web site for all of you guys with shin splints, I suggest reading the part on the Cause, Preventing and Treating shin splints. It's easier to understand how to treat shin splints if you understand what causes them.

http://www.thestretchinghandbook.com/archives/shin-splints.php


----------



## Adrian_888

> You have to be careful with mole skin. The adhesive on the mole skin is not enough to keep the patch on your feet. Mole skin is for AFTER the march. I know some guys who try to wear it before a march. They always pay. I've seen guys use moleskin improperly. It always came off during the march, ended up being a ball of crap in their boot, and actually made their feet worse than if they wouldn't have used it at all.



A question about that, I have managed to get blisters on the top of my foot, near the ankle, and was wondering if this might be an exception to the "no mole skin" suggestion?


----------



## Donut

This is the first time I've perused this thread, so if this has been covered before, oh well  8)

with regards to the use of moleskin,  Paracowboy was absolutely correct in that the adhesive on moleskin is not up to the task.

One thing that is up to the task, except under extreme conditions (hours of immersion, incredibly poor fitting boots, etc), is Tinc Benz (friar's balsam) such as this 

http://www.mec.ca/Products/product_detail.jsp?PRODUCT%3C%3Eprd_id=845524441931941&FOLDER%3C%3Efolder_id=2534374302695977&bmUID=1176096128250

used as an adhesive to hold either the moleskin in place, or the Spenco adhesive knit over top of Second Skin (tm), such as this:

http://www.mec.ca/Products/product_detail.jsp?PRODUCT%3C%3Eprd_id=845524442620247&FOLDER%3C%3Efolder_id=2534374302695977&bmUID=1176096226153

You will hear old soldiers talk about the "friar's balsam treatment".  I'm not even to tell you what it is, because someone will get an idea and try it.  Suffice to say, *do not get tinc benz in an open cut.  DO NOT GET TINC BENZ IN AN OPEN CUT.*

If you're going to "glue" down the bandage, ensure you round the edges so they don't roll on you and worsen the problem, apply the glue to both the dressing and the skin around the blister, give it a second to get tacky, and apply.  Trim the edges again as necessary.

These products have taken trips from miserable to tolerable, and from tolerable to wonderful, especially in new hiking boots, plastic mountaineering boots, and ski touring boots.

PMT


----------



## PMedMoe

Oh, can I say it, can I?  Suck it up!!! Always wanted to say that.  Joking!!!
I actually HATE that response!!  I never "toughened" up my feet, I just dealt with blisters when they did occur.  I'm not sure there's a "tried and true" method.


----------



## BootStrap

I just want to drop in and say thank you to paracowboy for this thread and the "advice for FNG's" one, they helped me out allot.

Question time: do you recomend running in boots, and what are some good way's to toughen up the feet?


----------



## Wright

The biggest thing i noticed was peoples feet with blisters and irritations after a day of drill, ruck marches and basic marching around, 

i found a magic little  gel called hydropel, even after the 13km i had no blisters with this stuff, for the most part even average foot pain and cramping was gone with this, i told my DS about it and he had heard about people doing the ninemegan( spelling????) using the same stuff,
worked wonders for my feet
might for yours


----------



## Bandit1

Quick question about socks...

Can you bring your own wools (in my case, Smartwools) for your training boots?  Or should you stick with what is provided to you?

Bandit


----------



## The_Falcon

Bandit1 said:
			
		

> Quick question about socks...
> 
> Can you bring your own wools (in my case, Smartwools) for your training boots?  Or should you stick with what is provided to you?
> 
> Bandit



If your on course stick with what the queen gave you, unless your course staff say otherwise.


----------



## Bandit1

Hatchet Man said:
			
		

> If your on course stick with what the queen gave you, unless your course staff say otherwise.



Thank you Sir, appreciate the advice!


----------



## Marshall

Hi,

I read the article by para on shin splints (very good)


Im wondering if you guys think i should go see a doctor for help, or if you know the best thing to do?

Ive had S.S for as far back as i can remember, and i dont remember it ever going away. Only last year my gym teacher told me i probably had a problem called shin splints, i always thought it was just muscle burn when i was younger. Until the pain started to get so bad that after 10 minutes of running my shins would be burning a hole in the ground.

I use to run on just my toes usually, which would make me very bouncy. My teacher said it was probably making my calf (or shin) muscles wayy too strong compared to the other muscles around my tibia and making them flame up or something. 

He told me to just rest and do a thing where you crunch up a towel with your toes, and that it helps flex all the muscles in your lower leg.

I wasnt very dedicated to the towel thing tho, so here iam with them still. I want to get rid of them now tho for i can begin to exercise much more during my G12 year coming up, and then eventually join the CF. I decided not to take Gym12 for i wouldnt be put into situations of large stress on my shin splints.

Also, is there any drugs to hell combat possible inflamation in the shins?

Any help would be appreciated greatly.

-Alex  :blotto:


----------



## Gimpy

TN2IC said:
			
		

> You may want to research some on this site before posting.
> 
> 
> Here is what I found.
> 
> http://forums.army.ca/forums/threads/33109.0.html
> 
> Seek and you"ll shall find,
> Regards,
> TN2IC



It also wouldn't hurt to read the first sentence in a post where Marshall says "Hi, I read the article by para on shin splints (very good)".

Just a suggestion


----------



## George Wallace

Looks like a big  ;D all around.   ;D


----------



## Wright

if ya dont mind doing yer laundry every night on course(or your section does it every night), go for it, they never asked to see the socks we we wearing, people even wore sports socks cause it was the middle os summer and the amount your feet sweat was crazy.


----------



## chucky_online

** Salute **

It's very accurate statements expressed here. Thank God for the good advice and sensible advice shared here. You were a soldier for a long time, me thinks . . . .




			
				paracowboy said:
			
		

