How do YOU prep for a PT Test?

SFC Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 22 Oct 2014 16:46:35 -0400

PT is a touchy subject for some, I have had issues when people would do the "minimum" and stand up. I always tried to do my best and although I have never got a 300 I have gotten darn good at it. I can manage a 290 at the age of 44.

When I was a young Soldier I didnt prepare at all for the PT Test. It wasnt unheard of to stay up late drinking the night before; then I got a little older. I would stretch more and drink less prior to the test; then I got a little older. I started eating better and would eat high energy foods the day before; then I got a little older. Now I prepare for a PT Test by popping a couple of anti inflamitory and pain pills.

What do you do to prepare for your PT Test?

Response by CW5 Private RallyPoint Member made Oct 22 at 2014 5:00 PM

CW5 Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 22 Oct 2014 17:00:49 -0400

SSG Gilbreath, I guess I was lucky, because I could max the PT test for many years of my career. I do agree with you that the older I got the more I had to prepare. Running was seldom a problem for me, but pushups were a challenge, so that's what I did to prepare - weeks and months in advance - more pushups, more strength training.

The other problem - and I don't know if others have experienced this, but I suspect probably - is that the higher I rose in the warrant officer ranks, the more the "burden" of preparing for the APFT and doing PT in general fell on me. I didn't have to show up for much organized PT, so I had to do it on my own. That tested my self discipline.

Response by CW2 Private RallyPoint Member made Dec 22 at 2014 2:44 PM

CW2 Private RallyPoint Member — Mon, 22 Dec 2014 14:44:08 -0500

lots of prayer, I am 43 and not broken I just HATE pushups. Situps I am fine and run I get 70 to 80 points on it. I hate organized pt but I will run 4 miles a day 3 or 4 days a week when weather is good. I don't drink or smoke and I don't have to be taped. I also like to lay off any pt a week before the test.

Response by CSM Michael J. Uhlig made Dec 22 at 2014 4:26 PM

CSM Michael J. Uhlig — Mon, 22 Dec 2014 16:26:18 -0500

just do it!

Maintain a healthy diet, get your exercise & workouts in and include a routine for your sleep habits and you should find an improvement...part of the Performance Triad. Take a look at the following link, it has some great resources!

http://phc.amedd.army.mil/topics/healthyliving/perftriad/Pages/default.aspx

Response by SGT(P) Private RallyPoint Member made Dec 22 at 2014 7:03 PM

SGT(P) Private RallyPoint Member — Mon, 22 Dec 2014 19:03:23 -0500

Edited: I misunderstood the initial post.
I start hydrating the week before. The last three tests that I did really well on, I had three beers the night before. Go figure.

Response by SGT Kyle Taylor made Dec 22 at 2014 7:49 PM

SGT Kyle Taylor — Mon, 22 Dec 2014 19:49:00 -0500

Well I try to hydrate a few days in advance than do my regular 2 or 3 beers the night before. Wake up 30 mins early ice my knee, take ranger candy, rub my knee, abs, and shoulders with BIO FREEZE. Than before I walk out the door I put my brace on my leg and I tell myself that I am going to make this PT Test my bitch!!

Response by COL Private RallyPoint Member made Dec 22 at 2014 8:14 PM

COL Private RallyPoint Member — Mon, 22 Dec 2014 20:14:37 -0500

If you are doing PT routinely, you should not have to prep for the PT test.

I should be able to tell my subordinates that they are going to be doing a PT Test with me next week and they should all be able to do at least 80%.

Response by COL Private RallyPoint Member made Dec 22 at 2014 11:23 PM

COL Private RallyPoint Member — Mon, 22 Dec 2014 23:23:31 -0500

For those of you who think you need to carbo load before a PT test please read.

http://www.runnersworld.com/nutrition-runners/fill-er?page=single

The Right Way to Carbo-load Before a Race

Most runners know they should eat pasta, rice, potatoes, or other high-carb foods before a half or full marathon. After all, carbs are a great source of energy, and you need a lot of energy to cover 13.1 or 26.2 miles. But many runners are far less clear on how many carbohydrates they should eat and when to start loading up.

Response by TSgt Private RallyPoint Member made Dec 22 at 2014 11:28 PM

TSgt Private RallyPoint Member — Mon, 22 Dec 2014 23:28:48 -0500

Errr...Run...Situps...Pushups...rinse and repeat...

Response by SSG Private RallyPoint Member made Dec 22 at 2014 11:29 PM

SSG Private RallyPoint Member — Mon, 22 Dec 2014 23:29:01 -0500

I'm a big pizza and pepsi kinda guy ( I know, I'm working on it) I haven't had to prep for the apft because I'm decently fit but I always have to manage my weight before one. My max weight before needing tape is 185lbs for being 70 inches. I usually start eating better and slow down on soda the month prior to the test to make weight. My average weight is between 190-196.

Response by SSG Tim Everett made Dec 23 at 2014 12:19 AM

SSG Tim Everett — Tue, 23 Dec 2014 00:19:13 -0500

I never prepped for a PT test. Before I got to MI, we had to maintain a much higher standard on PT tests. I never saw any reason to slack off, and when I took squad and platoon leader roles, I made sure my soldiers were striving to max their scores. If I ever had a soldier that did that minimum and stand up BS, we had words afterwards and it was reflected in their next counseling session.

