horsegunner353 said:
If you ever falter in motivation, watch the scene from Saving Private Ryan when the German and American are wrestling with a single bayonet and the German wins. If that doesn't motivate you to do more push ups nothing will!
This quote had a huge effect on me. I was recently pondering why we do so many pushups. But being prepared to push a bayonet wielding enemy combatant off of my chest is a good enough reason for doing all the pushups in the world!
As for my suggestions,
Your workouts need to mmimic your activities as a soldier. So assess your abilities with regards to strength and cardio If you are good at one exercise, then don't spend all your time on it. Focus on your weaknesses. For example, if you are super at ruck marching then focus on something else.
Strength:
If I were you I would do multiple sets of pushups instead of all kinds of weights. If you are like me (I"m 5"8 and 195lbs) then you have plenty of body weight to use as resistance. When I say multiple sets, I mean MULTIPLE sets. You need to build muscle endurance as the army tests how many pushups you can do, not how much you benchpress (well, maybe they do but not at the fitness eval). So for example I started out with a few weeks at 4x15pushups, then 4x20, then 5x20, then 5x25, then 6x25, then 6x30, then 10x20, then 20x20. I have been working on this for 1.5 years and just started the 10x20. So it takes time. I would do this 3 times/week unless you are suffering from DOMS (Delayed onset muscle soreness). If that is the case, wait until you are not stiff and sore and keep going. Once you can do a week of pushups and don't feel stiff, move up to a more difficult set. If you can't complete a set (which happens to me all the time), then take a 2 second break and tab on! or complete the set with negatives (go to the start position with arms straight and let yourself down-studies show that the most benefit is gained when the muscle is lengthened under stress).
The good thing about pushups is there are a billion ways to do them. Vary the routine, do different types to target different areas (hands close, shoulder width and far apart, try dive bombers-look them up). Do incline pushups or get a small child to sit on your shoulders for greater resistance.
As for chin up I do 8 sets of 10 (4 sets wide grip, 4 sets normal chinup grip). I started out with 2x8, then 3x8, then 3x10, then 4x10, etc. I can complete the first set or two and then have to finish the sets with negatives (for chinups-climb up to the bar (use a chair or whatever) and let yourself down slowly). When it comes to improving chinups, negatives really work. And the good thing is you can do lots of them because all you have to do is let yourself down slowly. I went from 2 chinups to 13 (but losing 25lbs helped out I'm sure)
Cardio
As for cardio unless you have lots of time and are chasing a cute girl in the swim aerobics class, I would stick to running. Nothing can replace it. As a soldier, you won't be chasing Bin Laden on the elliptical machine!
Your body has to get used to the beating and pounding. However, one must be wise, running injuries result when you go too far, too fast, too soon. Start out slow and gradually work up to your goal. Run on grass or a professional track to spare your knees. Call the running room and have them give you some advice on what runs to do and how often over the phone. I did this and they suggested the following:
4 runs per week
1st run-normal run comfortable distance
2nd run-either run intervals or hills (hills are amazing at strengthening your legs to help you run faster).
3rd run-normal run comfortable distance
4th run-long slower run-go for distance (don't increase it anymore than .5km per week). So run for 10 min, walk for 1min and repeat. You can literally go forever like this.
The reason you need to vary your run is because your body undergoes different metabolic processes when you do different runs. Fast runs work on ccardioand power, longer runs allow your body to produce more mitochondria-which are needed to supply your mmuscleswith energy. So more energy=longer more powerful runs.
Well, I am going on and on but here is one more rant.
Weight loss:
Use the measuring tape as a the primary indicator of weight loss and not the scale. It is hard to lose fat and not lose some muscle as well. So be careful how you do it. Anita Bean published a really good book on all this including how to eat for athletic performance. She advised to eat 5-6 SMALL meals a day-this keeps blood sugar stable and each time you eat your body has to rev up the digestive system to digest the food (you burn 100-150 calories each time you eat).
You also need to calculate how many calories you need each day (include exercise) and eat 10-15% less than your body needs (skip the butter on the toast, cookie after lunch, morning donut and you're good to go). This is much easier to do than crash diet.
Well, that's all I have to say...
2 hours of various strokes, diving, water treading, etc ;D
