Getting 20 pullups....

hypo

hypo

Board Supporter
Hi all. I just got a rude awakening today. I do about 170x6 for cable pulldowns. However, I weigh 200 pounds and absolutely suck when it comes to pullups! I can only do three or four, and that is not even bar all the way to the chest. I am seriously considering joining the marines and to get a perfect entrance score I will need to do 20 pullups (as well as 200 situps in 2 minutes, I believe). You only need to do 3 to get in boot, but I know a very high entrance score looks good and ups my chances for promotion. Besides, being in tip top shape can only help me.

So my basic question is what is the fastest way to get where I need to be? This goes for the situps and the pullups. Should I just bust my ass multiple times a day doing as many pullups/situps as I can, or stick to once a week? What about other back exercises, stick to the 4-6 reps I'm doing now or should I change my whole body to 20 reps or so? I know I will lose weight but that actually helps me.

BTW- IIRC, perfect entrace score for running is three miles in 18 minutes. I'm not holding my breath on this one since I basically have no endurance now, but I will work on it. What is the fastest way to increase my running speed?
 
hypo said:
Hi all. I just got a rude awakening today. I do about 170x6 for cable pulldowns. However, I weigh 200 pounds and absolutely suck when it comes to pullups! I can only do three or four, and that is not even bar all the way to the chest. I am seriously considering joining the marines and to get a perfect entrance score I will need to do 20 pullups (as well as 200 situps in 2 minutes, I believe). You only need to do 3 to get in boot, but I know a verù high entrance score looks good and ups my chances for promotion. Besides, being in tip top shape can only help me.

So my basic question is what is the fastest way to get where I need to be? This goes for the situps and the pullups. Should I just bust my ass multiple times a day doing as many pullups/situps as I can, or stick to once a week? What about other back exercises, stick to the 4-6 reps I'm doing now or should I change my whole body to 20 reps or so? I know I will lose weight but that actually helps me.

BTW- IIRC, perfect entrace score for running is three miles in 18 minutes. I'm not holding my breath on this one since I basically have no endurance now, but I will work on it. What is the fastest way to increase my running speed?
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I am a former Marine who can still do over 20 dead hangs (at 245) so listen up. What worked for me was to do weighted pullups once a week, no more than a couple work sets, and then every couple of weeks I would do however many sets it took to get 50. I would log all of this in my green note book and every week, I would try to improve on the previous weeks performance. Of course this was in conjunction with a total body lifting program and running at least 3 days a week. Also, I would normaly train palms away but would do my PFT pullups with a supinated grip to bring my biceps into play (helped me squeeze out a couple more reps). As far as situps, they now do crunches instead so just practincing crunches and other ab exercises twicw a week helped me to hit 200 easy. As far as the running, the fastest I ever ran was about 19 minutes or so which is the only thing that kept me from scoring a perfect 300. Didn't matter too much though as I always scored a 1st class. Hope this helps.

Semper Fi
 
Bro I got the same problem. Weigjing 260+ I can only get 3 full motion reps with just bodyweight. Although I do slow TUT and get a really good stretch at the bottom, but still, I think that if I could get more reps, it would give my lats a better shape.

Since I don't train at the gym, I don;t have access, but they have those assisted pull-up apparatuses that may help gaining some more strenght little by little.
 
supersize77 said:
I am a former Marine who can still do over 20 dead hangs (at 245) so listen up. What worked for me was to do weighted pullups once a week, no more than a couple work sets, and then every couple of weeks I would do however many sets it took to get 50. I would log all of this in my green note book and every week, I would try to improve on the previous weeks performance. Of course this was in conjunction with a total body lifting program and running at least 3 days a week. Also, I would normaly train palms away but would do my PFT pullups with a supinated grip to bring my biceps into play (helped me squeeze out a couple more reps). As far as situps, they now do crunches instead so just practincing crunches and other ab exercises twicw a week helped me to hit 200 easy. As far as the running, the fastest I ever ran was about 19 minutes or so which is the only thing that kept me from scoring a perfect 300. Didn't matter too much though as I always scored a 1st class. Hope this helps.

Semper Fi
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Currently he can only do 175lbs on lat pull down. He weighs 200 lbs how is he going to do weighted pull ups?


