Getting in shape

[Anonymous]

I have 1 year before I can enlist in the Marines. What would you suggest to someone trying to get in shape for boot camp? I have been running and average of 2 miles every other day, and Ive been doing pushups and situps. Is this enough? What else should I do to help get myself in shape?

[deliberately strange]

I'm taking the physical day after tomorow and then I'll be in the delayed entry program until I graduate high school...so I'm with you! How do we get "in shape"? :D Cardio training especially...

[tperng]

There are many ways to get in shape. Below is the regiment I follow right now. I've been training for a year and I'll also give some advice on how to avoid injuring yourself while training:

You should increase your running mileage gradually (no more than 10% per week) until you can run 3 miles 4 or 5 times per week. Once you're running at least 12 miles per week, mix in interval-running and long distance running (5 or 6 miles). Do NOT be tempted to increase mileage too fast. You'll hurt yourself, just like I did. You have a whole year to get in shape so you don't need to rush anything. Be sure to stretch after every run and give yourself at least 5 minutes of warmup and 5 minutes of cooldown per session. I would also recommend learning Yoga since it'll give you great strength building and lower-body stretching benefits.

Because it's very easy for beginners to get injured while running, make sure you run on soft surfaces (flat outdoor running tracks are best, grass is also good; avoid pavements and concrete surfaces) and have good running shoes bought from a specialty running store (for a list go to http://www.runnersworld.com ). If you run in cheap shoes you're begging to get seriously hurt. Make sure the salesperson at the store watches you run and is very knowledgeable about running shoe technologies and different foot types. That way, you'll get the best running shoes for your foot type. Expect to pay $70-$90 for a good pair of running shoes.

You should replace your running shoes every 300 to 500 miles. That's because after that many miles, most running shoes will no longer give you the protection you need while doing the highly stressful exercise. I recommend that you buy a second pair of shoes after you've run about 200 miles in the first pair. That way, you'd be able to compare and contrast the "bounce" between the two shoes to tell when you should retire your older pair.

Keeping a running log will help you keep track of shoe mileage. I keep track of any and all pains and injuries sustained while running and recommend you do as well. Every runner I've met have gotten injured at least once from running, so keeping a log of your runs and any problems will be helpful if you need to see a doctor.


A good way to build strength is to use strength training equipment or lift free weights at the gym. Be sure to give yourself at least one day of rest between all strength training sessions to minimize injury. Strength train both upper and lower body.

If you don't have access to a gym or special strength training exercise machines, you can do it at home. For lower body strength training buy some free weights and do squats and lunges. That will help you with your running as well. You should also search online or in magazines for strength training tips.

For upper body strength training at home, I recommend that you buy a "Door Gym." It's a removable pull-up bar that you can attach to just about any door frame and practice pull-ups. I bought mine from http://www.gymcor.com and they are a reliable vendor. It'll set you back about $50 including shipping, but pull-ups are a great way to build upper body strength. For every pull-up you do, perform at least 1 push-up. That way, you maintain balance in your bicep and tricep strength and minimize chances of getting hurt. I do three max sets of pull-ups and push-ups every other day and recommend the same for you.

For crunches, hold a 10-pound weight to your chest, dig your feet under a couch (or have someone sit on top of it to immobilize your foot) and do 3 sets of max crunches every other day. A max crunch set is defined as crunching until the first time you stop.

Sorry this is so long, and I hope it's helpful.

[deliberately strange]

THANK YOU SOOOO MUCH!! I passed and got in the program so this is really helpful! God bless! :D

[tperng]

For running, www.runnersworld.com has plenty of training tips. However, ever since I started training, I've been doing at least 2 sets of interval runs per week. This has helped me trim my time by 2 minutes in 2 months. Here are my interval running programs:

Wind sprints (difficult): 1/4 mile at max speed, followed by 1/4 mile at slow/med pace. Start with 5 reps.

High-Med-Low (moderate difficulty): 4 minutes at medium speed, 1 minute at max speed, 3 minutes at slow speed. Start with 5 reps.

High end (only 1 rep is necessary, but it's the most difficult of the 3 interval programs here):
4 minutes slow,
4 minutes slow-medium,
3 minutes medium,
3 minutes medium-fast,
3 minutes medium,
2 minutes max speed,
3 minutes medium,
3 minutes medium-fast,
3 minutes medium,
4 minutes slow-medium,
4 minutes slow

[Anonymous]

Wow, you are very knowledgeable about this stuff! Thank you so much for taking the time to type it all out! I am sure you have helped many of us!