> *Attitude Again:*
> Some of you youngsters out there need to realize that this ain't no movie. I don't mean to preach again, I just see a lot of young guys going into this with visions of grandeur and thinking it's gonna be like some damn TV show. Sorry, kids. They're not gonna start handing out the black nomex and MP5's when you get here. They're gonna hand you some wore out 70's era kit with a heavy ruck and a worn-out rifle. When that kidney pad on that ruck digs a hole in your back and your feet have been wet so long that they are cracking and bleeding, think back about the big adventure. Think I'm being dramatic? If you stay the course, it WILL happen. Reality is a cold slap in the face. If you want some good photos, take some shots of your feet after a few days of trenchfoot on the move. That'll be something to show the grandkids. This ain't TV, guys. It's not high adventure. Most of the time it just sucks.
> The point of this post is so you can get your head right for what is to come. It's not about nomex, velcro and MP5's, guys. It's about jumpin', humpin', freezing', walkin' and hurtin'. The new guys on here always say, "I know that" but I really don't think you do. But you will. I promise you that. The thing is, you can't quit. That's it. It's that simple. Never quit. A man who quits must be shunned. He sets a precedent of weakness that may drag others down with him. Other cherries may quit too. The quitter never thinks about others and the extra weight they will have to carry in his absence. He doesn't think about the extra shifts that his section will have to cover off. He only thinks of himself.
> Bein' an Infantryman is persistence. Never quitting. Ignoring pain, hunger, exhaustion, fear, and doubt. No warm and fuzzies, no hero's accolades, no cookies, just pain and sweat and suffering.  You just have to fight the pain. Fight through to the other side of it. Become one with it. Endure. Outlast. Overcome. Ruck up, lean forward, and hump! Time to heal later.
> Everyone thinks about pullin' the trigger, and bein' the he-ro. "Lookee here, everybody! I'm bustin' caps!" Well, sorry tough guy, but pulling a trigger is easy. Humping a ruck is when you find out who will be on the ambush to pull that trigger. That's the Infantry. Slogging along under a heavy load with your buddies. Being part of a team. Let's look at that again: *Being part of a team*. The men you are with at the end of a long hump are good men. The men to your front and rear in a chalk preparing to jump from the sky are good men. The men to your left and right in a trench system in -1, 000, 000 degree weather at EndEx are good men. Tested men. Training is good for more than just teaching you the skills you need. It also weeds out quitters, before they can get you killed.
> The other side of the coin are those granola-munchin', tree-huggin' types who think that they're enlisting to hand out soap and blankies to the Third World. Sorry, again. That's not what Canada does. Despite the propaganda you've had shoved down your throat the past decade, that is not 'Peace-keeping', and it most certainly is not what we do overseas. We don't pose for cameras cuddling babies, and we're not constantly surrounded by smiling happy people. When you go on a tour, you will be in a different country where the majority of the populace are indifferent to your presence, a small percentage welcome you because of your money, and a small percentage will actively try to kill you. Thing is, that small percentage will be on BOTH sides of the conflict. You are in the middle of both warring factions. Just to make it more interesting, you are an Occupation Army, so a number of the indifferent population will support those who are trying to kill you. Then, you have the bandits, thugs, slavers, drug runners, local law enforcement, politicians, and other criminals whose businesses you are hampering. Add to that the branches of several different terrorist cells, and you can begin to understand that (oh my!) Canadian soldiers regularly face death from violent forces. And Canadian soldiers regularly deal death. So, if you're not willing to kill for Peace; if you don't honestly believe that Truth, Justice, and the NHL are worth committing cold-blooded murder for, maybe you shouldn't join our little club.
> I didn't type all that crap out to demean any of you. I have better things to do with my time. I'm trying to help you. If you don't wanna listen, don't let the door hit you in the *** on your way out. You can accept that and learn something or you can move along. I don't care either way.
> 
> Oh, yeah: The grey man. The grey man is a very important concept or attribute. You must blend in, not stand out in the crowd. DO NOT DRAW ATTENTION TO YOURSELF. That means keeping your mouth shut and doing what your told. Look like the rest. Doing what your told to the best of your ability. Being PART OF THE TEAM. That is the grey man. That is why so many of you wannabe's, civvies, and cherries get slapped down on these sites. That is why you get chewed out in person. If you want to be a hero, don't enlist. If you want to be part of something greater than yourself, to become PART OF THE TEAM, sign the line. If you need recognition, or attention, the Infantry ain't for you. If you have an ego that needs gratification, and you can't place the interests of others before your own, this ain't the place for you.
> If it were easy, anyone could do it. It ain't, and they can't.


----------



## combat_clarke

I am the King of getting shin splits. I can get them walking bare foot across the floor. An old soccer buddy of mine told me to walk on my heals for a few minutes a day. So when I am home I stand up its like doing a reverse calf raise but your just putting all your weight on the heal of your foot and walk around for a few minutes. Never had shin splits again. Hope this helps.


----------



## chucky_online

combat_clarke said:
			
		

> I am the King of getting shin splits. I can get them walking bare foot across the floor. An old soccer buddy of mine told me to walk on my heals for a few minutes a day. So when I am home I stand up its like doing a reverse calf raise but your just putting all your weight on the heal of your foot and walk around for a few minutes. Never had shin splits again. Hope this helps.



Thank-you, Mr. Clarke. I will give it a try.


----------



## newrecruit

Try to walk on your heels with your toes lifted. And try to change your shoes. These are the 2 best advices and treatments I have ever recieved. Oh yes don't waste your time and money on a doctor unless it's extremely severe. There's a lot of streches for S.S on the internet


----------



## ModlrMike

Agreed. Paracowboy did an exceptional job in explaining shin splints LINK.



			
				newrecruit said:
			
		

> Oh yes don't waste your time and money on a doctor unless it's extremely severe.



I disagree with newrecruit. I think your description of "burning a hole into the ground" qualifies as severe. I _would_ recommend you see your doctor and explain the situation to him in exactly the terms you used here. Request a consult to either physio or sports medicine so that you can have a proper foot, leg, and gait assessment done. Even if you walk away with nothing more than new stretches and exercises, you will have gained something. Now is the time to get this problem resolved, not after you wind up on BMQ.


----------



## Rick Delaney 1

Get to the doctor now.Ask for a circulation test.I too suffered with shin splints my whole life.I forced my way through the pain for my whole career.When I went to  the doctors the said it was everything from bad shoes to bad knees,A few years after I left the army I had severe chest pain and when I went to the hospital I was sent to a specialist who found the circulation problem in my lower legs.Because of the misdiagnosis and the lack of proper treatment,the only treatment that I have left is Amputation.GET TO A GOOD DOCTOR NOW.


----------



## spartan_phillip

Hi, wow I wish I found this stuff a long time ago. I have less then a week, 6 days before I leave for Quebec. I have started running, but not enough I know. I think the worst part though for me will be chin ups and such. I am a fairly big guy. I am 17, I believe 88kg and about 6'3, I got short arms for my size though and I can hang with my arms at a 45 degree angle for a minute maybe longer but I think chin ups will be the death of me. I have no way to access a bar so if I can get a way quickly to work the affected areas that would be great... To make it worst I have no weights or anything, so is there anything I can do simply with myself or a household item?
The info is great, I just do not have enough time to apply it
Thanks very much


----------



## JBoyd

there are alternate chin-up bars everywhere you just have to know what to look for, trees, a deck, a door frame if it is sturdy enough. you can buy a chinup bar for about $20-$30 at sportchek, but if you dont want to purchase one, well most playgrounds will have something easily useable as a chinup/pullup bar.


----------



## spartan_phillip

Hi, Thank you, I wish I though of that. Park one block away, I will do it before my run.
Thanks again


----------



## Marshall

thanks for the replies.

I went to my doctor and he doesnt know much about S.S. He said its probably just from years of walking the wrong way or something. 

Ima get some better shoes (runners), and ill get a good sole or something to see if this will help. And ill try the walking on heel thing. I dont think its my circulation tho Rick.


----------



## Dirt Digger

So from what you've said, after about ten minutes you start having severe pain in your lower legs.  I'm assuming that it causes you to shorten your stride.  When you stop running, does the pain go away after a few minutes?  Have you ever had your leg go "rigid" and been unable to flex your foot up and down, or had numbness & tingling in your feet?

From your comments and symptoms so far, it sounds like (chronic) anterior compartment syndrome.  Pretty common to blame the problem on "shin splints".  This site has a fairly good explanation:  http://www.spinalhealth.net/inj-comp.html

I _highly agree_ with ModlrMike...go and get a sports medicine referal.


----------



## Command-Sense-Act 105

Here is a link to a post I made earlier about running, injury and shoe selection.  

My best advice - don't buy any serious running footwear at a place like SportChek, Footlocker or others that sell a wide variety of athletic gear, clothing and *athletic fashion* items.  The staff in these places *generally* does not have the expertise that you will need to help get over your injury.

Best of luck getting fit and healthy.


----------



## Col.Steiner

I would agree with Hatchetman about what to wear on your feet. Use the kit supplied to you, it is given to your for a reason. The reason I know this is that I learned it by watching a fellow recruit during QL3 who decided to experiment with his own sock layering technique, using three pairs of white socks and some high-tec crap from a outdoor clothing store. After about 6 km out of that damn 14 km ruck march, he couldn't walk anymore do to the pain in his feet. He wasn't a pus either. When we got back to our tents, he had his feet up on the cot and a medic was taking his boots and socks off. When the medic removed his last par of socks, the ones in contact with his feet, the skin came off with it. The skin peeled right off the bottom of his feet in a perfect shape of a foot, toes and all! Kind of looked like one of those bathtub grip tapes shaped as a foot. He was forced to redo his training in the winter. My feet were fine with what I was issued.


