EA-6B, and all other MOTIVATED AND MOTIVATING CANDIDATES:
I went to PLC JR's in the summer of 2003. I ran a 290 pre ship and 292 final PFT at the end of the first increment (RUN KILLS ME). As far as Jr's PT goes, it isnt too bad, especially since you are tall like me. If you're running over a 260 youll be fine at Jr's, HOWEVER, dont settle for this. I maxed out every PT graded event except for the O Course at OCS, and here is what I did before I shipped out to OCS last summer, and am also doing this time around, but heavier weight, longer distances, and in boots and utes alot. AND DONT UNDERESTIMATE UPPER BODY STRENGTH. During course critiques at the end of the cycle, most candidates said they wished they had more upper body training.
I have always been a big weight lifter. Any given day I'd rather hit the steel jungle then pound the pavement, but it is important to have a good balance between strength and endurance.
Here is my lift routine that I have been doing for about 4 years. (It works, I started out at 5'11 130lbs(PITIFUL)in Jr year of high school and now i am 6'0 195lbs and can do about 28 pullups palms outboard)
I do not have any specific day for any specific body part but there is an order which I do them in:
The key thing is do big muscles first. Legs are there own day. But for example, regarding upperbody: When you do any kind of pressing exercise for chest (Flat, incline, decline, barbell or dumbell) you are using your chest and secondarily your shoulders and triceps. When you do anykind of pulling exercise for back, you are using your back, and secondarily your biceps. Thus:
Day 1: Big Dog LEGS DAY
Yes, it is important to have strong legs, but you don't want to have friggin 40 inch thighs, because youre gonna have major chaffage on HUMPS. (ATT! REACH OUT AND TOUCH SOMEONE!! OPEN UP THE HIGHWAY!)
So here's the good word on leg day:
Free squats (Most important exercise for overall lower body development.)
5 sets: 12, 10, 8,6,4+BURN OUT. (Now with every exercise I do, I do the last set HEAVY as all hell, but always doing full range of motion (Ass to ankles). Then right after I do that heavy set, I quick like a bunny take off half the weight, and burn that ass out nice and slow, down into a catchers position and up slow. I do a burnout set at the end of every exercise.
Leg Press: 3 sets 12, 8, 6+burnout
Dead lifts: 3 sets 12, 8, 6+burnout
Hack squats: 3 sets 12, 8, 6+Burnout
Leg Curls: 3 sets 12, 8, 6+Burnout
Leg Extensions: 3 sets 12, 8, 6+Burnout
Now, legs are done for the cycle, except for running and calves.
Day 2:Back.
Obviously back is a HUGE day for candidates, because here is where we will improve our pullups.
Wide Pullups (Palms outboard...even if you do them palms inboard on the PFT, train with outboard, it will help ALOT)
First set MAX OUT whatever you can do then drop down for 2 more sets to failure. Obviously you wont be able to do as many on set 2 as one or set 3 as 2.
EX. I do 28, 20, 18
Lat Pulldowns: 12, 8, 6+Burnout
One Arm Rows:12, 8, 6+Burnout
Seated row: 12, 8, 6+Burnout
Lat Pullover 12, 8, 6+Burnout
Day 3:Chest+Biceps
Now we've hit legs and back hard. While doing back, we warmed up our biceps for today. AND OUR CHEST, SHOULDERS AND TRIS ARE READY FOR A BIG PRESSING DAY.
Chest:
Flat Bench: 12, 8, 8, 6, 4+Burnout
Incline Bench: 12, 8, 6,+Burnout
Decline Bench: 12, 6+Burnout
DUMBELL FLIES: 12, 8, 6+Burnout
PUSHUPS: If you cant do one after your lift, then you went hard, if not, then i do sets of 10 until i fall on my face and break my nose.
KILL!
Biceps:
Compound Curls: 12, 8, 6+Burnout
Preacher Curl:12, 8, 6 +Burnout
Hammer Curls: 12,8,6+Burnout
Day 4:
Shoulders+Triceps
SO we have hit legs, back and bis, and chest.
Yesterday, we warmed up our shoulders and tris while doing chest.
