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These are workouts you can do to prepare for your time at USMC OCS, to show up in tip top shape! Marine Corps fitness!
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Thanks to Candidate X who graduated in the summer of 2016 for this benchmark PFT workout. “There was a MARSOC Captain I met after graduating OCS and he took my OSS through, what he called, a good Benchmark PFT. I would have to agree. It’s very simple, but the cumulative loading effect is what makes this difficult.” Benchmark PFT 5 pull-ups (kip when you can … Continue reading Test Your Physical Fi
Thanks to Caleb Baker, experienced trainer and founder of DynamicU for authoring this post on training with Mother Nature. Coach Baker has trained military personnel from every branch, professional/collegiate athletes, general population, including people suffering from chronic diseases like MS. It’s that time of year again- where the cream rises to the top: the fitness cream. The next few months
Hikes (known as humps) at OCS are one of the more difficult training evolutions that candidates will face on Brown Field. Preparation There are a few ways that candidates can help themselves prepare for humps. Most humps will occur before a major evaluation such as the Leadership Reaction Course or Small Unit Leadership Evaluation. You will spend the night in the field before the training evolutio
This program is designed to get you comfortable with longer runs, while also building the speed you’ll need to crush a 3-mile PFT or sprint through an obstacle course. We’ll test your PFT time twice, once at the end of the 3rd week, and again at the end of the 7th week. If you find it difficult to push yourself, try to time this program around … Continue reading The 7-Week OCS Prep Progressive Run
Many thanks to ArmstrongPullupProgram.com for the below workout, which may in fact be a worthy competitor of the Ultimate OCS Preparation Workout. Armstrong has excellent pullup programs for any experience level, and now with Armstrong 360, a legitimately comprehensive military fitness workout. “Lots of people exercise but aren’t really fit for much.” What does that mean? Well, runners have good c
Ever hear of MARSOC and their famous MARSOC short card workout? United States Marine Corps Forces Special Operations Command (MARSOC) is the Marines component of the Joint SOC. They’re basically the baddest of the bad in the Marine Corps fraternity, formed straight from the Recon Marines. See if you can keep up with their awesome workouts. The MARSOC Short Card (sometimes: Recon Short Card) 30 Pus
The Ultimate CFT Preparation Workout is courtesy of Marine CFT.com, your number one source for help on the Combat Fitness Test Overview This workout plan provides for 3 workouts a week with 1 active recovery day. Every training day consists of a warmup, intense workout, and a cooldown. The equipment ideally includes a 35 pound ammo can, dumbbells, and a barbell. For your active recovery … Continue
If doing full dead-hang pullups, or as a whole, the official Armstrong Pullup Program is too difficult for you, we recommend trying the following workout until your max set is 7-10 controlled, full dead-hang pullups. Best of luck! The Pre-Armstrong Pullup Program Workout Courtesy of Armstrong Pullup Program.com When required, simply pick any bicep curl type exercises (barbell, dumbbell, alternat
This is a recommended modification for a female friend just looking to lose some weight for her wedding by using Marine Corps-style PT. Get some! Instead of PPPA, do a circuit of sets of pushups, crunches, overhead presses, and lastly pullups or curls. So try doing 10 (girl) pushups, 30 seconds rest, 20 crunches, rest, 10 overhead presses, and finishing with pullups or curls, just some … Continue
Candidate’s Question I’m thinking about doing OCC-R in two years once I finish my bachelors. Problem is that I’m 6’2″ and 258 right now. I know I have plenty of time to fix myself and get in regs so I’m not too worried about that right now. I do have some questions though. 1. What is a suitable replacement for Fartlek right now? I’ll be … Continue reading Armstrong Pullup Program Too Much? Customi
I challenge all candidates to achieve these minimum benchmarks before getting to OCS, and using them as training goals. This will put you in decent standing, but not the top of your class if these are your max sets. MALE Pullups: Max set 18 Pushups: Max set 65 Run: 21:00 3-mile Run: 880 meter sprint in 3:15 in boots (2:45 running shoes) Flutterkicks: Max set 60 … Continue reading One Easy Cheat Sh
This is a guest post from Chad Howse. Did you wake up with a pumpkin pie-induced hangover this morning, feeling more like a butterball than a man? You’re ready to slough off that tryptophan haze and get yourself moving again. You want to do a full body workout that’s really going to make your muscles burn. But maybe you’re a college student home for the holiday … Continue reading Burn Off That Pie
Warmup (3:00) 2:00 Jogging Ten burpees Five pullups Twenty mountain climbers The Fartlek Workout (15:00) Sprint 60 meters Max set of pushups in 45 seconds, alternate diamond and wide hands every 10 1:00 Run, high-tempo Max set of pullups, alternate palms in and out every 4 pullups 2:00 Run, medium tempo 45 seconds of crunches, 45 seconds of flutterkicks 1:00 lunges Max 1 set of dips … Continue rea
What You Need: A motivated buddy Boots and utes (or boots and any pants, like jeans) A pull-up bar Two 30-lb ammo cans (or 30-lb dumbbells) A stopwatch What You’ll Do: Warm Up Start out with a quarter-mile jog then two minutes of easy jumping jacks Mix in high knees and arm circles on the jog The Circuit Alternate with your partner, completing 10 total … Continue reading The Ultimate Marine Corps
When you’re getting ready to join any branch of the military, boot camp is something you’ve got to prepare for— both mentally and physically. While the mental preparation is a bit more of a personal solution, getting your body ready for the stress and challenges of boot camp will require a lot of exercise, with a heavy emphasis on core and stamina training. The physical side … Continue reading Gue
What is P90X? P90X is an extremely popular 90-day DVD workout program by the ageless, irrepressible Tony Horton. It consists of hour-long workouts emphasizing bodyweight exercises, pullups, circuit-style workouts, dumbbells, and many, many ab workouts. If you haven’t heard about it, check out reviews on Amazon or Google, or just stop living under that rock. The Good P90X is not easy per se, but it