----------



## Marshall

Dirt Digger said:
			
		

> So from what you've said, after about ten minutes you start having severe pain in your lower legs.  I'm assuming that it causes you to shorten your stride.  When you stop running, does the pain go away after a few minutes?  Have you ever had your leg go "rigid" and been unable to flex your foot up and down, or had numbness & tingling in your feet?
> 
> From your comments and symptoms so far, it sounds like (chronic) anterior compartment syndrome.  Pretty common to blame the problem on "shin splints".  This site has a fairly good explanation:  http://www.spinalhealth.net/inj-comp.html
> 
> I _highly agree_ with ModlrMike...go and get a sports medicine referal.



It seems to happen about 5 minutes into a mid-speed run. Then it escalates quickly from there. The pain does usually go away with about 4 minutes of not walking much. I never get to the point (unless i just havnt pushed it enough) to not be able to move my joints. :/ Im only 17 tho, so my doctor dismissed it. But he could be wrong. I dont get any feel of numbness or tingling tho (except on the immidiate spot). Ive had this for a long time, even when i stopped exercising for like half a year. And it never went away, same pain occured when i began again.


----------



## spartan_phillip

Hi, I will definitely make sure not to do that. Leave in under 48 hours, may hell begin?


----------



## blacktriangle

Good luck bud. It might be the hardest thing you have done in your life, but when its over...you'll probably look back and see it was the start of the best time of your life.

Hang in there, and keep us updated.


----------



## spartan_phillip

Hi, Thank you very much, will it be harder then all the infantry stuff? I am excited but nervous lol, I should be going to school on Monday not flying to the army. I am sure I will be the youngest on course. My age makes me feel very unprepared, going to have to bite the bullet.


----------



## blacktriangle

spartan_phillip said:
			
		

> Hi, Thank you very much, will it be harder then all the infantry stuff? I am excited but nervous lol, I should be going to school on Monday not flying to the army. I am sure I will be the youngest on course. My age makes me feel very unprepared, going to have to bite the bullet.



No, I'm not Infantry, but since you're going reg force...don't expect a cakewalk. About age, I did BMQ (albeit reserve) at 16 and it was not terribly hard physically...the hardest part  was working as a group and meeting our timings.  ;D I did accelerated courses so I could leave high school early, and I'm done in a week, looking to go reg force...I know how you feel. Its not age, it is maturity- the two don't always come hand in hand. Good luck.

Cheers.


----------



## spartan_phillip

Hi, well what do you know. Same boat, I was going to go reserve but looked at my transcript and said I can get done a year early. So I just waited. I agree, age does inforce maturity. Thanks, I bet I will need it.


----------



## Venomous Shadow

I found an abundance of useful information in this thread. I am currently in training (As there is not much I can do outside of school and working full time..) and am hoping to be accepted into some type of CF infantry regiment. I still need to fill out an application and find out more information for basic training, but I have to leave that until tomorrow morning. I am currently in terrible shape for a 17 year old.. I am basically a 6'4" bone rack. I have been going to the weight room lately though, but lacking any cardiovascular. I thank paracowboy for his information, as I will undoubtedly be using this week. Also, I enjoyed the small bit about not suggesting to be a plane.. but back onto topic. I need to pick up some vitamin C anyways due to the fact that I am experiencing mild symptoms of scurvy (Note to anyone else in my position, don't live off microwaveable food and sandwiches!). Are calcium supplements suggested? I do not react well with milk products, and in turn, lack a calcium intake. As far as testosterone, paracowboy suggested zinc and magnesium. Would I need to purchase both? Or just one? (Yes, I seem to be deficient in this area as well, unless I have just done a more demanding workout session.)


----------



## OkotoksRookie

Yeah man, I agree. This post is chalk full of good solid info.
Calcium supliments are king for people who are lactose intolerant and their faily inexpensive.
As for Zinc and Magnesium I would buy them seperately so you can monitor your dosages better. Jamieson's brand is pretty inexpensive and has good dosages. Also... never underestimate the value of Vit. C. If your working out hard some Vitamin C can really help keep your immune system and energy up.


----------



## Venomous Shadow

Yeah, I notice a lot of the guys at the gym bring oranges and such, especially when they are starting to get sick. My question is mostly: Do you require both magnesium and zinc to raise testosterone levels? Or are they both just different substances that cause the same effect?

Edit: I found this on a separate web page for anyone that may have been curious like myself. They both seem to cause separate effects, so I don't seem the problem with taking both.

"Zinc

If you are deficient in this mineral you are seriously sabotaging your efforts!  A deficiency will noticeably decrease muscle strength and endurance!  Zinc literally promotes healing, tissue repair, and muscle growth. And as I was discussing earlier it helps to optimize and increase Insulin-Like Growth Factor 1, Growth Hormone, and the all mighty Testosterone!  In addition, many of the enzymes that prevent the buildup of lactic acid (the "fatigue acids") require zinc. Doesn't sound like something you want to mess with does it?  Exactly!  

The second trace mineral is:
Magnesium

A deficiency in this mineral will decrease oxygen delivery to your muscle tissue.  Magnesium promotes
muscle strength and endurance.  What is really exciting is that it also is proven to promote relaxation.
Magnesium also activates enzymes necessary for the metabolism of carbohydrates and amino acids. 
This is also something you do not want to find yourself deficient in.

An easy solution would be to simply supplement with these two minerals.  However there are some rules to the procedure.  

a.  take it 30 minutes before bed on an empty stomach ( you should digest at least 1-2 hours before taking this supplement )

The reason why I say to take it 30 minutes before bedtime is because zinc's effect on healing, tissue repair, and muscle growth is maximized during sleep. The largest daily burst of natural growth hormone occurs during stage 3 and 4 sleep (about an hour and a half after going to sleep).  Insulin, testosterone, zinc, and magnesium increase the effect of growth hormone. So, this is the time you want zinc and magnesium at a peak level in the bloodstream.

b.  The dosage should consist of:  Magnesium: 450mg, Zinc: 30mg

c.  Do not take anything that has calcium in it with zma!  Calcium competes ferociously with the absorption of it!"
Information taken from: http://www.abcbodybuilding.com/magazine/zman.htm


----------



## PMedMoe

I'm not trying to be ignorant here, just curious.  If people are into body building, why are they not also into eating properly?  People who eat a variety of foods from the food groups usually do not require supplements.  Obviously, if you're lactose intolerant, you may need to take a calcium supplement, although the lactose in cheese and yogurt sometimes does not cause the same problems as the lactose in milk.  The same for vitamin C; why not just have a glass of orange juice every day?   ???


----------



## OkotoksRookie

Awesome question PMedMoe,
Very often eating lean or entering a 'cutting-phase' you'll be on a very restrictive diet (a lot of the competitive body builders I meet only eat chicken, egg whites, oatmeal and steamed veggies for days upon days durring these phases) so you miss out on some of the vitamins and minerals your body needs. They'll take multi's or cull their pill popping to supplement what their diet is lacking to make sure that their still preforming in the gym.
As for the lactose and calcium supps. your right. Food is always better then pill. Try other sources, but if it hurts you, don't do it.
Vitamin C in forms of real fruit and concentrated fruit juices (no sugar added) are always king. Again, food is better then pill. That being said, sometimes the sugar content in fruit's and fruit juices (even though it's natural) can hurt diabetics if their blood sugar is allready really high. That would be the only reason I could think of for taking pill over the real thing but there may be more (i.e. time, unable to carry fruit while traveling ect...)


