Help with Army APFT/Bodybuilding

If it’s any consolation for you the PT test standards are going to be changing soon. They say it’s going to be more job specific type work, and more oriented towards overrall athleticism than your ability to do 2 exercises.

Though I wouldn’t blame you for discounting information provided by an anonymous internet poster, I know a guy who says he has it from a solid source that this PT will be instituted before Summer 2012.

http://www.armytimes.com/news/2010/11/army-pt-new-way-to-meaure-fitness-110610w/

Cdubs, I actually have the new PFT standards in my possession right now, so I believe you. :slight_smile: They are having us implement them next semester, but no word yet as to whether they’d change it for LDAC, which is my main concern right now.

[quote]almightyfod wrote:
Cdubs, I actually have the new PFT standards in my possession right now, so I believe you. :slight_smile: They are having us implement them next semester, but no word yet as to whether they’d change it for LDAC, which is my main concern right now.[/quote]

Would you like to share you cookies with me about the new pt test, i mean i score 260s on average depending on training goals.

I’m a little surprised by some of the responses…

The APFT is one set of pushups, one set of situps, and a two mile run. It isn’t the ironman.

I work lowerbody twice a week…I had a 1 mile sprint to the end of one workout and a timed 3 mile run to the other… once in a while I do a timed 2 mile on an off day… at the end of my two upperbody workputs I add one or two sets of just short of failure pushups and situps.

Problem solved.

I get four workouts per week, three off days.

I’ll also say this: if you want to be a soldier, your workout goals should NOT be mass or to be a bodybuilder.

Unless you’re some kind of 42A.

Valor, I respect your points, and yes, the APFT in and of itself is not a hard workout. But the key is performance. Example being a workout of 5 sets of 600lbs dead lifts. Sure, not hard, not complex, but I’ll be damned in 90% of people on this site could get a single rep on the first set, much less complete it. I can do a set of pushups, and set of situps, and run two miles, but going from broken legs and a 15:54 to a 13:00 or lower requires more work than a simple run after leg day.

Also, I really don’t give a damn what you think my goals should be. Because they’re my goals, not yours.

I agree with Valor…The APFT is not the Ironman. I’ve competed in many Triathlons and I cannot begin to compare the training that I undergo to prep for one and the training for an APFT. I currently instruct the MS3 class for a university in Texas and I just got them to achieve a 270 average. This was done by eliminating un-necessary weightlifting( as much as I could possibly control), diet( again as much asi could control) and simply training on the three events for the APFT.

Those individuals that had previously scored really low on the run and sit-ups saw an increase in points when they stayed away from the heavy lifting. Of course it sounds alot easier than it actually is. But, the fact is, the only way to perform above the Army standard is to train above the standard. Additionally, running everyday will not help you improve and it doesn’t give your body the recovery time that is needed for a marked imrpvement of at least 10 to 15 points. If you want to gain lean muscle and still perform to Army standards, you will need to train with intensity. Stick to it. You should listen to everything we have to say because we are all experts! (sarcasm)

Not trying to use this thread to tout my own horn, but the previous posters seem to be suffering from some disillusionment. I regularly score over 350 and the majority of my training is heavy (GASP), strength and hypertrophy focused. Like most bodybuilders.

I hope you’re not predicating marked increases in physical fitness on performing LESS exercise. The correlation may be there, but in my experience, heavy lifting has only helped my APFT scores. If not for anything but keeping me off the couch and in the gym. There could be a number of unmentioned factors playing into your assessment. Your cadets could have been relatively inexperienced weightlifters. Maybe the decrease in the amount of poor weight training contributed to increased rest, and therefore better “PT” training. Whatever the case, nobody needs to focus on just “PT” to do well on the APFT. In fact, I would say it’s quite the opposite. Unless you are completely out of shape, the APFT is like testing a Doctor’s competency on his ability to check for a sore throat. The standards are laughably low to compensate for the all-volunteer force. Even for a 300.

Another misconception. It amazes me sometimes the training philosophies of people in the military. Strength, conditioning, size, speed, athleticism–when did these qualities become undesirables in the military? I suppose it wouldn’t be a stretch for me to assume you think that to train to be a “soldier,” you have to dumbbell swing ammo crates and do OHP with M16s. Ridiculous.

