To Beef or not To Beef

[Devyn Stewart]

06/13/2019

Bench: 160x9x3
DB OHP: 35x10x3

06/14/2019

Sit-ups: 30, 15, 12
Push-ups: 27, 12, 12
2 mile run in 16:47

Notes:

Although the military is still a bit of a hope more than an expectation, I've decided to take training for it more seriously. According to my numbers, I likely wouldn't pass an APFT currently. I didn't do full 2 minute "test conditions" sit-ups and push-ups. I just did them continuously until I couldn't anymore, so I would probably get more in a test scenario, but I'm not interested in training them that way. Interestingly enough, according to how today went, I'm closest to passing the 2 mile run, missing by only 11 seconds. I'm also quite close in the push-ups, needing only 8 more, and I surely could have ridden technicalities from the 2 minute limit to that goal, but I am quite far off with the sit-ups. I need 17 more. The plan at the moment is to hyperfocus on getting at least a passing score on all 3 to prove to myself that I can achieve that minimum. We'll see if I'll be able to improve from there, but that's the goal for now.

[Devyn Stewart]

06/16/2019

Sit-ups: 15x3, rest 15x2
Push-ups: 10x3, rest 10x2
3 mile run in 29:11

Notes:

I purposefully did not go all-out on this 3 mile run. I also don't think I'll go much longer than 3 miles, but the point is just to build up endurance and to be able to run for longer distances. The rest of the week, I'll really be focusing on doing intervals very specific to my desired 2 mile pace, then having a "test" 2 mile run each week.

[Geoff Bischoff]

Heya man: On passing APFT.

1) Get strong (I know you're working that).

2) Work conditioning (also working that).

3) On situps and pushups.

A method I used while training to try out for Special Forces (I didn't make it, but I crushed my old APFT scores [85 pushups, 74 situps, 13:58 run]) went like this:

Session 1: While fresh, test yourself all-out on a 2 minute pushup test, 2 minute situp test, and a 2-mile run. Allow 10 minutes between events just like the real test. Record your score.

Session 2: A week later on the same day, after you've done a week of other training (including strength training, especially the bench and squat. Squat makes your situps STRONG AF but doesn't help situp endurance much in my experience): Pushups and Situps: 30 seconds x4 sets, with 2 minutes rest between your four sets. Aim for 30% of your 2-minute amount in 30 seconds. Record results. Run: Run 4 half-mile "sets" at your 2mile pace-per-mile minus 15 seconds. Rest 2 minutes between sets.

Session 3: A week later. Pushups/situps: Same but aim for 40%. Run: Same but -30 seconds per half mile.

Session 4: A week later. Pushups/situps: Same but aim for 50%. Run: Same but -45 seconds per half mile.

Session 5: Repeat session 1 (mock test), record new results; then do 2, 3, 4 with your new numbers.

Rooting for you!

[Devyn Stewart]

Heya man: On passing APFT.

1) Get strong (I know you're working that).

2) Work conditioning (also working that).

3) On situps and pushups.

A method I used while training to try out for Special Forces (I didn't make it, but I crushed my old APFT scores [85 pushups, 74 situps, 13:58 run]) went like this:

Session 1: While fresh, test yourself all-out on a 2 minute pushup test, 2 minute situp test, and a 2-mile run. Allow 10 minutes between events just like the real test. Record your score.

Session 2: A week later on the same day, after you've done a week of other training (including strength training, especially the bench and squat. Squat makes your situps STRONG AF but doesn't help situp endurance much in my experience): Pushups and Situps: 30 seconds x4 sets, with 2 minutes rest between your four sets. Aim for 30% of your 2-minute amount in 30 seconds. Record results. Run: Run 4 half-mile "sets" at your 2mile pace-per-mile minus 15 seconds. Rest 2 minutes between sets.

Session 3: A week later. Pushups/situps: Same but aim for 40%. Run: Same but -30 seconds per half mile.

Session 4: A week later. Pushups/situps: Same but aim for 50%. Run: Same but -45 seconds per half mile.

Session 5: Repeat session 1 (mock test), record new results; then do 2, 3, 4 with your new numbers.

Rooting for you!

Thanks, Geoff! I recently learned that assuming I was fortunate enough to get into the army school I want to, I would be taking something called the OPAT, which seems to me to be laughably easy to pass. Further, by the time I would take a PFT, it looks like it will be a drastically different one, nothing like the current sit-ups, push-ups, and 2 mile run. So, I'll probably push off the hyperspecificity that I suggested a few days ago.

