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Physical Fitness Training


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I know, this is a little off topic but it directly impacts ones ability to 1) be selected, 2) "survive" the intial training and 3) makes one a better soldier and aviator. So, I would like to get your opinion.

 

What training program(s) are you using and how would you rate its effectivness?

 

I have been around the block trying many different forms of physical training programs and am growing rather bored. I am not discounting their effectiveness because some have worked very well for me where as others have not. I have used P90X, weight lifting, running, mountain biking, yoga (and yes, I am secure enough to admit it) and several others.

 

Like I said, I am growing bored with the lose fat/gain mass/gain strength propaganda and looking for something to actually make me FIT. I have seen programs like CrossFit and would like to give it a try, but the closest gym is almost 100 miles away. Sorry, I am not that dedicated. I have started doing several backyard exercises like using my newly made tire sled, flipping a 55g barrel full of water end-over-end, shuttle runs, rope climbs, pushing a wheel barrow full of firewood up a hill and other fun ideas that pop into my head.

 

I have looked over the internet and have been very disappointed at the lack of creativity. Almost all programs revolve around going to a box gym and doing 8-12 reps. I want more, I want variety, I want to be fit to fight. Help!

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Just do CrossFit style programming at your house. They have tons of free workouts on the web. Enough variety that you could do something different every day for years and years. CrossFit is a workout philosophy as much as it is a gym. They just teach you that philosophy at the various gyms.

 

You can mix in different items from your backyard gym to do a CrossFit style workout. Like this:

 

5 rounds for time of:

Run 400m

25 burpees

2 rope climbs

 

If you crank your intensity on that, you're doing a CrossFit workout. Then the next day you can do a CrossFit classic, like:

 

"Angie" - each event must be completed before moving to the next

For time:

100 pullups

100 pushups

100 situps

100 squats

 

Attack your weaknesses and just do your own programming. Some of the more complex movements in CrossFit are more difficult to learn on your own, and require more equipment. The oly lifts specifically, but you can get variety in your workouts and go well beyond "8-12 reps" and breaking down into body parts with ease.

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If you can pass a pt test you can do a Challenge. The Challenge is a physical challenge, but it is more of a mental challenge. There is a wide range of athletic abilities that you see, and the dropout rate is very low. The primary idea is how to work as a team, it's not about tring to smoke people and get them to quit. It's also about showing people what they are capable of despite what their brain might be telling them.

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Still doesn't work

 

Is it that book dinosaur training? Go for it. Sounds like the same thing every other program is selling, and they all work. All the books and movies you can buy give out the secret to success- exercising and eating healthy will get you in shape. Different exercises, but same principle. Maybe somebody has the master shortcut to getting "functionally strong" or whatever that means but who cares.

 

If I see a box that weighs 400LB and I want to pick it up, I can either commit a lifetime to weight training to do it, or I can get someone to help me lift it.

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If strength training is so easy, why do so many people fail to get results? I see too many people in the gym who have been doing the same workout with the same weight and reps for years. Its more than programs and nutrition. There is a distinct human element which cannot be ignored. The person has to push themselves and use, gasp, hard work to achieve their goals. This is the basic tenant of dinosaur training and why I am going to us some of its elements. It is a no frills, gut wrenching workout.

 

So go on and do your pretty little bicep isolation curls and pec deck machine. I'll go for function over aesthetics.

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If strength training is so easy, why do so many people fail to get results? I see too many people in the gym who have been doing the same workout with the same weight and reps for years. Its more than programs and nutrition. There is a distinct human element which cannot be ignored. The person has to push themselves and use, gasp, hard work to achieve their goals. This is the basic tenant of dinosaur training and why I am going to us some of its elements. It is a no frills, gut wrenching workout.

 

So go on and do your pretty little bicep isolation curls and pec deck machine. I'll go for function over aesthetics.

 

From my experience, whenever someone is looking for a new workout, it's usually because they want an easier one.

 

Why do people fail to get results? Because their lazy and full of excuses. It kind of like the fat lady who says all she eats is celery and and exercises but cant figure out why she's gaining weight. The answer is because she's lying.

 

It's simple, whether you do P90X, lift rocks, lift kettlebells, climb mountains, use weight machines, do pull ups, push ups, or use thighmasters, if you commit to it, than you get stronger and more fit. There are books that say, do 50 reps, 20 reps, 10, 5 or 1. There are people that swear by every program.

 

Functionally, your body adjusts to whatever it needs. If I move bags of cement all day, my body will get stronger in the areas necessary to move bags of cement. You want functional weight- you're done, there's no reason that you need to be stronger than what's required to accomplish the tasks in your life.

