How to get max score APFT and time needed.

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Wedge

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Jan 16, 2016
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Good day warriors,

I wanted to get your opinions on getting a good score and time needed to train for the APFT (or Physical Fitness Test for other military branches). Right now, I'm around 200/300 which is terrible and I have given myself about 6 months to train. After reading great threads and info on this site, I was wondering how long do you guys think it will take, if I train at a good pace. Is 5 months enough?
Secondly, do you guys think there is additional training needed if I was going to SOF selection?

My current PT test is:
Pushups: 69 in 2 minutes
Sit-Ups: 45 in 2 minutes
2 Miles run: 19:21
Pull ups: 8
 
IMO: Your PU/SU numbers are unremarkable right now.

Pull up number and run suck.

Search, search, search.


(edit: add attributive adjective)
 
Last edited:
Well obviously you need to work core like a fool, but what you also need to do is actually run all two miles of the run and stop walking so much. Either that or you are not running at all and look like a fucking mall walker or something. That's not a run time, that's a forced foot march time, as in I used to do two miles faster with all my kit on and with a 65lb ruck.

Want to get faster, do squat's, run up hill sprints, and run 3-4 miles at a pace time. Start at 8:00 per mile, than increase the speed when you get it, 7:45 per mile, than 7:30 per mile pace, etc.

Leg raisers, ranger sit ups, decline sit ups with medicine ball, start your morning every morning doing your max plus one more, than kill your abs all day, just keep getting it, if you cannot reach your max plus one of yesterday back off for a day and let yourself recuperate.

Pushups, do sets of 50, 3-4 times a day, dips helped me back in the day, also did alot of wide, chest width and diamond pushups. You can also do the max plus one deal.

Pull ups, you really just need to max them every time you see a pull up bar. For some reason every chow hall in the Army has a pull up bar near it, every time I saw one I would hit my max, when I was fit I would kill 20-22 like it wasn't shit, than pull out another 5-6 until failure.

You need to be sub 14:00 on your run, 75+ on push ups and sit ups, and killing a good 10+ pull ups to even be physically fit in a light Infantry unit. You will find most guys are 270 or better on their APFT, and we're just talking basic PT. I won't even get into rucking.

5 months is plenty of time, but you need to get after it like it was yesterday. Your current APFT sucks...
 
For sit ups this works for me not sure about other people but for me it works pretty well.

1. Start off fast, you have a time limit for a reason and it's not so that you can pass in the last 10 seconds.

2. With speed find a breathing rythnm, aka exhale in the up position. And inhale on the down. Believe it or not alot of people tend to hold their breath while doing sit ups.

3. The "bounce back". Don't use your muscles to let your soft fragile figure skating body come back to the ground from the up position . Let the weight of your upper body send you crashing down to earth. Once your upper body hits the ground your back and more importantly your shoulder blades will hit the ground with enough force to boucle you back up into the air a little. Use this momentum to go back to the up position a little easier without smoking more muscles than you should. While doing this make sure to keep your butt on the ground or you will be DQ.
 
Thank you so much everyone and thank you for the link. I believe that I can have all the information in the world, but the challenges are implementing them. Best I get started.
 
There's apps you can download called "Push ups" "Sit ups" and probably run programs as well. It will take your max, and then tell you how many to do each day.

Since you need to work on running the most, the cellphone app Runkeeper has running plans and will track all of your distances/pace, and remind you everyday that you have a run to do.

From a global/wave top assessment: you need to do more sprints, or just run more regularly and push the envelope a bit on your pace. Running is going to be uncomfortable on your lungs, and it will suck. Get used to it. You should run like you're running the last two miles of your life ever. Otherwise as someone put earlier, you're mall walking.

Master the APFT before you consider implementing any sort of "SOF specific" training.
 
To get better at push ups, do more push ups; to get better at sit ups, do more sit ups; to get better at running, run more.

Specific adaptations to imposed demands.

Push ups and sit ups are pretty easy to max just by increasing the total volume you do throughout the week. Running may be a bit more complicated, but I wouldn't over-think it at your level.
 
Hey guys, I have an update. I didn't want to make a new thread either.

I have three months til school ends, and I'm here at the Army recruiter office. I'm in a dilemma because I barely can do a 220/300 on the APFT. The command recruiting sergeant says that he can only give me my job if I go in right away. The job which is 11X with an Option 40, something I've been training for two years. (I was really over weight before). Honestly I'm not sure if I'm ready. He says he's going to give my job to someone else. I don't know what to do.
 
Wedge said:
I don't know what to do.
Click to expand...

You go all in or you wait for another slot (which will eventually turn up). Time to pay your money and take your chances. For every success story on this forum there are dozens you'll never hear. We can't make this decision for you. Big Boy Rules

"The question is not how far. The question is, do you possess the constitution, the depth of faith, to go as far is as needed?" <- This won't change no matter when you ship.

Good luck.
 
