Preparing For Basic Training
Do you need to physically prepare for basic training? Many potential new recruits and their families are understandably concerned about the rigors of basic training. Whether its Army, Air Force, Navy, Marine Corps, or the Coast Guard, how should someone get ready for these fitness requirements?
What follows should not be considered medical advice. This is information provided based on personal testimony, expert studies, and information published on military official sites. Always consult a physician before attempting a new exercise regimen. This is especially the case if you havent been physically active in a while.
Physical Preparation for Basic Training: What You Should Know First
No matter what you are told by a recruiter, currently serving military member, or even an article on the internet, always consult a physician for advice on exercise concerns related to your own personal medical history.
General advice is just that. It is general and not tailored to your own medical profile. Yes, we have repeated the see a doctor warning twice in this article, but that is the level of importance this issue requires.
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Body Types, Body Fat, and Fitness
Starting early before reporting to boot camp on fitness and diet can help new recruits and potential new recruits deal with the body fat issue.
Start Slowly and Work Up
Warm Up, Cool Down
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Train Hard Fight Easy: Royal Marines Bodyweight Workout
“A key component of being a Royal Marine Commando is fitness. In training, from day one its the first and last thing you think about every single day… It doesn’t just change your body, it changes your mind, too,” explains ex-Royal Marine Tom Frearson, head coach at BeFearsome. “This workout can be completed anywhere, anytime, with little or no equipment. It works on functional and bodyweight fitness, the bread and butter for commandos.”
Working through five total sets, you’ll be increasing your rep range from the first set through to the third. Once you hit the fourth set, the reps will begin to decrease. This doesn’t make it easier you’ll be required, on Frearson’s orders, to maintain consistent quality reps that should look identical to those at the beginning of the workout. Want to make it harder? Roger that grab a kettlebell, dumbbell or heavy backpack and don’t let go.
– 12 mountain climbers
– 12m lunge walk
Join The Regular Force
Members of the Regular Force serve full time protecting Canada and defending our sovereignty. They contribute to international peace and security, and work with the United States to defend North America. They are ready to respond at a moments notice to threats, natural disasters or humanitarian crises at home and around the world.
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The Ugly Operator Workout
For almost ten years, veteran and strength and conditioning coach Rob Shaul has worked with U.S. weightlifting teams, athletes and elite special forces to test their mental and physical mettle. Shaul’s ‘Ugly Operator’ workout is designed to do exactly that. Below, Men’s Health adapted the workout for you, so you can push yourself to the limit and see how you fare against some of the world’s fittest people.
Benefits Youve Earned As A Retiring Service Member
As an active-duty service member, you receive a number of benefits. What happens to them when you retire?
TRICARE: Retiring service members must enroll themselves and eligible family members or risk losing TRICARE benefits. This includes family members with Medicare Part A and B. For more information on health care plan options for retiring service members and families, visit the TRICARE website.
Dental and/or Vision: You may choose to enroll in dental and/or vision insurance through the Federal Employee Dental and Vision Insurance Program. You can enroll during the annual open season each fall or whenever you have a qualifying life event. Dental and vision plans have a monthly premium based on the plan you choose. Find more details at the Benefeds website.
Final move: You have one calendar year from your retirement date to use your last government-paid move anywhere within the U.S. or to your home of record outside the country. Check with your installations Personnel Support Office for information.
Commissary and exchange privileges: You and your family have the same access to both facilities after retirement. The only exception overseas privileges may be subject to a Status of Forces Agreement.
Home loans: Find out about a VA loan to purchase or build your dream retirement home. To qualify, you must have served at least 24 months and have an honorable or general discharge. Call 800-827-1000 or visit the VA housing assistance webpage.
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Train For Army Physical Fitness
Being prepared to meet Army fitness standards will give you the peace of mind you need to feel more confident. Here are some tips to ensure youre physically fit for any challenge:
- Pace yourself and slowly increase your activity
- Focus on cardio, strength and endurance, flexibility, and body composition
How To Start The Military Move Process
Once you have determined the type of move you want to do , itâs time to make plans and take action.
Start by getting your official paperwork in order. You will need the service memberâs report date at the new installation, then work backward to calculate leave dates, travel time, moving day, packing days, etc.
Once you have the hard copy of your orders, you can go to your local transportation office to file your move request. They will review dates, schedule movers, and discuss which expenses will be reimbursed during your move.
