Retraining to rejoin the Army

PFC Wesley Thompson — Sun, 29 Jun 2014 02:04:03 -0400

I have spent almost a year and a half retraining physically to get back in.. I dropped almost 80 pounds, but my running is still killing me.. suggestions on what to do??

Response by MAJ Private RallyPoint Member made Jun 29 at 2014 4:01 AM

MAJ Private RallyPoint Member — Sun, 29 Jun 2014 04:01:44 -0400

Buy P90X, do it, and the nutrition plan, 100%. You'll drop loads of weight and body fat, and be in fantastic shape, and the PT test, including the run, will become a joke. This takes 3 months.

Once you finish P90X, do this program: http://www.coolrunning.com/engine/2/2_3/181.shtml. Start on Week 4. Intermix weight training and push-ups (you can use the P90X workouts) on the no-run days. This takes 1.5 months.

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made Jul 4 at 2014 11:51 AM

SFC Private RallyPoint Member — Fri, 04 Jul 2014 11:51:59 -0400

Interval sprints, C2 Rower sprints - not lackadaisically rowing, but rowing like your life depends on it, kettle bell swings, and good old rucking.

Interval sprints - You take the pace you want per mile, a realistic goal, and divide that by 16 for 100 meter sprints, 8 for 200 meter sprints, 4 for 400 meter sprints ... etc. The first week you start out with 100 meter sprints. First half a mile, build up to a mile or two of total sprint distance. Then work in 200 meter sprints, continuing on till you run a 1 mile at the desired pace. Then, pick a new goal. If you picked a realistic pace goal, should take 12 weeks.

Rowing - builds your cardio endurance like nothing else you can imagine, without any impact on your knees. Like I said earlier, you just can't lounge around and stroll through the row. You have to pull with all your power. There is a technique to rowing, learn it. You will increase the distance traveled and pace while using less energy. Also, correctly rowing has almost the same exact body mechanics as an Olympic clean. Do it in 500 meter sprint intervals.

Kettle bells - this will tap your battery and increase your ability to perform overall total work. It will develop your hip flexors and stabilize your core, which will lead to a more energy efficient gate when you run, meaning less likelihood of leg and knee overuse injury.

Ruck - This will make your legs strong, your core strong, and cut the fat right off you. Rucking is the secret to giant Ranger legs. Seriously. Rucking will give you thighs that squats can't come close to creating. Strong legs, better running. Plus, it's something that you can do for a solid 3 hours straight for endurance, you can do it with your family, and you can go slow until you're strong enough to go faster.

Response by LTC Private RallyPoint Member made Jul 14 at 2014 12:31 AM

LTC Private RallyPoint Member — Mon, 14 Jul 2014 00:31:01 -0400

Great a running partner and try to outrun each other. I use the Nike app to compare how far and fast I run compared to others. Then go run with them a few days. Intervals are good, but hills are the money for me. Insanity also worked to cut my time down.

Response by 1SG Michael Blount made Dec 18 at 2014 5:58 AM

1SG Michael Blount — Thu, 18 Dec 2014 05:58:19 -0500

Intervals - and I mean serious intervals, if you're serious about coming back in. You can slice intervals any of several ways. My favorite is to take your race pace and apply it at, say 400 meters; then jog another 800. Do that 8 times and your run will improve big time