How to improve my 3mile run and pull ups.

[arayRBG]

Hello Marines!

I am currently trying to join the Marines. I need to improve my 3 mile run so my recruiter will work with me. Because of my age which is 27, I gotta pass the PFT with a 3 mile run in 26min. 5 pull ups. And 50 crunches in one minute. I also need to cut my weight down to 200 LB. My weekly routine consists of daily 3 mile runs. Sprints. And running hills. And working out my upper body with weight lifting to improve pull ups. Any advice would be much appreciated. Thanks u Marines!

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[devilbones2]

You may want to look into a 20 minute 5k program to work on your run time. Other than just going out running, it provides a structured program that may be easier for some to follow. As far as the pullups, well you just have to do them. Try busting out 3 max sets with about two minutes of rest between each. You should be able to do this everyday, if not twice a day or do pyramids. If you dont know what that is look it up.
Getting your weight down will help with your pullups too. Make sure to get your RDA for fats and proteins and fill in the rest with carbs. Body weight is determined by calories in vs calories out. Try not to overeat. Good luck.

[ameriken]

Could you be overdoing it and not giving your body a break? Everyday may sound good but if you're not giving your body time to rest and regenerate you just may not have the physical stamina to improve your speed. I know running less may sound counter intuitive and counter productive but maybe take a day or two off to let your body regenerate and then try a 3 mile and see if your time improves. If it does, then switch to an every other day routine. Also, the PFTs are done on relatively flat tracks so when you time yourself try a more flat run without the hills and see how well you time.

[arayRBG]

Appreciate the response Marines! I only do hill runs once a week. All the other runs are on flat ground. As for me over doing it. Should I just do one day on one day off type of schedule? Like run one day and rest the next? And as for pull ups I can only do half of one. Lame I know. I am 230 72 inches tall, my guess is it's my weight that is holding me back in the pull up area. Do u think once I'm down to 190 it'll get easier.. right now my 3 mile run is at 29 min. And 50 crunches in 1min. I would also need an age waiver.
Again, I appreciate the help Marines!

[arayRBG]

My lifting routine is curls. Bench Press. And Latt Pull by the way. I do them every other day

[MunkyVsRobot]

Sprints is one of the best ways of improving your run time, one other work out you might want to add is squats weighted unweighted it really doesnt matter. Doing the squats will help build up the quad and hamstring muscles. Just do be aware you dont want to over train as you will be doing more harm than good if you do. Especially at the age of 27 your body will start speaking to you a whole lot more when you do start over training yourself.

In regards to pull ups sometimes the best thing to do is just to do more pull ups, you dont exactly have to go crazy either do one max set in the morning and one max set in the evening i know a lot of Marines who have done this and saw 20 in about a month or so. Push ups also help a lot too they help work the entire body if you do them correctly.

One workout we have done in the past is called 30 killer minutes if you do this every other day you will definately see results. do a set number of pull ups say 5 in a minute wait out the rest of the minute then do 10 to 15 push ups and wait out the rest of the minute. and do 15 sets of this you should see results in no time. and the facing of the grip doesnt matter you can switch from inward to outward facing and how you get the pull ups doesnt matter as long as you get them and dont cheat yourself.

[arayRBG]

Sprints is one of the best ways of improving your run time, one other work out you might want to add is squats weighted unweighted it really doesnt matter. Doing the squats will help build up the quad and hamstring muscles. Just do be aware you dont want to over train as you will be doing more harm than good if you do. Especially at the age of 27 your body will start speaking to you a whole lot more when you do start over training yourself.

In regards to pull ups sometimes the best thing to do is just to do more pull ups, you dont exactly have to go crazy either do one max set in the morning and one max set in the evening i know a lot of Marines who have done this and saw 20 in about a month or so. Push ups also help a lot too they help work the entire body if you do them correctly.

