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Candidate Q: I’m leaving next summer to go to OCS. The only issue I have is my weight. I’m 5’10″ 235. I have to be at 192 to ship out. I also need to get my PFT up. My 3 mile is 27:45.  Obviously if I lost the weight I would be able to do this with greater ease. I just don’t know how to … Continue reading Trying To Lose 50 Pounds In A Year For Marine Corps OCS
Thanks so much to physical trainer and civilian Marine Manny at 300PFT.com, a wonderful Marine-friendly fitness website for this guest post.  Educate yourself at his great website! Muscles aren’t built in gym while exercising. They don’t grow in real time. They’re built in bed while sleeping and recovering. They’re built through the recovery process that your body undergoes when it is healing from the muscle … Continue reading Guest Post: Hey Motivator, Are You Overtraining?
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 week. You did it all right. Fifty pullups a week went to … Continue reading Armstrong Pullup Program Advanced: Bust Your Plateau
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 some fat! Try this example no-gym Fartlek workout
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, 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, Crunches: The 1-2-3 Bodyweight Workout
Candidates, we are beginning a new 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: I have a question about the PFT and the CFT. Are the events (like pull-up, 3 mile run and crunches) back … Continue reading Candidate Question: PFT and CFT Rest
Note: It has recently come to the attention of the blog that the near-mythical Major Armstrong, of the famous Armstrong Pull-up Program, was a real historical figure, and of course, a Marine, as the legend claims. He died this summer in Texas from cancer. His career spanned from 1966 all the way until 1991, and the pull-up record was his at one time. The following … Continue reading RIP Major Charles Lewis Armstrong
Anyone who has ever attempted to complete the Marine Corps PFT will tell you that it is no easy task. Completing the test is challenging enough by itself, let alone attempting to earn a perfect 300 PFT score.
To earn a perfect score, a Marine must execute 20 dead hang pull-ups/chin-ups, 100 crunches in 2 minutes or less, and a 3-mile run in 18 minutes or less. Anyone that could achieve 300 points on this test is a true warrior-athlete. It is a balance between upper body strength and cardiovascular strength.
The Army PFT is different and challenging as well. The APFT consists of push-ups, sit-ups, and a 2-mile run. A Soldier maxes it by executing 75 push-ups in 2 minutes or less, 80 sit-ups in 2 minutes or less, and a 2-mile run in 13:00 minutes or less.
These standards are relative to the age group they belong in, in this case 21-26 year olds.
Now that we have a basic overview of each PFT, let’s take a look at how well they stack up against each other. As you read on I want to pose the following questions. Which PFT is more challenging? If you earn a 300 on one, would you able to earn the same score on the other? Which one produces the better warrior-athlete?
If you’ve wondered that, then you’re not alone. In my graduating class, less than 20% of females were remaining. Most of these went immediately to a delay at TBS due to injury. Scary figures, right?
If you are intimidated or discouraged by these facts, STOP! The odds are tough but just let that be motivation. The 1 female in 5 who graduated with us was probably the best prepared and most dedicated. Just determine to be that one and you will become an officer in the Marines. Do not let doubt creep into your mind. You can be the best prepared, and you can do it. Thousands have before you.
I will use this post to answer questions that females have asked before. Â I did not have females in my company, but the “neighboring” company did, and obviously I’ve had plenty of female friends successfully complete OCS. I will only answer questions that I think I can do justice to.
A: Overall, it’s no different from my advice for men. Know the most knowledge you can, memorizing all the general orders perfectly and studying all the pubs I have on the site. Study! Work out hard! If you can keep up with the sample workout on this site, you will be in good shape. Get all the sleep you can before OCS. You’ll lose a ton there.
A: I recommend working on upper body and core especially, as your loads will be similar to the heavy loads carried by the males. Working in heavy squats and lunges will help develop core and lower body strength ahead of time. I said heavy, no 5 lb Jillian Michaels dumbbells here. For running, aim for 15% increase in mileage per week. If you develop shin splints, run on a softer surface, ease back a little, and do stretching and mobility work. Try foam rollers
