The armed forces are known for their military exercise routines. These routines are designed to whip a new recruit into shape in a condensed period of time. While routines vary from one branch to another, all are heavy on calisthenics and use of the body's own resistance to build muscle. These routines will get you into shape whether you're trying to get ready for boot camp or just want to look like it.
Cardiovascular Exercise
Much of the day at boot camp is spent running from one place to another. Military exercise routines require a strong cardio component. You don't necessarily have to run, however. Cycling, swimming and rowing get the job done as well. Find your maximum heart rate by subtracting your age from 220, then make sure that your heart rate during cardio is 50 to 65 percent of the maximum. Complete at least 20 minutes of cardio in a session, five times a week, to closely approximate a military routine. The Air Force recommends building your cardio routine over the course of 14 weeks.
Upper Body
Muscular conditioning of the upper body is important when you're going to be carrying 60 pounds of gear on your back. The main exercises for building upper-body strength in a military exercise routine are pushups and pullups. Distribute 100 pushups equally among standard pushups, with arms at shoulder width; wide-armed pushups; close-in pushups; and eight-count body builders, a series of movements that includes pushups and squats. When doing pullups, keep your arms slightly wider than shoulder-width apart with your palms facing away from your body. Do pullups until you cannot do any more.
Core Strength
Core strength makes lugging your gear around easier in the field. More than just "abs," core exercises strengthen the back muscles as well. Three exercises that work toward this end are crunches, reverse crunches and double crunches. Three sets of 20 for each exercise will go a long way toward building up your core.
General Pointers
As always, consult with a doctor before you begin any exercise routine. Also, when doing military exercise routines, the name of the game is often faster and more. For example, when doing situps, set a timer and see how many you can do in a set period of time. This simulates the physical readiness test of various branches of the military that require you to do a certain number of situps and pushups -- as well as a mile run -- in a predetermined period of time.
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