Reflecting back and growing because of it

challenger

challenger

New Member
Hello everyone!

I just wanted to say, I was looking back at some of my old posts today and I said some stupid things. I have now transferred colleges and truly feel I am getting back on track towards reaching my goals. I don't know if giving up on UND makes me weak, but it seems obvious it was not for me. Every corner I turned another thing came crashing down on me and I used emotion in the moment to sound childish at times on here. I am just now rediscovering the positive attitude I once had and am really loving my life currently. I figured I would admit any of the face palms that may have occurred over the past yearish, were well placed ;)

I had the opportunity to go up a couple weeks ago and it was quite fun.

I am in AFROTC again and am putting every single bit of energy I have in doing well in that and also in succeeding in school. Who knows if I will be lucky enough to earn a pilot slot after all of my failures in the past, but time will tell and I consider a commission in any specialty to be better then not serving at all.

I am struggling a little bit at PT right now, so I was wondering what type of workout you guys do to keep in good shape? I've been adjusting to running 20-40 minutes a day at minimum of 4 days a week (Not including my 2 PT sessions) and am literally hacking a lung out because of my mal-fitness. Running is the thing I am most concerned about improving for this semester, so should I be running more then that amount of time every day or is it something that a person eventually gets used too and improves with repetition in these time frames? I'd really like to own the PFT at least by fall and have plenty of free time to work out so ideas to improve would be appreciated!

Anyways, no real purpose to this thread other then, my new found attitude that I believe will prove to be a better approach.

See some of you in the skies some day hopefully!
 
Does your school have an Army ROTC program too? If so, one option is to link up with them for PT. They generally do a lot of running and circuit training which would help get you in shape. If they're anything like the programs I worked with they welcomed anyone who wanted to work with them so being an AF guy wouldn't be a problem.
 
:yeahthat:

The Army detachment at my school is pretty open to letting anyone PT with them. Other than that, running several times a week outside of PT and hitting the gym a few times a week should be enough to get you in shape.

Are you a 100 or 250 now?
 
I am a 100 will be a 200 doubled on next fall. Unfortunately, there is no Army ROTC here, so I will need to do it on my own. Which really isn't all bad, I have a 2 hour gap between classes so I have plenty of time to go work out and grab lunch afterward. I am discovering that my use of energy drinks makes me feel horrendous even when I run way later on in the day, so I am going to have to kick that habit. I have time here and with my low credits, I should be able to take my GPA well above a 3.0 with hard work over these next 3 years. Everything is looking great so far and I just went to a local Air Force/Military museum to fill out an application to volunteer there which looks like it is going to be fun! I absolutely love being able to meet Vets and hear their stories. I am so excited to see what the future holds!
 
Don't get wasted the night before your PT test. Also, don't smoke cigarettes the week before the PT test.

Tried and true.

Good luck!
 
frog_flyer said:
Don't get wasted the night before your PT test. Also, don't smoke cigarettes the week before the PT test.

Tried and true.

Good luck!
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Don't do a PFT when you have the flu either, learned that the hard way!

As for running, it will take several months of training for it to make a difference. 1.5 miles isn't really very long, and is pretty easy to train for. Find someone that can pace you at 7 minute miles, and run with them. It is much easier to push yourself running with someone else, and you wont see much improvement unless you are pushing yourself to your limits.

It does not take very long to lose months of training, so do your best to keep with it!
 
drunkenbeagle said:
Don't do a PFT when you have the flu either, learned that the hard way!

As for running, it will take several months of training for it to make a difference. 1.5 miles isn't really very long, and is pretty easy to train for. Find someone that can pace you at 7 minute miles, and run with them. It is much easier to push yourself running with someone else, and you wont see much improvement unless you are pushing yourself to your limits.

It does not take very long to lose months of training, so do your best to keep with it!
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1.5 Miles is not very long at all. Treat it as if it were a sprint and you will be fine. Whats the worse thats going to happen to you if you dont?
 
This thread makes me laugh now. Taking the PFT while having the flu or being hungover, sounds like it could get messy real fast! :buck:

Thanks for the advice guys, I am just going to keep chipping away and I do not have to take the official PFT until April it sounds like, so I bet with a sound effort, I should be good to at least score middle ground by that point.
 
Are you young and having issues with something as simple as a PRT? I'm going to be a bit more blunt here but if you're under 25 and don't nearly max the PRT of 1.5 miles, sit-ups and push-ups..you've got bigger issues. I can see the run being the most difficult to max but the other stuff is easy stuff. With that said, I like crossfit. Granted, full blown crossfit, 3 days in a row is not always possible and not easy. With my bad back due to injury (I'm 40) I can't do many of crossfit exercises so I search through their websites, go to places like www.wodshop.org and find workouts that my back can handle but are still challenging. The majority of my workouts are bodyweight only and that might be best for someone who is pushing to pass a PRT. For example, yesterday was 400 mountain climbers, 100 2 hand kettlebell swings to the vertical (1 pod or 53#) and 50 pull-ups. Do it as quickly as you can. Tomorrow might be 150 push-ups, 100 burpees, 50 pull-ups. You can always scale down, add a running routine, etc.
 
bunk22 said:
Are you young and having issues with something as simple as a PRT? I'm going to be a bit more blunt here but if you're under 25 and don't nearly max the PRT of 1.5 miles, sit-ups and push-ups..you've got bigger issues..
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I trained young college aged cadets for a few years and this is pretty common. For every athletic stud we got there were 3 kids who couldn't even come close to passing. Plenty of over weight kids who couldn't do more than 10 push-ups or run even a mile without stopping. The good news is they're trainable. By the time they were seniors we had most kids in pretty good shape.
 