06/17/2019

Trap bar deadlift: 225x6x2 lol, I must have lost a lot of strength during this cut.
Interval run: 2/9 mile x4 in 1:40 or less

[Geoff Bischoff]

Yeah mate. APFT goes away in the next year-ish. OPAT is way easy to do. If your school is long enough that you won't be done until late this year, then you'd have to do the ACFT. I just took it as part of a test group about a week ago. To max the deadlift event you need to do a triple at 340. But to pass any of the events, it's ridiculously easy. If you have a good base of conditioning, and are somewhat strong, you will do well.

The only possible challenges:

1) The Leg Tuck event. Check it out; it will require some specificity. Only need 5 reps to pass though (20 to max).

2) The 2 mile run. This is only challenging because it's the 6th and final event; you need to have spare conditioning "in your pocket" to dismount the pullup bar and scroll straight into a relatively speedy 2 mile run (17 minutes to pass last I looked; 12:45 to max).

What are you hoping to get into?

Happy training!

[Devyn Stewart]

Yeah mate. APFT goes away in the next year-ish. OPAT is way easy to do. If your school is long enough that you won't be done until late this year, then you'd have to do the ACFT. I just took it as part of a test group about a week ago. To max the deadlift event you need to do a triple at 340. But to pass any of the events, it's ridiculously easy. If you have a good base of conditioning, and are somewhat strong, you will do well.

The only possible challenges:

1) The Leg Tuck event. Check it out; it will require some specificity. Only need 5 reps to pass though (20 to max).

2) The 2 mile run. This is only challenging because it's the 6th and final event; you need to have spare conditioning "in your pocket" to dismount the pullup bar and scroll straight into a relatively speedy 2 mile run (17 minutes to pass last I looked; 12:45 to max).

What are you hoping to get into?

Happy training!

I want to be a physical therapist, so I'm hoping to get into US Army-Baylor. It's the only military DPT program in the country. Actually, it's the school that SSC Will Morris attended back in the day. It's also ridiculously competitive, and I doubt I have a better than 50% chance of making it given that I don't have any previous military experience. But I've got pretty good grades, a pretty good GRE score, and I would love to join the military, so I've got my fingers crossed!

[Devyn Stewart]

06/27/2019

Pull-ups: 5x4
Push-ups: 15x3, 12
Sit-ups: 15x4
Lunges: 20x4
Bent arm frog stands

Notes:

Pretty new to this kind of stuff. I could only hold the stand for, like, 15 seconds, so I'm not a very good frog.

[Devyn Stewart]

06/29/2019

Chin-ups: 5x3, 3x2
Decline push-ups: 10x5
Leg tuck: idek

Notes:

Got some knee pain from work. Not, like, joint pain, but like "I hit my knee with a hammer" kind of pain. It hurt while I was walking around, so I decided jump squats and running were not good ideas. I'm still doing bent arm frog stands, but I don't know how to log them, so I won't try. As for leg tucks, it's a potentially new military tested event, so I wanted to incorporate it into my training, but I'm really bad at it. It's a weird mix between a sort of leg raise, a front lever, and a pull-up. It will definitely take some practice to get better at it.

[Devyn Stewart]

06/30/2019

Chin-ups: 5x3, 4x2
Pike push ups: 6x5
Knee tucks: 8x5
Air squats: 20x5
1/4th mile intervals: less than 1:50x5

[Devyn Stewart]

07/20/2019

Whew, it's been a minute. I've still been training, but I haven't been logging it because I've been applying to PT school, and I wanted every spare minute. Hopefully the schools like me!

Pull-ups: 5x4
Assisted dips: -115x4x10, 1x20 The assistance probably isn't necessary, but I hurt my sternum doing unassisted dips for the first time. Working up slowly.
Planks: 4x40s, 1x60s
Lunges: 5x20
Running 2/9ths of mile 5x. Fastest was ~81s

Notes:

Now that the military could potentially test me within 6 months if I am to be accepted at Army-Baylor, things are getting a bit more serious. I don't want to be denied entry to my dream school because I didn't train hard enough. And for posterity purposes, I weighed in at 200.0 lbs on the dot today for the first time since hitting 235. Things are going well.