Is the OPAT also required to ship to BCT on top of passing the APFT? Any advice on improving running speed?

PFC Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 15 Dec 2016 08:13:06 -0500

A bit of background information: I'm a 30 year old female who enlisted to the IL Army National Guard in September. Prior to enlistment, I was informed by my Recruiter that I didn't have to worry too much about my running abilities since I will have time to work on it prior to BCT (I don't ship until late Feb). I've been training to increase my endurance and stamina and not focusing too much on speed. The last time APFT was administered, I did 1 mile in 13 minutes (back in July when I first started running, it took me close to 20 minutes). I know I'm improving, but last weekend, I was informed that my ship date may be pushed back if I don't pass the minimum running time for OPAT. I could only do 21 shuttles but am required to do 36. The running portion is the only part I've had problems with.

I wanted to know if the OPAT is now also a requirement to ship to BCT on top of passing the APFT. I also wanted to know if anyone have any advices on how to improve one's running speed within a short period of time?

Thank you for all the help.

Response by SGT Ben Keen made Dec 15 at 2016 8:47 AM

SGT Ben Keen — Thu, 15 Dec 2016 08:47:18 -0500

I know back in 1999 when I shipped out for basic there was no requirement to ship to BCT. Of course you had to pass the APFT to graduate but nothing stopped you from shipping. If it is, I would say keep doing what you are doing, push yourself to increase your abilities. You will get there!

Response by PFC Jason Jackson made Dec 15 at 2016 9:32 AM

PFC Jason Jackson — Thu, 15 Dec 2016 09:32:19 -0500

My wife lost sixty pounds this year to join the army. She started out doing couchto5k. 30:60's are really good for increasing time. 30 second sprints followed by 60 second walk or light jog. Then after doing that 4-5 times switch. 60 second sprint 30 second walk or jog.

Response by PFC Jason Jackson made Dec 15 at 2016 9:33 AM

PFC Jason Jackson — Thu, 15 Dec 2016 09:33:19 -0500

Also, my wife is 28 so she knows the struggle.

Response by SGM Erik Marquez made Dec 15 at 2016 9:53 AM

SGM Erik Marquez — Thu, 15 Dec 2016 09:53:25 -0500

PFC Private RallyPoint Member APFT is a local requirement and likley done in your best interest. OPAT is a new mandatory requirement that Im just getting into researching..so my info may not be accurate.

From some of my TRADOC research...
"Once fully approved the OPAT will be required for all new Soldiers joining the Army, and all Soldiers switching MOS from a low physical demand job to a higher physical demand job."

That said.. OPAT is required best I can tell before you can ship to Basic Training it is a gate, no pass no ship.. and from the heart... I think that is right and good. I do not say that to be mean or spiteful...But having had to work with way to many unfit SM over the years that never should have been in the various MOS's they were to begin with and would have been better off had they been told that at the beginning, not as they struggled in the job later, not as they are getting involuntarily separated. While being told NO is hard..getting "fired" later is harder.
Train, get assistance, get a mentor, check your diet, train.... Notice I said train, not work out.. too very differnt things. Training is working out, but working out very often is not training.

Response by MSG Private RallyPoint Member made Dec 15 at 2016 10:02 AM

MSG Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 15 Dec 2016 10:02:30 -0500

A piece of running advice I gave to one of my Soldiers that has issues with running....is to start running on a treadmill set with an incline (if you do not have hills in your area). Start at a low incline and with a speed that you need to meet the time you need. Keep increasing the incline once a week. After 2 weeks, run a flat surface to see where you are on your time. Then, keep increasing the incline more and more. Theory is that by the time you meet and exceed your run time on the treadmill, you should smoke the living crap out of the flat run during testing.

Response by LTC Private RallyPoint Member made Dec 15 at 2016 10:21 AM

LTC Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 15 Dec 2016 10:21:58 -0500

Once fully operational, the OPAT will be a require to ship.
To work on running speed practice short distances running faster. Look up 30/60s or 60/120s from PRT (FM 7-22)

Response by CPT Private RallyPoint Member made Dec 15 at 2016 10:54 AM

CPT Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 15 Dec 2016 10:54:43 -0500

Don't focus on super long runs anymore. Those runs throw off your pace, which is a big issue if you're not an experienced runner. Honestly I rarely do a 2 mile run before the PT test. I do a lot of 200m, 800m, or 1 mile repeats. Something like 200m in x amount of time followed by a minute break, then repeat. Or 800m repeats with a 2 minute break in between. Shorter distances mean you'll keep a faster pace. Doing the repeats for extended periods of time will also build some endurance (at least enough for the 2 mile run which is the grand scheme of things doesn't require a ton of endurance). From an injury prevention perspective I've also found that my form is much better on shorter runs which leads to fewer injuries. On long runs my form turns to crap and my legs feel beat the hell up. I'm reaching a point in my life where I don't have much free time and my body takes longer to heal so I need to keep my workouts efficient and injury free.

