PFT Warmup

[red92gt]

I'm scheduled to take my first PFT on Wednesday, and to the best of my estimates I'm hoping to score something around a 263. My question is, what's the best way to warm up? I know that I can do a lot more pullups after I've done a few slow ones already, but where's the tradeoff/what's the best way to maximize the warmup without using extra (and needed) strength? This goes for crunches as well

 

[esday1]

The most important thing is just to get your heart rate up and blood moving and loosen your muscles up. You don't need to necessarily do the same exercises before you start doing the test (although if that's worked for you in the past, don't change it because someone else says so since everyone's different in this respect). I usually start out with a light jog, stretch thoroughly (doing 3 stretches and holding them each for 15 seconds doesn't really get you anywhere) and do a few dynamic stretches (like arm circles for the pullups) to loosen my muscles up. You could ask your OSO for some warm-up advice, and I'm sure they'd be happy to give you some more specific exercises. It's usually a good idea to show up early for a PFT anyway.

 

[Raptor2216]

I almost think that it would be a better idea to do the pull-ups and sit-ups after the run. When I am training, I do my pull up sets before I run but I can always go back after the run and knock out another 11 pull-ups and it feels very good and very easy.

 

[AV8BQAR]

I think it more efficient to do the run first as well. However, tradition normally has the crunches and pullups first.

When I took my "getting back in" PFT, I ran it with the squadron run for lunch bunch (fat bodies). We did the run first because it was 40 and raining, and went to the gym for the rest. Even after running a 19:00 3 mile, I didn't notice any difference in my performance on the rest.

Really, 3 miles shouldn't be enough to totally sap the strength. I don't even hit my comfort zone (anaerobic to aerobic changeover) until about 3.5. People are always surprised to find that 6 miles is easier to run than 3, and I have coached MANY Marines through the myth that 3 is a lot.

Whatever order the events are in, it is very important to warm up. Take a brisk jog out to the 1/2 mile mark and back at minimum. Our bodies recover faster than we tend to think. I just ran the Cherry Point Half Marathon at a 6:45 mile pace. I ran a 2 mile warmup before the race and felt great coming off the gun. The warmup disperses the race tension that can last a whole mile for me, making the rest of the run more efficient.