There are volumes available on fitness and training for basic training on the internet and in books. One thing they all seem to be saying is this: don't show up unprepared. I agree whole heartedly. "Boot camp" is stressful enough without the added misery of the attention that will come your way when the drill sergeants find out you were lazy before you got there. Most articles I've read suggest starting your physical preparation a minimum of eight weeks prior to your ship date.
Start by knowing what to expect. Each branch has similar but unique requirements to pass physical testing. The Army is now in the process of changing the old APFT that's been in use since 1980 over to a new style of test that is more demonstrative of the physical skills needed on the battlefield. (At the time this article was published, the pilot program had already started at different basic courses but was not yet adopted everywhere. It has been facing various snags and it appears it will be some time before it is implemented Army-wide.) This site has up to date APFT standards: www.army-fitness.com.
Areas to focus on before BCT:
- Mental Toughness: You're stronger than your mind thinks, fight through the pain as you prepare and you'll be in better shape than most of your peers at BCT. It doesn't take a drill sergeant long to figure out who is a quitter and that's not a label you want.
- Abdominal Muscles: Vary your core exercises to target all the areas of your abdominal muscles and hip flexors- there's more to abdominal PT than sit-ups, and BCT uses a lot of core strength. In the first few weeks especially, you'll spend countless hours in the position known as the "front leaning rest". Rest is a misnomer. Its the starting position for the push-up and if you're not in shape holding it for 2 minutes, let alone 15 to 30, is a real challenge. The other thing you'll see I complained about during BCT was my shoulders.
- Pull-ups: They're not part of the APFT but they are part of morning PT sessions and it looks bad when you need help. At a minimum be able to do 5 sets of 5 reps.
- Shoulders/Back: You'll be spending a lot of time on your feet and as the cycle progresses you'll spend more and more of it under the load of body armor and ruck sacks. Most people would tell you not to hit the gym in prep for basic- which I would largely agree with, but strengthening these areas with weights would be my recommendation. Also spend time getting used to being under a 30 lb. ruck- find a park with hiking trails and start walking. Quickly. The Army pace isn't a stroll. So many people struggled with this in the beginning and would fall out of a 2 mile march. Don't let this be you.
- Legs: Get used to running, marching, and standing up all the time. Run, run, run and do squats to get your legs in shape. If you're worried about the distance, the longest run we did was four miles. If you can do more- great.
- Have a good idea of your APFT score as soon as possible. Most people have one area in particular that's harder for them than the other two. Mine was and is the push-ups. I could get above a 90 on the run and sit-ups at the end of BCT but my push-up score was still in the 70's. Once you know what your weakness is- work on it until you meet your goals.
- Aim high. Your APFT score will be used throughout your military career for promotions and special schools. Nobody is impressed by a passing score of 150, and your peers certainly aren't either because the people that could barely pass the PT test at the end of the cycle were also the ones who generally failed to pull their weight. Unfortunately, we live in a day and age where everybody gets a trophy, which robs people of a desire to excel- I saw it over and over again at basic. But getting by with the minimums could get you and/or your buddies killed in combat. Dragging an injured soldier in full battle rattle weighing 250 lbs is no easy task, neither is sprinting from cover to cover to engage the enemy or low crawling to keep the enemy bullets from going through your head. You'll have to do all of those at BCT but more importantly you may need to do those some day when it actually matters and if you're not in shape you're a liability to your squad.
A great resource, and one of the reasons I was inspired to write this blog, is SGT Michael Volkin's work. He has thoroughly documented the basic training process and wrote The Ultimate Training Guidebook. This guidebook outlines what to expect, what to learn before you go, and offers an eight week training guide to prepare. The book was written in the early 2000's with the most recent revision in 2008. Hopefully you'll find the documentation of my experience to be a good supplement to these materials.
If you have aspirations of joining any special operations group I highly recommend Stew Smith's resources. The Complete Guide to Navy SEAL Fitness is written by former US Navy SEAL Stew Smith and offers insight into preparing for one of the most challenging special operations units in the world. Regardless of if your're planning to go to BUD/s, Ranger School, or Recon training this book will help you get ready for the rigors ahead of you. I followed the course outlined in the book during college with a few friends and found myself to be in prime physical condition afterwards.