CROWLER
 
thanks for the advice. I do remember reading something a while back on this topic regarding rest pausing. I do have an assisted pullup machine at the gym. I am thinking of doing whatever weight I can x20 every week and slowly lowering the assistance weight until I do not need it. So once a week training is best?

BTW- if they let you do the test with supinated palms that will make it a bit easier for me. Do they regulate how far away your hands must be?
 
also to any marines out there including supersize- is it more important to hit the perfect 300 or is the only thing that matters the "1st class" score? ie do they not look at the numerical score only the class score?
 
supersize77 said:
I would log all of this in my green note book
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That's what I've been doing wrong! I have a yellow notebook!!!! :icon_lol:


hey hypo i would keep practicing, even if u can only get a few pullups, strive to get ONE more every 2 weeks, then add weight.
also if u practice running, you will start losing some weight so that will help you with your pullups if you're lighter.
If you can do chins instead of pullups on the test (i think you can) then I would opt for chins--much easier.

good luck!
 
i would definetly change out the pulldowns for pullups, even if they are assisted...which i really am not a fan of either. my advice is similar to lifted's but I would pullups 2x a week...but i would also do everything twice a week. try a upper/lower split 2x a week each. or more importantly since you need to increase your cardiovascular....I would do an upper/lower/upper split with some HIIT and distance cardio worked in. reduce back volume on other excercises....do only 1 vertical movement each session (and one horizontal) and make sure the vertical is pullups/assisted rather than pulldowns. once you can do 8-10, add weight. weighted pullups are where you want to get to. hell, i never do high volume besides a quick 15 for a warmup.
If your really intent on doing higher volume...then do one upper body strength and one upper body volume day; during the volume do reps in the 10-12 range etc.
 
CROWLER said:
Currently he can only do 175lbs on lat pull down. He weighs 200 lbs how is he going to do weighted pull ups?


CROWLER
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I was telling him what I did and while it may not be optimal to add weight until he can do at least 12, he could still quickly work his way up to the 4-6 rep range with 10 lbs. Low rep training was something I used successfully which translated into more total pullups performed.
 
Something else....I did very low volume training and hit each body part only once a week. This is because with the amount of running you are required to do, you will overtrian quickly if your weighttraining volume is to high. Just watch your green notebook (it has to be green, yellow is for babies) to make sure your numbers are improving and watch for signs of overtraining as it is very easy to "cross over" into that zone.
 
hypo said:
also to any marines out there including supersize- is it more important to hit the perfect 300 or is the only thing that matters the "1st class" score? ie do they not look at the numerical score only the class score?
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Not crucial at all to hit 300. I was in the 280s b/c my run time was never perfect and had a very good career. You just want to be above average in everything: PFT, rifle range, Pros/Cons, etc. and you will do great. Obviously you want to strive to score as high as possible, but if you never hit 300 its no biggie b/c 90+% of all other Marines never do either.
 
One more thing, you are allowed to do them either pronated or supinated as long as they are dead hang (all the way down).
 
Just incorporate weighted Pull/Chin ups. Within a month you will be amazed at how many you can do with no weight. Just depends on how hard you push yourself.
 
id have to say "just keep doin your pullups"
i went from 2 to 18 in 4 months so :)
i work back once a week and i do my pullups first 3 sets till failure

but then again the reason i was at 2 was because i was a lazy bumb for 3 years straight but normally ima high energy guy so i got back into the groove of things pretty quickly
 
If you don't gain weight much your pullup strength will increase if you keep hitting them :)
I peaked at 180lbs for my maximum weight and could do about 9-10 before I crashed... I've dropped weight down to a lean 165 since I run a lot now (I'm training for the Navy btw) and I get about 15 widegrips in and over 20 narrow grips... closer to 30 chinups (supinated grip)
 
Pullups are not made for heavy ppl :D

I'm lucky if I can get 8-10 at 230ish....maybe hwen i lose some BF i can get 12-15...To do lots of pullups, practice, and hope you're built for 'em :)
 
kwyckemynd00 said:
Pullups are not made for heavy ppl :D

I'm lucky if I can get 8-10 at 230ish....maybe hwen i lose some BF i can get 12-15...To do lots of pullups, practice, and hope you're built for 'em :)
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Yeah I think its the whole power/weight ratio :)
 
First of all, Corpsmen are the only ones who score perfect pft's, J/K, But seriously, I went from doing 8 pullups (wide grip) to 33 in 6 months, I used the lat pulldown machine with the modified hand grips on the outside, so your palms face in, really seemed to increase my power just doing something different, also, when doing regular pullups, do them in a pyramid fashion in 2's up to as much as you can do and then back down, looking something like this.