Shoulders:
Military Press: 12, 8, 6, 4+Burnout
Front and Lateral Raises with dumbells:12, 8, 6+Burnout
Upright rows:12, 8, 6+Burnout
Shrugs(Dumbell): 12, 8, 6, 4 +burnout
Triceps:
DIPs MAX SET, + 2 lower sets (Like how I did pullups)
SKULL CRUSHERS:12, 8, 6+burnout
Pressdowns:12, 8, 6+Burnout
Rope pressdown:12, 8, 6+Burnout
Now all thats left is abs and calves. Abs and calves and forearms are the quickest healing groups, and most difficult to get sore. so I rotate:
One day after I'm done with the lift, I'll do abs:
Situps, MC Situps, Decline Situps, Medicine ball, leg throws, make trash up....there 100's of things.
then the next day after im done ill do calves:
Standing calf Raises, seated calf raises, and DONKEY CALVES.
Now you may think that I am crazy, and that this is a bodybuilding program, but man oooooooooooh man it works. There are a few key things. If you do it right, (max of 2 minutes between sets) it shouldnt take longer than 75 minutes??? GO HARD OR GO HOME. EVERY SET TO FAILURE. Get a Spot, train with a buddy, DO EVERY SET TO FAILURE. And even if you cant do all the sets, do all the exercises hard but maybe only 2 sets each at first. It will take a while to be able to balance a heavy routine and run alot, but it will come with persistence, and you will see sick gains. You want to be sore everyday. The more sore the better. But never lift a Sore muscle. LET IT HEAL. RIP THE **** OUT OF IT, then let it heal and eat protein. EAT, AND EAT ALOT. If you are training hard enough, you can eat whatever you want. IT WONT MATTER. BUT TRY TO STICK TO ALOT OF PROTEIN and CARBS. ALL THIS NO CARB BULL, thats for nasty civilians who dont train at all. WE NEED ALL THE NUTRIENTS AND CALORIES WE CAN GET IF WE ARE TRAINING BALLS TO THE WALL.
So thats the strength portion of the training.
You can go only 5 days if you like, or go 7 depending on how you feel. If your legs are still sore at the end of the training cycle, let them rest a little. But, you can still run with sore legs, I LOVE TO.
The running:
I play lax so i run everyday in the spring doing sprints, which do help for distance alot.
But for distance I like to run 4 times a week. Get yourself a good pair of gofasters. I saw some candidates at ocs with ripped up payless brand sneakers. Man, your training hard, treat yourself to some good gofasters. I usually run 4-5 miles at a 7 minute mile pace to train, and try to do a PFT run on my own once every 2 weeks just to see how im doing. WHen you run, dont run on a track for gods sake its aweful. RUN on the street, run trails, dont run around in circles on a track, ohhhhhh and run HILLS AS OFTEN AS YOU CAN. It will help when your trying to haul ass up radar hill.
Try to run in boots at least once a week. It will help get your paws ready for the reality of the ICB's youll be issued. OR HERES A GREAT IDEA. I JUST BOUGHT A NEW PAIR. You cant really get the new brown suede boots anywhere. Go on EBAY. Search for USMC marpat boots. The jungles fit basically the same size as sneakers do. The ICB's are generally a size big. Example. I wear a 10.5 sneaker. I wear 10.5 Jungle, and 10.0 ICB. GET A PAIR with an eagle globe and anchor on the ankle, and youll be able to bring em to OCS, and youll be WAY AHEAD. The boots running will help with shin splints too. Because I get shin splints if i run more than 2 miles in boots, and i need to overcome that especially before sr's this summer. RUN BLEACHERS TOO. DEFINATELY. ITLL DEVELOP UPPER THIGH and help on HUMPS ALOT.
Basically here it is:
TRAIN HARD. EAT RIGHT, AND LIKE A VACCUUM. AND GET ENOUGH SLEEP. (because youll be wishing you had all that sleep time back at ocs)
If you are a PT stud at OCS, it makes everything else so much easier. SO MUCH. You don't even worry about PT. It's fun more than anything, if you're in shape. And plus, you wont be sore. You'll be able to wake up like a MOTIVATED KILLER everyday, and it will help against any injuries.
OH yea, when you train, get CRAZY. Keep your bearing, Dont like throw weights around the gym or anything, but get yourself some crazy MUSIC on a MP3 and get psycho. YOu wanna be like this when you train:
GOODLUCK.
REMEMBER: "The more you sweat in peace-time, the less you bleed in war."
Get some Hard-chargers.