"Minimum passing standards" breeds a slack mentality, in my opinion. I don't want half-ass soldiers in my foxhole.

Response by SPC(P) Micah Lavigne made Dec 23 at 2014 12:21 AM

SPC(P) Micah Lavigne — Tue, 23 Dec 2014 00:21:10 -0500

SSG, I never made a 300 either and with my knees now its a chore. However I don't give up shooting for a 300. I usually spend the next 30 days getting mentally prepared and focus on my form. and the first weekend of those 30 days and 7 days prior to the test I take a mock test. I watch me eating habits now and stretch more. the night prior I relax stretch and go to bed earlier. the hour before I stretch and keep my mind calm and focus. After the APFT I continue my 50 50s (50 reps of push ups and 50 reps of Sit ups) dividing them into 5 different forms of the work out (wide arm regular diamond close hand ect). on the weekends I focus on a sprint or long jog in the morning. week nights I go for a nice long walk usually up hills if possible to keep the endurance of my knees up.

Response by MSG Private RallyPoint Member made Dec 23 at 2014 4:04 AM

MSG Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 23 Dec 2014 04:04:13 -0500

A week out from the APFT I do 100 pushups and sit-ups a night. I prefer to do uphill sprints a few days prior to the test as it seems to improve my run quite a bit. Typically I run in the high 12's but I'd like to run in the low 12's and the sprints get me closer! I stretch before I go to bed, hydrate and I get a good nights rest and I wake up a bit early to take a hot shower. I stretch my arms/core/legs while I'm in the hot shower. Once I show up to work I do as many as 40 pushups within 30 minutes of the test to heat my arms up. I have scored 290 or higher on every test I have ever had!

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made Dec 23 at 2014 5:44 AM

SFC Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 23 Dec 2014 05:44:01 -0500

At 51 the standards are so low passing is not a problem. However, I catch a lot of crap for being the old guy in my unit. Only one other guy is older. Because of this I push myself to show up many of the youngsters. I like to beat them with raw scores, not the adjusted by age score. I workout regularly and even if I was never military fitness would be a priority. However, before a PT test I do add in more pushups and situps 2-3 weeks before the test. I never run except a few weeks before the test. I only go a mile on the treadmill at a much faster pace than I will need to for the APFT. Come time for the APFT the two mile at a slower pace is a piece of cake.

Response by SSgt Alan Pruitt made Dec 23 at 2014 11:53 AM

SSgt Alan Pruitt — Tue, 23 Dec 2014 11:53:29 -0500

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Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made Dec 23 at 2014 12:13 PM

SFC Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 23 Dec 2014 12:13:51 -0500

I played sports my whole life so I came in the Army in pretty good shape. But for me I dislike PRT... I just workout at the gym 3 times a week to maintain myself. I know I will never get a 300 but I usually get a 260-270 everytime. We as leaders need to understand how the human body works, and that means that everyone's body doesn't work the same. For all my Soldiers that have a hard time passing the APFT you have to find out what works for them. Educations is the first step.

Response by SPC Stephanie Oanes made Dec 23 at 2014 1:04 PM

SPC Stephanie Oanes — Tue, 23 Dec 2014 13:04:54 -0500

I was NEVER a PT stud. When I first came in, I did the bare minimum just to pass. I always had a hard time with the run so I always had to have someone pace me. The night before a PT test, I would do a light workout at the gym, and eat a carb packed meal, usually something from Olive Garden. The morning of, I'd eat a banana and do a couple push ups and sit ups just to warm up my muscles. I'd also buy one of those nitro shots they sell at the shoppette. They really helped with my endurance. After I pcs'd to Bragg, I brought my PT score up into the 270's. Now that I'm out, I highly doubt I could even run half of a mile.

Response by MAJ Private RallyPoint Member made Dec 23 at 2014 1:44 PM

MAJ Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 23 Dec 2014 13:44:53 -0500

I actually do have to "prep" these days. I only run indoors on treadmills for most of the year because the colder weather kills my achilles. I generally will start running outside around 2-3 weeks prior just to get my legs used to ground vs treadmill.

Response by SSG Private RallyPoint Member made Dec 23 at 2014 1:45 PM

SSG Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 23 Dec 2014 13:45:01 -0500

If you are following the PRT routine there should not need to any prep time involved. But if you want to improve upon your score, just doing a little extra a day will improve it drastically.

But stay away from fatty cakes!

Response by SSG John Erny made Dec 23 at 2014 3:16 PM

SSG John Erny — Tue, 23 Dec 2014 15:16:51 -0500

SSG (P) William Scott Gilbreath,

Grab a cold one and do the 12 oz curl and look at my 20 year letter!

