Hi, im planning on trying out for the parachute regiment in early 2008 and i want to make sure im as fit as possible for and am training now. Im 19 yrs old, 6’3 and about 13st 6-9 (190 ibs), so im borad but slim and lean but.
I have been doing weights for quite a while now and am quite confident i will be ok in the strength and muscular endurance, i plan on switching to circuit traing with mostly body weight exercises with a few things added about 3-4 months before i go in for the training…
My main concern is my cardio, ive never been the best cardio athlete but have been treaining for a little while doing cardio and feel that in a year or so i could develop it quite well. I have been doing guerilla cadio for about 3 weeks and am starting to increase the sprint part of the session time by 1/2 to 1 minute each week, I am doing 5 now and increasing it to 5.5-6 next week. Im notcing improvement generally in my fitness since i have started.
I plan on doing this untill i can build it up to 10 minutes and then continuing to do this 2X a week and add a swimming session in and a distance run so i will be doing cardio 4X a week and weights 3X. Im doing a split routine for weights which is working ok for building and strengthing a bit, im trying to gain a few pounds and cut which is gonna be harder now im doing cardio but i dont mind.
Is there anything else you guys think i could do to help, im taking weight gainer at the minute so that my weight doesnt drop and i can maybe gain a bit, ive also cleaned my diet up a lot and eat much healthier now that i used to…
What are your plans for long distance running? And what are your plans for long distance running with equipment on your back? Have you though about running in boots? Are there any sites that provide an overview of what is required for what you want to do?
Almost all the US stuff I am finding really wants sub 9 minutes for 1.5 miles. And they want you to be able to handle running upwards of 14 miles with a rucksack during training.
Here’s some US info:
That article is about Army Airborme. It’s the closest I could find.
From a brief glimpse at that you need, for the paras…
sub 9:18 1.5mile run.
Good chinning ability (called heaves on the website)
Looking at the requirements it may or may not seem difficult, but bear in mind the para’s is something of an elite regiment and you will probably be required to do all this at the end of some serious PT.
I was planning on building it up gradually, till i have got up to 10 on guerrilla cardio and the and a swimming session (45 mins or so) and a distance run, start by doing like 3 miles then raise it by a mile every/every other week to gradually increase it and then start adding weight in the last 6 months before…
Unfortunately, the military in general is way behind the power-curve when it comes to “fitness.” Just about the only thing every battalion commander I’ve ever worked for cared about was, “…how fast is your run time?”
While you’re definitely working hard, you really need to focus on running mid-distances and overall fitness (GPP as Waterbury calls it). Since you have PLENTY of time to prepare, I would recommend checking out a few running sites and utilizing their techniques for training up for a 10k run.
It is true that most military courses post their “standards” for public consumption, however you should generally train to exceed those standards to ensure that you can successfully pass the event when you’re tired and bedraggled.
As for the pull-up portion (aka, heaves) I would recommend the Armstrong Pull-up Program (google it…it is on several USMC sites). Again, you want to train to exceed the standard in order to still pass the testing when you’re tired.
P.S. If you have a ruck (bergen) start rucking tomorrow! Do it at least once a week, SLOWLY upping the mileage and weight…no matter how hard you work the last six weeks before you go, there is nothing you can do to “quickly” toughen your feet for the pounding they will receive on course.
Here is an excellent training program to prepare you for the Paras.
RUN
RUN SOMEMORE WITH BOOTS
RUN WITH A RUCKSACK
RUN WITH HEAVY STUFF IN THE RUCKSACK
RUN IN THE EARLY MORNING
RUN WHEN YOU ARE FINISHED WITH YOUR TRAINING FOR THE DAY AND ARE VERY TIRED.
7.RUN, RUN, RUN,RUN!
Seriously, there is NO cardio exercise that will prepare you for running, except for running.Most Paratrooper candidates that wash out(fail) do so because they don’t have running endurance.
Thanks for the advice guys, this means a lot as i really want this, so im gonna keep on top of it, ill may try to make a post of improvemnts and stuff thats worked and how its goning etc. like a blog…