Once your move is scheduled and assigned to a moving company, you will be assigned a Move Coordinator who is your one-stop shop for moving questions or problems. You can learn more about a Move Coordinator here. You can also use the Military One Source website to schedule dates, view paperwork, and learn about the timeline for your move.
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Military Pcs : How To Prepare For Your Military Move
When you first get orders, you usually have several months before you actually need to report to the next duty station. Of course, this isn’t always the case: Some families might only have a month or two to prepare .
There are some tasks you canât do until the week you actually move. But there are many things you can do now to prepare for your move.
Even if you don’t have orders yet, you can start preparing for the inevitable PCS. The more work you put in ahead of time, the more successful your move will be.
Tips To Prepare Yourself For Military Bootcamp
Military boot camp is where you can prepare yourself before joining the army. A boot camp usually takes 12-14 weeks of intense military training in a designated camp. The boot camp will help you, as a recruit, prepare emotionally, mentally, and physically.
It is a given that you need to prepare yourself before entering a boot camp and, with this in mind, the following five tips can aid you in preparing for this training:
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What If I Can’t Complete The Acft Due To A Medical Condition
After you join, if a permanent medical condition prevents you from completing the ACFT, there are alternate events you can do for your assessment, like walking or swimming instead of the two-mile run. For temporary medical conditions, you can use alternate events to train. But you wont take the scored ACFT until youre medically cleared.
Start Being Physically Active
As mentioned, you will be physically and emotionally exhausted on a number of occasions. For this reason, you should condition not only your mental health but also your physical health. Start doing intense exercises like lifting weights, running for miles, and doing circuits, among others.
By doing these physical activities, you can avoid being physically exhausted too quickly. It will also help you get used to physical training during boot camp. However, before you do any intense workout, you may need to consult a medical professional so you can avoid injuries before and during the boot camp.
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My Time In The Military Was Dominated By The Ideas Of Planning And Prevention If Youre Trying To Get Into The Military You Should Be Thinking The Same Thing Here Are My 9 Pieces Of Advice
The Seven Ps dominated my time in the military. Proper Planning and Preparation Prevents Piss Poor Performance. Attention to detail is the key to life and death when soldiers are placed in harms way. One key area where attention must be paid is in the physical preparation of soldiers either entering the service for the first time or deploying on operations. Physical training for the military is some of the most brutal training on the planet. If you have chosen to try out for one of the special operation units around the globe, you better have your head squared away for the coming hell you will suffer.
The fitness world is constantly trying to find the fittest person on earth through various watered-down competitions. You need look no further than a group of soldiers operating in the mountains of Afghanistan. High altitude and the presence of people who are trying to kill you by any means available will force you to up your game. And conditioning is not just for the troops engaged in the firefight. The units providing base security need to maintain an alert vigil over their comrades. All who serve in the military need to look out for one another. Being in peak shape will enable those on sentry or operations room duty to maintain mental acuity.
To that end let us look at a few examples of training you can do in your home and/or commercial gym to better prepare to serve your country. Here are my nine pieces of advice to get ready for the military:
Royal Marine Aldo Kane’s Functional Body Blast
As a man constantly on the move in extreme environments, ex-Royal Marine sniper Aldo Kane, a previous Men’s Health cover star, needs to prime his body and his mind to train for maximum benefit in a short, sharp workout. His sessions are fast, functional and hardcore using learnings from his Royal Marine days to build muscle that goes the distance. In the video above, Kane takes you through his go-to moves using a deadball, a dumbbell, a pull-up bar and ski-erg.
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Why Focus On The Afqt Sections
The Armed Forces Qualification Test score is a subsection of your overall ASVAB score. While your overall ASVAB score determines the Military Occupational Specialties for which you qualify, your AFQT score is even more important. Thats because how you score on the AFQT determines whether you qualify to join the military at all. The minimum required AFQT score depends on which branch you want to join. For example, the Army requires a minimum AFQT score of 31, while the Coast Guard requires a 36.
Acknowledge The Feelings That Come With A Move
No matter how experienced you become at relocating, feelings of sadness and stress will always be normal. While you can, and should, reflect on and talk about the exciting new opportunities the move presents, you should also make time and space to acknowledge the less than happy feelings that often accompany a move.
There are many steps you can take to create this space. Here are just a few suggestions:
- Offer a hug and a listening ear when your child wants to talk.
- Set up counseling services both before and after the move to help your child process the relocation.
- Be positive about the move when possible by emphasizing the exciting and positive changes it will bring to your life.
- Talk about your own feelings so your children know that their feelings are ok to discuss as well.
