PT Question

[spoon man]

Hey guys, I‘m in the process of joining the CF and read something that said to only run every scond day.

I was running for about an hour 5 times a week, but I had other commitments so I pretty well stoppped runnign all together for about a month. Lately I‘ve been running 5k in the mornings, I do wieght training 3 times a week after school. I‘m wondering if running 5k every morning will have a negative impact, or should I even up the amount I‘m doing?

 

[Matt0304]

Sounds good man...keep up the good work. Doing cardio 5 times per week won‘t hurt you, but it depends on your goals. If you want to become a good runner...stick with that. If your goals are hypertrophy/strength...lift 5 days/week and run 3 or none at all. It‘s up to you, but running five days/week won‘t hurt you.

 

[Spr.Earl]

Minimum Performance Objectives
Test Item Men Women
Push-ups
Under 35 years of age 19 9
35 and Older 14 7
Sit ups
Under 35 years of age 19 15
35 and Older 17 12
Hand Grip (in kilograms)
Under 35 years of age 75 50
35 and Older 73 48
Aerobic Fitness equivalent to acceptable rating for 2.4 km run

Self-Assessment of Physical Fitness

As you pursue your training, you will want to assess your progress against the objectives in the Pre-Enrolment Physical Fitness Evaluation. You can assess yourself as often as you wish.

The techniques used for push-ups and sit-ups during the Evaluation are explained here. Use these techniques during training and self- assessment. You may not have access to a hand-grip measuring device. However, performing chin-ups will help you prepare for this test.

PUSH-UPS

Lie flat on your stomach, legs together, using your toes as the pivot point. With your fingers pointing forward, place your hands below your shoulders. Push up by straightening your arms until your elbows are locked, then return to the starting position (with your chest just touching the floor). Keep your body in a straight line throughout. Exhale as you push up; inhale on the way back down. Perform this motion in a continuous manner. Do as many repetitions as you can, without a time limit. Stop the test when the movement becomes forcibly strained.

SIT-UPS

Lie on your back, with your knees bent at a 90 degree angle, and put your feet flat on the floor. Place your hands on the side of your head (covering your ears). Press your lower back against the floor to begin the movement, curl up and touch your elbows to your knees (count one), then return to the starting position. Exhale as you come up; inhale on the way back down. Perform as many sit-ups as you can in 60 seconds. Stop the test when the movement becomes forcibly strained or when you start to lift your buttocks off the floor at the beginning of a repetition.

AEROBIC FITNESS 2.4 KM RUN

During your Pre-Enrolment Physical Fitness Evaluation, a qualified instructor will conduct a step test to measure your aerobic fitness. For the Self-Assessment, however, you will have to do a 2.4 km run to gauge your level. Be sure to pursue a gradual running program over several weeks prior to the test. You should be able to run 5 km before you attempt the test. Complete the test on a regulation running track (six laps of a 400 meter track) or over a measured course. (If necessary, you can measure out a course using the odometer on a car.) Use the chart below to assess your results. Remember, achieving an acceptable rating would be equivalent to reaching the required objective on the Step Test in the Evaluation.
2.4 KM RUN - FITNESS CATEGORIES (Time in minutes)
Men Women
Age Acceptable Superior Acceptable Superior
Under 30 yrs 11:56-10:13 Under 10:13 14:26-12:36 Under 12:36
30-34 12:26-10:35 Under 10:35 14:55-12:57 Under 12:57
35-39 12:56-10:58 Under 10:58 15:25-13:27 Under 13:27
40-44 13:25-11:12 Under 11:12 15:55-13:57 Under 13:57
45-49 13:56-11:27 Under 11:27 16:25-14:26 Under 14:26
50-54 14:25-11:57 Under 11:57 16:54-14:56 Under 14:56

CHIN-UPS

Chin-ups are not part of your Pre-enrolment Evaluation. However, minimum objectives for chin-ups are included, because they are an important part of your Basic Training.

Hang from a chinning bar with the palms of your hands facing you (thumbs to the outside) and your arms fully extended. Without swinging your legs, pull up by bending your elbows until your chin is just above the bar, then lower yourself slowly to the starting position. Exhale as you pull up; inhale on the way back down. Perform this motion in a continuous manner, without resting between repetitions. Count one every time a chin-up is completed. Do not count any where swinging occurs.
Chin-ups Men Women
Under 35 years of age 6 3
35 and older 4 2

 

[RJG]

Cardio exercises can be done daily as you don‘t have to leave time to heal. When you weight lift you should do it every other day as your muscles will be torn and need atleast a day to repair themselves.

 

[spoon man]

thanks for all the info guys, I already have a couple of those self test forms, I‘ve only submitted one, but you say I can do them as oftem as I like?

They (recruting centre) told me my strength was fine but I need to work on my cardio. I just wanted to make sure I wasn‘t going to be overdoing it, by running daily.

Thanks again, I‘ll stick to what I‘m doing, running every morning then weight training in the evening on monday, wednesday, and friday.

 

[GhostRecce]

do as much as your body can handle. cardio can be done every day but give your muscle groups time to rest and rebuild.

 

[andrewvalentine83]

You don‘t have to take a day off to recover from running, but it‘s important to alternate hard and easy days. You can also do different types of cardio (biking, swimming), but running is the best one if you‘re getting ready for the army, because that‘s what you‘ll be doing on course. A good book for more info is The Runner‘s Handbook by Bob Glover, and if you want to get real good, check out The Competitive Runner‘s Handbook, also by Bob Glover.