Anyone here hoping to join the military?

I'm retired military. Good for you, wanting to serve!
I did 4 years as a Minuteman 3 launch commander in the Airforce.
Than Army as a doctor. Last position was III Corps Artillery Surgeon.
Moving to NC, starting a job as a civilian in the Family Practice clinic at Ft. Bragg.

Army Vet here.

If you are not running yet, get started with C25K. It will help build you up to 3 miles and then you can work on your time after you get used to running.

Google APFT standards and look up what the standards are for your age and gender so you know what will be expected of you once you get out of BCT. Work on meeting and exceeding those standards before getting there.

Like Rocklion said, it's a mental mental game with a lot of physical work. It might sound intimidating, but the time goes by so fast.

As far as jobs go, the best advice I can give you regardless of what branch you choose is to study for the ASVAB. The higher you score the more job choices you will have. You can get study guides on Amazon.

I know this topic has been inactive, but I hope I can reactivate it? Anyway… hi. My #1 goal is to be able to finally join the military next year, around this time. I have wanted to for YEARS but never motivated myself enough to get off my butt and work for it. Now I am, and that inspiration has kept me going for over 46 days. I am ready and willing, and driven to succeed. I have a ways to go but I am already doing well and I won't give up this time.

I am doing good with cardio but I REALLY need to start running, weight/strength training, and a lot more. I wanted to get a trainer for some of that but I don't have the $$$$ right now. Been looking into doing a 5K… would that be a good idea, since I'm such a beginner?

A few years ago I was in touch with a Navy recruiter that was willing to help me, but I lost touch with him and don't have his contact info anymore. An Army recruiter visited my house once too but I didn't get to speak to them. I'm probably going to look into that again. I am primarily considering Navy and Army, but who knows… if I can get my PT into proper shape, we'll see.

I have a lot more to say and more questions too, but I will hold off until I know if this post can be reactivated or if a new version is needed.

Go ahead and add me! I'm active duty Air Force, and let me tell you that the focus on fitness will not stop after basic training. Some people can be kicked out for two bad PT tests, so we've got to support each other! I've always been a chubby, non-athletic kid and adult, but I made it under the maximum weight, so you can too! Also I have a cousin in your shoes, she's losing weight to join the Air Force too. If you have a good recruiter (mine was FANTASTIC), they should do some kind of workout with you at least once a week. The recruiters will engage with you as much as you do them, typically.

Yeah, that was the rule when I got out, but we had a guy in my shop that failed once and got his promotion to MSgt denied. He was so pissed because that's exactly what they would do for drunk driving, and failing a PT test and drunk driving aren't exactly similar.

I am sorry...I have to poke my 2 cents in right here as this is one thing that pisses me off more than anything at my command. You guys go into the military knowing there are weight and body standards. You sign contracts stating that you will abide by the rules and regulations set forth for your respective service. That MSgt who got his promotion denied for failing a PT test....good! That is how it should be. You are taught it in boot camp, you are told about it your entire military career...it isn't like it is some shock that you have to pass a set of standards.

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OP....what do you want to do for a career? Because honestly...that is what you should base your desicion on. Do you want to go into a medical career? Are you wanting to do a communications job? Maybe electronics? Etc.... Do you want to see a lot of the world? Do you like the water? Do you want the choice to stay in the states or go over seas (Coast Guard you have a choice actually)? Would you like to go over seas for a long period of time (AF or Army will be a better choice then)? All kinds of questions to think about and answer.

My 3 cents-you don't make standards you don't get promoted-pretty simple- the way it should be. It is the Military. I think a few Police Departments I know need to do the same thing. The guy that did not make MSGT had to be in for over 10 years to have a shot at that rank so he had a long time to think about it.

And to one of the posters above I can't figure out how the Air Force made you fat ?

Go ahead and add me! I'm active duty Air Force, and let me tell you that the focus on fitness will not stop after basic training. Some people can be kicked out for two bad PT tests, so we've got to support each other! I've always been a chubby, non-athletic kid and adult, but I made it under the maximum weight, so you can too! Also I have a cousin in your shoes, she's losing weight to join the Air Force too. If you have a good recruiter (mine was FANTASTIC), they should do some kind of workout with you at least once a week. The recruiters will engage with you as much as you do them, typically.