I would also suggest practicing the turnaround on the shuttle run. Your endurance might be an issue, but if you aren't used to doing a shuttle around your turnaround technique is probably inefficient as well. Watch some YouTube videos on technique. If you get that down I guarantee you will improve your time. Good luck!

Response by CPT Private RallyPoint Member made Dec 15 at 2016 10:56 AM

CPT Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 15 Dec 2016 10:56:40 -0500

30-60's are a great way to increase your speed and running endurance; That is to say sprint 30 seconds, then jog for 60 seconds. I shaved a minute off my 2 mile time over the course of a month only doing these for running workouts (coupled with 15 min warm up and cool down runs). In regards to the OPAT, the rules and refs are still fairly flexible and being established. They were supposed to take effect two months ago but keep getting pushed back. Depending on your current assigned ship date you may have to pass it, but I can promise if you do about 10 30-60's 3-5 days a week, you should reach your minimum in time (assuming you have 3-4 weeks left to your ship date. Best of luck!

Response by SFC Kenneth Hunnell made Dec 15 at 2016 11:24 AM

SFC Kenneth Hunnell — Thu, 15 Dec 2016 11:24:37 -0500

If no medical issues, run as if some one abducted your child. You will win

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made Dec 15 at 2016 11:30 AM

SFC Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 15 Dec 2016 11:30:03 -0500

PFC Private RallyPoint Member How much time you have to complete those 36 shuttles? Also, to improve speed, every once in a while, do the aforementioned sprints on a hill (you can do 15 second sprint to start until you can get to the 30 second sprint-60 second jog or walk)

Response by SSG Private RallyPoint Member made Dec 15 at 2016 1:31 PM

SSG Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 15 Dec 2016 13:31:46 -0500

30/60s or 60/120s, or hill repeats. If you have a school track/football field close by definitely do stair repeats. Still work on your longer runs for endurance but incorporate sprints and hill/stairs in at least once a week. Even if you don't have ideal outdoor running conditions a treadmill can get you semi similar results for sprint work, though its less ideal.

Response by SSgt Private RallyPoint Member made Dec 15 at 2016 6:19 PM

SSgt Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 15 Dec 2016 18:19:05 -0500

I am completely unfamiliar with the OPAT, I had just heard some mutterings about it when I switched to the Air Guard.
However, I honestly think it's great if you're being required to meet the standard before you ship. My reasoning is this: If you can't pass on your own initiative now before you ship, you most likely won't be able to stay passing after you get back. Also being able to pass now, will make you much more likely to make it through basic training without an injury. As much as it pains me to say it, most Drill Sergeants aren't fitness professionals. There are a lot of people who get injured at basic training simply because they weren't in good enough shape to make it, and simply weren't getting proper fitness training. Or, because they get fit with poorly fitting New Balance shoes that hurt for every step (what happened to me.)

My recommendation for getting in shape? Alternate the windsprints/sucides/other sprinting drills that have been recommended, with running against time instead of distance. Start with a short time, and as you train, work up. Run as fast as you can for 10 minutes. DO NOT pace yourself during this run. If you finish doing an airborne shuffle, so be it, but don't pace yourself. I worked up to 20 minutes, but if you meet your goals without that length of time, you don't need to run that long.

Make sure that you run with a proper gait. Don't pound your joints. If it requires you to run slower, while you build up stamina, and learn to be light on your feet so be it. I don't like to be able to hear my feet touch the ground. I have run hard enough I crap myself on an APFT. But, whether running or rucking, when I get tired enough that I'm slapping my feet on the ground, I'll slow down. I know it's not polite to mention a woman's age, but your going to be a soldier, so I'll remind you that at 30, not injuring yourself in training, should be a top priority, especially if you haven't made physical fitness a part of your lifestyle up until now.

Also, when you get to basic training, make sure you don't leave reception with boots or shoes that don't fit well. I did and injured myself for it.

Response by SGM Billy Herrington made Dec 15 at 2016 8:24 PM

SGM Billy Herrington — Thu, 15 Dec 2016 20:24:10 -0500

There is also a high physical demands test that you must pass while in AIT. Infantry and armor have already started doing them. Each MOS is supposed to have their own. You'll have to see if your MOS is required to pass it during the time you're there. It's new this year just like OPAT.