----------



## Venomous Shadow

Well, in my case, I don't have the time, nor the budget to purchase much as far as required nutrition. I buy buns and meat every weekend for dinner at work.. but I also have to go to school. Between school and working full time, I don't get a lot of time to myself. I usually leave for school at 8AM, work out a lunch time (11AM-12PM), get home at 2PM to have a quick break and food, leave at 3PM for work, and get home between 10PM and 11PM. Out here in the boonies of Vancouver Island, everything is already closed by then. Vegetables and fruits never last a whole week in my living arrangements, so I pretty much buy it as I need it. Although, thanks to Paracowboy, I did take his advice as far as supplements. On my way to the recruiting office this morning, I spent my Christmas bonus on a multivitamin (containing Vitamin C), protein mix, as well as a supplement containing: Magnesium, Zinc, Calcium, etc. I purchased all of this for about $80 from a Canadian based company called: Popeye's Supplements. They do offer a military discount as well, and is apparently quite cheaper than you'd find on base if any of you are interested. 

As far as cheese and yogurt, yogurt seems to cause the same results as milk, unlike cheese. Although, if I relied on cheese for calcium, I would be as constipated as.. well.. you get the picture. 

Edit: Spelling correction.


----------



## ForsterFB

Marshall.  Big Shin Splint problem, need help. August 23, 2007, 22:34:15 » Quote  

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"He told me to just rest and do a thing where you crunch up a towel with your toes, and that it helps flex all the muscles in your lower leg.

I wasnt very dedicated to the towel thing tho, so here iam with them still. I want to get rid of them now [. . . ] and then eventually join the CF. I decided not to take Gym12 for i wouldnt be put into situations of large stress on my shin splints.

Also, is there any drugs to hell combat possible inflamation in the shins?"



Hello Marshall, I am a 3rd year B.A. Physical Education major at Vancouver Island University, my interest leans towards physiotherapy.  

I think you're situation is very interesting and would like to wade in.  

At 17 you are still developing muscle strength and balance, I used to have exactly the same running pattern where you are on your toes most of the time.  What sports do you play basketball and volleyball, maybe soccer as well, and track?  Your doctor was probably right on the money about a muscle imbalance causing part of the problem.  Try strengthening your calves to counteract the strength of the muscles attached to the tibia and fibula, this will more evenly distribute the forces required to run and to stop.  

Part of what causes "shin splints" is the tearing of the fascia around muscles.  Fascia is essentially a fibrous tissue that acts like a glove around your muscles and nerves holding them down in bunches.  Essentially the fascia allows our bodies muscles and nerves to pass smoothly like nylon fibers in a cotton sheath past each other.

Dedication, to physiotherapy is what will get you through the problem.  See a good sports physiotherapist in your area, and dedicate yourself to the exercises they assign you.  If you want to dedicate a year of your time to fix the problem, you have to dedicate yourself to the work involved to make it happen.  Especially due to the fact that dedication to an army life is a lot more demanding physically than a little bit of Gr. 12 Gym. 

Marsall "any drugs to [help] combat possible inflamation" will only mask the symptoms and allow you to keep going until serious damage does happen.  Alot of the time people carry an ethnocentric view that doctors and drugs are what is required to stay healthy.  Preventive medicine, like preventive maintenance (such as changing your cars oil, or cleaning a rifle) is alot cheaper and affordable than fixing the symptoms that develop through a lack of maintenance, like a broken car, or a broken rifle or a broken body.

I hope that I have added something useful here for you and that you see a Sports Physiotherapist that can help you.  An initial visit will be very minimal in cost, and you will have access to a qualified professional who has probably already done academic work around or with your problem.  At the least you will be given a few exercises and good advice.  Good luck.


----------



## Sigger

These symptoms sounds alot like the same thing a friend of mine has. He suffered through it from basic through his 3's. Eventually he got a surgery and is now 100%


----------



## The_Falcon

Marshall said:
			
		

> It seems to happen about 5 minutes into a mid-speed run. Then it escalates quickly from there. The pain does usually go away with about 4 minutes of not walking much. I never get to the point (unless i just havnt pushed it enough) to not be able to move my joints. :/ Im only 17 tho, so my doctor dismissed it. But he could be wrong. I dont get any feel of numbness or tingling tho (except on the immidiate spot). Ive had this for a long time, even when i stopped exercising for like half a year. And it never went away, same pain occured when i began again.



I am going to to tell you from my own personal experience (ie I personal experienced the exact same symptoms), what you describe is more than likely Exertional Compartment Syndrome, and not shin splints (as sigger and dirt digger) already mentioned.  Go see a Doctor pronto!!  If he is unsure if you have it or not, (not all GP's know what exertional compartment syndrome is) get a referral to a orthopedist or sports medicine doctor.  If you are in the GTA these guys http://www.semisportmed.com/hm/ specialize in all things sports related and can positively diagnose whether you have shin splints or Compartment Syndrome (LFCA TC Meaford sends troops they believe who are suffering these problems there to get tested).  If you want to pursue a military career, you NEED to get this sorted out ASAP, ESPECIALLY if its compartment syndrome, as it will progressively get worse, and in the end may require corrective surgery (which is what happened to me.).


----------



## ForsterFB

Re: Shin Splints, Blisters, and PT 
« Reply #85 on: November 16, 2007, 05:15:58 » Quote  
__________________________________________________________________________
Quote from: paracowboy on August 09, 2005, 11:23:29
Attitude Again:
   Bein' an Infantryman is persistence. Never quitting. Ignoring pain, hunger, exhaustion, fear, and doubt. No warm and fuzzies, no hero's accolades, no cookies, just pain and sweat and suffering.  You just have to fight the pain. Fight through to the other side of it. Become one with it. Endure. Outlast. Overcome. Ruck up, lean forward, and hump! Time to heal later.

Dedication.  It's not easy.  You've got a year to heal Marshall, better see that physio about Compartment Syndrome, and get started.


----------



## Sigger

Thats exactly what my friend had. Iforgot the name.


----------



## Marshall

RedBurton said:
			
		

> Re: Shin Splints, Blisters, and PT
> « Reply #85 on: November 16, 2007, 05:15:58 » Quote
> __________________________________________________________________________
> Quote from: paracowboy on August 09, 2005, 11:23:29
> Attitude Again:
> Bein' an Infantryman is persistence. Never quitting. Ignoring pain, hunger, exhaustion, fear, and doubt. No warm and fuzzies, no hero's accolades, no cookies, just pain and sweat and suffering.  You just have to fight the pain. Fight through to the other side of it. Become one with it. Endure. Outlast. Overcome. Ruck up, lean forward, and hump! Time to heal later.
> 
> Dedication.  It's not easy.  You've got a year to heal Marshall, better see that physio about Compartment Syndrome, and get started.





Ive actually gotten much better on my own now. Ive lost around 20+ pounds and the pain is only on one leg now and its 1/10th of the intensity it use to be (and it goes away at times during a run). I believe a rapid onset of inactivity might of triggered it. And i believe if i keep at it and loose another 10 or so pounds ill be beating it to dust.


----------



## ForsterFB

Good start Marshall, now you just have to stick to it.


----------



## Marshall

RedBurton said:
			
		

> Good start Marshall, now you just have to stick to it.



thx, and i will!


