When do you run? How do you prep for the admin idiots PT test?

On mission Honestly there is no program, only samples and guidelines as of now.

But I would do intervals of 800M and less on your high intensity day if you chose to follow the 4X7 format. Unless you're training for the PT test, then I would just follow the CrossFit Endurance protocols on your high intensity day with your minimum pushups done non-stop prior to the runs. Situps as well if you have rare grassy field in the desert or pad near your running area.

If not following the 4X7 format, just do the same intervals or CFE workout 2-3 times a week and some strength training 2-3 times a week.

But as can be guessed training for the PT test is not ideal if you're running missions. I'd rather fail at numbers than fail a mission. Check your workload and adjust accordingly, survival is just a tiny bit more important than a flag.

I think a whole treatsie could go into how garrisoning combat zones is putting guys at risk with pressure to perform garrison and admin tasks on top of mission load, but that's a whole other article

But with that, I should probably address the PT test as it is becoming way too common over there. I'll start working on that.

So edit to update. I haven't ran for 6 months and I'm not a good distance runner, made under 15 min once my entire career. 200M and under I'll smoke ya, but that's a seperate issue. Anyways at the time I had been doing strictly Tacfit up to this point. I ran within 30 seconds of my career PR on the run and matched my PR on situps! Pushups for whatever reason they had some weird style of grading I've never heard of, basically I had to touch nipples and hump the ground to count. Science of leverage would say that's sagging in the middle. So anywho after 2 attempts at keeping my body in a rigid line as per directions, I finally came to this tripoding position for my third time at pushups. The first set I knocked off 30 or so before the dude could even get the words out to say stop(I have a feeling this rate of speed had alot to do with them saying my 'form' was off). So even after performing roughly 40 or so pushups, I still was able to do the old 'go till you get bored and are way over passing' point without much effort. I used this AFPT as a test of Tacfit as a conditioning system. I would say for only having done it a couple months and not having performed the exercises in over 6 months, it excelled beyond expectations!

Some of you have asked about the overall load of stress on the body and why it's imortant

Really when you dig into it, it's more than just the CNS. There's a whole flurry of hormones that are affected by stress as well. Head on over to RMAX International and click on 'Magazine' on the top menu, select Volume 7 Issue 3, then jump to page 27. There is an excellent article by Kathryn Woodall of the effects of stress related to exercise, health and diet. I've outlined some key points below.

"If there is Physical Stress that is high enough for you to be wondering if you need to compensate for it, you probably do.

If your diet is of poor quality greater than 15-20% of the time, your exercise and hormones are likely to suffer as a result.

If you're exercising at high intensity every single day, you are not giving your body a chance to rebuild and repair even if you're eating well and keeping the rest of the stress your life to a minimum. Do it for long enough and your hormones will no longer be able to compensate so that you will get injured and be sick more frequently. Add in extra stress and that is a recipe for trouble.

The glands[adrenal] go through three phases of functions beyound their typical day to day activities.

1. Alarm Phase

• Cortisol and DHEA are high
• Function is heightened
• This has no negative side effects as long as it's short lived
• Symtoms are considered good by most people because of the "high" associated with this phase
• Exercise typically doesn't need to be adjusted for this phase as long as the stress is short lived."

I'm sure you can see where the deployed enviroment can make for some serious problems. Who has a diet that is high quality better than 15-20% of the time in a deployed status? No one. Exercise can also be interchangable with daily mission load, it's all physical. So high intensity exercise combined with daily missions pretty much guaruntee's an injury and feeling like crap. Phase 1 of adrenal fatigue can be stimulated by flight or fight response. Getting spooked once a tour is ok, all the time you will be in Phase One adrenal fatigue. Also the deployed enviroment eventually takes it's toll and even office jockeys can slowly start sliding into phase 1 after a long tour.

This has only explored the hormonal aspects. The CNS operates basically the same way. Too much stress and it starts to short circuit and stimulating the adrenals. Quite a conundrum!

So what's the fix? Adjust your exercise to mesh with mission load, regardless of whether it's a physical or mentally taxing mission, but especially the physical. Eat as best as possible. Even eating all the "healthy" things in the DFAC won't be good enough. Most the meat and imported products just aren't high quality enough, you'll need a good supplementation plan specifically directed towards providing nutrients. Feel your body, you know it best. Don't let competition in the gym destroy your health instead of improve it! Research and practice relaxation methods, something as simple as relaxing stretches before bed concentrating on hip flexors, neck and back.

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