One workout we have done in the past is called 30 killer minutes if you do this every other day you will definately see results. do a set number of pull ups say 5 in a minute wait out the rest of the minute then do 10 to 15 push ups and wait out the rest of the minute. and do 15 sets of this you should see results in no time. and the facing of the grip doesnt matter you can switch from inward to outward facing and how you get the pull ups doesnt matter as long as you get them and dont cheat yourself.

What if I can't do a single pull up though?

[devilbones2]

What if I can't do a single pull up though?

You wont be able to DEP in. You need to try some assisted pullups either with a buddy or at the gym. You NEED to improve your pullups. Each pullup is worth 5 points on your PFT.

[brettsimpson]

When I was in this is what I did to get a 300 PFT. Granted your looking to just get your foot in the door but this should help. Run as much as you can as often as you can and carry some water on you. I ran slow at first but gradually my speed increased. So look to run 3 miles every morning then in the evening do 3 miles on Mon/Wed/Fri, 6 miles on Tue/Thu, and 12 miles on Sat.
For pull-ups just hanging from the bar and straining is a start. As your weight drops from the running then you start to be able to pull up. The trick to pull-ups is just like with the running. Do as much as you can as often as possible and do them palms away as your back is stronger than your biceps. I would do as many as I could, rest 5 minutes, repeat until 2 hours went by. I would combine it with crunches, push-ups and running. Be careful to fully integrate your running or you could end up too heavy and it will slow your run down.

[arayRBG]

Thank u all for the help. Really means a lot to me. As of right now this is my schedule. Let me know what u guys think.

Monday: light 3 mile run. Assisted pull ups. Curls. Lat pull and push ups.
Tuesday: Sprint one minute jog 2minutes for a mile and a half.
Wednesday's: 2 mile hill run.
Thursday: one hour on elliptical and assisted pull ups. Curls. Lat pull and push ups.
Friday: timed 3 mile run as fast as I can.
Saturday: Rest
Sunday: Rest.

Then I repeat.

If I keep this routine consistent will I improve?
My 3miles is at 29min.
I'm 5 foot 11 inches tall and weight 235.

[Baker1971]

u guy's ??? How about you Marines !!!

[29palms]

A hell of a lot better than I do right now. Honestly, I would go over the 3 mile run to build more stamina, so do one extra mile per week at least, so that when you run the 3 miles, you won't be shocked and it will be a lot easier. Or do your 3 mile runs but at least for one day of the week, run another mile. Same with all your other exercises. Do more than required, shoot for that. Don't go with the minimum. Another thing you must remember. At receiving, it usually took us two weeks to get your Drill Instructor. Basically, you will be torn down and made in shape in their fashion. Best thing you can do is lose as much weight as you can, watch the heavy stuff. With the PTing you get in boot camp, you should be able to haul your weight.

[josephd]

you can't do one single pull-up??......that's sad

Here is my honest opinion based on your current fitness level, age, and height/weight.......

don't join the Marine Corps!

at 27 years old with your height and current weight, getting down to what you need to be and stay their is going to be EXTREMELY hard.

I commend you for wanting to serve your country and be a Marine but based on what I am picturing in my head....it just isn't meant to be. And if what I am picturing is even close to being correct if you do make it in, through boot camp, and onto the fleet your life is gonna be miserable as a 28-30 year(and very likely being out of height/weight standards)

[Kegler300]

I got my run time down from 19 minutes to 16-17 minutes by incorporating a sprint workout into my run routine to strengthen the fast-twitching leg muscles. My pull-up routine consisted of pyramid pull-ups, and lots of curls with the weights. I never had any problems with the sit-up/crunches by doing them everyday. I ran 300 PFTs for the majority of my career until age, hip and knee problems starting plaguing me when I was a MSgt.

[29palms]

I think its doable for this guy to lose 35 pounds. In the Marine Corps, they'll keep your weight down after PTing and running here and there to go to the barracks, PX, out in the field ect...The pull up part of it should come hand in hand with losing the weight. If you got the will, you can do it. Keeping it off shouldn't be that hard once in. They won't let you gain it. You'll be doing PT every other day.