I'm turning 20 soon and am just getting back into shape. When should I start talking to a Marine recruiter?

Nicholas Capello - if you can run 3 miles in under 20 minutes and you can do 16 pull ups without crossing your legs and I forget the standard for push ups. Marines here help me out. I know that isn't 18-minute 3 Mile what you guys want for maxing for a young male? If you can do those two events I just mentioned and someone correct me if I'm wrong on the 20-minute time as being a good time but not the best time then I think you can apply now. Remember, you may not ship out for a few weeks and you still have to go to your military enlisted processing station to get checked out physically. I went into the army being able to do 50 pushups and 50 sit-ups and running 2 miles and 13 minutes and I was able to easily get by so a lot of people join the military without doing any prep work and it's hard on them. If anything, being in good shape gave me less Duty less hassle and even though I was the oldest person in my training company they were impressed that I could run a 2 miles and 12 minutes at 31 years old. How much do you have to do to run a 20-minute 3 Mile and 16 pull ups?

LTC (Join to see) - Also it seems when I entered the service most of us were in shape, even if not in sports gym was required of everyone right through graduation from High School. A lot of us even in the neighborhood got together and for pickup baseball, basketball etc There are still some that exit High school in shape but not all and even Gym hasn't the requirement it used to have and isn't a constant required course like it had been. I never had a problem with PT at basic or any other point in service. Those that didn't hack the PT in basic went to a special PT unit to get in shape and were not returned to basic until they were. If they could at least hack basic, as they called em "Fat Boys" were used as road guards. Another tactic was make them chow runner, to double time to the chow hall and tell them We were coming and how many, then run back to the marching unit and tell them they had been notified. The chow hall knew how many were eating, it was the same number for all three meals each day.

SMSgt Lawrence McCarter - yes they do have those Master Fitness units for those fat bodies who could not do them in a lot of push-ups or who couldn't run and they went through hell until I lost the weight and got their strength. That's a piss poor way of going into the military. Since I was a cross country runner in high school I could run 3 miles and under 17 minutes I was made the road guard and I was second fastest runner in the oldest person to graduate from my training company. Having some High School athletics helps in the military but if you've been sitting all your life playing Minecraft or eating twinkies and playing Ghost Recon and being overweight is not going to try that into being a very good soldier or Marine in some cases.

LTC (Join to see) - When I attended basic,the PT unit I mentioned the lived in separate barracks, doubled timed everywhere, constant PT, supervised diets. I flt kind of bad for them seeing what they went through. Glad I never had to or needed to do that. I also did cross Country, and in track the 440 the 880 and the mile. Even in Gym We had to do those things and a lot more. I also was a Caddy at an exclusive Golf Course, carried a bag on each shoulder, went 18 holes in the morning and another 18 holes in the afternoon. To get around town as a kid I rode My bike everywhere as did all the other kids.

Each branch has different specialties ( I was Army so we called them MOS) and I can tell you that as a 37 year-old Army recruit, my butt got kicked hard and I knew I should have enlisted sooner. My advice, talk to ALL branches before signing the contract and keep us all updated, and I for one can't wait to call you my brother in arms.