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VAKEMP · 06-23-2006, 13:44

Hello everyone. It is interesting to see what others do to maintain/improve their physical fitness. I am currently going on my 10th year in the USMC, and am considering a career change into the Army. At this point, it is more a question of what the Army will allow me to do if I crossed over, and not whether or not I will actually make the transition.

Currently, my training consists of running every day during the week, doing push-ups throughout the day every day of the week, and doing a pull-up/timed ab workout on M-W-F. My runs differ in length and intensity in an effort to have a more balanced workout, instead of focusing just on speed or endurance. My goal is to maintain the physical fitness requirements of both the USMC and the Army so that I have a smooth transition. I have yet to actually test myself on a timed 2-min push-up workout, but I have realized that being able to do 20 pull-ups does not automatically mean I can max out the push-ups for my age group, which luckily for me is the highest.

I am also aware that form is very important for the push-ups on the APFT, so I have been keeping my head forward, my back straight and bring my chest down to the deck on every repetition. I feel my training for the USMC PFT is adequate. I have had to recover from an injury I sustained while participating in the MCMAP program, and now I am in better shape than I was before the injury.

I have done weight training before, and I am sure I will incorporate weight training into my workout again once my performance plateaus. However, I am still noticing gains with my current routine, so I don't see a need to fix what ain't broke.

Long story short, I currently stick to bodyweight-only exercise!

EDIT:
Something else I have heard is that running barefoot increases your run time. I believe the reasoning behind this is that when you run barefoot, you are working more muscles than when you run with shoes on. So, if you train by running barefoot, when you strap on your shoes and run it would be like swimming with fins compared to running without.

I haven't actually tested this myself. Has anyone trained like this and noticed a difference?

06-23-2006, 13:44	#21
VAKEMP Auxiliary Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Wherever I'm needed Posts: 75	Hello everyone. It is interesting to see what others do to maintain/improve their physical fitness. I am currently going on my 10th year in the USMC, and am considering a career change into the Army. At this point, it is more a question of what the Army will allow me to do if I crossed over, and not whether or not I will actually make the transition. Currently, my training consists of running every day during the week, doing push-ups throughout the day every day of the week, and doing a pull-up/timed ab workout on M-W-F. My runs differ in length and intensity in an effort to have a more balanced workout, instead of focusing just on speed or endurance. My goal is to maintain the physical fitness requirements of both the USMC and the Army so that I have a smooth transition. I have yet to actually test myself on a timed 2-min push-up workout, but I have realized that being able to do 20 pull-ups does not automatically mean I can max out the push-ups for my age group, which luckily for me is the highest. I am also aware that form is very important for the push-ups on the APFT, so I have been keeping my head forward, my back straight and bring my chest down to the deck on every repetition. I feel my training for the USMC PFT is adequate. I have had to recover from an injury I sustained while participating in the MCMAP program, and now I am in better shape than I was before the injury. I have done weight training before, and I am sure I will incorporate weight training into my workout again once my performance plateaus. However, I am still noticing gains with my current routine, so I don't see a need to fix what ain't broke. Long story short, I currently stick to bodyweight-only exercise! EDIT: Something else I have heard is that running barefoot increases your run time. I believe the reasoning behind this is that when you run barefoot, you are working more muscles than when you run with shoes on. So, if you train by running barefoot, when you strap on your shoes and run it would be like swimming with fins compared to running without. I haven't actually tested this myself. Has anyone trained like this and noticed a difference? Last edited by VAKEMP; 06-23-2006 at 13:52.
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