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And the PRT changes yet again

Pags

N/A
pilot
The good low is around 2 min for most people of service age. Probationary is just over a minute. I suspect this is actually going to wreck a lot of sailors' days if they don't practice...can't cheat on the planks as much as situps, it's done after pushups, and according to the instruction the moment your head dips down you're done.

But I have a more important question...

Who in this world reps 3:45 planks (the max score)? Never seen this in a gym. The people I see doing them hold for 1-2 minutes.
Back when Mrs Pags and I were much younger and first dating we'd have friendly pull up and plank competitions. I think we got to 7 min or so before we got bored of planking.
 

Hair Warrior

Well-Known Member
Contributor
according to the instruction the moment your head dips down you're done.
That “must maintain neutral head position” sounds ripe for not being applied uniformly by CFLs/sailors.
I did the 4:20 max for the mock USNA PRT a couple months ago. It is doable. Then there is this guy...
The fact that that devil dog compared planking for 8 hours to being a member of Motley Crue.... just....

....Marines, smh.
 

Jim123

DD-214 in hand and I'm gonna party like it's 1998
pilot
The fact that that devil dog compared planking for 8 hours to being a member of Mötley Crüe.... just....

....Marines, smh.
?

I mean Nikki Sixx died, like a couple times I think.

(I fixed the röck döts for you, smh)

Speaking of Sixx, I think my favorite Crüe song is Bastard, from Shout. I think it's an underrated song- nothing special in terms of writing, lyrics, arrangement, or musicality- all the telltale signs of a piece written by a bassist. But it's fast and it would be inappropriate to play at, say, a command picnic, so there's that.
 

nittany03

Recovering NFO. Herder of Programmers.
pilot
None
Super Moderator
Contributor
Speaking of Sixx, I think my favorite Crüe song is Bastard, from Shout. I think it's an underrated song- nothing special in terms of writing, lyrics, arrangement, or musicality- all the telltale signs of a piece written by a bassist. But it's fast and it would be inappropriate to play at, say, a command picnic, so there's that.
"Their early work was a little too new wave for my taste. But when Sports came out in '83, I think they really came into their own, commercially and artistically. The whole album has a clear, crisp sound, and a new sheen of consummate professionalism that really gives the songs a big boost. He's been compared to Elvis Costello, but I think Huey has a far more bitter, cynical sense of humor."
 

Spekkio

He bowls overhand.
FWIW, I've never planked before and I was able to do 2 minutes on my first try... albeit w/o preceding pushups. I'll be 50 next month.
Back when Mrs Pags and I were much younger and first dating we'd have friendly pull up and plank competitions. I think we got to 7 min or so before we got bored of planking.
There are people who are part of the 3 mile a year club who still manage to run sub 1030 1.5 mi runs. I don't think that extrapolating this to the average sailor is valid.

FWIW, good low is generally an easy target that I think most untrained people within height / weight standards (no rope and choke) can obtain.

But I was more making fun of the bro science in the implementation message. You're generally gonna have to do some kind of ab work to do well (excellent low or better, approximately 3 minutes) on planks, and that ab work is probably going to include some of those big bad exercises that involve your lower back and hip flexors. Exclusively holding plank positions for sets of 3-4 minutes isn't something that I normally see in ab workout programs, and I would argue is a woefully inefficient way to build abdominal strength.
 
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Birdbrain

Well-Known Member
pilot
As far as PRT prep goes, I used to ramp up before a PRT by practicing. I'd do a mock PRT on myself about two months before a PRT to see the results. Then I'd work out accordingly so I could at least validate. Not enough pushups? Do a bunch of pushups. Not enough situps? Do a bunch of situps. Run too slow? Alternate endurance runs with sprints. Throw in some planks, burpees, pullups whatever you like just to keep it fresh.

This stemmed from badly embarrassing at myself at the IST at OCS and being held in H Class for 3 weeks.

EDIT: Realized I wasn't making a point. Point: practice the new PRT so it doesn't bite you. If people spent as much time and effort practicing planks after pushups as they did complaining about how much the new PRT is going to suck it would not be an issue.
 
