Posted: 6/5/2011 8:35:54 PM EDT
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Hey arfcommers, I'm new to Fitness.
I'm going into a local police academy as a walk-on, and have to meat the OPOTA standards for my age bracket. I'm 6'3" weight 272, in other words, I'm a big guy, and heavy to boot. I have lost 13 pounds in the last month, and expect to lose at least as much this next month. Having said all of this, weight loss is a secondary objective. The standards I have to meet are as follows: Push-ups: 33/min Sit-ups: 40/min Run: 1.5miles/11:58 Right now I can't meet any of the standards, but need to by about the beginning of November. I'll own up to the fact that right now I'm totally out of shape, and obviously need to work my ass off. Right now I'm at: Push-Ups: 15 Sit-Ups: 27 Run:1.5mile/18:59 Right now non of this is concurrent. I did the run yesterday, and the sit-ups and pull-ups today. My I have about 5 months to be able to meet the standard, and kinda need some advice. My plan right now is to alternate what PT is done on what days. M: Run, sit-ups, and arm curls T: Push-ups, bicycle W: Run, sit-ups, and arm curls Th: Push-ups, bicycle F: Run, sit-ups, and arm curls This is of course, assuming my academy PT schedule doesn't directly conflict with this plan. My question is is this plan feasible, sustainable, or totally off the rocker? Any better ideas or plans to go with? Any advice would be greatly appreciated. |
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You should be able to do sit ups nearly every day - do different abdominal exercises as well.
Same in the push-ups. Don't just do push-ups. Do wide arm, narrow arm, bench presses, etc. Mix up your runs - distance, sprints, intervals. Not sure what the curls are for. I thought those were for guys worried about flexing in front of mirrors. How old are you? Work on your flexibility - the last thing you want to do is get hurt. |
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Quoted:
You should be able to do sit ups nearly every day - do different abdominal exercises as well. Same in the push-ups. Don't just do push-ups. Do wide arm, narrow arm, bench presses, etc. Mix up your runs - distance, sprints, intervals. Not sure what the curls are for. I thought those were for guys worried about flexing in front of mirrors. How old are you? Work on your flexibility - the last thing you want to do is get hurt. 28. I've got a fairly decent handle on how to stretch, I just don't really know how to build endurance. |
| I had went to the introductory session of the police academy for Ohio but couldn't go and do the whole thing. The basic advice was if you are out of shape don't count on the class PT to get you into shape. Make sure you are strict in your training. If you get to where you can do 50 pushups with a 5" range of motion and think you are golden you will be in for quite a surprise on test day and not in a good way. |
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Quoted:
I had went to the introductory session of the police academy for Ohio but couldn't go and do the whole thing. The basic advice was if you are out of shape don't count on the class PT to get you into shape. Make sure you are strict in your training. If you get to where you can do 50 pushups with a 5" range of motion and think you are golden you will be in for quite a surprise on test day and not in a good way. Not counting on the academy PT to save me, that's why I'm here asking for advice. |
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Work a round or two of P90X and do the couch to 5K. This is the answer. P90X changed my life! At the end of my academy I got hurt in defensive tactics. couldn't run so i got fat and out of shape fast. I went from doing about 10 sit ups to doing 96. I still have trouble with the running but every day I am getting closer every run. |
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Honestly, I don't think that maxing pushups every night would hurt you, and would probably help. I understand that you need 36-48 hours recovery time after a 'normal' workout, but a nightly two minute max isn't all the much by itself. If Troops (Prior .mil here) failed PT tests, they could pretty much be expected to do a 2 minute max any time someone higher than them noticed them not occupying themself with something productive. That adds up to a lot of two minute sets, and yes, they get better. Another thing to consider here is the mentality. Eventually, you're going to be doing a set and you're going to realize that it's nothing. You're going to notice that you're higher than the day before, and you're going to squeeze out an extra rep or two. Then you'll do it again. And again. And eventually, you'll meet and exceed the standard. The same can apply to situps. Vary between wide and standard and diamonds, but remember that it is your form that matters most. Another trick that might help is, after getting really close to max on a set, is to widen your hands a bit, if possible. That should net you an extra rep or two as it changes the muscles used a little. Just a thought. With respect to endurance: Sprints and intervals will increase your wind significantly. Progressive Suicides are also a great way to go. Personally, I enjoy 30/60's (30 sprint/ 60 jog). Or, if you run somewhere you have regularly set distances (like telephone poles), spring for one distance, jog the next). Just some thoughts. YMMV. |
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Get to a point that you can run/jog 3 miles, for this C25K is a great program. Once you can do the three miles, take a couple days off then start this next program;
The Cooper Institute has a fantastic program for improving your 1.5 mile time. Basically involves .25 mile repeats sandwiched between a 1 mile warm up & 1 mile cool down twice a week. Run the .25 mile repeats @ your goal race pace. The 1st week, run 3x .25 mile repeats w/either .25 mile or 2 min recoveries (jog). Max total distance = 3 miles. Increase the # of repeats each week by one until the 4th week when you max out @ 6 for a max total distance of 5 miles. For weeks 5 & 6, decrease your recovery distance or time between repeats to 2 mins (if you were previously recovering in .25 miles) or to 1:45 mins (if you were previously recovering in 2 mins). This program works. I would also throw in atleast one recovery run/jog for 3 miles once a week in the middle. If you are not a runner, you will have to learn to love running/jogging. Here are a couple more running tips; 1) Breathing Take big, deep inhalations and exhalations similar to the way you yawn. This will help you receive the oxygen your body needs. Slow down the running pace if you need to, but concentrate on your breathing. 2) Stride and Heel / Toe Contact When jogging, open your stride but lean slightly forward to a point where you will land NEAR your heel (closer to the ball of your foot - not the bottom of your heel) and roll across your foot, pushing off the ground with your toes. Many people run flat footed, back heel, or on their toes causing stress on their lower back, hips, knees and ankles. You can eliminate this by following the simple Audio Test. If you can hear your feet hitting the ground when you run, then you are running wrong. It should sound like your shoes are rolling on the ground quietly. Comfortable running shoes will also aid in prevention of injuries. 3) Arm Swing You should have a relaxed arm swing but very pronounced. Swing your hands from about chest high to just past your hips in a straight line. The term "hip to lip" is a good way to remember this when you are running. Your arms should be slightly bent but not flexed. 4) Relaxed Upper Body You should relax your fists, arms, shoulders, and face. This causes the oxygenated blood that you need to go to your legs to also go to your upper body. The only things that need to be working when you are running are your "lungs and your legs." 5) Start Slowly and Warm up Do not stretch your legs until you have warmed up your body by jogging or biking slowly for about 5-10 minutes. Run every other day if you are just beginning and only add mileage to your run as you feel comfortable. |
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Just re-read your post. Do sit ups, ABS/Core work on every PT day. Drop the arm curls. Once you can get to the point of passing the PT test, then you can start going to the weight room.If fact weight traing is excellent, just remember that you have got to be able to pass the PT test. That is all I would focus on at this point.
Also your diet is huge. It helps with recovery and energy for your work outs. Start doing some research on the diet side of working out. |