Perfect Score

[pjxc415]

your shoulders are supposed to hit the deck on every situp. Marine Corps situps kill my quads too, i don't know why, but i always get 100. i think the key is getting your butt as close to your feet at possible, and having your partner sit on your feet and hold your legs as tight as possible. put your arms on your stomach as close to your waist as you can get to minimize the angle between your arms and your thighs when you go up for each repitition. knock out as many as you can in the first 60 seconds, rest for a little then start up again. i think situps are the money-maker on the pft, everyone should get 100, just do a few situps everyday.

 

[kevin]

"Marine Corps situps kill my quads too"

--that's because situps hit the hip-flexors more than the abdominals.

 

[Clux4]

Speaking of monitors for a PFT, I have been to various commands and I have seen different policies. There are guidiances set forth but everyone for some reason interprets the message as they wish.

 

[fighterfemme24]

The closer I keep my butt to my feet in the sit-ups, the less distance there is for my forearms to reach my thighs. I also keep my shoulders rounded forward, and do everything I can to keep my body as compact as possible for the crunches, just the same as my arm hang. That way I am working more muscles and distributing more of the work so that my quads and lower abs don't burn out. Breathing is a big thing that helps me stay pumped up, and moving fast, and I makesure to focus on my breathing a lot, too. The more you practice the crunches, the faster you can pump them out. I was able to get 100 done with 10 seconds to spare in my pre-ship pft... the practice helped a lot.

 

[Broadsword2004]

When doing crunches on the PFT, are you allowed to stop for like a few seconds and then start up again, or do you keep going and if you burn out, that's it, they consider that as your max? Or is it you can rest as much as you want, just do at least 80 in 2 minutes?

 

[Crowbar]

You have to do 100 crunches in 2 minutes to max, they're 1 point each. But yes, you can rest as much as you dare.

 

[michaels601]

I'm applying for OCS and took my first ever PFT today. Managed to embarass myself. I'll let the number of pull-ups i managed at half of what it should have been, and i think i cracked 60 sit-ups. Three miles in 21 minutes, which they said was "alright." Got a ton of good tips on how to train better, and found some good stuff posted here, but I'm worried the suckiness of this initial PFT is gonna follow me.
Anybody know if they'll let me take it in again in a couple of weeks, or should i just bust my ass so that I'll be prepared for summer camp?

 

[fighterfemme24]

Well I took many, many PFTs last spring because my flexxed arm hang was nowhere near a good enough score, my crunches were okay, and I could just about pass the run. From my experience of doing PFTs over and over again I got a lot better, and I was able to figure out slightly different ways to do each of the parts of the PFT. As I posted before, the flexxed arm hang I do now looks a lot different from the one I started doing in my first few PFTs. All I can say is take as many PFTs as it takes to get the score you want. You will get a lot better at doing them, you will feel much more comfortable and confident doing them, and you may surprise yourself if you don't give up. In my pre-ship PFT my arm-hang was a mere 50 seconds (nothing impressive, but passing), and then in my initial PFT at OCS my arm hang was 68 seconds (2 seconds shy of the max score). I thought my OSO was getting ready to tell me to forget it and come back next year after I trained more, but he didn't, and I was willing to do as many PFTs as it took (which was a lot).

 

[Broadsword2004]

Hey MIchaels601, don't feel bad, I right now have about 70 situps, 10 pullups, and about a 24 or 23.5 minute 3 mile run, which is totally lammo, so I am continuing to bust my butt as much as possible. My first PFT will probably be within a couple weeks I guess, I don't exactly. My OSO told me he would call this coming week (week of Dec. 6) to see "how I am doing" physical-fitness wise. But I will take more than one PFT if I need to too (which I have a feeling I will).

 

[michaels601]

broadsword, good luck on your PFT. if anything, it goes by fast. way i figure it, this was at least a wake up call, and i have a better idea how much i've got to get done. looks like i've got until the summer to get myself into shape, so here's to pushing yourself a little further than you thought it would take you to croak.

 

[muc1]

Gentlemen, the advice I was given:
Train hard, but train smart. OCS is an endurance event – not a sprint. And don’t show up hurt! (by overtraining)

Do not increase your mileage too quickly. Do not increase your weight lifting program faster than your soft tissue can respond (tendons and ligaments). There were 4-5 guys at 187 that were NPQ'd for stress fractures, shin splints, or plantar fasciitis (http://walking.about.com/cs/heelpain/f/heelpain.htm ) (most caused by bad shoes or too rapid an increase in mileage).

While concentrating on PFT events, keep in mind OCS requires overall fitness. You don’t have to be a 300 PFT stud to get selected or graduate...

Stay motivated!!!

 

[Broadsword2004]

Thanks for the info muc and Michaels; I wanna be a 300 PFT stud though and I will become one at some time or another; that is a more long-term goal.

I don't do weight training too much; mainly I just do running, and pullups, and the situps. I also am working towards pistols (one-legged squats), I do Hindu squats, handstand pushups I am working on (can manage one without a wall, I then fall over, and 8 against a wall), and also walking around on your hands is a great upper-body conditioner. I have nothing against weights, but I just find I don't need them for the strength I am working to acquire.

Yeah, I know not to overtrain or anything.

As for shin splints, lucky for me I never had 'em, which I think is because I took 4 years of karate in which I did some shin conditioning, and then when I ran cross-country the following year in high school, I never, ever got shin splints; I was such the envy of everyone on the team

Oh and I guess this is semi-related, but if you apply and are rejected, do you have to wait until the following year or something to re-apply?

 

[muc1]

No,

Apply often, apply early...

I did't get accepted till my third try...

I think you only need to wait if you have a specific waiver that requires time or if you get injured or have something happen to you (surgery).

Your OSO should give you a full answer for your situation.

 

[Broadsword2004]

I C; thanx for info.

 

[brotherrat07]

tip to all: whoever goes to OCS make sure you work really hard at your run. The course is actually around 3.1-3.2 (well that was what all the priors were tellin us) and plus you're gonna be tired. so if you're runnin a 3 mile in about 18:00...really you're gonna get about 18:40-19:00. I think the fastest i was able to run it was in 19:30 and i normally clock in at 18:15-18:45

figherfemme24- who is this? :-D i was in ur platoon. whats w/ our plt. site on yahoo?...none of the girls seem to be writing lately :-\