Hey guys, I have recently been accepted for BDCP and have decided to get my ass in shape. (not that I am out of shape, I am a college soccer player, I just have never been much of a lifter). Does anyone have any recommendations on what to do? Any lifting routines they could send my way? Any advice at all would be appreciated. Thanks
I'll throw in the gratuitous crossfit plug here. Until I started doing it, being your stereotypical girl, I had no idea what one did with a barbell other than that large men picked it up at the gym while grunting and flexing in the mirror. I'm by no means great at any of the power/Olympic lifts now, but since I've started doing crossfit I can at least do them at pretty respectable weights. I personally like crossfit because it adds the strength element of lifting while getting smoked aerobically at the same time like you're probably used to as a soccer player for a good overall workout. You won't become a lifting beast from it, but it's a good addition for overall fitness. If you find a crossfit gym near you the owners there will teach you how to lift safely and go from there. It's personally paid dividends for me, your results may vary.
Not to discourage you or anything, but unless something dramatically changed at OCS in the last 2 years, OCS PT involves absolutely no lifting. They focus on bodyweight exercises of all kinds and <4 mile runs.
You're wasting your time if you're lifting weights for OCS. You won't be lifting weights. Everyone that I knew at OCS who lifted weights prior to OCS lost a lot of weight after they got there. Just focus on cardio related exercises and blowing away pushups and curlups. Getting good at air squats and 6-90s wouldn't be a bad idea either. Run a lot. It doesn't take a lot of thought, just some effort.
What he said. Dudes who were really jacked from lifting seemed to have more problems with situps. I'm just a bigger guy and I struggle with them.
I can bench a respectable amount, and I struggle with pushups unless I actually do pushups. Wide grip bench seems to help, as does using the lower back extension and deadlifts. Squats and other lifts won't help at OCS. Be able to do 80+ pushups in under 2 minutes with good form, and 100 situps in the same and you will be golden as far as strength is concerned. The biggest thing I had problems with at OCS was my knees and an ankle, but I also had "repeat customer" status with my orthopedic surgeon.
Uh, no. If you use strength training the correct way, it will enhance your ability to pass the PRT. Just going to the gym and hefting up some iron, without using the proper set/rep/weight and intensity pattern will do you no good. That being said, to the OP, find yourself a gym which has a trainer who is either ACSM or NSCA certifed and tell them what you need.
I'll plug crossfit too. Not only do the creative workouts combine cardio and strength work often in short, intense bursts (less than 8 minutes), but the program is varied that you won't get bored with it and the classes are fun as long as the other people aren't complete D-bags. Trying to come up with a workout regimen on your own can be annoying and the routine can get stale fast. Crossfit keeps things fresh and as a result, you'll stick with it. Here's a link to the crossfit gym I go to www.crossfitsouthwest.com to give you an idea of what goes on.
Everything in moderation. Lift, crossfit, cals, run, bike, swim. Do it all. Diversity in a workout program is beneficial not only for overall fitness, but also for stress/overuse injury prevention.
I would recommend lifting as long as you're not trying to bulk up. Its perfectly reasonable to do 3 or 4 sets of 12-15 reps on the bench to work your chest and triceps. Just doing push ups alone will get very tedious. The same goes for abs, barbell curls and lat pull downs. Just don't go for massive weight and please don't get injured.
Interesting. Not saying I am disappointed, I have always dreaded lifting. What are 6-90's? Any natural weight exercises you guys would recommend besides push ups and curl ups? What about dips or pull ups? And what is the swimming requirement for OCS? I get confused because at one point in the website it says like 3rd class swim test and requires things that are fairly easy (10 ft jump, 5 min float etc). But then on the PRT scorecard it has swimming 500 m and times for that. So what exactly are the swimming requirements for OCS?
You'll do a third class at OCS. Dips and pull-ups are both excellent bodyweight exercises that would aptly prepare you for OCS. 6-90s are Get on your back and put your hands up(or under your rear) and then lift your feet with your legs straight out up to 6inches then go to 90 degrees and back. You'll notice it gets substantially more difficult when your arms and hands are pointing up as opposed to under your rear
The option to swim exists, but is not required. You only need to complete the 1.5 mile run or the swim, so don't worry about those times.
Buy any and all books by Mark Rippetoe and realize why you SHOULD do all of the following: Throw out your "lifting gloves". Hold your breath during the concentric part of the lift. Only use a weight belt that is the same thickness all the way around. Belts that are thicker in the back are bullshit. Isolation lifts are bullshit without doing a baseline of compound lifts.