----------



## GrassGreenPte.

To anyone going off on course for the first time, here's some advice: read up on common PT injuries, and if there is something wrong with you that you can't treat yourself, get some help. When I did my BMQ, I had never done any running before so I didn't know what to expect and sprained both my ankles in the first week and then kept going, which led to injuries to my leg muscles from having to compensate for the instability which led to me looking like a retarded spaz on course runs. They called me "Private Faceplant" from that point until the course ended. Long story short, I kept my mouth shut and my feet moving (as much as I could get them to, anyway) and made it through (even though going for a little walk was now difficult). SQ was four days later, and I ended up getting a medical RTU 3 days in when it was finally noticed that I appeared to be having some difficulty. Turns out I'd screwed up the ligaments in one ankle really badly so that I had to keep off my feet, not carry anything and wear a brace for six weeks after all the time, and now just when I'm actually doing something...like walking to the store. And I'm going to have to wait a year before I can try SQ again.  
_Moral of the story: Toughing it out won't do you any good if you injure yourself and have to drop out of the course or, even worse, cause some lasting damage. Ice it and elevate (or whatever the particular treatment is) and if that doesn't work, go see the doc._


----------



## Raylee

These are some really good points. My pedorist says the three best brands of running sneakers are Asics, Saucony and New Balance. With a good running shoe it should bend only where you would naturally bend your toes, you should be able to twist the shoe moderately (if it twists around easily it's not very supportive) and if you have shin splints you should consider getting a dual density soled shoe, where the medial (inner) part of the shoe is slightly firmer than the outside to help prevent over protating which can help a lot! I used to get really really bad shin splints (I was a hurdler) and really found orthodics helped me a lot.


----------



## Braydon619

Hello everyone.

I'm in need of some advice.... I sent my app in for reg forces near the end of November and i started trying to get into shape expecting it to take awhile.

Well i messed up and think i started myself to hard with the wrong kind of shoes.... i ran for about 2 weeks without problems and i was better pretty fast on the treadmill. Then i got a sharp pain in my legs which would hurt ALOT if i ran... if i ran on the treadmill it would lessen to a degree while running but then it would be twice as painful after i stopped. So i did some research on this and found out it was shin splints i tried most of the things i read. I used the other cardio equipment at the gym to put less strain on my legs, it seemed to lessen unless i ran on them. My gym membership ran out Xmas eve. I got a new pair of shoes on Christmas for running which are really comfortable. So i haven't been able to test them out at a gym yet.

I iced my legs every day, took aleve, and started trying to to strengthen them with some exercises i seen on the net. One were you put your foot on a wall with your heel on the ground and it stretches it, and another were you just try and pull your toes towards your legs upward for about 5 minutes. 

It seemed to be working fine... i wasn't really doing any exercising since before Xmas, just things at home like push-ups, sit-ups and what not. But last night it was warm enough i figured i could go for a run... i was able to go as far as i could before the cold was making me gasp for air, my legs didn't really hurt much just a little off the start which i thought was because maybe i was going to fast. I did about 1.5km jogging/walking... and i got home my legs didn't feel to bad. Today their don't hurt when I'm walking or anything just if i touch them or say if i squat kind of like a catcher. 

Does anyone have any ideas if this could be serious or not? Maybe my legs just need for strenghtening? maybe I'm to heavy for what I'm doing (230 lbs BTW)? 
I'm really hurting to figure this out because my interview in Thursday and if they don't wanna wait for me to get into better shape I'll be going to basic and probably ending up in the RFT. 
Any help would be greatly appreciated, any tips if someone has had a similar problem or anything would be nice. Thanks


----------



## George Wallace

You can also look at  Shin Splints, Blisters, and PT.


----------



## Slaw

I can honestly say I was in the same situation last year. I wieghed the same as you did and when running without the proper shoes my legs would hurt really bad. I decided to get new shoes and it helped a bit but not much. I  narrowed it down to ShinSplints as well which it wasn't as it turns out. I just toned the running down a notch, did more stretching and didn't go as far as I was going before. Eventually the pains completely disappeared. When the pains dissappeared I weighed myself again and I was at 205lbs instead of 240lbs. So all in all just slow down the pace specially it you are not used to running outdoors...you will notice a difference when you drop a few pounds.


----------



## Marshall

I think the biggest problem is the weight. 

While I have not been running lately because I am lazy and hate the roads being a sheet of ice, I still lost that 30-40 pounds and my shins still do not burn nearly as much when crouched down or any other position putting strain on them. So I believe weight, or a rapid-onset of weight can damage your shins pretty bad. Mine are still healing I figure. 

This spring.. zoom zoom. haha

I lost my weight by rollerblading, it still puts a bit of pain (or it did at the start) on your shins. But it is much less intense. It is a good work-out if you do it long enough and at a good intensity (just do not go so fast you can not stop for a car ha.) Then I started running the end of fall just to see if it helped and it did, I was stopping more for air then at all for my shins


----------



## Raylee

Marshall said:
			
		

> Hi,
> 
> I read the article by para on shin splints (very good)
> 
> 
> Im wondering if you guys think i should go see a doctor for help, or if you know the best thing to do?
> 
> Ive had S.S for as far back as i can remember, and i dont remember it ever going away. Only last year my gym teacher told me i probably had a problem called shin splints, i always thought it was just muscle burn when i was younger. Until the pain started to get so bad that after 10 minutes of running my shins would be burning a hole in the ground.
> 
> I use to run on just my toes usually, which would make me very bouncy. My teacher said it was probably making my calf (or shin) muscles wayy too strong compared to the other muscles around my tibia and making them flame up or something.
> 
> He told me to just rest and do a thing where you crunch up a towel with your toes, and that it helps flex all the muscles in your lower leg.
> 
> I wasnt very dedicated to the towel thing tho, so here iam with them still. I want to get rid of them now tho for i can begin to exercise much more during my G12 year coming up, and then eventually join the CF. I decided not to take Gym12 for i wouldnt be put into situations of large stress on my shin splints.
> 
> Also, is there any drugs to hell combat possible inflamation in the shins?
> 
> Any help would be appreciated greatly.
> 
> -Alex  :blotto:


Oh shin splits... I have fond memories of track and field days where after my race I couldn't walk afterwards.   Get a running sneaker that has a dual density sole. ASICS Gel Kayano's are awesome for this. A lot of the time, shin splints result from over-pronation and abnormal movement while running. A stabilizing sneaker can help this. I had the worst shin splints ever until I got orthodics which almost instantly helped. The way you're running is probably the cause of your shin splints, because for jogging you should be striking heel to toe.


----------



## Marshall

INFLAR said:
			
		

> Oh shin splits... I have fond memories of track and field days where after my race I couldn't walk afterwards.   Get a running sneaker that has a dual density sole. ASICS Gel Kayano's are awesome for this. A lot of the time, shin splints result from over-pronation and abnormal movement while running. A stabilizing sneaker can help this. I had the worst shin splints ever until I got orthodics which almost instantly helped. The way you're running is probably the cause of your shin splints, because for jogging you should be striking heel to toe.



Hehe long overdue help for me. I'm good now. But thanks  I'm sure others will like the information though.


----------



## Rinker

I went to see a doctor about this just to get rid of them as quick as possible. And turns out you NEED to stretch after a run. Focus on the calves, because as they tighten it pulls on your tendons and muscles along the tibia adding unnecessary strain even when you done running. As for during the run they will not have full range of motion increasing the strain. So I found some good stretches on the internet and I am getting better.


----------



## nickinguelph

Training properly is always key.  As I am an avid running, and at the gym 5 days a week, running every day, what I find works is a good warm up, for me it's a 5 min fast paced walk, a warm up stretch (calves, quads, hamstrings, knees, and shins -rotating your foot in an up to down circle clockwise then counter clockwise- works wonders for preventing shin splints, as it is a muscle not used often), then your cardio, and afterwards a cool down, another 5 min walk reducing in speed, and then finally stretching.