To the OP: It sounds like you’re trying to do too many things at once. Apply the HTH principles of focus and intensity. You want to drop your 2 mile time by 2 minutes, put on 15 lbs of muscle, and drop 10% BF. I suggest first focusing on the run time. From what I’ve seen (disclaimer), this requires the most effort. You need to be maximally disciplined with your diet and training regimen. As others have suggested, sprint repeats of 400 meters, stair/hill sprints, and 2-mile timed runs are all effective training tools. It is important that you are pushing yourself. When I finish an APFT run, I nearly pass out from exhaustion. Only by challenging your CNS and pushing your VO2-max will you see the fastest improvements in your run time.

However, when you train in this fashion, your diet and rest become increasingly important. I would structure your training regimen to include running completely separate, and, if possible, on alternating days with your weight training. It works just like HTH. If you are feeling tired and can’t push your run-time, terminate the workout. The only thing you will due is accumulate more fatigue and plateau.

you can be big and in the army (and even combat arms) and have good scores.

like anything else, it just takes work.

Have you checked any of the articles out on military.com written by Stew Smith? There is some solid stuff on there re: military training/fitness. Also, they only way to gain 15 pounds is to eat more than you are eating now. And not just protein shakes, real food, like meat and potatoes. Let me know if you have specific questions regarding the current APFT. Also, one of the reasons the army is changing the APFT is because there are too many weak fat fuck couch potatoes enlisting that can’t pt worth a damn. They sit on their asses playing video games and then decide they want to go shoot real guns, and then, Oops! I actually have to work?!? Nothing pissed me off more than a fat ass in a uniform, makes everyone look bad.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_army_on_a_diet

[quote]almightyfod wrote:
Example being a workout of 5 sets of 600lbs dead lifts. Sure, not hard, not complex, .[/quote]

if it’s not hard, i would love to see a video of you doing 600x5 deads

[quote]HolyMacaroni wrote:

[quote]almightyfod wrote:
Example being a workout of 5 sets of 600lbs dead lifts. Sure, not hard, not complex, .[/quote]

if it’s not hard, i would love to see a video of you doing 600x5 deads [/quote]

I second this one.

[quote]HolyMacaroni wrote:

[quote]almightyfod wrote:
Example being a workout of 5 sets of 600lbs dead lifts. Sure, not hard, not complex, .[/quote]

if it’s not hard, i would love to see a video of you doing 600x5 deads [/quote]

It was a hypothetical example illustrating the difficulty in high performance. 600x5 deads = sub 12:00 2 mile. With obvious stipulation on type of training, the effort and training dedication is the same. Don’t be stupid. I can do neither, hence the reason I have to start the thread in the first place. Mad props to both types of athletes who can accomplish those different goals, and now I’d like to hear how.

P.S. Thanks for the second opinion, fish. Good to hear. I really don’t like the thought of becoming a runner and not a lifter.

[quote]almightyfod wrote:

It was a hypothetical example illustrating the difficulty in high performance. 600x5 deads = sub 12:00 2 mile. With obvious stipulation on type of training, the effort and training dedication is the same. Don’t be stupid. I can do neither, hence the reason I have to start the thread in the first place. Mad props to both types of athletes who can accomplish those different goals, and now I’d like to hear how.
[/quote]

well your hypothetical examples fucking suck. both deading 600lbs 5x and running sub 12min 2mi are hard and require dedication and effort.

when i started rotc i was a 155lb mofo. i worked on my run time first, then started to work on lifting. when you are making big strength/size gains, your run time will ultimatly suffer. just don’t let it get out of control and then you can maintain u’re current size and work on bringing u’re run time back down.

[quote]HolyMacaroni wrote:

[quote]almightyfod wrote:

It was a hypothetical example illustrating the difficulty in high performance. 600x5 deads = sub 12:00 2 mile. With obvious stipulation on type of training, the effort and training dedication is the same. Don’t be stupid. I can do neither, hence the reason I have to start the thread in the first place. Mad props to both types of athletes who can accomplish those different goals, and now I’d like to hear how.
[/quote]

well your hypothetical examples fucking suck. both deading 600lbs 5x and running sub 12min 2mi are hard and require dedication and effort.

when i started rotc i was a 155lb mofo. i worked on my run time first, then started to work on lifting. when you are making big strength/size gains, your run time will ultimatly suffer. just don’t let it get out of control and then you can maintain u’re current size and work on bringing u’re run time back down.
[/quote]

We’re arguing the same thing. But the next four weeks I have no weight access, so it looks like Pushups, Situps, and running will be my only exercise options. Hello, higher APFT, goodbye 10lbs of muscle mass.