 

The truth is there's no reason why I need to be strong enough to bench press 300lbs, lift a 300lb rock, or do 40 pull ups, or run 5 miles unless there is some activity in my life that requires me to do those things (and there isn't). So why would anyone bother training to do them? I thing if you're honest with yourself and don't sell this tough guy routine than you know the answer.

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You are preaching mediocrity, and should be ashamed. Once you begin allowing this type of behavior exist in your character, where does it stop? Does this extend to mental and spiritual well being? Why go to college, meditate, read, study, or even get out of bed.

Look at other areas in your life and tell me you don't prepare for the unknown. I bet you have spent countless hours memorizing 5 and 9s. Was that just for fun? Face it, we all prepare to be stronger that what life throws at us. Boy Scouts know this, as should you.

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Preaching mediocrity? Not at all, he's preaching pragmatism. I live the same way.

 

You can call your work-out by whatever name you want to but all workouts get results by using the same principle: Make your body work hard and it will get harder. There's no need to obsess over the nuances between different workouts.

 

It's like if you were going to build a house and were selecting your tools. It really doesn't matter if you the hammer by X company or Y company. Getting a quality tool and using it is what matters.

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You are preaching mediocrity, and should be ashamed. Once you begin allowing this type of behavior exist in your character, where does it stop? Does this extend to mental and spiritual well being? Why go to college, meditate, read, study, or even get out of bed.

Look at other areas in your life and tell me you don't prepare for the unknown. I bet you have spent countless hours memorizing 5 and 9s. Was that just for fun? Face it, we all prepare to be stronger that what life throws at us. Boy Scouts know this, as should you.

 

Ok, let me start over. What is your definition of "fit". Is a 300LB NFL lineman fit? or a linebacker? or a decathlete? or a marathon runner? Or an Olympic gymnast?

 

All of those people are world class athletes and I would argue that they all are fit though they are very different. All of them have functional strength. A lineman may be able to lift a 500 pound weight but only run a mile or two before exhaustion, a marathon runner can run forever but has little strength. Everyone else is something in between.

 

So strive for excellence, work hard, it's the only way to get results. But, understand this- there is no reason why you need to run 26 miles or lift 500lbs so choose how you want to focus your efforts because you can't be everything.

 

To me, it's all vanity to some degree. If I could lift hundreds of pounds what would I do with that strength? Go around lifting heavy stuff? Impress my friends? So I focus on passing my PT test and looking good for my wife which incidentally is hard work and it keeps me fit.

 

I've tried all manner of workouts and I've rarely found one that I don't like. I travel a lot so my workout may be squats, benchpresses, etc. if I have access to a gym (which often times you will in the Army). Sometimes all I can do is pullups and pushups, sometimes I just do P90X, even kettlebells, one gym while deployed was truck tires to flip, wheels welded onto bars for weights and ammo cans full of rocks. Sometimes I do high reps low weight, sometimes low weight high reps, sometimes I go for speed. I also do sprints, bicycle, distance runs, and occasionally swim. I'm 33, and I feel like I'm more fit than 90% of pilots my age, many of whom have back problems.

 

So in my opinion the secret to success is this- work out, work hard, and eat healthy. However you want to shape your body as long as you work hard at it you can accomplish it. There is no magical combination of weight, reps, or speed. There are no special exercises, just ones that work different parts of your body.

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Jester, you are exactly right, you must use a hammer, not a spoon to build a house. The right tool for the right job is the only way it works.

 

MyDad'sbrotherisRobert,

There's a lot we agree on, and some things we don't.

 

I can compete (locally) in half marathons, usually finishing in the top 5. However, at 170lbs I can also currently rep 5x255 bench, 5x315 squat, 5x365 deadlift and 5x175 overhead. So, who wrote the law you can only have one? I can lift and run. I just don't feel I am good as a I can be. That’s the thing with fitness, there is no finish line it’s a journey.

 

No magical combinations? Apply this logic to running. If I want to max the pt run as my goal. No matter how many miles I walk I will never be able to run the 2mi in under 13min. You must train at or above the level you want to achieve. Same is true for any fitness goal.

 

My fitness goals? I strive to be as physically fit as possible in all areas; strength, endurance, flexibility, etc. I am looking to expand my current routine beyond the weight room as I think this is limiting me. We live in the world not in the gym, the things we handle in real life are unbalanced, awkward, bulky objects. Not anything like what can be replicated in the gym.

 

I am thinking about my future as a possible Army aviator. What happens if I go down in a hostile area? Can I survive? How will I do that? We all know mental toughness plays a large role as does physical toughness. Physical training, if done properly, strengths both. I am just trying to prepare now while I can.

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