Who loves PT!?

[22DevilPup87]

I partially stand by ProtectnServe. I PT on my own and don't need anyone to watch me do it, but when my recruiter found out he wouldn't be getting a billet out of me he literally said, "Make weight, get a first class PFT, then come back to see me. Don't step foot in my office until then." For me, that's motivating. He's going to see me again, and he's going to see me with a first class PFT and at weight.

I do have to admit, though, that I have friends that can't sign yet that go to pool-ee functions with their RSS, yet I was never invited. It's disappointing, but as I said, I'm going to get that first class PFT and make weight. In ... eh, a month or six weeks ya'll should hear about that happening.

[ProtectnServe]

I didn't mean I know everything for boot camp, I've got alot more that I could find out about that I try to find out somthing new everyday.

What I meant was I know pretty much everything about what I need to do as far as my PT routine.

[poolee womack]

It's crazy how fast the year goes while your in DEP but now that I am only 3 weeks from shipping the time has slowed to a halt and I just want to get there and get started. It's driving me crazy.

[btrogu]

True, I'm 34 years old and have been out since 1997. I keep my haircut a high and tight and run 3 miles a day atleast 3 times a week. Plus do my push-ups, side straddle hops, leg lifts, etc.. Plus living at the beach and running on the boardwalk and seeing those nice pretty girls will motavate anybody. I also have a couple of running cadance cd's I use. PT GOOD FOR YOU GOOD FOR ME OORAHH

[firstsgtmike]

22DevilPup87

"Make weight, get a first class PFT, then come back to see me. Don't step foot in my office until then."

I remember.

I remember an underaged fat blob who would accompany his older friends to my recruiting office.

When they came to visit on boot leave, he would be with them.

After his 17th birthday he wanted me to sign him up. I told him that I had never sent a blob to the Fat Farm at MCRD. I told him to join one of the other services.

Four months later, he was back in my office, minus thirty pounds of flab.

He paid his dues, I paid mine. He went down to the Fat Farm and came back from MCRD eighty pounds lighter than when he left.

His father owned a car dealership and wanted to give me a free .......

No thank you sir, I've already been paid. Dennis stopped by here on his way home.

[Echo_Four_Bravo]

ProtectnServe, I am going to say a few words to you that you will hear often in your time in the Marine Corps, IF you make it. "If it ain't rainin', you ain't trainin'!" Marines are amphibious warriors from the sea, a little rain is nothing to be concerned about.

Now, about your recruiter. I can see why you are upset. You think he isn't living up to the promise he made to your parents. That may be how you look at it, but I see it in a different light. If you are ready to go to boot camp, he did his job. The fact you may have to spend some time doing it on your own is in fact doing more for you than you think it is. You can't always rely on someone else to get things done for you, sometimes you need to do it yourself. Case in point, if there is some kind of paper work you need to get on a base (this is new to me, poolees didn't get on bases around my RSS) then go to the guard shack on the base, get the papers, fill them out, and bring them to your recruiter to sign. He is busy dealing with other issues and it would make his life a LOT easier if you showed some initiative and got things done.
Now, as for you knowing everything you need to know about your PT program... if you aren't running a 300, this isn't true. I know I have been PTing for a long time, and I still learn something new almost daily.

22DevilPup87, I can see how what the recruiter did to you may be seen as something "bad." I disagree though. You took it right. You used his comments as a form of motivation. You will make weight, get your PFT in order, and show back up at his office. That is great! But, there are people out there that will not do that. They will take what he said to mean they can't do it, and will just go away. In honesty, it is better for the Corps if those people walk to the Army recruiters office.

[22DevilPup87]

What my recruiter did was an important part of the weeding out process. I don't hold it against him in the least. I want his help, but I have to earn it. I'll earn it by showing him I can get a first class PFT and make weight. I'm in the midst of proving to him that I have what it takes to have a shot at being in the beloved Marine Corps.

So, Echo_Four_Bravo, long story shortened, I definitely agree with you.

[Patrick8605]

I have a question, what if you were a "little" guy...I'm talking about 140lbs and around 5'9", I know I have to work my butt off but watching discovery channel they had a documentary on Marine Cold weather training and almost all of those guys were small like myself even before they went to the training. So I am just wondering if there is anyone who went to boot who has a small body frame?

