A man's question here!

trud72
trud72 Posts: 1,912 Member
edited October 1 in Fitness and Exercise
Right my son is training up for the army,i have him doing the p90x at the mo and also running,but i need to know the best way to train him for doing
1.chin ups
2.push ups

any advice would be great!
thx

Replies

  • Charlie003
    Charlie003 Posts: 1,333 Member
    Negatives cheat up, slowly down no cheat.
  • avninjalette123
    avninjalette123 Posts: 129 Member
    Push ups, sit ups, and run! Those are the standard exercises that they test for in basic. They will have them do pull ups but not for PT tests. My husbands in the army. ;]
  • joejccva71
    joejccva71 Posts: 2,985 Member
    Right my son is training up for the army,i have him doing the p90x at the mo and also running,but i need to know the best way to train him for doing
    1.chin ups
    2.push ups

    any advice would be great!
    thx

    His back muscles (lats) need to be able to pull up his own weight which isn't easy at first. Best thing to do is have him start doing chin ups with assist. How long does he have before the army?
  • socialite1
    socialite1 Posts: 109
    There are tons of videos on You Tube that give week by week plans for beginner chin ups and building up to do pull ups (I just researched this myself over the weekend). Charlie003 is right, starting with negatives is the best way to go.
  • erickirb
    erickirb Posts: 12,294 Member
    Right my son is training up for the army,i have him doing the p90x at the mo and also running,but i need to know the best way to train him for doing
    1.chin ups
    2.push ups

    any advice would be great!
    thx

    Doing P90X will have him be a pro at chin-ups, pull-ups and push-ups, so that with the running he should be right on track. Just make sure he is also eating enough to do all of the exercising.
  • trud72
    trud72 Posts: 1,912 Member
    Push ups, sit ups, and run! Those are the standard exercises that they test for in basic. They will have them do pull ups but not for PT tests. My husbands in the army. ;]

    yeh the p90x is sorting out the sit up no problem but his arms are so weak it's untrue he has a job to do 3 pushups!!

    he has a yr to get ready for it!
  • bsteffneyjr
    bsteffneyjr Posts: 40 Member
    he has to work his way up, meaning do as many push ups as possible (even if it's only 3) then 3more, same with pull ups they are the hardest to do
  • all of the above. Boot camp is a mind agme that gets stressed by the physical conditioning aspect. The better shape when you get there, the easier transition to military life. It is hard to think straight when you are so exhausted. In the end they will break him down physically regardless, but being in shape will go a long way.

    Definitely running, push ups, mountain climbers, and static stuff like holding a push up half way down, holding dumbells straight out in front of him, etc. Thank him for his service, and to you for supporting him!
  • usmcmp
    usmcmp Posts: 21,219 Member
    I was a Marine so our tests were different but the best way to learn to do them is to just do them. Negatives will help (1 count up, 3 counts down) but he really just has to do them over and over constantly to get better. He should focus on running though. Marines are known for running but my army friends still run constantly.
  • eamestwin123
    eamestwin123 Posts: 5 Member
    My twin brother was in the Army in Texas, went to Iraq and everything. Best advice,your son needs to do a lot of running! He needs his core to be strong which will make it easier for him to pull his weight around. If he's not a runner, tell him to jog up to atleast 3 miles a day, even if he ends up walking some of it he HAS to do 3 miles a day 4-6 times a week. Also sit ups, lots of them. Good luck!
  • Janie5605
    Janie5605 Posts: 182 Member
    my hubs is military and his one big bit of advice if when hes doing his push ups and pull ups make sure hes doing them fully...all the way up all the way down...if they arent completely correct they dont count in his PT score.
  • VeganInTraining
    VeganInTraining Posts: 1,319 Member
    when i went through boot they had me do a ton of planks and flutter kicks. The planks especially helped me with my core muscles and push ups. I went from not being able to do them to being able to do the required 20something in a minute within a week of doing non-stop core exercises for 30 minutes a day
  • trud72
    trud72 Posts: 1,912 Member
    thx guys this is all helping tons,,

    and thanx webfoot that's really nice of you x
  • bookworm03
    bookworm03 Posts: 88 Member
    I have a push up app on my phone. You tell it how many push ups you can do and it gives you a plan to build up to how many you'd like to do. I went from being able to do 5 to now 65 in 3 weeks. They also have a pull up app. I found them on android market.
  • bookworm03
    bookworm03 Posts: 88 Member
    Oh yeah, and they are free apps.
  • liftingbro
    liftingbro Posts: 2,029 Member
    p90x is actually a great program for trainging for Army PT. Just supplement it with a lot of running.

    If he has issues with pull ups you can by bands to assist.
  • ArroganceInStep
    ArroganceInStep Posts: 6,239 Member
    I hate pull-ups with a burning fiery passion! However, if I were to train for them:

    The question is if he can do any now, or if he's starting from not being able to do one. These exercises require a preliminary amount of arm strength (bicep and forearm), but once you break that threshold it really becomes a back workout. Pull-ups target lats more while chin-ups still target lats but have a bit more of an emphasis on biceps than pull-ups do. For this reason, if your son can't do any yet, have him add in more arm drills. I'm assuming you have weights at home, so curls and reverse curls are your friend here.

    As I said, ultimately once you can do the exercise, it's a back workout more than anything, so you'll need to develop those muscles. If you have access to a pulldown machine that's a really good place to start. If not, bent over barbell/dumbell rows are a decent substitute. From p90x back and biceps is the way to go for building those muscle groups, though the other discs that mention back or arms will help at least a little.

    Hope this helps!
  • Hicksbc
    Hicksbc Posts: 32 Member
    Have him do his best and forget the rest...... 3 today but maybe 5 next week and in a matter of a few weeks he will be doing more than what is required! Good luck
  • trud72
    trud72 Posts: 1,912 Member
    thx guys you've all been great for answering my question,and it is a great idea about the apps i will look into them...
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