How to Get in Shape before joining the Military

Step 1

Eat healthy. To prepare yourself for exercise and basic training, eat a healthy, well-balanced diet. A healthy diet can help fuel your body -- include plenty of protein and carbohydrates for energy. To keep your body fueled, eat five to six small meals per day. Meals should include fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean meats and low-fat dairy products.

Step 2

Keep yourself hydrated. As you get in shape, be sure to drink plenty of water. The National Academy of Sports Medicine recommends eight glasses of water per day. Water helps keep you feeling full and replenishes your muscles after a workout.

Step 3

Build up your endurance. Cardiovascular exercise can help increase your endurance and stamina. The American College of Sports Medicine recommends 30 minutes of cardiovascular exercise, five days per week, for weight maintenance. For weight loss, you should participate in 60 to 90 minutes of exercise most days of the week, although this varies from individual to individual. Cardiovascular exercise can include swimming, running, sprinting (especially when mixed with lower intensity intervals in the same workout), cycling, aerobics, and brisk walking.

Step 4

Strength train. Strength training can help tone your body and build muscles, thus preparing you for the physical demands of joining the military. Use weight machines and free weights to strengthen your upper and lower body. Perform body weight exercises -- exercises that use your own body weight to build strength -- including pushups, lunges, situps, pull-ups / chin-ups, crunches, planks, reverse crunches and squats. Participate in strength training two to three days per week on nonconsecutive days to ensure muscle recovery.

Warnings

• Visit with your doctor. Before joining the military or beginning an exercise regimen, you will need physical clearance from your doctor.

Strength Training

Because Army soldiers train in such large groups and are limited to facilities and equipment, most training sessions are conducted outdoors with little to no additional equipment. Basic bodyweight movements are the basis of the strength training workouts and are often conducted in circuit-style training.

The goal of all training sessions is to reach "muscle failure," much like the term bodybuilders use when taking a set "to failure." This means to completely exhaust the muscle so that it physically cannot perform another repetition of an exercise.

Intensity is the name of the game during these training sessions, and Army leaders are swarming around like flies just jumping at the chance to drill you for not giving 110%.

Cardiovascular Training

Either at the end of the strength workout or on opposing days the unit will conduct group runs of anywhere from 2-6 miles or more. These are usually in the form of steady state cardio, but sometimes interval training is incorporated through sprinting and changes in incline and pace.

Sometimes soldiers are broken down into "ability groups" based on the time range that an individual performs the 2-mile run. This lets leadership more effectively train the faster runners to stay fast and the slower runners to run faster. Basically, the individual soldier gets a more customized workout.

Training Split

Army training sessions are conducted for one hour, five days a week (Monday through Friday). Most units divide their training splits similar to the following way:

Monday

- Cardio - Group Run (2-3 miles)

Tuesday

- Strength Training - Muscle Failure (full- or upper body)

Wednesday

- Cardio - Group Run (2-3 miles) or Sports Day*

Thursday

- Strength Training - Muscle Failure (full- or upper-body)

Friday

- Cardio - Unit Run (4-6 miles) or Road March

. This is good for morale and camaraderie and gives the soldiers a break from their traditional training program.

Individual training sessions are broken down as follows:

Warm-up:

5-10 minutes of light calisthenics and stretching

Training Session:

30-50 minutes of strength training and cardio or just cardio

Cool-down:

5-10 minutes of stretching

Sample Program

When designing your own program, remember to stay to the basics, keep the intensity high and change your program frequently to continue challenging yourself and to keep your motivation high. Outlined below is a sample Army training program for you to follow. *

Monday - Run (Interval Cardio)

Warm-Up: 5 minutes of light calisthenics, such as jumping jacks, jumping rope, and/or jogging in place followed by 5 minutes of full body stretching.

Be sure to include the following muscle groups in your stretching:

• Shoulders
• Biceps
• Triceps
• Back
• Chest
• Abs
• Thighs
• Hamstrings
• Calves
• Hip flexors

Training Session: (33 minutes)

• 5 minutes jogging at moderate pace
• 2 minutes running at fast pace
• 5 minutes jogging at moderate pace
• 2 minutes running at fast pace
• 5 minutes jogging at moderate pace
• 2 minutes running at fast pace
• 5 minutes jogging at moderate pace
• 2 minutes running at fast pace
• 5 minutes jogging at moderate pace

Cool-Down: 5 minutes walking at slow to moderate pace followed by 5 minutes of full-body stretching.

Tuesday - Muscle Failure (Strength Training)

Warm-Up: 5 minutes of light calisthenics, such as jumping jacks, jumping rope and/or jogging in place followed by 5 minutes of full-body stretching.

Be sure to include the following muscle groups in your stretching:

• Shoulders
• Biceps
• Triceps
• Back
• Chest
• Abs
• Thighs
• Hamstrings
• Calves
• Hip flexors

Training Session: (~30 minutes)

For each of the following exercises, perform as many as you can non-stop with proper form, then immediately go into the next exercise.