Yeah, that was the rule when I got out, but we had a guy in my shop that failed once and got his promotion to MSgt denied. He was so pissed because that's exactly what they would do for drunk driving, and failing a PT test and drunk driving aren't exactly similar.

I am sorry...I have to poke my 2 cents in right here as this is one thing that pisses me off more than anything at my command. You guys go into the military knowing there are weight and body standards. You sign contracts stating that you will abide by the rules and regulations set forth for your respective service. That MSgt who got his promotion denied for failing a PT test....good! That is how it should be. You are taught it in boot camp, you are told about it your entire military career...it isn't like it is some shock that you have to pass a set of standards.

---

OP....what do you want to do for a career? Because honestly...that is what you should base your desicion on. Do you want to go into a medical career? Are you wanting to do a communications job? Maybe electronics? Etc.... Do you want to see a lot of the world? Do you like the water? Do you want the choice to stay in the states or go over seas (Coast Guard you have a choice actually)? Would you like to go over seas for a long period of time (AF or Army will be a better choice then)? All kinds of questions to think about and answer.

Actually, the standards changed the year after I got in. There were no weight and measurement requirements other than passing your run, pushups, and situps. So yeah, a lot of folks that had been in a long time ended up failing and missing promotions. Do I feel sorry for him though? No, not really. I do think it's ridiculous to equate a punishment for failing a test to that of a DUI. That was my only point.

I know this topic has been inactive, but I hope I can reactivate it? Anyway… hi. My #1 goal is to be able to finally join the military next year, around this time. I have wanted to for YEARS but never motivated myself enough to get off my butt and work for it. Now I am, and that inspiration has kept me going for over 46 days. I am ready and willing, and driven to succeed. I have a ways to go but I am already doing well and I won't give up this time.

I am doing good with cardio but I REALLY need to start running, weight/strength training, and a lot more. I wanted to get a trainer for some of that but I don't have the $$$$ right now. Been looking into doing a 5K… would that be a good idea, since I'm such a beginner?

A few years ago I was in touch with a Navy recruiter that was willing to help me, but I lost touch with him and don't have his contact info anymore. An Army recruiter visited my house once too but I didn't get to speak to them. I'm probably going to look into that again. I am primarily considering Navy and Army, but who knows… if I can get my PT into proper shape, we'll see.

I have a lot more to say and more questions too, but I will hold off until I know if this post can be reactivated or if a new version is needed.

How good you are at physical training doesn't really matter as far as which branch you should go into. The Air Force has a higher threshold for test scores. That's why I picked it. Plus, the quarters are better for Air Force than the other branches, especially when deployed.

Try connecting with a recruiter. Before i joined i was 10 pounds over weight and he helped me a lot. They will also be able to give you a mock pt test and let you know where you need to be.

I know this topic has been inactive, but I hope I can reactivate it? Anyway… hi. My #1 goal is to be able to finally join the military next year, around this time. I have wanted to for YEARS but never motivated myself enough to get off my butt and work for it. Now I am, and that inspiration has kept me going for over 46 days. I am ready and willing, and driven to succeed. I have a ways to go but I am already doing well and I won't give up this time.

I am doing good with cardio but I REALLY need to start running, weight/strength training, and a lot more. I wanted to get a trainer for some of that but I don't have the $$$$ right now. Been looking into doing a 5K… would that be a good idea, since I'm such a beginner?

A few years ago I was in touch with a Navy recruiter that was willing to help me, but I lost touch with him and don't have his contact info anymore. An Army recruiter visited my house once too but I didn't get to speak to them. I'm probably going to look into that again. I am primarily considering Navy and Army, but who knows… if I can get my PT into proper shape, we'll see.

I have a lot more to say and more questions too, but I will hold off until I know if this post can be reactivated or if a new version is needed.

How good you are at physical training doesn't really matter as far as which branch you should go into. The Air Force has a higher threshold for test scores. That's why I picked it. Plus, the quarters are better for Air Force than the other branches, especially when deployed.

I just meant that… Right now, I'm not in shape to do a PT test of any kind, not just because of my weight. I've been on MFP, exercising, and eating better for only just under 50 days now. I'm doing well but most of my exercise is cardio. I would just like to do more strength/weight training and PT-type exercises, so that when the time comes for me to do PT tests and hopefully PT at BCT and beyond, I don't look like a joke. I have a lot of weight to lose before I can "make weight" to join, but at the same time I am trying to work on my endurance/PT so that I can go far above and beyond the minimum requirements.