----------



## ratboy505

Hello all,

I've got a little over a month until BMQ, however, I've recently been battling a case of shin splints, it was going away but i was too aggressive in the recovery and have reinjured them. With just over a month, they should go away just prior to BMQ, however I'm unsure they will be fully healed, there are no guarantees they won't surface again.

Due to the splints I haven't been able to run for the last 3 weeks, and looks like the next 3 weeks at least. I've been keeping cardio up with cycling, but that just isn't the same as running. And I'm hoping i'm not lowering my cardio/running such that it would hamper me on course.

Just looking for some advice:
Should I just wait it out and go to BMQ, or advise the recruiter and try to get a later class?


----------



## Jarnhamar

May sound silly but how do you know you have shin splints?

Most people get pain in the front of their shins from running or marching or carrying a heavy backpack and automatically assume and cal it shin splints.  

The pain most people feel isn't shin splits, it's pain from just having not used those muscles often enough or their pushing too hard.  Actual shin splits are considerably more painful than the average soldier (or whoever) thinks.


----------



## ratboy505

Doesn't sound silly, I even was skeptical at first. However, the running training I have been doing is nothing new or drastically changed. I have been training for over 9 months now, 4 times per week 7-10 kms, due to bad whether ended up on the treadmill for awhile, longer than i should have, and on a switch from treadmill back to road running they originally surfaced. Went to the Doctor and was diagnosed with them.

I want to be able to do my best in basic and then after in sq/dp1, but also don't want to throw in the towel at this opportunity. At the same time if it is best I don't go, I don't want to wait until the last minute to call the recruiter, since I am taking up a spot on course.

I know it is a very subjective situation, however I am looking for ANY advice. Since I have no been through the training..


----------



## medicineman

See a physician and/or physiotherapist perhaps?

MM


----------



## Rinker

Well if your really worried about it go to your doctor. I had shin splints went to the doctor and they gave me orthotics. After getting the adjusted it was good. Then I got em again, needed new shoes. As running on concrete like yourself is how I got them, and good non worn out shoes on concrete makes a big difference as we were never designed to run on it. But seriously go see a doctor they're there to help you.


----------



## leafdude

...I used to get terrible shin splints from my days in the infantry.  And because I was in the infantry, I was expected to tough it out...which I did. Until one day, I lost feeling in both of my feet even at times losing sensation up to the knees. I eventually had to see the doc about it.  I was diagnosed with Exertional Compartment Syndrome and saw a surgeon.  An operation would be the only treatment that would work. I opted out of that because of possible permanent nerve damage as a result of surgery.  Plus, I was moving onto the Air Force so the chances of humping over tank rutts would be next to nil. I am currently on permanent Cat for my legs now but becuase of my trade may still be employed. As well, I am recieving a medical pension for my trouble.
   Anyone that tells you to tough it out through an injury is a moron...and you are more of an idiot if you listen to that advice. Risking permanent injury is not worth false bravado...get the facts and listen to no one other than a professional...and even then, don't be afraid to get a second opinion.  And for god's sake, keep records, if need be do up a CF98, and never take "no" for an answer.  Once you are considered "sick, lame or lazy" the military no longer gives you the time of day.


----------



## adahmani

paracowboy 
  Shin Splints, Blisters, and PT 
« on: August 01, 2005, 11:33:14 »

Thank you very much for posting the info.

i wokrout 3 hours a day / 7 days a week, for personal pleasure and for martial arts + i want to be more than ready for the army when i join. I am kinda sure i have a shin splint because i do a lot of rope skipping ( 20-30 minutes a day ). and now i'v been feeling this pain on my left leg on the side of my shin .. i guess right between the muscle and the shin. I thought it would go away after few days but it's still bothering me not as much as the first few days tho. 

I am not sure if i should take few days off.. i can already hear you guys say what a dumb ass stop playing the big macho man and take a week off .. anyway 

To all of you guys in the army, thank you for what you are doing , we are proud of you


----------



## Nauticus

adahmani said:
			
		

> paracowboy
> Shin Splints, Blisters, and PT
> « on: August 01, 2005, 11:33:14 »
> 
> Thank you very much for posting the info.
> 
> i wokrout 3 hours a day / 7 days a week, for personal pleasure and for martial arts + i want to be more than ready for the army when i join. I am kinda sure i have a shin splint because i do a lot of rope skipping ( 20-30 minutes a day ). and now i'v been feeling this pain on my left leg on the side of my shin .. i guess right between the muscle and the shin. I thought it would go away after few days but it's still bothering me not as much as the first few days tho.
> 
> *I am not sure if i should take few days off.. i can already hear you guys say what a dumb *** stop playing the big macho man and take a week off* .. anyway
> 
> To all of you guys in the army, thank you for what you are doing , we are proud of you


Pretty much right on the button. You should have days off of working out anyway, and if you don't, you're doing it wrong.


----------



## George Wallace

Perhaps visit your doctor to ensure that you don't have Stress Fractures.  If that is the case, you'll be taking more than a week off.


----------



## BornToServe

Awesome thread, better conclusion. Thank yea sir.


----------



## Manticure

OK, I realize that military doesn't tolerate any kind of whining or complaining and I have been already shown that on this forum. But I think I keep having this problem of shin splints. My basic training is on September 7th and my question is, in your people's opinion, should I continue running regularly for the next month to prepare my fitness? Or should I completely stop running to let my legs completely heal before basic? The thing is I can only do level 5 of the shuttle run test and I wanted to train really intensively the whole august to get to level 6, but I realized that will only worsen my leg pain and I can't come to basic training with injured shins.
PS: I've been also wondering, what do you wear for running in basic training or WPC? Do you just run in military boots or running shoes? I've had my running shoes for almost a year now, do you think I should buy new ones for basic?


----------



## Good2Golf

Maticure, try stationary bike for a while. You can burn a lot of calories and conditions yourself well with spinning.  

I'd suggest taking your shoes in to a Running Room (or similar) store and asking for some advice on shoes...your shoes may not be the best for you, and may be worsening a pre-existing condition.  There is quite a difference in running shoes and what they can help (or hinder) with their designs, and you need to have the right kind of shoe matched with your physiology and running mechanics.  The pros can look at the wear patter of your shoes, your feet shape and geometry and some walking mechanics to determine a shoe that is best suited for you.

Regards


----------



## medicineman

To add to what GtG said, if your shoes are over a year old, you should replace them.  Go somewhere like Running Room that looks at your gait and then suggest shoes to fit your running/walking style.  Also, if you're getting shin splints, you need to cut back on the impact some - switch out to cycling and swimming/in pool running.  Gradually go back to running with a walk/run system, gradually decreasing walk to run ratios and do it on something softer like grass if you're running on something solid.  Our physio team in Kingston used to have the exact timings/ratios for this, unfortunately I don't anymore.  Stretch lots after you exercise.  If you're running daily, do a one on one off schedule for a bit too to give the muscles and fascia around them time to recover.

MM


----------



## Manticure

OK, I looked up this place around where I live, called Forerunners. I called them and they said they can look at my feet type and all and recommend the best running shoes for my feet. Do you people think that would be good enough?
I will go there tomorrow and buy new running shoes, and see if it makes running easier on my legs.


----------



## medicineman

I think that would be a good start  :nod:.