• Regular Push-Ups
• 50 Jumping Jacks
• 25 Bent-Knee Crunches
• "Diamond" Push-Ups
• 50 Jumping Jacks
• 25 Reverse Crunches
• Wide-Arm Push-Ups
• 50 Jumping Jacks
• 25 Bruce Lee Sit-Ups

Perform the complete circuit one time, jog in place and/or stretch for 2 minutes, and repeat circuit an additional 2 times.

Cool-Down: 5 minutes of light calisthenics followed by 5 minutes of full-body stretching.

Wednesday - Sports Day

Warm-Up: 5 minutes of light calisthenics, such as jumping jacks, jumping rope and/or jogging in place followed by 5 minutes of full-body stretching.

Be sure to include the following muscle groups in your stretching:

• Shoulders
• Biceps
• Triceps
• Back
• Chest
• Abs
• Thighs
• Hamstrings
• Calves
• Hip flexors

Training Session: Choose a favorite individual sport that involves a high intensity. You may also opt to participate in an aerobics class or do a workout tape. Session should last at least 45 minutes, minus warm-up and cool down.

Cool-Down: 5 minutes of light calisthenics followed by 5 minutes of full-body stretching.

Thursday - Muscle Failure & Run

Warm-Up: 5 minutes of light calisthenics, such as jumping jacks, jumping rope and/or jogging in place followed by 5 minutes of full body stretching.

Be sure to include the following muscle groups in your stretching:

• Shoulders
• Biceps
• Triceps
• Back
• Chest
• Abs
• Thighs
• Hamstrings
• Calves
• Hip flexors

Training Session: (~30 minutes)

Perform each of the following exercises for the 2 minutes. Once you reach failure, drop to your knees, but make sure to KEEP MOVING for the entire two minutes! Rest 1-2 minutes, then move on to the next exercise. This is where a stopwatch and/or training partner come in handy.

• Regular Push-Ups
• Regular Sit-Ups
• Elevated Push-Ups (If in the gym, elevate feet on a bench or exercise ball. If outside, have a partner hold your feet or use any object in your environment, such as a tree stump or log.)
• Rocky Sit-Ups (On the positive portion of this exercise, cross your right elbow to your left knee, then your left elbow to your right knee before finishing the movement with both elbows on either side of your knees. This is a 3-count exercise (i.e. rock left, rock right, sit up)

Repeat entire sequence one time. Follow this strength training workout with a 1-mile jog at a moderate, steady state pace.

Cool-Down: 5 minutes of light calisthenics followed by 5 minutes of full-body stretching.

Friday - Road March

Equipment: For this simulated Road March, you will need a large, comfortable backpack. Fill the backpack with the desired number of "weight" for resistance. Typical loads for soldiers range from 25-40 pounds.  Try on your backpack and check for comfort and mobility.

shirts Be sure to wear loose-fitting, comfortable clothing, like a cotton t-shirt, to prevent chafing on the underarms, obliques and low back. Wear comfortable, thin, moisture-absorbing socks to prevent blistering. Wear a comfortable pair of cross-trainers that are not too tight.

The road march can be done anywhere, but it's more fun and realistic done on a hiking trail or in a park.

Warm-Up: 5 minutes of light calisthenics, such as jumping jacks, jumping rope and/or jogging in place followed by 5 minutes of full body stretching.

Be sure to include the following muscle groups in your stretching:

• Shoulders
• Biceps
• Triceps
• Back
• Chest
• Abs
• Thighs
• Hamstrings
• Calves
• Hip flexors

Training Session: (1 hour or 4 miles)

Typical Army road marches are conducted for long distances of around 4 miles, on average. Running and/or jogging are not allowed, so make sure to walk as fast as you possibly can and to keep a quick and steady pace. Carry a bottle of water with you to ensure hydration, and pack some carbohydrate snacks, such as fruit, in your backpack to consume immediately post-road march.

Cool-Down: 5 minutes of full-body stretching.

*Army physical fitness programs  are physically demanding. New soldiers are immediately thrown into an intense training program such as this to get them into top physical shape as quickly as possible. This often results in injuries to the soldiers who didn't attain proper fitness levels beforehand.

If you are just beginning this program, it is advisable to start with only half the intensity (number of exercises, length of runs/training sessions) and build up your fitness levels before resuming the full program.

Test Yourself

To see if you've got what it takes to be a . Soldier, you can perform your own Army PT test periodically to see how you rank in comparison to the Army's standards.

Equipment

You will need the following items to conduct the test:

• Training Partner (To count your reps and hold your feet during sit-ups)
• Stopwatch (To time you during the push-ups, sit-ups, and 2-mile run)
• Comfortable workout clothing and a good pair of running shoes
• Marked 2-mile course (8-lap track at a football field is the best option)

Conduct The Test

Event 1: Push-Up

Get down on your hands and knees to prepare for the push-up event. Have your training partner kneel at your side with stopwatch in hand. Your partner should announce "Ready, begin" and start the stopwatch for 2 minutes.

The trainee should assume the push-up position on the word "ready" and immediately begin doing as many push-ups as possible when the trainer says "begin." The trainee may rest with the knees bent and the buttocks in the air, but at no time may he/she move his/her hands or feet off the ground.