Wedge said:
Hey guys, I have an update. I didn't want to make a new thread either.

I have three months til school ends, and I'm here at the Army recruiter office. I'm in a dilemma because I barely can do a 220/300 on the APFT. The command recruiting sergeant says that he can only give me my job if I go in right away. The job which is 11X with an Option 40, something I've been training for two years. (I was really over weight before). Honestly I'm not sure if I'm ready. He says he's going to give my job to someone else. I don't know what to do.
Click to expand...

What is the fastest time you can do 1 mile in? If my memory serves me right you have to do 1 mile around 7-8min and 20PU/20SU to go from 30th AG to an OSUT btn. If you can do that (or whatever the requirement is) than fucking go get it done.

When you get to your OSUT btn, you need to bust your ass on PT...period. I saw more than a few guys who could pass a APFT leave OSUT with 270+ scores, but they put in the work. The general PT they do will not get you there, you will need to be pushing yourself every chance you can, agility runs, pull up bars, push up and sit up. You find yourself on CQ, weapons guard, fire guard, start knocking out PU/SU squats, etc, etc.

Good luck.
 
Thanks guys. My recruiter talked to me one on one, and he pretty much said that if the job isn't there, then they don't want me coming back in. He said that he's invested a lot time in me because I have gone through MEPS before but they got mad because i didn't enlist due to my security clearance issue (paperwork). Anyway, he's going to check my school verification and then check for the job. He also asked if I was considering a different MOS with an Option 40 because it may be easier. I don't know about that. I'm going to wait and let him check. If there is my job with a option, I decided to go right away. I'm going to train as hard as I can and hope I can make it. I'm still going to give it my all.
 
Wedge said:
Thanks guys. My recruiter talked to me one on one, and he pretty much said that if the job isn't there, then they don't want me coming back in. He said that he's invested a lot time in me because I have gone through MEPS before but they got mad because i didn't enlist due to my security clearance issue (paperwork). Anyway, he's going to check my school verification and then check for the job. He also asked if I was considering a different MOS with an Option 40 because it may be easier. I don't know about that. I'm going to wait and let him check. If there is my job with a option, I decided to go right away. I'm going to train as hard as I can and hope I can make it. I'm still going to give it my all.
Click to expand...
Look at "Join The Rangers" on Goarmy.com and It tells you all the qualified mos's.
 
Wedge said:
Thanks guys. My recruiter talked to me one on one, and he pretty much said that if the job isn't there, then they don't want me coming back in. He said that he's invested a lot time in me because I have gone through MEPS before but they got mad because i didn't enlist due to my security clearance issue (paperwork). Anyway, he's going to check my school verification and then check for the job. He also asked if I was considering a different MOS with an Option 40 because it may be easier. I don't know about that. I'm going to wait and let him check. If there is my job with a option, I decided to go right away. I'm going to train as hard as I can and hope I can make it. I'm still going to give it my all.
Click to expand...

I am reading a lot of, golly gee, and what if's, and this is a fittness thread. You will be forced to make a decision. What are you going to do in the civillian world? Do you have a job now?
 
Yea, I have a job and I think I'm nervous. I apologize Red Flag 1, if there was any golly gee. Right now I was told there's only two jobs available. 42A and 27D with an Option 40. That's terrible. They said I'm wasting tax payers money by having then call to ask for what's available. Honestly, what the heck, haha. So now I choose between Human Resources or Paralegal... I trained for years to get in shape a combat related job. I'm more conflicted than ever.
 
Wedge said:
Yea, I have a job and I think I'm nervous. I apologize Red Flag 1, if there was any golly gee. Right now I was told there's only two jobs available. 42A and 27D with an Option 40. That's terrible. They said I'm wasting tax payers money by having then call to ask for what's available. Honestly, what the heck, haha. So now I choose between Human Resources or Paralegal... I trained for years to get in shape a combat related job. I'm more conflicted than ever.
Click to expand...

I'm not an Army dude, but this sounds like the recruiters are full of shit. Wasting the taxpayers money by making phone calls? L. O. Fucking. L. I would tell you to get a new recruiter.
 
CDG said:
I'm not an Army dude, but this sounds like the recruiters are full of shit. Wasting the taxpayers money by making phone calls? L. O. Fucking. L. I would tell you to get a new recruiter.
Click to expand...
Exactly my thought but I cannot get a new recruiter. The Officer in the area sent me right back to the same station.
 
@GhillieDude08, yea, there are other spec ops like Marine Corp and their UZ contract, Airforce CCT, even Navy's SWCC. But I have no idea what they do and my mentality was built on getting ready for RASP, then if succeeding, life in the 75th. I'm pounding sand right now, heh. I already made my decision, I'm going to wait, again. I know I'm getting old but I think it's too much to risk heading in with no contract. The entire time, one of the recruiters was explaining to me about Ranger School. I was listening, I didn't want to correct him on my goals, but just listened...
 

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