2, rest for 20-30 secs, 4, rest, 6, rest, to the max you can do and then come back down by 2's. It worked for me, but then again, I have been called a genetic freak.

P.S. Don't join the Marine Corps or any branch, just sell your body on the street, much less hassle same amount of getting screwed. lol.

-Pain
 
Hey Beowolf where you at? I know Beo is supposed to know how to increase your pullup strength. All I can say is practice. Kids who can do a lot of pullups usually do a lot of them all the time. I mean you have big, big dudes who can do pullups in prison, why?....because they do them all the time! Check out the Ruff Ryders thug workout (no I am NOT KIDDING) They have a dude in there that is about 230lbs repping with the pullups in perfect form. I got better by doing them in the middle of other workouts and just throwing them in whenever.
 
Somebody should look up Charles Poliquin, I'm sure he's posted something in regards to getting stronger on pullups.
 
kwyckemynd00 said:
Hey, p4p, how much do you weigh? And, how tall?
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190 and 5'11", at least 150 of that is upper body:icon_lol: . But I can still run though, Imagine that. lol. I keep a very low b/f percentage, so I am not lugging much extra around.

-Pain
 
kwyckemynd00 said:
Still.....33 is nutz! At 190lbs that's a lot of pullups. GJ.
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Thanks man, i bet you thought I weighed like 130-140 and only did calesthenics huh, hahahaha.

Hypo: hey bro, just work on your run, you will lose some b/f and that will help some, plus they will help you if you are still having pullup trouble when you get in, now if you are a slow bastard, they will have you up at 0430 running untill you puke, telling you what a fat piece you are the whole time. Thats if you go to a grunt unit, if you go to some pog unit then don't worry about anything, eat mcdonalds and get fat. Now if you are thinking about coming to a Recon unit, you should definitely be able to kill a 1st class pft, in fact you should be able to add 10 to every thing and subtract 1 from the run. How old are you by the way.

-pain
 
Hey guys, thanks for all the advice. I am definately working on my running since my cardio endurnace also sucks. I usually just walked at an incline whenever I did cardio, as I was more interested in fat burning that endurance. Don't worry, I definately plan on training enough to not get put in the extra PT unit, lol. I think the mistake most of those guys make is totally overestimating how fit they are without ever having tried. Either that or thinking recruit training will whip them into shape for them (which they will!).

I plan on going into 18xx. That is M1A1 or AAV crewman. Hopefully the M1A1 crewman, as I like the idea of 70 tons of armor surrounding me ;). All I have to do is NOT score swim level 2 in boot, because if you do they put you in AAV since not many recruits can get swim qual 2.

i only have about 12-13% bodyfat eating whatever I want, so I never did much cardio or got super anal on the diet as that was good enough for me for asthetics. I'm 20 :)
 
hypo said:
Hey guys, thanks for all the advice. I am definately working on my running since my cardio endurnace also sucks. I usually just walked at an incline whenever I did cardio, as I was more interested in fat burning that endurance. Don't worry, I definately plan on training enough to not get put in the extra PT unit, lol. I think the mistake most of those guys make is totally overestimating how fit they are without ever having tried. Either that or thinking recruit training will whip them into shape for them (which they will!).

