Training for BCT

AB_Shorts_Momma

AB_Shorts_Momma

Milforum Otaku
I joined the National Guard last week, and did my first Drill weekend. Fortunately for me... the military recognizes that women who are getting close to 40 will not perform the mile run in the same time as the younger people. :p

I am 39, and have not run since JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL. I need suggestions!!!! I am most worried about the physical requirements, and want to start working on them now, as I report to BCT on June 1.

I want to set myself up for success! I ran my mile in 10:38 and passing was 10:30. (There is no such thing as close except in horse shoes and hand grenades!) When running, it feels like my lungs are going to EXPLODE. I quit smoking last week. I am trying to breath out of my nose only (it's cold in Indiana right now!).

My MOS is 92A, as I realize that I am more of an asset to my country behind a computer in a supporting role. :type:

I also realize that there are physical standards for a reason, and that to reach the goal, I'll have to work for it. I just want to work smart! I know that if I tried to run 10 miles today to build my endurance would be... stupid at best.


Thanks in advance for any and all advice!
 
Quitting smoking last week isn't really going to do a whole lot of good especially if you've been smoking for 300 weeks. That's still 300:1.
Just make sure you lose some weight so your body has less stuff to haul. At this rate that might be the only possible plan you can do.
 
the_13th_redneck said:
Quitting smoking last week isn't really going to do a whole lot of good especially if you've been smoking for 300 weeks. That's still 300:1.
Just make sure you lose some weight so your body has less stuff to haul. At this rate that might be the only possible plan you can do.
Click to expand...

Are you saying that even though I have 4 months to improve, quitting smoking now isn't going to help for June??????

That doesn't seem logical, even if it is true... Please explain more.
 
It will help, but also remember that it takes awhile to recover from smoking.

Also your feeling the hurt cause your not a runner. You need to keep at it a gradually increase your distance. In cold weather you might try wearing a scarf or bandana over your mouth and nose it helps warm the air.
 
Basically all those years of smoking and putting the stuff in your lungs isn't going to go away.
If you have 4 months here's some things you can do to improve your time.
If you're overweight, lose weight. Don't cut the amount of stuff you're eating (unless you eat too much anyway) but cut down on the carbs (rice, bread etc). This always works for me.
Warm up and stretch well before running or else you'll get injured.
Run slowly for a long time and distance.
Using light weights and doing several reps and sets will also help tone your body which will help in running.

Remember to stretch and never overwork yourself to the point of real pain.
 
AWESOME! Thank you for the practical advise!

Someone local said to do 10 pushup each hour Monday thru Friday for 2 weeks before drill to increase my # of pushups I can do for the 1 minute test. Does this have any truth to it?
 
I have been in the Army and National Guard for 19 years. here are my recommendations.

Every other day do 2 minutes of pushups. Do as many as you can and don't stop unless you do the max for your age (See Below).
On the days you are not doing pushups, do 2 minutes of situps. Same as with Pushups.
To train for the run, start at a mile. When you can run the mile in 10 min or less, bump it up to 2 miles.

Suggest the following
MON Pushups Run
TUE Situps
WED Pushups Run
THU Situps
FRI Pushups Run
SAT Situps
SUN Rest

You want to rest the muscles you are exercising to prevent injury.
Stretch a lot, even when you are not planning on exercise.
Quitting smoking is good. It will likely take about a month to start seeingthe effects.

Current Fitness standards for a 37-41 Female are:
Situps Pushups 2 Mile Run
MAX: 78 40 17:00
MIN: 38 13 22:42

MAX is the number or time you need to get the maximum score
MIN is the number you need to get the minimum passing score

For weight standards see AR600-9. Google search. Look at table 3-1.
58inch 40+ female allowed 124lbs
80inch 40+ female allowed 236lbs

If you let me know your height I can tell you exactly what you max allowable weight and body fat% is.

Thanks for serving. Remember that the APFT is 90% mental. Keep track of your progress so you can see how well you are doing.
 
Thanks! I am 67 inches.

What is the advantage of doing 2 minutes of push-ups / sit-ups versus the idea of smaller reps multiple times a day?
 
For 67in, 40+ your max weight is 166lbs
your max body fat % is 36%.

Doing 2 minutes at a time will get your body used to taking the test. I would recommend doing the 2 minutes a few times a day. Morning, afternoon then evening. Or you could do 20 pushups then rest for 2 minutes 15 then rest 10 then rest 5 then rest. Do that a few times a day and you will be ready in short order. When I say doing pushups make sure you do them correctly. I get yelled at by officers all the time because I don;t count alot of their reps when I am giving them the APFT. I always seem to be the one in my unit to administer the APFT. I don;t mind but I hold EVERYONE to the same standard (Thats the ARMY standard). From the Colonel (Who is a PT animal, scored 298 on the last APFT and is 45y/o) to the lowest private.
 
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According to the regs you are OK. If your weight is above the established max, you get taped. If your body fat % is above the established max then you are put on the weight control program. If your body fat% is below, even though you are over weight you are under fat and everything is OK. Ideally the army wants people who are all under their max weight.

At 30% you are just fine. I wouldn't worry. Keep working out and even if your weight increases, it is likely that your body fat % will go down. I used to lift and had to get taped all the time. Nothing bad ever happened to me because I was always under on the body fat%.

If you ever get on the weight control program you are expected to lose 3-8 pounds a month until you are either under fat% or under weight. Interestingly if you are under weight it is ok to be over fat%. If you are under weight they won;t check body fat%.
 
http://www.uc.edu/armyrotc/apftcalc.asp

that is one of the best online APFT calculators I know of. It shows just about everything you need to know. The APFT changes for age and gender so run some numbers and see what you need to do. Basic training standards are 50% in each event. Advice from a leadership perspective; you should get yourself inshape to the point where you are NOT worried about the minimum. You should always aim high and not just to get by.

Running has never been my bag. Here at Fort Sill I dropped 2 minutes on the 2 mile run though sprints and long runs. One day a week I did sprints on a track. Choose a goal that you want to run on your 2 mile run. Do some math and decide what would be your 1/4 mile pace for that goal time. Then you run a 1/4 mile at that pace followed by a 1/4 mile recovery lap at a slow pace then repeat as neccassary. I think we did 3.5 to 4 miles of these sprints but you can easily adjust the distance to your current ability.

Long distance runs were also key for me. Every SAT night I would go on a long run. I started at 5 miles and increased the distance every SAT night. I did not push the long runs past 8 miles since my love of running is a bit low. Music for running is pretty key for me too.

I hope this helps
 
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