Really Nervous
 

Okay, so I depped in not too long ago as a Nuke and was given a date in August to ship out. Long story short I got a call today from my recruiter saying there is an opening as early as late March/early April if I wanted it and I said yes. In my mind, I have been thinking I still have a really long time to get in better physical shape because of my distant ship date, but now that's backfiring. What are some suggestions on how to kind of jump start myself into preparing for RTC? I'm over my max weight by like 5lbs, but pass taping so I'm not worried about that at this exact time. More worried about the fact I'm a terrible runner and have pretty shitty upper body strength. If I was given the PRT tomorrow I would 110% fail. I've been told that RTC will prepare me for the PRT, so is it a huge deal that I'm not too good at the physical requirements of it right now?

RTC will help you if you're close to passing. Especially on push ups and sit ups. You don't do a whole lot of running in RTC and that's what gets people. I would set up a pretty good running schedule and just starting cranking away at it. There's plenty of awesome apps out there that make it more fun as well.

The Couch to 5K program is a really go way to get your running up.
There's also the Path to 100 Push Ups and the Path to 200 Sit Ups.

Don't worry future Shipmate, you'll be fine. Focus on the task at hand give 110% and I think you will surprise yourself. RTC ( AKA..Boot Camp) will get you where you need to be and you are not alone, you will see when you arrive at RTC. in the mean time practice, practice, practice...... just be careful!

What you don't want to do is hurt yourself and de-rail your career before it starts. Search for 100 pushups and 200 sit-ups in your phones app store and pick an app you like. the same for the couch to 5K. even if you get 1/2 way through it will help immensely. Focus, determination, and hard work will get you there.

best of luck!

Here are two files that I found a few years ago with push-up and sit-up programs. As far as the running, LtJG Guppy is right about the couch to 5K program. You can also check out one of my favorite running books called "Running Dialogue". It was written a while ago, but I just bought a few copies on eBay for $4 each.

Your best friend is gonna be a positive mental attitude. Instead of focusing on the stress of the situation, focus on the goal and motivating yourself to always keep pushing. Even something like listening to some motivation videos on youtube or something when you wake up or right before your work out can help get you in the right frame of mind!

Real progress isn't about quick fixes; it's about sustained effort over time. So do something positive towards your goal EVERY DAY and stay positive about each small step that you take. All those small steps are gonna add up much faster than you think they will.

As always, we'll be here if you get stuck, need some encouragement, or have questions. You got this!

/r
CTT1

I graduated boot camp in July so this stuff is still fresh on my mind. The apps and programs everyone suggested are the perfect place to start. But as was mentioned... you'll surprise yourself when the pressure is on. The best advice I can give you is to learn to work through the pain. That's the trick. Of course, don't blow out a knee or something. But when it comes to running most of it is a head issue. You start thinking, "Man, this sucks..." and you can psych yourself out. Running really is mind over matter. It's a competition between your brain and your body. Push ups and sit ups are a little different. You'll get to a point where your muscles just won't lift you anymore. My suggestion is to do the Couch to 5K app and the push-ups/sit-ups apps every chance you get. Honestly, I felt like I got worse while I was in boot camp. You don't get many chances to run and most of your push-ups and sit-ups are going to be when your RDCs are beating the life out of you for messing up. So don't rely on boot camp to get you in shape. Eat a balanced diet, run, do push-ups and sit-ups, and when you get there give it your all. Make the decision right now that you're not going to be the guy or gal that can't do a single push-up. We had a nuke in my division that literally never did a single push-up or sit-up. And I thought he was going to die when we ran. Don't be that guy. He spend 8 weeks in hell then gave up and went home. It's a shame to see that happen. Everyone here is cheering you on!! Good luck!

