Military workouts are rigorous and intense. They are made to prepare military personnel for any task they may face in a hostile situation. Each division of the military, Navy, Marine Corps, Army and Air Force, has its own methods of testing that specifically target its military function. The Marine Corps has the more vigorous testing with both the physical fitness test, or PFT, and the combat fitness test, or CT. Military workout programs must account for all types of fitness like aerobic, anaerobic, agility, strength and endurance. Many of these workouts require no equipment, so you can easily do them on your own at home for free.
Military Testing
The PFT is more aerobic based. According to Military.com, it involves a three-mile run, two minutes of maximal crunches, and pull-ups for males and flexed arm hang for females. The CFT is the Marine Corps answer to combat fitness and anaerobic training. It involves an 880-yard sprint, two-minute maximal ammo can lift and the maneuver under fire. The maneuver under fire involves sprinting back and forth twice on a 100 yard course with ammo cans, 75 yard fireman's carry, 25-yard grenade throw and 25 yards of crawling, all in about three to five minutes.
Functional Fitness
Functional fitness is a method of training that focuses more on preparing the body for three-dimensional movements, such as lifting a heavy object while turning or balancing on one foot. Lt. Gen. James Amos, deputy commandant for combat development and Integration for the Marines, describes fundamental movements as a combination of pushing, pulling, throwing, locomotion and lifting. Traditional weight training works to deconstruct movements into single muscular actions in two-dimensional planes to train a single muscle, which is not realistic for function.
Equipment
Military personnel use equipment that can be found in the field that can imitate combat function because they do not always have access to a gym. Fitness equipment includes tires, ammo cans, water jugs, rucksacks, sandbags, ropes and rocks. Gyms on military bases often provide Olympic lifting bars, platforms, and bumper plates, agility cones, medicine balls, drag sleds, pull-up bars and kettlebells. Most workouts that prepare military members for fitness testing can be done outside.
Interval Training
The military has to be strong, but they don't necessarily have to bench press 400 lbs., that's just a bragging right. The most beneficial workouts are going to involve interval training to increase and decrease heart rate and maximize recovery. An example of an outdoor Marine Corps workout is 12 tire flips, 25-yard sprint, 25 ammo can lifts, 25-yard sprint, 30 push-ups and finish off with a 25-yard, 100-lb. sled drag. Repeat this exercise four or five times. Each round takes about two or three minutes but feels like an hour of intense exercise.
Endurance Training
Endurance is the ability to maintain a task for a long period of time. The military has to have both muscular and cardiovascular endurance. The primary mode of cardiovascular endurance for the military is running, but varying modes of exercise are good to keep from hitting a plateau. Choose exercises that are considered functional, like cycling or swimming. Train three to four days per week for at least 30 minutes per day. For muscular endurance, do core exercises like crunches and planks for maximum time. Other muscular endurance conditioning includes squats, lunges, push-ups and pull-ups.
References
- Military.com: Marine Corps Physical Fitness test
- Military.com: Marine Corps Combat Fitness Test
- "United States Marine Corps;" A Concept for Functional Fitness; Lt. Gen. James F. Amos; November 2006
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