MM


----------



## Occam

If you're not happy with Forerunners, I've had success with my local Sports Experts.  I found an especially knowledgeable salesperson who took lots of time getting my running shoes right with my orthotics, and they told me to try them out (indoors on the treadmill!) for a few days and if they weren't okay, to bring them back.  I bought them, tested them out, and they weren't right.  They took them back no questions asked, and got me fixed up with a really nice pair of Asics runners for ~$130 that are like running on pillows.  I used to go reasonably cheap with running shoes - not anymore.

I think the key is to find salespeople who have been around a while, and aren't just high school kids earning gas money - not that there's anything wrong with that!   ;D


----------



## Manticure

Ok I went to that store and the guy there seemed like a professional runner or something and was very helpful. He said my current shoes were definitely not right for my type of shins or ankles because they didn't have support on the anterior side of the shoes or something. So he recommended me to use some different type of shoes and brought 4 different brands to try it out. He said brand doesn't make much difference, and that it's all about the type of the shoe, different brand is just a different feel. After trying all 4 different brands I felt like the ones from New Balance felt the best.
In any case I am not going to run for another few days or weeks until my shins heal completely. Because everyone I talk to, my doctor, people on the web and friends recommend that it's best to completely stop running and let it heal, otherwise it will only damage your muscles and possibly bones more.
In the meantime I'll just do the icing treatments and walking on heels exercise. People say it makes your shins stronger.


----------



## armychick2009

I would suggest doing some stretches specifically for shin splints to help ease the severity of them.  I had them last fall but after a few weeks of doing these, it was gone completely. The following links have helped and were recommended by the physiotherapist...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kv6ycmOWnq0  (the stretches up to 2:15 I was doing)

This one here, is the one that helped the most... 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pj2r4VtyRD4&feature=related

Finally, this one... 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WNsHmC4qgoI&feature=related

Good luck!


----------



## Manticure

armychick2009 said:
			
		

> I would suggest doing some stretches specifically for shin splints to help ease the severity of them.  I had them last fall but after a few weeks of doing these, it was gone completely. The following links have helped and were recommended by the physiotherapist...
> 
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kv6ycmOWnq0  (the stretches up to 2:15 I was doing)
> 
> This one here, is the one that helped the most...
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pj2r4VtyRD4&feature=related
> 
> Finally, this one...
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WNsHmC4qgoI&feature=related
> 
> Good luck!


Allright, I am gonna do these too a couple times a day. I've been doing the one from last video all this time.
Crap, I don't have much time to prepare for basic now. I am flying there in a little over 5 weeks, and it will probably take at least half of that to heal my shins.


----------



## armychick2009

I didn't stop running but I continued and did these exercises several times throughout the run (or fast walk) if they hurt too much... also, icing it when it aches is a good thing to do. Good luck and hopefully you mend quickly!


----------



## Manticure

About a week and a half after getting the shin splints went away. So I slowly started running again 3 days a week.
Now after about 3-5 minutes of running I start to feel kind of heaviness and stiffness in my lower legs. And I know that if I just continue running, I will get the shin splints again, because I know this feeling. I do all kinds of stretches all the time: before and after running and also in the breaks in between running.
But after running I almost don't feel any pain or stiffness. The only time I can feel it is if I push with my fingers on those lines in between the bone and shin muscles, but just barely, not nearly as much as 2 weeks ago.
This is very annoying because now the bottleneck of running for me is my legs. Of course I don't get exhausted at all after 5 minutes of jogging. So now all I can do is try to run as much as I can without hurting my legs so that eventually I'll be able to run as much as to actually make myself exhausted.
Seems like being sent to WPC is inevitable for me. The only other thing I could do is simply ignore my legs and run as much as possible to improve my cardio, but that would be foolish because then I'd come to BMQ with possibly even more serious leg injury on the first day.
I've been doing running on and off since about a year ago but only started seriously doing it around April. Ever since then I've been doing the running schedule attached here. I started from day 1 but never got farther than week 5. My best was jogging 2 miles in 20 mins but now I can't get even get close to that because of my legs.


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## Joani

Hi, Manticure,

I know what you mean about stiffness in your lower legs while running. I've never been sure what that is, but in my own experience, I found that pushing through it (not even stopping to stretch it out, which doesn't seem to help) and concentrating on something else (music, scenery, how funny I look if I'm on a treadmill in front of the mirror) makes it abate after a bit. 

However, if you're sure you'll get shin-splints doing this, then continue doing the stretches as Armychick mentions and maybe work in slowly. 

I went from not being able to run to the bus stop to playing Ultimate Frisbee to running half-marathons. You can definitely do it too!

Cheers,
Joani


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## Ascendant

Someone deleting posts, now?


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## PMedMoe

Kratos said:
			
		

> Someone deleting posts, now?



If you have a query about that, you should PM a Mod.


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## Ascendant

PMedMoe said:
			
		

> If you have a query about that, you should PM a Mod.



You'd think they would PM _you_.

If a mod sees this, can they throw me off a PM?


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## PMedMoe

Kratos said:
			
		

> You'd think they would PM _you_.



With all that they arleady do here (deleting, merging, etc), they don't have the time to PM each and every person affected.  They are all volunteers and they have a reall life, too.


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## Manticure

Ok in the last few weeks since my last post I started doing regular exercises for my shins. Draw alphabet with each foot twice a day. Walk on heels twice a day. And 2 sets of the exercise where you stand on your toes and then raise and lower your heels repeatedly. I have to say all these exercises helped my running quite a bit. I can even notice my lower leg muscles bigger now! So yeah if anyone else has trouble with lower legs when running. Those exercises should help a ton.
On the other hand though, the pain in my anterior shins is still there. Not nearly as much as before but I can still feel it become a bit worse every time after running, but on the next day it's almost gone again. I don't want to stop completely running now because BMQ is in a little more than a week. Today I ran the shuttle test and surprisingly I ran 5.5 for the first time and I think I could actually do 6. But the thing is, once I got to 5, I was quite surprised how I am not that exhausted yet so I decided to go for 5.5 and the thought about level 6 didn't even pop in my head so I just stopped at 5.5 but I was extremely exhausted then.


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## Private

For new recruits who have not done much running before- GET YOURSELF A GOOD PAIR OF SHOES.

This can make all the difference in your training, from increasing your times to preventing shin splints.

If you're from Edmonton a good place to go is Fast Trax run/ski shop. 

A professional will have you run on a treadmill in store and watch your gait, among other things and determine the right shoes for you.

I didn't realize all the things factored in to determine what shoes are good for you...

Most of the staff are regular marathon runners (Death race, Lost souls etc.) not just random shoe salesman so they know what they're talking about.

Here's a link to their website: 
http://www.fasttraxskishop.com/

TAKE CARE OF YOUR FEET


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## jemcgrg

I just wanted to thank everyone for this information. One of my biggest worries about basic is just not being well enough prepared. This has given me some good perspective and also put my mind at ease a bit.


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## SupplyOntario

Shin Splints:

I trained this year for the half in Ottawa, the army run.  Horrible shin splints about 2 weeks into training (I have not run more than 5K - voluntarily - previous to this year).   Once it was clear they were not going away, I found a physio who was trained in GRASTON TECHNIQUE.

They use rounded edged metal tools, and scrape up and down your shins.  It breaks the connective tissue holding your muscle to the bone, and they you get taped up so you heal in the way they want you to.  I kept up my running for 4-5 weeks in the early part of my training schedule (no runs longer than 10K) and played soccer 1x a week, and they got better!  

Previous to finding my physio gal I'd been told by numerous people in fitness there's no fix for shin splints, you have to stop running, let it heal, or you will wreck your shins.  I ran through the pain while getting treated, and shin pain was gone by about week 6.  I was icing after every run, and kept the tape on for as long as possible after ever treatment.