I feel like I should've made my own thread about this, maybe. :embarassed: Maybe I still should.

I'm not sure how the other branches are, but here is my advice based on my experience with the Army.

Focus on push-ups and sit-ups and running.

Look into the C25K program. It will help build up your running over a 8 week period.

If push-ups are a struggle, start doing them on your knees and make sure that you are going down far enough.

You can Google Army APFT and it will give you a chart of what the standards are for graduating BCT and for the rest of the Army. Military.com also has a lot of information and gives a breakdown by branch.

Talk to a recruiter as well. They can help you with what you need to do. I had never ran before but my recruiter would take me out running and have me do something similar to the C25K program.

Have to strongly agree with the post from ITOD. My son is also a Marine, and the best thing he did was go to the recruiting station every Tues and Thurdsay to workout with the poolees. Boot camp was hard (as it should be) but he was more than ready when he got there!

(I still feel kind of bad about using the OP's thread... should I make my own?)

I'm not sure how the other branches are, but here is my advice based on my experience with the Army.

Focus on push-ups and sit-ups and running.

Look into the C25K program. It will help build up your running over a 8 week period.

If push-ups are a struggle, start doing them on your knees and make sure that you are going down far enough.

You can Google Army APFT and it will give you a chart of what the standards are for graduating BCT and for the rest of the Army. Military.com also has a lot of information and gives a breakdown by branch.

Talk to a recruiter as well. They can help you with what you need to do. I had never ran before but my recruiter would take me out running and have me do something similar to the C25K program.

Thank you so much for the tips, @jkal1979! (Also, THANK YOU for your service.) I am bad at push-ups and sit-ups... and running... so I really appreciate the suggestions of what to focus on. I found http://www.military.com/military-fitness/ recently... haven't gone through it as much as I should, but I'm getting back into focus this week.

I've heard about the C25K program a lot since joining MFP... now I'm definitely going to investigate it. Actually... I've been thinking about doing either a local Mud Run in September, or the Color Run in October. They're kinda pricey for me, but... hmm. It might be worth it to do one or both. (I keep debating it!)

Something's up with the Navy site so I'm going to contact an Army recruiter too, for sure. (I've considered AF and USMC but I don't know.) My brother-in-law (Army MP) is stationed at Schofield Barracks right now, but I think he signed up with the same recruiter I'll probably end up talking to. (I also want to start preparing for the ASVAB too. I am not worried about the grammar/reading sections, but the math sections scare me... and I want to score high so I don't worry about not qualifying for the MOSs I prefer.) Aaanyway.

Cardio and bodyweight exercises are all you're going to do in basic training for any branch, so you're doing pretty good. Running was anything from one mile to 4 miles at a time. Here's a list of exercises we did besides running:

up-downs/burpees
mountain climbers
pyramid pushups
diamond pushups
flutter kicks
squats
lunges
planks
situps

And as an aside, something you'll want to get good at is holding your arms straight out from your body for a long period of time. I'm talking like ten minutes at a time. This was common punishment for us, and it often involved us holding our rifle straight out from our body. It sucks.

If you can do all of the exercises above even half-decent, you're going to be doing better than a lot of females that go in. The best way to get good at these exercises is to just do them. I'm going to disagree with the advice to do pushups on your knees, though. Not only is it bad on your knees, it doesn't help you build the core strength required to do a real pushup. Instead, start out against the kitchen countertop, then the dining table, then a chair, step stool, then the floor.

Thank you, @hollydubs85! And, Thank you for your service. I really appreciate the suggestions of the exercises you listed. I don't know a lot about them, but I know I need to work hard on them. I'm also practicing holding my arms straight out too, often with some kind of weight or whatnot in my hands. I've seen that in videos I've watched... and I'm not afraid of it, but I definitely need practice with it. But I'm looking forward to improving with all of those exercises, and sit-ups, push-ups, and running too.

To be honest, even though I know I have a long way to go, I am really excited. I think about this every day, and it motivates me so much. I wish I had worked harder for it years ago like I wanted to.