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Physical Fitness (Jogging, Diet, Cardiovascular, and Strength )

  • Thread starter Thread starter silverhorse86
  • Start date Start date
bdave said:
Drinking milk for everything it contains. Many people, including myself, find it difficult to pack the calories. Should have clarified that  :P

Exactly. That's why I said why drink 2% when you can go to the next level up and get 3.25%
 
If you suck at running and its your cardio that is bad, get on a bike and giver'. Nothing better for improving lung capacity than epic hill climbs! (well... maybe there is, but these will definitely do the trick as well). Look at Lance Armstrong.... drugs or no drugs the guy flies up mountains!

If its the legs that are crap, then NotRambo's advice is the way to go. Little by little you will improve. Improvement in Physical fitness is often frustrating to gauge in yourself. It takes time and you also see your self everyday, so actually "seeing" results isn't always easy. I think it has been said before, but I'll re-iterate: When you start your training, take a picture of yourself every few weeks or every month. Same stance, same location. Within 3 months time, if you trained hard, you WILL see results.

 
You should also include Squats in your workout. Resistance training is just, so damn good.
 
For anyone looking for a running program and owns an iPod/iPhone, I highly recommend downloading the Couch to 5K app (http://www.coolrunning.com/engine/2/2_3/181.shtml). It’s a great tool and keeps track of everything for you. A voice will speak over your music and tell you when to run or walk.

I’m currently on the ninth week and can run 5K without any trouble. I usually throw in sprints near the end to push myself. When I started I could barely run for 3 min straight. I found this app while searching other fitness threads. There is a lot of great information on this site if you have the time to search around.

Also, I found the 300 workout to be helpful and something you can do before bed. It is 100 push-ups, 100 sit-ups and 100 squats. Example: Do push-ups until failure. Take a short break and continue until you reach 100. It could take you 5 or 30 min depending on your level and then move on to sit-ups. Just make sure you don’t cheat yourself and keep proper form.
 
Go to the Army Run website below and you will find a beginner and advanced running program for both a 5K and half marathon.  For those with no direction, it is a good start.

http://armyrun.ca/en/raceinfo/bootcamp.aspx
 
I have read this and many other threads, and haven't quite found what I am looking for..... I have my application in (hoping for Combat Engineer, reserves) and have been training hard, my physical is in a week. I have included pull ups, pushups, sit-ups, TRX (basically resistance training) and a lot of running into my workouts. My issue is that I seem to be consistently loosing weight, but understand that I am already lean and if anything am trying to put on weight or mass. I signed myself up for my first half marathon to take place this August, to help with training and motivation, but am wondering if I should drop that because of the weight loss? If (and when) I get the call for BMQ, I don't want to be a bean pole because I've been running so much, but on the other hand I want to be in the best shape possible. To give you an idea I am 6' and currently 165lbs. used to be 175lbs. I would really appreciate advice from someone who has been there. Thank you in advance. :salute:
 
@Ironman

I'm not thin myself, 5'9 171lbs, but I've read that if you are lean and want to put on muscle mass (as long as you are adequately strength training) that the GOMAD method works pretty good. GOMAD standing for Gallon Of Milk A Day. doesn't have to be a gallon, but for example my armwrestling coach drinks a liter of milk every day at lunch time.

you can also combine that with protein powder. I don't want to recommend any websites or brands because I'm not sure if that's against forum policy, but as long as whatever protein you're getting is a whey isolate and has little to no sugar, you should be good. it's the best way to get the protein you need for your muscles without a lot of padded calories in carbs and sugar.

best of luck!
 
IMO stay away from supplements. I understand that they can and do build lean muscle mass...however....if you are in FOB Middle of Nowhere.....and there is no CANEX or PX.......and you have IMPs to live on.....then what?
Body builders have a hard time in the field. Their lives revolve around training, eating and resting to build that mass. In the field, that don't happen.
 
Thank you for the advise guys. Sorry to be fussy, but I am looking for advice on running vs. weight gain. I don't expect, nor do I want to get "huge" but should I keep up with the 1/2 marathon training and try to maintain weight, or ditch that, still get cardio in, but concentrate more on the strength training? I know they are both important but what should I be concentrating on for BMQ? I want to be as ready as I can be and if any advice will help I will gladly take it. :pushup: Thanks again.