This results in disqualification. The trainee must resume the proper push-up position prior to resuming repetitions. If form is broken the trainer must not count that push-up as a repetition. The final number of push-ups after 2 minutes will be written down as the push-up raw score (i.e. 54).

Trainee may rest up to 10 minutes between events 1 and 2.

Event 2: Sit-Up

Assume the sit-up position by lying on the ground with knees bent at a 90-degree angle, feet flat on the ground and arms behind the head with fingers interlocked. Your partner should hold your feet with his hands only, and announce "Ready, begin" and start the stopwatch for 2 minutes.

At no time during the test can the trainee unlace the fingers, or that repetition will not count and the trainee will be disqualified. You may not raise his/her hips off the ground in an effort to use momentum to perform additional sit-ups. You must sit up high enough so that the shoulder blades are in line with the hips and create a perpendicular line with the ground for that repetition to count.

You may rest in the upright position, but if you rest on the ground for more than several seconds without making a continuous effort to sit up, you will be disqualified. Perform as many sit-ups as you can for the entire two minutes. The final number of sit-ups after 2 minutes will be written down as the sit-up raw score (i.e. 68).

Trainee may rest up to 10 minutes between events 2-and-3.

Event 3: 2-Mile Run

The run will be conducted on a marked 2-mile course that is a relatively flat course. Your partner should announce "Ready, begin" and start the stopwatch. You should immediately begin running at a pace that you can maintain for the 2-mile duration of the run.

Each time you complete one lap, the trainer should call out your time loud enough for you to hear. This helps you gauge your pace so that you can speed up to make time if necessary.

You may walk during the run, but it is not advised as it will likely be detrimental to you passing the test. When you complete the 2-mile course, the trainer will stop the stopwatch and write down the exact time of completion.

Scoring

The scores from each of the three events will be compared with the scorecard chart to determine how many points you received for your score in each event. The chart is based on age and gender. To determine your score for each of the events, take the initial raw score for that event (i.e. 54 push-ups) .

Supplementary Nutrition

Army soldiers are supplied with a wide variety of nutritious food to fuel them for training sessions and soldierly duties. This is great for energy, but not so great if you are trying to burn body fat and shed a few pounds. As with any training program, proper nutrition is vital in attaining your goals.

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• Arm yourself with knowledge before you leave for basic training. Much of what you learn in basic training can be mastered at home before you even see a Drill Sergeant. To give yourself a major advantage before you depart for basic training, it is imperative that you start thinking and acting like a soldier.
  What You Need to Do
  First, start exercising early in the morning. In basic training, your organized physical training sessions will be conducted in the mornings, before breakfast. Therefore, a couple weeks before you start basic training make it a habit to get up at 4:30 AM. Don’t just get up and watch television – get up and follow a workout program. The workout program should be geared toward the exercises you will do in basic training, such as the one designed in The Ultimate Basic Training Guidebook. I want to emphasize what a tremendous advantage you will have at basic training if you arrive in shape. Now if you are one of those fitness gurus, don’t be fooled. Military fit is different than civilian fit. Being able to bench press 300 pounds isn’t going to get you far in basic training. So if you adopt a workout program before basic training, make sure the exercises you are doing compliment your future basic training workouts.
  Quit the Habits
  Also, stop munching on snacks such as chips and cookies. During basic training, there is no snacking. By training your body early to stop snacking, you will help reduce your hunger urges in basic training. If you smoke, or use chewing tobacco, It is recommended you begin a program to quit immediately. There will be no tobacco products allowed at any Country Military basic training. It is better to develop a plan to quit on your own terms, rather than the Army’s terms. Too many recruits come to basic training and experience a variety of withdrawal symptoms. This makes the already tough nine weeks of basic training unnecessarily tougher for you.
  Feed the Need
  Give your body what it craves after a good workout. From a nutrition standpoint, put down those Raman noodles™ and bologna sandwiches. Instead cook yourself beef, chicken, fish, and . Your body will appreciate the consumption of healthier foods and this nourishment will compliment your workout program. Be sure to get a healthy dose of vegetables, fruits, protein and carbohydrates. Yes, I said carbohydrates. Carbohydrates get a bad rap now-a-days, but they could be just what your body craves when you undergo intensive physical exercise. Carbohydrates fuel your system and energize your body.
      Consider the Time Zones
  During basic training you will rarely get eight hours of sleep, five to seven hours will be normal. Train your body to go to bed at about 9 PM. This way, when you get to basic training, you won’t be lying in bed awake trying to adjust to a new schedule. Also, consider the time zone where your basic training will be conducted. If you are on the West coast and your basic training is on the East coast, there is a three-hour time difference. Training yourself to go to bed at 9 PM Eastern Time means going to bed at 6 PM on the West coast. Likewise, waking up at 4:30 AM Eastern Time means waking up at 1:30 AM Pacific Time. Everyone is different, but it generally takes 4-7 days to adjust to a new sleep schedule.
  Don’t Be Fooled
  Millions of soldiers have already completed basic training. Don’t be discouraged, or even encouraged by one person’s opinions about basic training. Bottom line-basic training is challenging, but with proper preparation your nine weeks could be a lot easier. So Don't be scared if you are preparing to join the military.