500m swim is a PRT option when you're in the fleet. For OCS, you shall do the 1.5 mile run. You do the 3rd class swim test, but that's a different evolution.
That's interesting because I rarely ever did a pushup or any other bodyweight exercises yet I was one of the most physically prepared guys in my OCS platoon. I did spend a fair amount of time in the gym though. It may not be completely necessary, but it will help to a large degree when combined with moderate running. And it's far from being a waste of time. To the original poster, go check out T-Nation.com. They have a great deal of legit lifting, conditioning, dieting, etc... type articles.
Any weight belt is bullshit...unless you are lifting at 95% of your 1RM. Using a weight belt constantly is not doing justice to any of your trunk muscles and will most likely cause those muscles to atrophy. Much better to do exercises that strengthen those trunk muscles, and those muscles surrounding the spine. Your lower back is already predisposed to bending (towards your stomach). It makes much more sense to work your abs and lower back muscles (hyperextensions) in order to provide support where it is needed.
+1 to lifting being not a waste of time. Lifting like most people do is a waste of time. By that I mean doing one set every 2-3 minutes, doing low rep sets, and doing lots of isolation exercises. Might work for making you look big, but it's generally not good for overall fitness and won't prepare you for the onslaught of endurance and cardio training you'll be doing at OCS. Crossfit supplemented with 2 mile runs 4 days a week or focusing on 3-4 12-15 rep sets with 30 sec rest inbetween (kudos if you can throw a set of abs in there...or do what an MMA guy at my gym on LI would do and jump-rope between sets) and a good running program, on the other hand, would work very well.
Agreed...what good is doing a squat/DL if you're not using your whole body to do the lift? When I first started crossfit, 185 was heavy to me on the deadlift. I 15-rep'd 250 last week. 155 was a heavy squat. I did 5x3 at 225 yesterday. Those aren't rediculous numbers by any means, but considerable improvements definitely. I only weigh about 150-155 if that says anything. Look up "starting strength" and do the research. It's a book by Mark Rippetoe from Crossfit and lays out a pretty simple A/B day workout routine. FWiW, I'll do the lifts and then go do running and bodyweight stuff after. For instance, one thing I like to do is: 1pullup, 2dips or squats, 3pushup and then pyramid up 2,4,6....3,4,5..etc It doesn't sound like much but when you get around the teens it starts getting interesting!!
Low repetitions (6-8) and heavy weight is generally the type of lifting I ascribe to. Contrary to popular believe there is nothing wrong with it.
Agreed. There is also this belief that low rep/high weight will make you bulk and pack on tons of muscle while the opposite will make you lean. False. Unless you have an incredibly slow metabolism or simply eat like a f*cking pig, this won't happen. In the end it still comes down to calories in versus calories out. If you want to get big, you HAVE to eat big.
There's nothing wrong with it, but it's not going to prepare you for OCS as well as other weight lifting routines.
Exactly. Right, so leaving to OCS doing 35 pullups, over 100 pushups and 150 situps in 2 minutes without ever doing unweighted pullups and any pushups/situps to prep was of no help. /sarcasm Look, I'm not trying to push heavy lifting on everyone, I'm just saying that people shouldn't shy away from it. Experiment with different routines and go with what you enjoy and feels benefits you most.
Heavy lifting for low reps and lighter weights for higher reps are both useful tools. Ideally you would incorporate both into your workouts. For instance, you may want to do core compound lifts for heavier weight (like deadlifts, squats, bench, rows), and then do something else of that body part for higher reps (some isolations exercises maybe, or bodyweight exercises like pushups, pullups, dips, etc.) Then after a few weeks, flip it around, switching it up is important. Along that same line, switch up the exercises every few weeks. Use a barbell for a few weeks, then maybe switch to dumbells. Use overhand grip, then switch to underhand. Also something I've found to be good for overall fitness is to do bodyweight exercises (I prefer pushups) while running. Stop every 1/2 mile - 1 mile and do a set of pushups (or whatever else you like) and immediately start running again.
I wouldn't say there is anything wrong with lifting before OCS, I did, just don't over do it and use proper technique. If you haven't lifted in awhile I would either stay away or ease into it just for the sake of staying healthy prior to OCS. OCS workouts even on strength and conditioning are generally cardio based/circuit training and use body weight as resistance. When I did lift on my own before OCS I focused on low rest cycles, high reps, and low weight but to each their own. Whatever you do make sure your workout routine includes A LOT of cardio.