Mr. Seggie, thank you for your sacrifice. May your son Michael Rest in Peace.
 
Iron Man said:
Thank you for the advise guys. Sorry to be fussy, but I am looking for advice on running vs. weight gain. I don't expect, nor do I want to get "huge" but should I keep up with the 1/2 marathon training and try to maintain weight, or ditch that, still get cardio in, but concentrate more on the strength training? I know they are both important but what should I be concentrating on for BMQ? I want to be as ready as I can be and if any advice will help I will gladly take it. :pushup: Thanks again.



Mr. Seggie, thank you for your sacrifice. May your son Michael Rest in Peace.

I don't know what your 1/2 marathon training entails, how far/long you are running and how often, but...

I trust you realize that running is sort of contradictory to gaining weight, especially since you seem to have a high metabolism anyway.

If what you are wondering is how to gain weight, but also keep your cardio at an acceptable level at the same time, then I would say (purely my opinion) that an 8km run (running for time) 3 times a week will help you maintain at least "above average" cardio... If you can run 8km in 40 minutes I would guess you'd be in the top 15% of your course for running period.

This "8km, 40 min" is based on the fitness levels I've seen from my BMOQ and CAP courses. That's it, that's all.

If you aren't running that much already, well... increasing your running to that will obviously only increase the weight loss effect.
 
Interesting. Targeting these muscles to improve performance by 10-15% is a huge gain.

http://nextbigfuture.com/2011/04/training-breathing-muscles-can-boost.html

Training breathing muscles can boost sports performance by 15%

Training the muscles responsible for breathing in – inspiratory muscles – can improve performance by 15 per cent, meaning a runner can run for longer and a swimmer can swim faster, for example.

    Dr Mitch Lomax, of the university’s Department of Sport and Exercise Science, has found that inspiratory muscle training and inspiratory warm-up exercises both boost performance, but when combined they can improve a sportsman or woman’s performance even more. Her work is published in the Journal of Sports Science.

Several other universities have published studies that show similar results

    An Indiana University study found that strengthening inspiratory muscles by performing daily breathing exercises for six weeks significantly reduced the amount of oxygen these same breathing muscles required during exercise, possibly making more oxygen available for other muscles. IMT involves the use of a hand-held device that provides resistance as one inhales through it, requiring greater use of inspiratory muscles. For half of the study participants, the IMT device was set to a level that provided resistance as the subjects took a fast forceful breath in. For six weeks they took 30 breaths at this setting twice a day. The cyclists in the control group did the same exercises with the IMT adjusted to a minimal level.

    Dr Lomax said: “People overlook that the muscles responsible for breathing are the same as other muscles and training or warming them up before playing sport means you will perform better. Doing both training and warming up is the best of all.

    “Anecdotally I know some athletes use inspiratory muscle training devices but they don’t acknowledge it – they know it gives them an edge over their competitors and they don’t want to let on.

    “Any little bit of advantage you can get legally as a sportsman or woman is worth doing and training and warming up the muscles responsible for breathing in is incredibly easy to do.”

    In the study, Dr Lomax used an inspiratory muscle training device which works in a similar way to other resistance training devices to build muscle strength. An athlete doing training would use such a device to do one set of 30 breaths twice a day. For inspiratory muscle warm-up, because the power-boosting effect of warm-up exercises typically dissipates within half an hour, an athlete would use the device to do two sets of 30 breaths immediately before the sporting event for best results.

    She said: “We know training and warm-ups work, but we don’t yet know the best way of incorporating such training into an athlete’s entire training schedule over a year.”

    She also said it is important athletes and coaches use the device correctly because, as with any other sports equipment, if used incorrectly it could do more harm than good. “If it isn’t done right, there is the risk of hyperventilating and passing out. Technique with these devices really matters because they can also cause injury or strain if they aren’t used correctly.”

    There are various devices available for inspiratory muscle training and warm-up, costing from £50-£300 but costs could be reduced if sports teams shared the device and each person bought just a mouthpiece for their own use. There could be other ways of training the muscles, without the use of a gadget or device, but because so many muscles are involved with breathing in, it would be extremely difficult to train them all to optimum level.

    Dr Lomax said: “The weakest muscle determines the point of exhaustion, so if you have trained some inspiratory muscles, the one you haven’t trained will be what limits this group of muscles from performing better or for longer and dictates the point at which your body gives up.