[btrogu]

Yep, I was 5'5, 119 lbs. I was also in great shape too. I did a 298 in my final pft in boot camp and always had nothing lower than a 295. You're gonna have to work butt off nomatter what your body frame. It's always better to be smaller. It's a lot easier to gain than to lose. It will be tough when carring a heavier pack. I went through cold weather trainging up in Bridgeport Ca, and I carried a pack that weighed more than I did. No lie. Just keep doing your PT and study your Genral Orders and learn some Marine Corps history and you're be fine.

[gwladgarwr]

I'm what you might call a "little guy", sorta. I myself am 5'10" and 135 lbs, and thought those recruits were going to outrun, out-crunch, and outdo me in pull-ups, and outdo me in every other physcial aspect. When I reported to MCRD Parris Island in March 2001, I was also 32 years old and had also previously taken two trips through OCS (liked it so much I had to do it again!) I'm also a runner (a lazy one, but still a runner), which helped a little bit. I graduated from Plt 3053, M Co, 3rd Bn as company high PFT as the company's oldest recruit at age 33 with a 300 and the only one to max out in Mike Co. (except for the female company high recruit from 4th Bn who also got her 300.) I also scored 300 at OCS in '98 on a broken hip, which was weird. I've run 6 marathons since the broken hip, and three of them after boot camp.

The older recruits in boot camp and at OCS tended to do better physcially for some reason - even the broken ones! So, long story short, being "little" is no obstacle to achieving your goal at boot camp. You will amaze yourself at what you can achieve! A lot of training and preparation prior to ship date don't hurt, either. In fact, the smaller recruits tended to resist injury or physical problems more than the big guys - could be attributed to either the big guys' not having conditioned their bodies enough prior to boot camp, or, their bigger and heavier frames simply could not tolerate the physical stress of training due to more mass and weight.

Keep training, and know that you can do anything you want if you set your mind to it. In the Marine Corps, there are no obstacles standing in your way - just another objective to identify and destroy! Semper Fidelis!

gwladgarwr (LCpl Race)

[22DevilPup87]

Just to back up what these Marines are telling you (Not that they need any backing up ...) being small shouldn't hurt you. My max weight is 125, but you can bet (and you'd win) that I plan on maintaining at 115 - 120. My guess is that at one time I'll be expected to carry something heavier than I am.

At NASS during their Career Options brief we heard from a Navy SEAL. That SEAL was maybe 5'3" and 125.

It's not the size of the dog in the fight. It's the size of the fight in the dog. It's all heart.

[Patrick8605]

Thanks guys...There is a lot of fight in this dog and I hope I can max my PFT.

[Ajm81]

I must commend my recruiter. I dont know if I should use his name, but he is in the Mempis TN office. He has been with me every single step of the way. Im a little older that most the pooles in my area. Im 22, and married (4 yrs), with 2 kids. but I have the full support of my wife, parents, her parents, and all my friends. I guess I am just lucky (maybe blessed would be a better word) in that area. But anyway, my recruiter calls me up every week. "Hey how are you? you PT ing this Thursday. If you can't make it call me up during the week, Ill work out with you help you out on those crunches..." this is a example of the many calls he's made to me. He keeps me motivated ( I am pretty much self motivated, but his additional mental support has really given me a strong respect and liking for the fella). I would almost go as far as say, I love the fella.....almost. LOL. But anyway, he may never read this, but I feel that I owe him so much. Thanks SSGT Lockman

[clint]

When I went in I was 111 at 5'7". In other words a bean pole. I bearly made the run time but had every thing else perfect when I went Dep. By the time I was heading to San Diago I had a mid second class. When I finished boot I was low first class.During training and Ops I never had any concerns about not able to do something because of size.Most of this was done on my time because my recruiter told me straight up. " Do it on your own because Im here to get future Marines in not do everything for them. I'll give you the how to do it and the rest is up to you ."

[bear_grunt]

I ahve a question for anyone willing to answer. I have assesed my weaknesses and the critical area that I need work in is the upper body area. I do lots of pushups and inclined pushups. My problem is with pullups and rope climbs. One of my problems is that I don't have an accesable pull up bar. I thought about putting one in the back yard, but that idea was nixed by the wife. There is one at our local city park, but when I get on it I struggle. Any suggestions. I do pretty good with teh rest of the PFT. My run time is a 21 min 3 mi, but that has steddaly been dropping. I can also know out the crunches. I did 90 in 2 min last time I tested myself. So any advice on the dreaded pull ups would be helpful.