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Practical Information For Admitted Candidates And Their Family Members
1. My family member / friend received an offer of admission to start military training at the Canadian Forces Leadership and Recruit School. Where can I find information about the various administrative details related to entering CFLRS?
See the joining instructions. This document contains a wealth of information on the administrative procedures to be completed in connection with basic military training at CFLRS.
2. How can I reach the candidate quickly in the event of an emergency?
In the event of an emergency, candidates can be reached by telephone through the CFLRS Coordination Centre at 450-358-7099, ext 7229.
3. When can I visit a family member / friend who is training at CFLRS?
Visits are allowed and even encouraged. However, they are limited to the Orange sector of the General J.-V. Allard Building. Visits can be scheduled at specific times during weekend leaves. No visits are allowed during the week or during the indoctrination period . Consult your family member / friend to coordinate a visit.
4. What is the mailing address of the Canadian Forces Leadership and Recruit School?
The mailing address for CFLRS candidates is:
Serial number PO Box 100, Stn Bureau-chef Richelain, QC J0J 1R0
If the sender does not include the service number and course number, delivery of the shipment could be delayed. Priority Post and parcels sent via courier are accepted, and no signature is required.
6. Can a candidate use his or her own automobile?
Exacta Centre
Know The Specialty Tests
Each unit has certain tests you will have to pass. Do the research and find out what is expected of you during and after training. For instance, if you are planning on joining the Navy, practice swimming. If you want to join the Army, run and put a backpack on and walk fast . Many law enforcement agencies require some form of obstacle course or job-related standards test, so practice running stairs, sprints, climbing walls and dragging a body. See ideas in the Fitness Store or article archive.
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How To Prepare For Military Basic Training
Joining the military is a big decision and can be stressful.Basic training is going to be physically, mentally, and emotionally difficult,and people often ask us at HPRC, what can I do to get ready for boot camp? Illleave the mental and emotional training to the mental and social fitnessexperts, and those who have been through training. But I can take the physicaltraining part. The short answer is exercise smart.
Get into shape
Getting into good physical shape is very important for basictraining. Recruits who enter training in poor physical shape, usuallyidentified by slow run times, are at a greater risk for injury during trainingthan recruits who enter in top shape. In addition, being in good physical shapecan make the physical training part easier. Not easy, because basic training isdesigned to be difficult, but it wont be the runs that bring you down. If youare physically prepared, it can free up your energy to focus on other areasthat are more difficult for you.
Make a training plan
As youre planningyour workouts, remember to spend some time focusing on both muscularstrength and muscularendurance, while progressing your cardio consistently through thewhole program. If you plan early enough and give yourself 34 months to trainbefore you ship, that should be plenty of time to prepare for training.
Focus on injury prevention
Good luck and happy training!
Preparation For Civilian Life
Youve got military life down cold. Whats it like being a civilian? Time will tell. The best way to prepare is to know what to expect and have some strategies for success.
Saying goodbye: Youve been through enough moves to know what its like to leave friends who feel more like family. But these days, social media makes it easy to keep in touch.
Job searching: Ace that interview. Get a head start. You can attend the two-day track for employment in TAP, the Department of Labor Employment Workshop on your installation or through the TAP Online Learning Portal as early as two years before retirement. You can retake the workshop as many times as you like.
Miss the lifestyle? Its not as farfetched as it sounds. Youve been in a tight, exclusive community with its own unique lifestyle. Look into joining a military organization that can keep you connected and in the loop on retirement issues.
Retirement is the first step to your next successful life and career. Know whats ahead, be prepared and enjoy.,
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Keep The Future Secure
After you leave the military and before you get a job, you will be eligible for TRICARE, which is the health insurance offered to transitioning servicemembers. Later, if TRICARE expires and you and your family still lack alternative health insurance, you can apply for the Continued Health Care Benefit Program, which is another temporary health coverage option for vets. Eventually, though, you will need to acquire your own insurance plan to keep you and your family safe. Its also important to note, if you served in the active military service and were separated under any condition other than dishonorable, you may qualify for VA health care benefits.
Typically, employers will provide discounts on medical, dental, and disability insurance, but if you become self-employed or work for a startup or small business, you can find affordable plans in the ACAs Health Insurance Marketplace as of this writing. You should also seriously consider acquiring life insurance Veterans Group Life Insurance is one of the best options for new vets, and there is no medical underwriting requirement if you apply for a plan within 120 days of retirement.