I plan on going into 18xx. That is M1A1 or AAV crewman. Hopefully the M1A1 crewman, as I like the idea of 70 tons of armor surrounding me ;). All I have to do is NOT score swim level 2 in boot, because if you do they put you in AAV since not many recruits can get swim qual 2.

i only have about 12-13% bodyfat eating whatever I want, so I never did much cardio or got super anal on the diet as that was good enough for me for asthetics. I'm 20 :)
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Hypo,

Killer I really hope you hit the 20 mark but here is just a little advice from someone who has done all this "cool" ****. It isn't that cool. When I joined I said, spec ops or nothin', good choice, however, combat is not paint ball, and when you see your friends (hard guys) screaming for their wife or mother with the lower half of their torso and legs missing, and then telling their wives and parents gee, he was a good fucking guy, you kind of question how cool it is. Hey man I am going to give it to you straight, Armor is just the state that metal is in before it becomes shrapnel. If you want to be in a trac or aav, you got more balls than I do. You will learn real quick that T.V. and the recruiters lie. I joined when I was 17 young, dumb and full of cum, not saying that you are but, if you have any other alternative do that. If you think about it, any movie that you've ever seen always has at least one hero that survives and gets the girl and all that. I really hate to be the downer, we all hope to be that guy, but sometimes no one is. And if you do make it back, there is an 80% chance that your wife/gf has been sleeping with some other guy or you will get served with divorce papers or a break up because "it's just to hard". Sure every one is all patriotic right now, but how long is that going to last, you lose a limb, how are you going to support a family. Are all the pro-war supporters going to give you a job or send you donations. Its not worth it bro.

-Pain
 
lifted said:
Bro I got the same problem. Weighing 260+ I can only get 3 full motion reps with just bodyweight. Although I do slow TUT and get a really good stretch at the bottom, but still, I think that if I could get more reps, it would give my lats a better shape.

Since I don't train at the gym, I don;t have access, but they have those assisted pull-up apparatuses that may help gaining some more strenght little by little.
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Yeah man, its a little embarassing needing assistance for pull ups, but its hard to get pull ups for 10-12 reps like I want, so I suck it up and use the machine.
 
pain4pleasure said:
Hypo,

Killer I really hope you hit the 20 mark but here is just a little advice from someone who has done all this "cool" ****. It isn't that cool. When I joined I said, spec ops or nothin', good choice, however, combat is not paint ball, and when you see your friends (hard guys) screaming for their wife or mother with the lower half of their torso and legs missing, and then telling their wives and parents gee, he was a good fucking guy, you kind of question how cool it is. Hey man I am going to give it to you straight, Armor is just the state that metal is in before it becomes shrapnel. If you want to be in a trac or aav, you got more balls than I do. You will learn real quick that T.V. and the recruiters lie. I joined when I was 17 young, dumb and full of cum, not saying that you are but, if you have any other alternative do that. If you think about it, any movie that you've ever seen always has at least one hero that survives and gets the girl and all that. I really hate to be the downer, we all hope to be that guy, but sometimes no one is. And if you do make it back, there is an 80% chance that your wife/gf has been sleeping with some other guy or you will get served with divorce papers or a break up because "it's just to hard". Sure every one is all patriotic right now, but how long is that going to last, you lose a limb, how are you going to support a family. Are all the pro-war supporters going to give you a job or send you donations. Its not worth it bro.

-Pain
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Ooh rah.
 
well it sounds like you really had a shitty time in the forces p4p. Thanks for the advice, but I'm not doing it because I think I'll be cool or because I saw it in a movie.
 
pain4pleasure said:
Hypo,

Killer I really hope you hit the 20 mark but here is just a little advice from someone who has done all this "cool" ****. It isn't that cool. When I joined I said, spec ops or nothin', good choice, however, combat is not paint ball, and when you see your friends (hard guys) screaming for their wife or mother with the lower half of their torso and legs missing, and then telling their wives and parents gee, he was a good fucking guy, you kind of question how cool it is. Hey man I am going to give it to you straight, Armor is just the state that metal is in before it becomes shrapnel. If you want to be in a trac or aav, you got more balls than I do. You will learn real quick that T.V. and the recruiters lie. I joined when I was 17 young, dumb and full of cum, not saying that you are but, if you have any other alternative do that. If you think about it, any movie that you've ever seen always has at least one hero that survives and gets the girl and all that. I really hate to be the downer, we all hope to be that guy, but sometimes no one is. And if you do make it back, there is an 80% chance that your wife/gf has been sleeping with some other guy or you will get served with divorce papers or a break up because "it's just to hard". Sure every one is all patriotic right now, but how long is that going to last, you lose a limb, how are you going to support a family. Are all the pro-war supporters going to give you a job or send you donations. Its not worth it bro.

