Here is some useful information if you are interested in signing up for the Army. You will need to pass the Army Physical Fitness Test which is made up of three different events, but knowing what will be required of you will give you an edge in the testing. When preparing yourself for the fit tests, you will want to make sure that you can do them within the time limits. Practicing these events would be a great idea, so that you know what you are made of before you show up for testing day.
Here are the three events that you will have to pass in the Army Physical Fitness Test. The events are listed in the required order you will have to perform them.
-Push-ups
-Sit-ups
-2-mile run
You perform the events in the order listed above, and you will have to take at least 10 minutes to recover and no more than 20 minutes to recover before moving on to the next event.
Push-up event (2 minutes) – This event will test the endurance of your chest, shoulder, and triceps muscles. Depending on your age, there is a specific standard of push-ups you will need to perform in two minutes.
Sit-up event (2 minutes) – Sit-ups will test the endurance of your hip-flexors and abdominal muscles. Again, depending on your age, there is a standard amount of sit-ups you will need to do in that two-minute time frame.
2-mile event – This cardio event will challenge the endurance of your respiratory system and legs, and of course there is a time limit depending on your age.
First Step: Weight Training – I know it sounds kind of funny and weird, but not running and doing some weight training or resistance training can actually improve your running times and strength. I am not saying that you should not run, by any means! But adding weight training or resistance training three times a week on top of your running workouts, will definitely help your running strength. You do not have to be running all the time.
Now lets talk about the part of the body that actually propels you forward…your legs. Lets face it, you could not run if you had no legs. There is a difference between sprinting and endurance running. If you are sprinting, you will want to lift your knees up higher for maximum power, but we are focusing on endurance running. With endurance it is not necessary to bring your knees up as high as would if you were sprinting, you simply could not keep that pace for a long endurance run. You do not want a long stride, nor do you want a very short stride, but you want to make sure that you feel comfortable in your stride. It is better to be on the shorter side of stride, than the longer side. You will save energy and will protect your knees better.
So how do you train for a marathon?…Well you need to run. If you are a beginner at running, do not worry about running for distance, which will come later. Instead start off by trying to run for 30-minutes straight. If you can’t run for 30-minutes straight right away, a mix between running and walking is okay, but do not stop and take a rest. Running for time is not only great for your body, but it will also build mental toughness. Mental toughness is just as important as physical endurance, because your body “is” going to get tired, but you need to have the mental stamina to push yourself. After you are able to run for 30 minutes straight, then try to run for a longer time.
