Prepare Yourself for Boot Camp
4 Mar 2009I found the following information on a variety of websites and compiled the information to make this post. This information is not created by me as I’m not an expert.
Boot camp refers to military recruit training, the initial indoctrination and instruction given to new military personnel. It specifically refers to United States Marine Corps Recruit Training or United States Navy Recruit Training. Why show up at your boot camp or a service academy unprepared for the physical fitness test? You would be surprised, but many people are physically unprepared for life in the military when they arrive. Why make life your first time away from home any more stressful than it already is?
If you show up fit and able to pass your respective Personal Fitness Test (PFT) easily, the fitness part of boot camp will be a stress releaser — not a stress increaser!
Here are the exercises of all the PFTs, with helpful tips to increase your overall score on test day:
Pull-ups: During the pull-up and push-up test, you want to perform these as fast as possible while adhering to the proper form and technique. Also, look straight up at the sky in order to use your back muscles more for pull-ups.
Push-ups: Placing your hands in the wrong position can seriously affect your maximum score. A perfect location for your hands is just outside shoulder width. This position enables the chest, shoulders and triceps to be equally taxed. Keep hands at shoulder height when in the up position. Your push-ups will be weakened if your hands are too low, wide, close or high.
Curl-ups (sit-ups): This is an exercise you need to pace. Most people burn out in the first 30 seconds with 30 curl-ups accomplished, only able to perform another 20 or so curl-ups within the next 1:30. By setting a pace at, for instance, 20 sit-ups every 30 seconds, you can turn your score of 50-60 to 80 with very little effort.
Running: For most people, the most challenging event of any PFT is by far the run. Timed runs equals pace. The most important thing is to not start off too fast. Learn your pace and set your goal by pacing yourself to the finish. For instance, if your goal is to run the 2 mile run in 14:00, you must run a 7:00 mile or a 1:45 — 1/4 mile.
If you prepare yourself properly, you can go into the military able to compete instead of having the mentality of just surviving. This makes all the difference in the world between those who graduate and those who quit.
How to Train for Boot Camp : Preparing a Schedule to Train for Boot Camp
“Learn how to prepare a schedule for your boot camp workout in this free exercise video series on boot camp training.”
Resource on Preparing For Boot Camp:
Ultimate Boot Camp: Ultimate Boot Camp Prepare for Summer – Ultimate Boot Camp Prepare for Summer. It has been a busy few weeks at UBC HQ! We have all been thrilled to hear the great feedback from our last batch of recruits and are so proud of the continued progress everyone is making in their …