-Pain
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wow, one helluva pep talk there, Lou Holtz....:clap2:
now he's going to join the friggin' Navy.. :) Seriously though, you make good points. I went admin when I joined to help me get the better job when I got out. Now, I'm a firefighter w/ two co-workers that were grunts..:frustrate Admin was OK, I can now type faster..:rasp:

As for getting those pull-ups, IMO, every time you hit the gym or go for a run, knock out a few pull ups. I too did them dead hang (absolutely zero rythem) I did them wide grip palms forward for training & then for PFT, palms in, narrow grip & got the 20 w/ no problems. Like someone else said, don't worry about the 300, just get your 1st class & you'll be fine.. 8 years & I never got below the 1st class mark...:thumbsup:

JOIN THE CORPS!!! SEMPER FI!!
 
Ahh, I remember when the Marines tried to recruit me. It was awesome for a while cause they were so nice to me. I could do 45 overhand full-hang pullups and run 3 miles in about 14 minutes and I was always getting the thumbs up. Then, one day I caught the recruiter bullshitting me so I said, "When a gun is in my hand, I don't distnguish between friend and foe." That was the end of my relationship with the Marines.

But good luck to you man! I recommend a pullup program where every other day you do 40 pullups in as many sets as it takes but the fewer sets the better. Aim to increase the reps of the first set by 2 everytime.
 
wow, a 14 minute 3 mile? Considering the world record is just a little under 13 minutes maybe you should start training for the olympics ;) Not doubting you, I'm just saying.

I'm still working on just getting up to constant jogging, lol.

I'm up to about 7 pullups from my original of 3, for those who are curious. I'm working on it!

It seems like the services are a real love/hate relationship. I'm really in the mindset to have a good time though. Most of the people I've talked to who hated it hated it because they were forced to go or didn't have any other option, or went/were placed into an MOS they didn't really care for.
 
So to get a perfect score you need to have a 3miles in 18min, 20 Pull ups, and 80 sit ups in 2 min? Am I correct?
 
Hey shin, there's push-ups in there too somewhere. To the thread starter, good job with getting up to 7. Keep up the hard work bud. Spec. Ops. lead the way.
 
hypo said:
wow, a 14 minute 3 mile? Considering the world record is just a little under 13 minutes maybe you should start training for the olympics ;) Not doubting you, I'm just saying.

I'm still working on just getting up to constant jogging, lol.

I'm up to about 7 pullups from my original of 3, for those who are curious. I'm working on it!

It seems like the services are a real love/hate relationship. I'm really in the mindset to have a good time though. Most of the people I've talked to who hated it hated it because they were forced to go or didn't have any other option, or went/were placed into an MOS they didn't really care for.
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Good job on the progress. The military is pretty much what you make of it. My 1st Sergeant used to say: "It's not a good life, and it's not a bad life...it's just a life." Do you best, work hard, stay out of trouble (i.e. don’t' be stupid, especially w/alcohol), and you'll be fine.
 
jshin- for a perfect score you will need 200 situps (crunches, actually) in 2 minutes, not 80. Also, pushups are not included in the USMC physical. They are inlcuded, however, for most of the other services.
 
Invalid Link Removed I found this chart/calc maybe it will help you out. Looks like you need 100 in 2 min to get max points on the sit ups. Also a marine at my gym told me about something called the "Armstrong" workout for getting a 300 on their PFT. Maybe someone can shed light on this one.
 
Bean said:
If you don't gain weight much your pullup strength will increase if you keep hitting them :)
I peaked at 180lbs for my maximum weight and could do about 9-10 before I crashed... I've dropped weight down to a lean 165 since I run a lot now (I'm training for the Navy btw) and I get about 15 widegrips in and over 20 narrow grips... closer to 30 chinups (supinated grip)
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enlist or commission?
 