Ian J said:
I trained young college aged cadets for a few years and this is pretty common. For every athletic stud we got there were 3 kids who couldn't even come close to passing. Plenty of over weight kids who couldn't do more than 10 push-ups or run even a mile without stopping. The good news is they're trainable. By the time they were seniors we had most kids in pretty good shape.
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That is just suprising to me. Back in my day (you know, it snowed and I had to walk uphill everywhere), I would say 8 of 10 guys in my NROTC unit were in tip top shape. I was a decent athlete but was shocked how many guys/gals we had who were very good athletes. I would get 100 push-ups, 100 sit-ups and run the 1.5 in less than 9 minutes, thinking, yeah, not bad. We had folks running it less than 8 minutes!! Damn Marines :cool: I still say that when young, you should be in shape, running 1.5 miles shouldn't be much of an issue. As you age, father time, injuries, time, take a toll on that ability but damn, it's not that tough when young. At least what is asked from you from a ROTC unit. Of course there is diet too, eating right, working out, etc. To be young again!
 
Well, I have had 3 years of inactivity (Cardio inactivity especially, but had spurts of warehouse work with heavy lifting involved throughout) since high school. I played hockey, but was never super athletic before in my life. I am well within the weight/height standards however, with my tall and lanky styled Swedish ancestry. As it stands, I am a slow runner and I am physically weak. Not everyone is a fitness freak starting out, but I am getting into the routine of doing at least something 5 or 6 days out of the week which hopefully will start showing results.
 
Running at least 4 days a week/ twice a day WILL injure you. Ask me how I know? I did M/W/F upper body and pushups. T/Th/S run and abs for 6 months and I got a 95 on my last PRT. I went from 60 pushups/80 situps/9:45 1.5mi to 110 pushups/120 situps/9:15 (and much more run endurance).

PM me if you want specific workouts, I'd be glad to help.
 
bunk22 said:
That is just suprising to me. Back in my day (you know, it snowed and I had to walk uphill everywhere), I would say 8 of 10 guys in my NROTC unit were in tip top shape. I was a decent athlete but was shocked how many guys/gals we had who were very good athletes. I would get 100 push-ups, 100 sit-ups and run the 1.5 in less than 9 minutes, thinking, yeah, not bad. We had folks running it less than 8 minutes!! Damn Marines :cool: I still say that when young, you should be in shape, running 1.5 miles shouldn't be much of an issue. As you age, father time, injuries, time, take a toll on that ability but damn, it's not that tough when young. At least what is asked from you from a ROTC unit. Of course there is diet too, eating right, working out, etc. To be young again!
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You assume those of us under 25 (at the time) didn't have injuries that took their toll. Maybe I'm not the norm, but I struggled through getting in shape for a PFT because of old injuries from middle school.
 
challenger said:
Well, I have had 3 years of inactivity (Cardio inactivity especially, but had spurts of warehouse work with heavy lifting involved throughout) since high school. I played hockey, but was never super athletic before in my life. I am well within the weight/height standards however, with my tall and lanky styled Swedish ancestry. As it stands, I am a slow runner and I am physically weak. Not everyone is a fitness freak starting out, but I am getting into the routine of doing at least something 5 or 6 days out of the week which hopefully will start showing results.
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Getting on a PT regiment is not that difficult, it is sticking with it is the hard part.

The link mtrep posted is an excellent starting point, you can build yourself up off of that. The best part about that program is that it is one of the best, quickest summaries of what you need to do. Don't tell yourself you are too lanky or weak, you are physically and mentally stronger than you think. Just stick with it, push yourself, but know your limits as to not hurt yourself.


Remember, the best exercise is the one you do (taken from a SOWT Captain).
 
Cool, I also began a physical fitness routine aimed at improving my health and maxing the fitness test for whichever branch I decide on. Here is a link to a cool motivational picture I found which I've used to pump myself up and I really think it helps you eek out one last rep.

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Like others have said, I recommend that you don't overdo the running. I am starting REAL slow because I figure I have a good year and a half to get in proper shape.. I'd like to know how you plan to get into running because it is also my own biggest physical weakness.
 
n57flyguy said:
Getting on a PT regiment is not that difficult, it is sticking with it is the hard part.

The link mtrep posted is an excellent starting point, you can build yourself up off of that. The best part about that program is that it is one of the best, quickest summaries of what you need to do. Don't tell yourself you are too lanky or weak, you are physically and mentally stronger than you think. Just stick with it, push yourself, but know your limits as to not hurt yourself.


Remember, the best exercise is the one you do (taken from a SOWT Captain).
Click to expand...

I am going to print it out. From glancing over it, definitely looks like it has a ton of good info
 
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