PT Help

[Heavenlyblades]

Last week I went through MEPS, which was a nightmare because half of the people working there were gone that day so it just asked for disaster. I am now waiting for January 26th which is my ship out date and could change at any moment. I need to really get in shape for boot and I was wondering what suggestions you might have that could help me loose weight along with getting in shape. Pull ups and running etc.... I have started waking up early and running, but I cannot run for a long period of time. Daily I am also doing my push ups and sit ups, but what else could I do before shipping out. Forgive my ignorance just thought it would be better asking then showing up un prepared

[amarine0311]

Daniel-
You listed computers as an interest in your profile...that would lead a person tobelieve you knew how to use a search function. This topic has been covered som many time in so many threads, it would be vitually impoosble to not find any info through a search. Make the search function your best buddy till you leave Daniel.....

[fjmas1976]

Start by running for a little bit and then walking. Gradually increase the time you run and decrease the time you walk. The goal is to phase into all running and no walking. You have to crawl before you can walk and walk before you can run.

Interval training is good, once you start running more. Warm up at a decent pace for a while, then kick it up to about 90% effort for a minute or so and then return to a decent pace to recover for a minute or two. Repeat this cycle for about a half hour. Mix it up....do sprints, hills,long runs.

PT can be fun, it's not all pain and torture :)(Before I enlisted and shipped to Recruit Training, I had never run more than a mile and a half. Now, I love running and my goal is to run the Boston Marathon this year)

Pull-ups, sit-ups, push-ups. Do some light strength training. Don't over think it. As long as you report for Recruit Training in decent shape, your DI's will handle the rest.:usmc:

[SlaveToTheCorps]

These may help, they helped me when I left...Click Here (http://www.leatherneck.com/forums/showthread.php?t=69167) & Click Here (http://www.leatherneck.com/forums/showthread.php?t=69166)

[Heavenlyblades]

Daniel-
You listed computers as an interest in your profile...that would lead a person tobelieve you knew how to use a search function. This topic has been covered som many time in so many threads, it would be vitually impoosble to not find any info through a search. Make the search function your best buddy till you leave Daniel.....
Will do just thought I would post my own topic on it as to get a more 1 on 1 perspective with someone. Yes I know how to use the search engine :)

[amarine0311]

excuse my typing...they got me on some serious pain meds today.

[mattlw201]

First off start eating right if you havent done so. Being in shape has alot to do with that. My way is to follow the food pyramid. It actually works. Start off by running at a decent pace for as long as you can. Then walk for 1 min. Then repeat until you have reached a mile and a half. Do this every other day untill you can complete the mile and a half without walking. Walk a little bit the days you dont run. Keep this up until you can do the 3 miles without walking, and so on. I try to do 3 max sets of pullups 3x a week. Im now at 17 after starting at 3. I havent got a good routine for abs because I suck at those. And cancel your world of warcraft account(or whatever computer games you own) immediatly. World of Warcraf ruined me physically. Had to work my ass off to get back into shape. Remember to stretch and drink water. My budy almost had a heat stroke because he didnt drink enough water. Stay safe and good luck.

[UMDStudent24]

First, I would reiterate what the Sergeant said about using the search function. It is important because many threads with the same topic simply increase the load-times of the page and decrease the traffic for each thread thus making it more difficult to get the necessary information in one thread.

With that out of the way, it is important to identify your goals first. As with any venture, setting goals is the most effective first step. Make your goals specific, not something general like, "I need to be in-shape before I ship to the MCRD."

Clearly, it would greatly benefit you to define, (quantitatively if possible - it is easier to track improvement,) your objectives.

For example, if you need to lose weight, set a particular weight loss goal (ie. xlbs or x% body fat in x months). If you need more pull-ups give yourself a number to work towards. If you need to run faster and farther, set a goal for that too.

Once you do this, you can build a schedule of workouts that will move you towards your goal efficiently. It is very important to have a schedule because it greatly affects how efficient your workouts will be. If you do not maintain a schedule, you may find yourself working out too often or too little (both of which are detriments to your progress.) You may find that your workouts are not targeting the proper muscles.
You may also find that you are stagnant in your growth after a few weeks/months of works. This particular problem is an important consideration that should be accounted for in your scheduling. The human body is built to accommodate and adapt, and to do so quickly. Thus, without variation in your workouts, you will find a decreasing marginal benefit associated with each workout (each successive similar workout will produce less and less results.) Thus, you want to vary things.

Now, all of this is moot if you do not eat properly. This is extremely important and is also dependent upon you setting proper goals. Truthfully, you should find a sports nutritionist (after you figured out your objectives) and have him/her set up a diet for you. I'm not a nutritionist nor do I claim to be one but a few things are important to consider. You should eat well and eat often. 6 meals a day is ideal, with your largest meal coming at breakfast (when your metabolism increases for the day) and the least at dinner (when your metabolism drops for the night.) This principle is important regardless of your goals. However, what you eat is entirely dependent upon your goal. If your goal is weight loss, you will consume less than if your goal is developing muscle. The foods you eat will be different, as your caloric intake for one will consist of carbohydrates more-so and the muscle-development would require a higher protein-intake. With weight loss, you'd aim for a caloric-deficit every day, the opposite holding true for muscle development.

Also, you need to drink water. Lots of water, but it should be done evenly throughout the day. You should not exceed ~ 3 gallons of water a day, and you should not exceed ~1.4 quarts in any hour. It is extremely hard to consume that much water, so you shouldn't have trouble there, but it is just to illustrate that your water consumption should be consistent.

You can make progress without considering any of this information. You can even make enough progress to be ready for Boot Camp, but I promise you if you take the time and effort to sit down and do these things you will experience much more notable and faster progress.

Good luck to you and I hope you report back to this board in several months as a United States Marine. :usmc:

[Marine84]

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