This tracker was born out of the frustration of one Marine officer. A year since his last Armstrong program participation, he struggled to find a concise and visual reminder of each day’s workout. This is one man’s attempt at a clean, useful one page summation to help guide and track workouts. Feel free to save, print, and share the tracker to your heart’s content. If … Continue reading Printable
This is great. Armstrong got me from zero pull ups to a steady 15-16 over the last year. I’ve been stuck there for the last few months and hopefully this will help me bust the plateau. On the tendonitis – constant body weight push/pulls and Armstrong over many months was wearing down my left elbow to the point where it was painful to do anything. … Continue reading Recommended Workout: Armstrong A
Candidates, this is my recommended pre-OCS workout. I would do you a disservice if I only laid out a formula to follow. Instead, I’m going to show the process I worked through to generate this plan, so that you can copy the process and get a personalized workout for yourself. First: Rank Your Goals First, I ranked my workout goals: OCS-specific type activities Run for … Continue reading The Ultima
Hate running? Want Less Train and More Gain? It sounds like a late-night commercial gimmick, but according to recent scientific studies, you can improve health and aerobic performance with less training. Work Smarter, Not Harder They say it’s easy to work hard, but hard to work smart. This is especially true of the community known as “Jarheads” or “Leathernecks”. So how would you increase your … C
Candidate, er, future Chaplain, Question: I was wondering if you would be willing to assist me in tailoring your OCS prep workout to my schedule. I am currently a seminarian studying to become a priest. My goal is to be ordained and then join the Navy so that I may be placed as a chaplain with the Marines … I figure if I am going … Continue reading Pre-OCS Workout for the Busy
USMC Push-up Rules Pushups. Starting position is lying on your stomach with hands shoulder width apart, toes on the deck, and elbows, back, and knees straight. On the first and third count, lower the chest to the deck; bend the elbows to at least 90 degrees (1/3). On the second and fourth count, extend the arms back to the starting position (2/4). This exercise conditions the … Continue reading Wh
I’ve heard of many candidates who rocketed from less than 5 pullups to a max set of 10-15 using the Armstrong Pullup Program. The improvement came fast and strong at first. Everything was great. And then, staying disciplined, working out, and keeping optimistic…surprise: Plateau “Plateau: [Verb] to stop increasing or improving after a period of development.” You gained one, two, three pullups a we
Some of you have expressed an interest in example workouts. A Fartlek is a very simple workout to understand, and is a staple of Marine OCS. Fartleks rock because you can completely tailor it to your own body and needs. Maybe this flexibility leads to analysis paralysis for some? Anyways–get your butt off the couch and try this one out! Each workout station is separated … Continue reading Burn som
So your goal is a 300 PFT, and OCS success on the way to becoming an officer. You know you should be doing a few hundred pullups a week, and get up to that 20 pullup set with confidence–but you’re not. Are you. Mhmm. Well, with an indoor pullup bar, you’ll have no excuse since a set of pullups will be closer than your TV, … Continue reading What’s the Best Piece of Gear for Becoming an Officer?
Candidates, we are running a series of small posts which answer specific candidate’s questions. Feel free to submit questions as blog comments. If the information could help others, the question may be answered as a blog post under the Q&A category. Candidate Question: Could you give an example of a typical crunch/flutterkick workout for this program? Many thanks. A: Certainly. Doing several sets
Candidates, if you need to mix up your cardio circuits or need some ideas for a no-frills bodyweight workout, you will love the 1-2-3 Bodyweight Workout. Since there’s no running or lower body involved, you could combine it with some or else use it on your alternate days. Either way, it requires no gym or weights, so you could do the whole thing at home … Continue reading Pushups, Pullups, Crunche
Fartlek is a word that translates into “speed play”. The basic concept of this system is to train the body using different intervals of rest and speed. Normal Fartlek sessions tend to consist of about 3 to 4 miles, running about ¼ mile or more then resting before doing it again. The course you are going to familiarize yourself with at OCS is a twisted … Continue reading Great Pre-OCS Workout: F
Once you can do between 10 and 20 deadhangs, do this work out! An important piece of equipment that you might want to buy, if your gym doesn’t have one, is a dip belt. It looks like a weight-lifting belt with a long chain attached to it. Set #1 – Do 5 slow warm-up pull-ups! Take a short rest, 1-2 minutes! Set #2 – Using the dip-belt add … Continue reading A Simple Pull Up Program To Get Over 20
To do a correct Marine Corps crunch, lay on your back with your feet flat on the deck, and your butt close to your heels. Your arms should be crossed on your chest or your stomach. They cannot come off of your chest/stomach during the PFT. To do a correct crunch, raise your upper body off of the deck until your forearms touch your thighs. Go back down … Continue reading Quick N Easy PFT Crunche
This is a popular training program for the crunches part of the PFT. While it is a good program to help you get to and past 100 crunches, remember that it crunches are a one-dimensional component of fitness and are not a substitute for a full core workout. OCS is much more than just the PFT. Day 1 Do three maximum effort sets. Rest 60-90 seconds between each set. As … Continue reading Killer Crunc
Courtesy of Armstrong Pullup Program.com: I received this awesome workout from my recruiter. Many of the former candidates, current officers, I know use this, so hopefully some of you will see success with it. I know it’s a long read, but well worth it. Enjoy. First…do you have a pullup bar? If you want to succeed at OCS–get yourself that piece of gear! If your … Continue reading Armstrong Pull Up