Fitness is a critical part of being a sailor in the United States Navy. According to the Navy, physical fitness contributes to a sailor's readiness, which is vital to being on the ready in a moment's notice. The Navy has standards of physical fitness that its members must meet in order to graduate from boot camp and enter active duty. Three phases of training can help prepare you to meet these standards.
Physical Readiness Test
Navy fitness training should be geared toward preparing the body for the physical readiness test, or PRT. This test consists of a 1.5-mile run, a curl-up test and a push-up test. The faster you run, and the more push-ups or curl-ups you do in two minutes, the higher scores you will earn. The scores of all three of these tests are then averaged out--a minimum score of 68 is needed to pass the test. Preparation for these tests requires endurance training by running as well as weight training exercises, particularly those focusing on the biceps, triceps, shoulders, chest and back muscles, which will be tested by the curl-ups and push-ups.
Aerobic Training
Aerobic training exercises the cardiovascular system, strengthens your heart, and improves blood circulation and oxygen and glucose transport, according to Navy-PRT.com. Activities that are ideal for aerobic training include running, swimming and cycling -- anything that elevates your heart rate and keeps it consistently elevated for the duration of the workout. When you come to your fitness testing, you will be required to run 1.5 miles, so building up to this distance and overtraining can help you dramatically.
Muscular Strength and Endurance
Activities such as weight lifting can improve your body's muscle mass and muscle strength. This strength will be tested during your Navy physical fitness testing. Make sure you lift weights several times a week, incorporating numerous repetitions and multiple sets to improve muscular endurance while improving your muscle's work capacity.
Flexibility
Flexibility can determine your range of motion and, through that, the degrees to which you can use your muscles. Flexibility also helps prevent muscular injuries. You should stretch every day, particularly when cooling down, and you might also consider activities such as yoga and Pilates, which increase flexibility while also improving your body's core strength.
Considerations
While boot camp is offered to new recruits and gives them the physical training needed to achieve physical readiness, some divisions of the Navy, such as Navy SEALS, have more stringent requirements. If you are aspiring for these levels of naval success, you should be training beforehand in order to best prepare yourself.
Before and after each workout, you need to incorporate a period of warming up or cooling down. This involves moderate levels of exercise that get your body's blood flowing and warm up the muscles. Walking or jogging can help facilitate this, and stretching after a workout can help prevent muscles from tightening.
Member Comments