Phys-Ed Tests?

[AEStewart]

Hello.. again.

I'm interested and worried about the Phys-Ed tests that are given when you sign up.. basically, I'll be blunt, I'm quite out of shape. I'm about 250 pounds, I don't remember my body fat ratio, but I'm 6'1" - so about 30 pounds or so overweight (atleast according to my dietician).

Now I understand there are basically 4 parts to this.. the 2.4km run, the situps, pushup and the grip test. I'm pretty much worried about all of them, as I'm not very energetic, my stomach feels like it's catching fire after a dozen or two situps and I apparently can't do a pushup to save my life.. so where should I start? Yes, I know the pamphlets and such give good pointers on what to do but I was wondering if anyone out there could give me some personal first-hand advice on what I'll be going up against and what sort of preperation I should take specifically. I'm hoping to start BMQ in Jan/Feb so that gives me roughly 4-5 months to get in (good enough) shape. In your best opinions, should I go for Jan/Feb or wait until next Summer when I can do BMQ and SQ all over 2 straight months?

My original plan is to do the BMQ in Jan/Feb (for reserves), which by my 'calculations' would end in May/June-ish.. just in-time for the summer SQ that I could do in a single straight month.

So.. any advice?

 

[Pieman]

Now I understand there are basically 4 parts to this.. the 2.4km run, the situps, pushup and the grip test. I'm pretty much worried about all of them, as I'm not very energetic, my stomach feels like it's catching fire after a dozen or two situps and I apparently can't do a pushup to save my life.. so where should I start? 

Start running. Start doing pushups. Start doing situps. Get yourself to a gym and get on a good work out routine. Start eating right. Read through the training section of this forum as it has lots of good advice. Take your training seriously. The fitness qualifications are pretty lax really, you should aim to breeze through them by the time you take the test. Not just get by.

I was also vastly out of shape when I first applied. Worked very hard at it, and that is not the case anymore.

Have you applied yet? It can take a very long time to get through the application process sometimes.

 

[dearryan]

If you can afford it, get a personal trainer. Many gyms offer one once or twice a week for a small fee. Get them to put a program together for you. Then show you how to properly do the workout. You mentioned that you have a dietitian...he/she can structure a meal plan for you.  ($$$) You must eat right or all the working out in the world is pointless. Set obtainable goals for your weight and fitness level...and be patient.
I agree with Pieman, the fitness test is pretty lax. If you cant breeze through it you are in for a a tough time come BMQ. And really why start out your career with such an up hill battle.

Good luck

Ryan

 

[Mojo Magnum]

For a good foundational knowledge of how to get fit and eat healthy I found the book "Body For Life" by Bill Phillips and the website of the same name are excellent tools to both educate you and help you along the way with the mental ups and downs of discipline.  If you are clueless as to diet, cardio and weight training, his info will strenghten you all around.


For Army physical info specifically, do a search on this site.  There is tons of work out info on increasing push ups, cardio etc. 

First and foremost in the info is DO THEM.  Practice brings strength and endurance.  As supporting muscles get stronger, push ups get easier. 

 

[alexpb]

About a year ago my brother was in an accident causing him to not be able to walk. He put on quite a few pounds. The doctor recommended him this book called the "G.I. Diet" or something to that name. It worked quite well.

(G.I. doesn't stand for Government Issue,  it stands for Gastrointestinal - i think)

 

[jmnavy]

Assuming you've been inactive for a while, you want to start slow, at least for the first 3 weeks or so.  Don't push yourself too hard until your body's used to it.  You don't want to start reaching muscle exhaustion early on or you'll injure yourself (muscle exhaustion is when you get to the point where no matter how hard you push you can't do another rep)  You're MUCH better off using weights that might feel too light especially in the first month.  You're probably really gung ho and want to push yourself to the limit from day 1, but until your body's ready you'll just end up pulling something and then you're stuck resting for a week or two while you heal.  Save that energy to push yourself hard later.

Also, when you're starting to run, first run for distance then for speed.  So rather than trying to run 2.4k as fast as you can, aim for running 4k, then 7k, etc...  This is not only good general advice for beginner runners but doing slower 5k runs will help you lose more weight than running a fast 2.4k.

Don't go overboard with supplements either, a lot of them are for people doing advanced physical training.  Multivitamins and a protein shake aren't bad ideas, but don't take creatine or anything like that.  It'll just be a waste of money.  Most people get enough protein in their diets already so you can skip that if you want.

The biggest challenge will probably be keeping your energy up (I find multivitamins help me with this.)  Diet will play a big part in this.  Most of it's common sense stuff as far as what to eat/what not to eat.  When I had a personal trainer (they're a great investment when you're getting started!) I was told to time my workouts to be around 2 hours after a meal, and have some protein within an hour after the workout (this could be a protein shake, a chicken breast, eggs, whatever.)  If you feel your energy dropping, don't worry about it, just plan for a few light days where you just go walk on the treadmill for a half-hour or hour at the gym.  Your energy will come back up soon enough, just make sure you keep going.

DON'T let yourself get intimidated by other people at the gym.  If you see some big guy benching 270lbs, just before you were about to attempt 100lbs you've got to put it out of your mind.  Don't try to bench 150 instead, and don't shy away all together.  Neither of those are going to get you results.  First time I worked out I benched 60lbs.

Sorry for the long reply, hope it's helpful!  Good luck!

 

[paracowboy]

http://forums.army.ca/forums/index.php/board,39



http://forums.army.ca/forums/threads/33109.0.html

 

[Kat Stevens]

About a year ago my brother was in an accident causing him to not be able to walk. He put on quite a few pounds. The doctor recommended him this book called the "G.I. Diet" or something to that name. It worked quite well.

(G.I. doesn't stand for Government Issue,   it stands for Gastrointestinal - i think)

I believe GI= Glycemic Index.  Low GI number, good, high GI number bad.  Basically a fad version of the diet diabetics have followed for eons.

 

[alexpb]

thanks for the correction.