Ran my half in Sept with no shin problems.


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## ComDvr13

paracowboy said:
			
		

> RUNNING
> ...I run with a Discman...



So. Awesome.


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## ComDvr13

paracowboy said:
			
		

> I don't recommend sticking your arms out, and making the 'brrrmm' noises unless you're alone, or enjoy making people nervous like I do.



You are god.


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## medicineman

CbtDvr13 said:
			
		

> So. Awesome.



Interesting way to revive an old thread...



			
				CbtDvr13 said:
			
		

> You are god.



And you are which - doltish, boorish, potsmokingish or just plain ignorantish...or possibly combinations of all of the aforementioned?  

MM


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## lapinpunki

Hi, I know there is a lot of stuff on here already about shin splints. I read all of them and found a lot of tips about healing them (and I'm doing all of them).

This summer I ran a lot to prepare for BMQ, and I started to get shin splints. Not knowing exactly what is was at the time, I continued running anyway. Though now, it is really painful. I start BMQ in Feb, and have not really ran a lot since September. I did a lot of weight lifting at the gym, but it just made things worse. 

I nodiced that if I wait around 2 weeks, most of the pain goes away. Since November , I ran 3 times and every time I could not run again for around 2 or 3 weeks cause the pain would come back.  
My question is: Should I keep on running anyway to get my cardio up, or should I stop running untill Feb and then run a couple of times before BMQ?


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## lapinpunki

Hi, I know there is a lot of stuff on here already about shin splints. I read all of them and found a lot of tips about healing them (and I'm doing all of them).

This summer I ran a lot to prepare for BMQ, and I started to get shin splints. Not knowing exactly what is was at the time, I continued running anyway. Though now, it is really painful. I start BMQ in Feb, and have not really ran a lot since September. I did a lot of weight lifting at the gym, but it just made things worse. 

I nodiced that if I wait around 2 weeks, most of the pain goes away. Since November , I ran 3 times and every time I could not run again for around 2 or 3 weeks cause the pain would come back.  
My question is: Should I keep on running anyway to get my cardio up, or should I stop running untill Feb and then run a couple of times before BMQ?


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## Treemoss

lapinpunki said:
			
		

> Hi, I know there is a lot of stuff on here already about shin splints. I read all of them and found a lot of tips about healing them (and I'm doing all of them).
> 
> This summer I ran a lot to prepare for BMQ, and I started to get shin splints. Not knowing exactly what is was at the time, I continued running anyway. Though now, it is really painful. I start BMQ in Feb, and have not really ran a lot since September. I did a lot of weight lifting at the gym, but it just made things worse.
> 
> I nodiced that if I wait around 2 weeks, most of the pain goes away. Since November , I ran 3 times and every time I could not run again for around 2 or 3 weeks cause the pain would come back.
> My question is: Should I keep on running anyway to get my cardio up, or should I stop running untill Feb and then run a couple of times before BMQ?



In my opinion there is no sense in continuing to do something for a period of time if it's going to cause a greater period of pain or downtime. Remember that "no pain no gain" is a terrible platform to go off of for training, and will make you worse off in the longrun.

So, short answer from me is no; as you may continue to aggrivate whatever injury you have. You have to address the issue of what's causing the pain(proper footing, shoes fitting, medical, etc) and the best person to ask is your local doctor or physiotherapist, as they can provide better advice then any of us here.


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## medicineman

Go to a physiotherapist or sports medicine doc and get proper treatment and get onto proper back to running program.  As there are many different subsets of shin splints (periostitis vs compartment syndrome, etc), you need to figure out what the issue is and get that dealt with appropriately before you start running again.  Want to work on cardio, I'd suggest the swimming pool for awhile until you get sorted out.

 :2c:

MM


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## lapinpunki

Thank you, I am seeing my physiotherapist this week, it will surly help. And yes I will try the pool thing, that sounds nice.


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## Rifleman62

From my Chiropractor, which I found useful:

Get a very large ice cube, and run it up and down the front of the shins immediately before and immediately after running.  

If you don't have a large ice cube tray (photo is a silicone type), try a metal coffee mug to freeze an ice cube (rinse with warm water to release).


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## daftandbarmy

Rifleman62 said:
			
		

> From my Chiropractor, which I found useful:
> 
> Get a very large ice cube, and run it up and down the front of the shins immediately before and immediately after running.
> 
> If you don't have a large ice cube tray (photo is a silicone type), try a metal coffee mug to freeze an ice cube (rinse with warm water to release).i



And before the ice cubes melt, plunge them mercilessly into a giant tumbler full of gin and tonic and drink it from a hull down position in the nearest hot tub


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## lonewolf17@gmail.com

Just thought I'd bump this thread because it is a treasure-trove of information for anyone (like me) who is preparing to go of the BMQ.


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## Loachman

It's already stickied. "Bumping" will have no real effect, even if you did so daily.

And if you did so daily, we'd be "bumping" you...


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## OldGuy72

paracowboy said:
			
		

> thanks for getting my back, Jungle.
> Sorry 'bout that troops, I dropped the ball.
> 
> For more good info on fitness check out crossfit.com, and for good info on all-around Army-type training check out GET SELECTED FOR SPECIAL FORCES  at www.warrior-mentor.com.  This guy is the real deal and is much respected on several other websites.




Paracowboy,


*Your posts in this section should be a kit issued field manual to every recruit and soldier. *

Further more, it should be available at all high schools across this country for every student. 

Good on you for doing this, it couldn't be better said. 


Those that want to go out and run 5K, only need to do one thing. Decide that they are going to do it, and do it. 


I could rant on about my own experience here, but will tell you one thing. The only way I've ever accomplished anything in this life, was to simply make up my mind to do it, and simply do it. Yes, sometimes I failed, and I got back up and did it again. Sometime multiple times. I'm thick headed that way... But it was the only way I overcame any hurdle. Attitude, attitude, attitude. 

I hope the young guys and gals applying, find this to help them along in any journey in life.


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## Fishbone Jones

Paracowboy has not been active here since April 28, 2008.


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## PuckChaser

And the quoted website link doesn't work anymore.


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## OldGuy72

recceguy said:
			
		

> Paracowboy has not been active here since April 28, 2008.



Thanks for the heads up,
Whom ever he was, he was a smart guy and made a good write up.


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## dalesscp

I've been wanting to join for a while now and have been trying to increase my fitness.  When I start running more, I develop bad shin splints that persist for a long time. When I was in school and had fitness testing for the program I was in, I had the same thing happen. When I start to feel them, they last for several weeks. I am a bigger guy (not tall, but heavy) and I've been working and dropping weight trying to get back to around 190lbs.  I was wondering if someone has had similar issues and advice on how to stop getting them. I've been told that compression socks do help and good shoes, which I have both.


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## ModlrMike

Shin splints are caused by a variety of issues. For me, I found that getting the proper shoes was the cure. I would reccomend that you go to somewhere like the Running Room, where they will determine what type of shoe is best for you - pronation control, toe box size etc. Secondly, good stretching is important until you can just get out and run. Without going too deep into things, take a look at this article:

Shin Splints: Causes, Treatment, Recovery and Prevention


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## daftandbarmy

ModlrMike said:
			
		

> Shin splints are caused by a variety of issues. For me, I found that getting the proper shoes was the cure. I would reccomend that you go to somewhere like the Running Room, where they will determine what type of shoe is best for you - pronation control, toe box size etc. Secondly, good stretching is important until you can just get out and run. Without going too deep into things, take a look at this article:
> 
> Shin Splints: Causes, Treatment, Recovery and Prevention



and.... you might need orthotics to address issues like flat feet etc


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