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Pags

N/A
pilot
There are people who are part of the 3 mile a year club who still manage to run sub 1030 1.5 mi runs. I don't think that extrapolating this to the average sailor is valid.

FWIW, good low is generally an easy target that I think most untrained people within height / weight standards (no rope and choke) can obtain.

But I was more making fun of the bro science in the implementation message. You're generally gonna have to do some kind of ab work to do well (excellent low or better, approximately 3 minutes) on planks, and that ab work is probably going to include some of those big bad exercises that involve your lower back and hip flexors. Exclusively holding plank positions for sets of 3-4 minutes isn't something that I normally see in ab workout programs, and I would argue is a woefully inefficient way to build abdominal strength.
Except it's not. Planking or something that uses a lot of poses like a plank (like yoga) is a good way to build functional core strength and is better for your overall health then situps, etc.

As a data point when I was doing 7min planks I was not some sort of super shredded dude. I was a flight school student who ran and went to the gym 3-5 times a week.
 

Farva01

BKR
pilot
Except it's not. Planking or something that uses a lot of poses like a plank (like yoga) is a good way to build functional core strength and is better for your overall health then situps, etc.

As a data point when I was doing 7min planks I was not some sort of super shredded dude. I was a flight school student who ran and went to the gym 3-5 times a week.

I do 2-4 minute planks for my warmup every workout. It is a great way to get my core ready before squatting/deadlifting/pressing heavy.
 

Spekkio

He bowls overhand.
Except it's not. Planking or something that uses a lot of poses like a plank (like yoga) is a good way to build functional core strength and is better for your overall health then situps, etc.

As a data point when I was doing 7min planks I was not some sort of super shredded dude. I was a flight school student who ran and went to the gym 3-5 times a week.
Look, strength training lasts longer than cardio when you stop.

Either you're a genetic freak that can plank 7 minutes with no ab work whatsoever in your life, or the athletic activities you did in high school, college, and beyond were carrying you to a good plank in a similar fashion that my 'cold' push-ups are 70 and 'cold' sit ups are 80. I suspect the latter. Either way, extrapolating your performance to the average sailor would lead to a lot of disappointment. We're talking about a group who have a non-zero amount of people who can't do 37 push ups and 46 situps with magic counting and trot a 1.5 mile in less than 13.5 minutes, and we just changed the PRT because situps might accidentally injure them.

And apparently the feat of athleticism required to meet these rigorous fitness standards while maintaining a strict body fat percentage below 22% is nothing but a force shaping tool.
 
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Pags

N/A
pilot
Look, strength training lasts longer than cardio when you stop.

Either you're a genetic freak that can plank 7 minutes with no ab work whatsoever in your life, or the athletic activities you did in high school, college, and beyond were carrying you to a good plank in a similar fashion that my 'cold' push-ups are 70 and 'cold' sit ups are 80. I suspect the latter. Either way, extrapolating your performance to the average sailor would lead to a lot of disappointment. We're talking about a group who have a non-zero amount of people who can't do 37 push ups and 46 situps with magic counting and trot a 1.5 mile in less than 13.5 minutes, and we just changed the PRT because situps might accidentally injure them.

And apparently the feat of athleticism required to meet these rigorous fitness standards while maintaining a strict body fat percentage below 22% is nothing but a force shaping tool.
But that's not what we're talking about. You said something like "doing extended planks isn't a good workout or something often seen in workout programs." My point is that extended planking is something you can do and would lead to better plank performance.

I agree with you that plenty of other activities can give you good core strength. Which means that you don't have to plank for an extended period of time to be good at the plank. You could dead lift. Or squat. Or do lots of pushups. Or do yoga. Chop wood. Farmers carry. Sit ups. Leg lifts. Kettlebell swings. The plank is just an easy and quick way to measure folks core strength.

Personally I think part of boot camp/ascension training should focus on instilling a culture and understanding of how to work out to give Sailors and Officers who didn't grow up physically fit a way to know how to work out in the fleet. And then maybe have some sort of weekly exercise plan tailored to different rates/lifestyles that shows how individuals and commands can fit this into an operational schedule. Instead of just hoping that people figure it out or that punishment...er, remedial PT does something (my opinion: it just prolongs the inevitable).
 
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