1. This program was used by Major Charles Lewis Armstrong, USMC to prepare himself to attempt to set a world record in number of pull-ups completed in a single exercise session. The program provides the necessities for successful physical improvement namely, VARIETY, OVERLOAD, and REGULARITY. Users have achieved remarkable results in only 6 to 8 weeks. This means that most, if not all, have been able to meet the performance level they have set out to achieve, a single set of twenty repetitions.

It can not be overemphasized that his program depends upon regularity. Daily performance of the exercises listed in the following paragraphs holds the true key to reaching and to maintaining the twenty repetition level.

The Morning Routine

Each morning perform three maximum effort sets of normal pushups. The pushup is one of the best, single exercises for strengthening the entire set of muscles that makes up the shoulder girdle. Major Armstrong described his morning routine in the following manner. “After rising, I would drop onto the deck and do my first set of pushups. I would then move into the head (bathroom) and start my morning toilet. I would return after a few minutes and do my second maximum effort set after which, I would go back into the head to shave. After shaving, I would return to the bedroom and complete the third and final set. Having completed all of the pushups, I was awake and ready for a relaxing shower. “

This routine should be followed during the entire training period. Since it takes most of us at least four weeks to reach our goals, you will probably find that you have inadvertently established a morning routine that is easy enough to keep as a lifetime habit, if not, you will at least appreciate the morning shower a little more.

It has been noted that this pushup routine helps to alleviate any soreness during the first couple of weeks. It is recommended that you use the pushup routine everyday during this period so that you feel more comfortable during your initial adjustment to this regime of exercises.

Training Routines

The following represents the heart of the training program. I recommend that you do not attempt the pull-ups until 3 or 4 hours after the pushup routine was completed. The program is conveniently divided into five training days. This is easily translated into a Monday through Friday approach to pull-up training. It is important to cease the pull-up routine for two days, Saturday and Sunday. Further, it is necessary to use consecutive days (not to skip days) when on the pull-up routine. Finally, it is more important to do the pull-ups than it is to do the pushups.

The training program was developed to improve performance in a specific exercise, the overhand pull-up. The program can be adapted to doing chin-ups and flexed arm hangs. The program depends upon quality exercises, numbers of repetitions are unimportant. When you are doing these routines you should concentrate on perfect execution of each repetition. The only person that you can fool is yourself.

Day 1

Five maximum effort sets. Rest 90 seconds between each set. Do not concern yourself with numbers. You will find that you will increase the numbers in the last two sets before you see much improvement in the first three. Make sure that each set is a maximum effort set.

Day 2

Pyramid Day. Start the pyramid with one repetition, the next set has two repetitions, the next has three. Continue in this fashion until you miss a set. (e.g. your last set was five, your next set would be six, but you could only do four. You missed a set) Do one more set at a maximum effort. Rest 10 seconds for each repetition in the previous set.

Day 3

Do three training sets with a normal overhand grip. Rest 60 seconds between each set. Do three training sets gripping the bar so that your palms are toward your face and your little fingers are touching each other. Rest 60 seconds between each set.

Day 4

Do the maximum number of training sets that you can accomplish. Rest 60 seconds between each set. You do training sets until you fail to do perfect training set. This day can wind up being the longest training day as you continue with the program because you will find it easy to do lots of training sets.

Day 5

Repeat the day that you found to be the hardest in the previous four days. This will change from week to week.

Training Sets

Training Sets are easy to define, but require some experimentation to determine for the individual participating in the program. A training set a specified number of repetitions. That means one individual may have 3 repetitions in his training set, but another individual may have more or less. The key to determine the proper number of repetitions in a training set comes on Day 3. You must perform nine training sets that day. If you only do twelve repetitions in your best single set (a PFT set or a maximum effort set), then your training set would probably have one or at most two repetitions. If you were concerned with gross numbers performed, you might try for the higher numbered training set. This is not advised. It is much more important for you to successfully complete the scheduled workout on Day 3, doing one repetition per training set, than it is for you to complete only 6 or 7 sets, trying two or three repetitions in each training set. Day 3 calls for you to do nine training sets. Adjust your training sets so that you can complete this routine properly.

The best gauge for the number of repetitions in the training set comes on Day 4. If you successfully complete Day 3, try to raise the number of repetitions in your training set by one when you do Day 4. If you get a least nine sets done on Day 4, that tells you that your training set ought to be one repetition higher. If you get less than nine sets, you will still have accomplished a good day’s work, and confirmed that your training set was correct for this week.