Nervous, Too
 

Hey there, fellow Future Sailor! I wouldn't stress too much about trying to get into tip-top physical shape. If you're already decently prepared, then it should be a breeze once you get there, because you'll have plenty of time to work on getting in better shape. Also, don't stress about the first PFA, because the RDCs are trying to get a reading to see where everyone in your division is at, physically. I am also not in the best shape of my life; my mile-and-a-half run was 14:08 just 3 days ago (female satisfactory-high), and I would like to shave off at least 40 seconds to get a good-low. I felt completely winded when I was finished, and my chest was hurting a lot from not practicing in a while. If you're feeling better than that when you're done running, you're already doing a great job. For practice while you're waiting, I would say to look up the PRT standards for your age and at least aim for a sat-low. Then practice doing the most push-ups, sit-ups and just run for running's sake without pressuring yourself with a time limit (but try to run at least 1.5 miles) throughout the week, and settle on a day that you decide to actually practice a PRT. (i.e. Practice all 3 every other day, and then on Saturday or Sunday, do a mock-PRT). Have confidence in yourself, and good luck!

P.S. I am scheduled to leave in July, but I have asked my recruiter for an early ship date. My LPO at DEP said that several people have left within 2 days to a week after they asked to leave early, so I am extremely nervous that I will be getting a call any day now stating that there's an opening within a week from the call. I am nervous as well. I hope it helps to know that there are others in a similar situation!

I would not recommend setting your bar here. Don't make your benchmark basically just above a failure. Keep working at it and keep improving, but don't ever set your bar that low; be better than that. If my sailors were that close to a PRT failure I'd be concerned as the LPO.

Just word to the wise.

/r
CTT1

Sorry for the late response guys, but thank you all for your responses. I just got back from vacation tonight and plan to start the Couch to 5k app tomorrow and the push ups and curl ups too. Another question thought that I just thought about, did anyone have any problem adjusting to running off of a treadmill? I'm kind of concerned now that it's going to be an issue.

A treadmill is a good way to gauge where you're at. But, in my opinion, I think you should actually run on a track or the road. The reason being that a treadmill kinda carries you along. It's just different than running a track. I used a treadmill to judge what kind of speed I needed to pass. Then I adjusted my run to fit that speed. So I can run a fairly easy pace but then sprint the last half mile to get whatever time I want. That's what I recommend. Use it to gauge yourself then hit the track. Also, as bad as it sucks, I recommend a track. Because that's what you'll do in boot camp. A track is so monotonous and boring. It's good to get used to that, too.

Treadmills aren't necessarily bad. The problem most people have is when the incline is set to zero. Your running becomes more "bouncy". When using treadmills, you always want the incline to be at least a one or higher. I usually bump it up to two. When I have done that, I have noticed that my running off the treadmill is faster. Treadmills also help with pacing. once you set the speed, the treadmill kind of forces you to hold that pace if you leave the speed alone.

The treadmills I use at my gym have a Navy PRT test on it and the incline is always set to 1.0 when I do it, so I keep the incline at 1.0 at all times when I'm running. I think my biggest concern is it'll be hard to see how fast I'm going and where I'm at in the 1.5 mile at a certain time. I know the whole point is to do it as fast as I can, but if I don't pace myself I will tire myself out too quickly. I started the Couch to 5k app today, but did it on the treadmill instead of running outside. Today's was do a 5 minute brisk walk and then rotate between jogging and walking every 1 min/1.5 min. What mph do you guys think is a good "jogging" pace? I did the brisk walk at 4.2 and walking at 4, but wasn't sure about the jog. I did the jog at 6mph this time, but didn't know if I should increase it. Doing today's 30 min C25K workout at those speeds was not hard at all. I broke a sweat like I do whenever I workout but was not winded or too tired to complete it by any means.

I would not concentrate on a specific speed, because as you get faster/in better shape, it will change. The best advice I was ever given and that has always worked no matter how in/out of shape I was as follows: for jogging, go at a pave where you can still hold a conversation. For running, go at a pace where conversation is labored, or it is slightly difficult to hold a conversation. Sprints are usually at a pace where you can not hold a conversation. Again, those speed will change as you get in better shape/faster.