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made Dec 23 at 2014 4:17 PM

SFC Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 23 Dec 2014 16:17:30 -0500

Well my friend, I routinely score 300+, even won the Iron Drill Sergeant award in my class when I went to DSS, also won the PT award as a PVT when I went through basic back in 2000, and one thing I can tell you is that good genes play a good amount of what I do, although good genes alone can't do the trick, I actually put in work, while most people focus on running, I focus on the Bigger picture, which is the whole PT test or I don't even think about the PT test, I don't like doing sit ups because I just get enough of it while at PRT, instead I like to do hanging leg raises, over head squats, deadlifts and some gymnastics stuff that I learned with time, a lot of Core exercises that I learned in the past from Olympic lifting would do the whole core, meaning no need for abwork if you can kill 2 birds with one stone, as far as push ups, the PRT stuff that you do help but then again, it is not enough, I l personally like to bench press, if you look at all your Soldiers, pay attention to the big boys that can do a lot of push ups, I would say their bench press is a high one. I like to use weights and routinely push my self to the limits. I hate running but because I hate it when I do run I like to run fast, meaning 30:60s, 60:120s, 400 meters reps x 12, 800 meters x 6 ( when I run I set up time goals) each run trying to maintaining the same pace, usually I push to keep a 6 min mile pace or faster in the runs. or if I have the option of not to run, I would put some work in the bike about 10 miles minimun per ride if possible, or some ruck marching with my vest instead of the ruck. if not rucking 3-5 miles once a week with atleast 40 pounds in the ruck, or the Airdyne. I also like to do high intense workouts to maintain my Metabolical condition high that you will not understand, no more than 10 minutes sometimes, although sometimes when I am in top shape I would go once a week over 40 minutes. I like to squat atleast x 2 per week, to stay strong, it make no sense that people score a 300 but can't even pull them selves out of the battle field if need be. Overall notice that I actually put in the work, most people are not willing to put in WORK!!! most people like to talk, and talking when it comes to being fit does not cut it! you actually got to do work which is the main thing when it comes to fitness. I hope that helps. shoot me a message if you have any questions, that was basically a vague description of what i do. Also If you set your low goals, your Soldiers will do the same, if you are not willing to put in extra work what you think your Soldiers are going to do? if you don't put the extra work you can't ask extra from your Soldiers, that's just my opinion because I am not a low standards NCO, I am a hard working son of a gun.

Response by LTC Stephen C. made Dec 23 at 2014 4:20 PM

LTC Stephen C. — Tue, 23 Dec 2014 16:20:31 -0500

SFC Private RallyPoint Member, towards the end of my career (age 40 to 50), I simply did the PT test every morning before work. Granted, I was a reservist, so it was easier for me to do this than those deployed, I would think. I didn't try to max it everyday, but when it came time for the annual PT test, it was just another day.

Response by SPC Erica Simonsen made Dec 26 at 2014 8:30 PM

SPC Erica Simonsen — Fri, 26 Dec 2014 20:30:15 -0500

Back in the day, only way I prepped was eating spaghetti the night before and a good stretch prior to bedtime. Other than that, the daily PT I received was plenty of prepping. Must have served me well as I earned the PT patch in first week of AIT and continued to hold those standards throughout my service to include beating out a lot of the men in PT standards for my Company.

Response by SSG(P) Private RallyPoint Member made Jan 16 at 2015 3:24 AM

SSG(P) Private RallyPoint Member — Fri, 16 Jan 2015 03:24:23 -0500

I stretch and hydrate a little more. I also eat a high-energy dinner the night before and I eat a granola bar before the PT test starts. This routine has always helped me on the PT test.

Response by CW4 Private RallyPoint Member made Feb 25 at 2016 11:09 AM

CW4 Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 25 Feb 2016 11:09:24 -0500

The morning of the PT test, I add exactly one extra packet of sugar to my coffee. Prep done.

Response by WO1 Private RallyPoint Member made May 7 at 2017 8:43 PM

WO1 Private RallyPoint Member — Sun, 07 May 2017 20:43:58 -0400

I learned the hard way that you shouldn't "prepare" for a pt test, you should be always be prepared for a test. I try to get out and run at least 3-4 times a week whether it be distance or sprinting. Generally if I know a test is coming, I'll do push ups and sit ups frequently throughout the day the entire month before.

Response by SFC Ernest Szymkowiak made Nov 9 at 2017 4:51 PM

SFC Ernest Szymkowiak — Thu, 09 Nov 2017 16:51:55 -0500

When was in I keep running at all of my morning pt I knew that I would a pt test I think every six months. Winter running was not fun be I and my team Mates would run each morning yes I was in Special Forces and the 82nd every morning we would run no matter how cold or hot. Each day get up and run. One summer during the training with ROTC I was running about 55 to 60 miles a week, after Ranger school with combat boots the old leather ones I had some great runs get off you butt and run each morning

Response by SPC(P) Private RallyPoint Member made Jul 12 at 2018 10:06 AM

SPC(P) Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 12 Jul 2018 10:06:06 -0400

So I know this a very old pussy but I need a little help. My run is my downfall I am running 5 times a week usually but I'm only doing a mile because I workout during my lunch at work on grave shift. But I running it usually between 7:30 to 8:00 min mile. But not only is that the time I have to do it but by the end I'm gassed.
Please help.
I'm transitioning to active duty soon.