It is important that you do not change the repetitions in a training set in midstream. When you schedule yourself to the day’s routine using three repetitions in your training set, do not change it to two when the exercises get hard.

Modifications

Ladies will find that this program adapts well to the flexed arm hang. Training sets are simply translated into hang times.

Chin-ups may be substituted for those who prefer this technique, however, day 3 must still be completed exactly as described with 6 sets done with the overhand grip.

It is highly recommended that you follow this program using overhand grip as most of the obstacles that you will have to get over at OCS require an overhand grip.

Maintenance and Final Thoughts

Once you have achieved your goal, you will remain at that plateau by doing at least 50 repetitions each day. Though this may sound like a large number of repetitions at this point in time, it is not, as you will happily discover during your time on the program.

The program will work for anyone who will make a sincere attempt. You cannot expect any physical training program to work for you if you do not practice it regularly. In the first few weeks you may find that you are able to do fewer repetitions. This is a normal physiological reaction called teardown. As you continue, you will improve.

If your performance is at the 12-15 repetition level when you begin this program, then it will take about 4 weeks to complete. If you are lower than that it will take longer. Have heart because if you continue with the program, you will reach the 20 repetition level.
 
Yjyankee said:
now he's going to join the friggin' Navy.. :)
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:rasp: yeah those specwar guys are a bunch of wimps. If you want to go Marines do it. I really considered it before I went to the Navy
 
hypo said:
wow, a 14 minute 3 mile? Considering the world record is just a little under 13 minutes maybe you should start training for the olympics ;) Not doubting you, I'm just saying.
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14:50 to be more accurate :D
And then I vomit.
 
wow, thank you for that Armstrong program! I just did back yesterday so I will start next monday.

Regarding back workouts- do you think I should continue a regular back routine at the gym or quit while doing this program? Would a few sets of moderate weight deadlifts once per week be beneficial or overtraining? I don't want to neglect my erectors, but my primary focus is of course the pullup for now.
 
I'm talking to a recruiter right now about going Army with an option 40 into Ranger School and special intent declared for 'Special Forces' (which is the Green Berets, even though they don't like that name much).

The full blown Ranger School though, not the 4 week RIP that people enter just to say they did it... its the one thats 9 weeks with 3 phases and a near guarenteed 20-30lb weight loss thrown in for good measure....

the crazy running and drills n **** you do is not to 'improve' or to beat some score... its just to see if you can hack it. The SPECWAR guys in the Navy get a 'Hell week' for 5 days where they can eat as much as they want at the end of the day and get weekends off during training. In ranger school recruits will average 19.4/hrs of awake time with 1.8 meals/day for 9 weeks... thats hardcore **** right there.

Speaking of USMC Force Recon, I've got a friend who got back from Iraq about 5 months ago who is in Recon... pretty cool guy actually.

Hypo,

As far as your training goes, it depends on when you're leaving. Pullups in the higher rep range deal a lot with muscle endurance as well, that might be part of your problem. In my routine I'm scaling up the amount of running I do per week... right now its about 15 miles per week with various distances and paces... and on days I dont run (and even on a lot of days that I do) I'm doing pushups and pullups with all sorts of variations just to build my strength endurance.

You really have to ask yourself how bad you want it, because the type of shape you have to be in for any kind of special ops division in the military is definitely NOT the type that is concerned about mass. Its all about strength that lasts for a long time.
Deadlifts help me when I keep them in the high rep range. (over 15). It helps with running posture and improving my short distance pacing

As for 3 mile runs, I hate em... my shins are still getting used to the pounding. I've got a badass set of running shoes made for my particular feet and its helping a lot. But 3 miles in under 15 is very hard to swallow for someone very young. Most people that run claim they can run a mile in the 6:00 range or 'a 5 minute mile'. But they have absolutely NO concept of how FAST that really is.
The fastest mile I have ever run was a 5:23, and I was sprinting at the last 1/8th and I could barely see and almost fainted at the end. I can't envision someone running that two more times at an even faster pace.
2 miles? yes. Running sub 15min 2 mile is still very respectable and isnt exactly easy for 99% of the people out there.
I doubt I'll ever see someone running a 3 miler in under 15 minutes on a board such as this... two different worlds entirely (the people in them look completely different bodywise)
 
well, luckily I don't need a 15 minute 3 mile. I need 18 for a perfect score and 28 to pass (9:20 per mile). I'm doing the jog/run/jog thing right now with the jog speed at about a 10 minute mile and am progressing quickly, so I'm not too worried about passing.