    “The body is designed so the muscles responsible for breathing and the heart will take priority for oxygenated blood over limb muscles, meaning the rest of the body – legs and arms – will be the first to “go” causing premature fatigue.”

    Dr Lomax tested 12 runners over six weeks and found that those who did inspiratory muscle warm-ups improved their times by 5-7 per cent; those who did inspiratory muscle training improved their times by 12 per cent; and those who did both improved by 15 per cent. Dr Lomax said those were very conservative figures and did not rule out athletes making even greater gains. A sample size of 12 is a typical sample in sport and exercise physiological studies.
 
This is an interesting thread.  I guess its all about finding out what works for you.


Steve
 
Just a little update with what I've been incorporating in my routine: Lately, I've been working a session every other day into my week where I will run on the treadmill on +2 incline at about 9.5km/h for 30 min and then for another 10min I'll do 2min on and then 30 seconds straight of non-stop heavy bag stand up. Anything goes as long as you DO NOT STOP for the entire 30 seconds and then hop back on the treadmill (which is still running) and repeat.

After 10min. of this on top of the 30min run, you'll be shattered >:D! Its awesome! I've been getting good results so I thought I'd share.
 
This is a reply for every person who posted on here.

Do these things:

Cardio:  High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) - Look it up and do it instead of typical endurance training (useless).
Strength / Endurance: Circuit training is ALWAYS best. Do some research on full-body workouts and apply your new-found knowledge!
Stretching / Flexibility / Core: Just two words; Yoga, and Pilates. MY bench alone went from 135 to 365 in two months doing Yoga, and Pilates. Not to mention the incredible flexibility and renage of motion your joints will love you for. You will be much less injury-prone.
Nutrition:  Fruits, Veggies, Lean Meats, and Whole Grains. Every Meal.
 
I'm wondering how I would improve my hand grip score or how would I practice and running on a treadmill what level/setting should I run on or work towards.


Thanks
 
Muttenthaler said:
Stretching / Flexibility / Core: Just two words; Yoga, and Pilates. MY bench alone went from 135 to 365 in two months doing Yoga, and Pilates.

So you almost tripled your bench, in two months, by doing yoga? What?

Shreenan,
I'm wondering how I would improve my hand grip score or how would I practice and running on a treadmill what level/setting should I run on or work towards.
Handgrip is easy, go to a store with weights or even walmart and buy one of those little handgrip exercise things.

How would you practice on a treadmill?  It's pretty straight forward ;)

Running on roads (paths trails etc..) is much better than on a treadmill. Treadmills basically pull you along. I've got a friend who runs on one every night. Motors pretty good on it too. On the street they crumble. I did the same too.

Try this, it knocked a lot of time off my 5K and 10K run.
Run full speed (monsters are after you) for 30 seconds, then walk 30 seconds. Then run for 30 seconds and walk 30 seconds. (do this 5 times)
Next move the times up to a minute. Run a minute walk a minute run a minute walk a minute, 5 times.
Then bring it up to 2 minutes, again do the ratio 5 times.  You'll be gassed at this point so you'll need to pace your 2 minutes of running a little bit but still, your pace should be running away from something scary.  Do that 3 times a week and you'll notice a huge difference.
 
Hey guys, first post here, long time lurker.

Anywho, my goal is in April to start the recruiting process and by then I want to be as physically ready for Basic as possible in that amount of time. I used to be very seditary up until a month and a half ago. I go for 5km runs almost every other day now, eat well (mostly fruits and veggies and chicken as meat). Yesterday I signed up for a gym and I was a bit overwhelmed, luckly I had a buddy so I just did his upperbody routine. My goal is to be 170 come April, down from 200 atm, and be in the best shape possible in the small amount of time.

So what would be the best routine for myself to do? Any pointers when getting started would be very helpful.

Thanks

 
I did some searching around and found this thread... http://forums.army.ca/forums/threads/84789/post-824985.html#msg824985

I think the first reply sound alright, is there anything that I should Alter?
 
This workout is awesome
Do it for 6 weeks.
I'm on week 6 and I'm going to start another 6

Do some kind of cardio every second day.
Running, swimming, mountain tossing

http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/ryan-hughes-muscle-building-program.html
 
If you need a motivation you can see this vid, it helped me a lot

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Aj1GAQDCPiY&feature=player_embedded
 
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