Response by SSG John Tiffin made Dec 16 at 2016 2:26 PM

SSG John Tiffin — Fri, 16 Dec 2016 14:26:11 -0500

I've been a runner for nearly 40 years and while increasing one's speed quickly is hard to do, my best advice would be to pursue some track workouts. When I did this seriously while training for a marathon several years ago, it lowered my time by nearly 15 minutes over those 26.2 miles. As they say, of course, "your mileage may vary." I'd recommend a series of 1/4 mile (or 400 meter, depending on the track) repeats, with maybe some 1/2 mile reps thrown in. Allow for an easy jog lap in between the repeats and start with perhaps 6 fast laps overall (or whatever you feel comfortable doing). And don't try to go all out -- just try to do the hard laps at a pace that feels faster than usual. A 13-minute mile is 3:15 per quarter, so try doing quarters around 2:55 to 3:00 minutes to start and see how you feel.

Response by SGM Matthew Quick made Dec 17 at 2016 10:05 AM

SGM Matthew Quick — Sat, 17 Dec 2016 10:05:52 -0500

Yes...passing the OPAT prior to IMT/AIT/OSUT is an additional requirement for MOS eligibility.

Nearly 90% of OPAT failures are for the 'shuttles'. If a Recruiter told you that you "didn't have to worry too much about my running abilities", they're wrong and are in need of retraining.

Response by SPC(P) Cody Patterson made Dec 17 at 2016 9:04 PM

SPC(P) Cody Patterson — Sat, 17 Dec 2016 21:04:44 -0500

Usually sprinting exercises can help increase your speed. As others have said, 30:60's and 60:120s work really well. Another workout I've done was a timed track sprint. Basically find a small track (in my case a parking lot) and give yourself a short time limit to run around the entire track. If I remember correctly ours was around 1:30 or so. After each lap you take a 1 minute break. Do that 6 or 7 times.

Response by SGM Private RallyPoint Member made Dec 19 at 2016 2:47 AM

SGM Private RallyPoint Member — Mon, 19 Dec 2016 02:47:00 -0500

Interval sprints: 400m max effort - 400m jog - 400m max effort - 400m jog = 2 miles

Response by SSG(P) Private RallyPoint Member made Dec 20 at 2016 11:29 PM

SSG(P) Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 20 Dec 2016 23:29:44 -0500

Yes, you are required to do the 1-1-1 PT test, and you must pass the OPAT 30 days prior to leaving, for the job you have. If you fail for that job, you must pick a job that you would pass for, or terminate enlistment.

Response by LTC Private RallyPoint Member made May 8 at 2019 11:34 AM

LTC Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 08 May 2019 11:34:35 -0400

First off I hate running, but it's a necessary evil in the Army PFC Private RallyPoint Member ... You've just got to do it! I've always just focused on running to time, not distance!! Especially, at the beginning of getting into running or back into shape. I am convinced 100% that anyone who has a will can pass the 2-mile APFT run. Try and get to a point where you can run for 20 minutes without stopping (or whatever your max run time is to pass is). If you start slowly and build up you can get to a pace in order to pass the run. The first week, if you can only run 5 minutes, and then walk the rest of the way up to 20 minutes total. If you do this 4-5 days a week- adding additional minutes of run time, 5, 7,8, 10 minutes, until you are running at a consistent 20 minutes straight without stopping!! Then and only then, run further in those 20 minutes (or whatever your max time is) from run to run. You will build up muscle endurance doing this and then you can and will pass your APFT run! Guaranteed!

Response by SFC Jake Middaugh made Nov 8 at 2021 3:04 PM

SFC Jake Middaugh — Mon, 08 Nov 2021 15:04:00 -0500

Right when I came back from Iraq in 2007, I found out that I was already enrolled in BNCOC...
Right from the beginning, I decided to train to be the top graduate. This would be difficult because I had already just got done with two very long, back to back tours in Iraq.
Difficult, but not impossible!
I too had a lot of difficulty in my running for Proformance.
I found an excellent weekly training plan!
Here it is:
M, w, f are the sprinting days. I went to a high school running track. You would sprint back-to-back 220meters, (1/2 around the track). Then rest for 30 seconds and hit the next Sprint, 440meters. Then rest another 30 seconds and hit the last sprint, 880 meters (twice around the track).
Push it as hard as you can to keep up the Sprint pace & speed!
Tuesday & Thursdays for long distance running, 5 miles and muscular days. I would do lounges twice around the track, push-ups and sit-ups and flutter kicks.
I trained for 4 months it's hard as I possibly could.
This training plan was successful! I did earn the top graduate position During 91 series BNCOC!!!
I hope it works for you!