I'm actually considering dropping the gym membership and getting a pullup bar and doing mostly plyo and bodyweight type stuff plus the running. Plus I have a jumprope and a large punching bag which I also want to use for carrying around, throwing, and stuff like that. I'm not really gaining any weight in the gym right now since I'm not totaly dedicated to either direction (weights or endurance), so I think I will have to 100% dedicate myself to the endurance aspect. Plus it will be fun to change it up for a while. I figure if I keep my calories and carbs especially up I won't turn into a stick figure.

BTW- Bean, where did you get those custom shoes? I remember hearing about a chain that scanned your foot and watched you run to specially fit you to a shoe but the name of the store eludes me...
 
hypo said:
well, luckily I don't need a 15 minute 3 mile. I need 18 for a perfect score and 28 to pass (9:20 per mile). I'm doing the jog/run/jog thing right now with the jog speed at about a 10 minute mile and am progressing quickly, so I'm not too worried about passing.

I'm actually considering dropping the gym membership and getting a pullup bar and doing mostly plyo and bodyweight type stuff plus the running. Plus I have a jumprope and a large punching bag which I also want to use for carrying around, throwing, and stuff like that. I'm not really gaining any weight in the gym right now since I'm not totaly dedicated to either direction (weights or endurance), so I think I will have to 100% dedicate myself to the endurance aspect. Plus it will be fun to change it up for a while. I figure if I keep my calories and carbs especially up I won't turn into a stick figure.

BTW- Bean, where did you get those custom shoes? I remember hearing about a chain that scanned your foot and watched you run to specially fit you to a shoe but the name of the store eludes me...
Click to expand...

You can get foot doctors to make special inserts for you... or

if you find out how your gait is when you run, then you can pick a set of shoes that are made for your foot and running style...

I am an oversupinator... that means I run on the outside of my foot; you can see how you run if you pick up a pair of old running shoes that you have and inspecting the bottom to see wear the shoe is worn. For me it is the outer part of the heel and the outer part of the forefoot.
For supination, I require shoes with lots of cushioning to support the extra stress placed on my ankles and tendons in my lower leg. Otherwise I can get shinsplints (which is tendonitis of the calf tendons -> that muscle and tendon doesnt get worked out much when running or any other freeweight exercise)

Overpronators run on the inside of their feet... also people that are 'flat footed' tend to fall into this category. They need more support... and if its a rather severe pronation, then they need 'motion control' shoes.... its to support your ankle and foot from turning in.

Some people have a neutral gait and dont really require any special shoe... but running without support and with moderate cushioning is still the best idea.

My shoes are Adidas Climacool Response. They have vents on the underside, on the sides and in the front and back of the shoe. It has a springy gel-type material in the heel area and the inner sole is perforated and rather springy itself. The front area under the ball of the foot, has a gel-type material too. I can feel the spring in my step and the smooth glide when I walk in them. They cost me $60 on sale (from $90) at Hibbet Sporting Goods. They had a GOOD selection for all sorts of running shoes.

I recommend sticking with Nike, Adidas, Asics, or New Balance. But make sure you get the right shoe. You can help yourself by researching a bit online and looking for a few models of shoes that look good. Don't skimp out on your purchase. You need GOOD shoes and the good ones all cost the same (regular msrp is around $90 or so). Make sure you get street or course running shoes... not trailshoes.
Nike shoes in particular have the descriptions on the sides of the boxes for what they are designed for... they have varying levels of cushioning and support and list their special features; like 'motion control'. Adidas and new balance do not, I'm unsure if Asics does.

Street shoes should be lightweight. Trailshoes are heavier and have more ankle support and thicker rubber to prevent penetration from foreign objects.

Good luck :)
 
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