Fighting Fit Boot Camp™ Super-Simple Body Weight Workout

Warm-up: Elbows to knees 1 min., Jumping Jacks 1 min., twice each

Push-ups: 3 x 10-20 reps

Pull-ups or Rows with dumb bells or bands: 3 x 10-20 reps

Squats or Lunges: 3 x 10-20 reps

Squat Thrusts/Burpees: 3 x 10-20 reps

Step-ups: 10-12” bench or step, 1 min. rapid pace with 30 sec. break x 3 sets

Abs:

• Crunches: 25 – 50
• Leg-lifts: 25 – 50
• Knee Grinders or Twist Crunch: 25 – 50
• Supermans: 2 sets x 12 reps

Cardio: 15 – 20 Minute run, do intervals twice a week by alternating running and jogging between light poles (basically, 30 seconds sprinting, 1 minute jogging).

Stretch and Cool-down: 5 minutes

That’s it! This is a great workout for staying in shape if you travel a lot – you can do all of it with minimal equipment.

Want to know more about Fighting Fit Boot Camp™?

Click here if you’re interested in finding a location: Find a boot camp workout in your area

Click here if you’re a fitness instructor or coach: How to become a certified boot camp instructor

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Lift heavy if you can with this kettle bell workout, but if all you have is light kettlebell just increase your reps and density (do more in less time).

This is a basic full-body kettle bell workout I do when I want a quick full-body workout.

Simple, no frills, and quick.

• Two-Hand Swing – 20 reps
• One-arm Swing – 10-12 reps each arm
• One-arm (Hang) Clean – 10-12 reps each arm
• Overhead Clean – 10-12 reps each arm
• One-arm Row – 10-12 reps each side

Repeat the circuit if desired, up to three times or for 20 minutes straight with a 45 second rest between circuits. You can also add some Turkish get-ups if you’re feeling froggy.

Hey! Do you like working out with -

• Kettlebells
• Sandbags
• Ropes
• Heavy bags
• Heavy stuff like rocks and logs
• Tires
• Sledgehammers

And other various random manly objects?

Then you should take a look at this workout program. It takes kettle bell workouts and combines them with all kinds of crazy strength and muscle-building routines.

But only get it if you’re serious about functional strength and muscle.

Here’s the link: http://fitnessprogramsonline.com/underground

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Warm-up: Aerobic exercise 5 minutes (treadmill, bike, etc.) moderate intensity

The Workout Circuit

Do each 15-20 reps of each exercise in the following circuit. Repeat the circuit 2-3 times.

Quads/Glutes + Shoulders: Medicine Ball Squats with Overhead Press

Hams/Glutes: Medicine Ball Lunge Extensions

Back: Seated Rows (bands)

Chest: Push-ups

Triceps: Triceps Extensions

Shoulders: Military Press (bands or ball)

Biceps: Curls (bands)

Abs/Core: Horizontal Medicine Ball Twists

Abs/Core: Saxon Side-Bends with Medicine Ball or Physio-ball

Abs/Core: Medicine ball Twists

Cool Down

Stretch: Head to toe, stretch each muscle group head to toe for 20 sec. min.

Recommended:

Workout Frequency:

• No more than 3 times per week, per exercise/body part (I usually stick with 2 days and 72 hours between workouts).

Workout Intensity

• High weight (max. resistance = able to hold weight for one second at hardest part of rep)

• Low reps – 5 to 8 reps per set, 3 to 5 sets per exercise (focus on your weak areas)

Workout Duration:

• As long as it takes to finish, minimum 1 min. between sets (preferred – 2-3 minutes)

Exercises:

1. Deadlift
2. Squat
3. Pullup, Lat Pulldown, or Rows
4. Bench Press or Dips
5. Shoulder Press

It’s simple, but it works. Try it for a four or six week cycle!

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Reasons Why People Fail to Max Out the Army Physical Fitness Test

But first, let’s talk about why most soldiers won’t max out their Army physical fitness test:

1. They don’t train specifically for the test – In other words, they do a bunch of exercises that don’t do a damn bit of good in getting your body prepped for the test.
2. They don’t train often enough – I spoke with one girl who was headed to basic. I asked her what she was doing to prepare for it… her answer was that she did PT with her Guard Unit – once a month! That just won’t cut it, folks. You have to train enough to force your body to make changes that are consistent with the goals of the PT test.
3. They don’t eat right – You need to quit eating Dong-Dongs and start eating more lean proteins, vegetables, and fresh fruits if you want to lose that spare tire or caboose, because all that extra weight is just slowing you down. Plus, you need to eat more lean protein to build the muscle that will allow you to move your body easily. Put down the cupcake now, private, and give me 20!
4. They don’t get enough rest – You have to give your body time to recuperate and get stronger. See #5 below.
   
5. They over-train – Training the same muscle groups every single day to full muscle failure is a sure-fire way to fall short of your goal. Even though your drill instructors might actually make you do this during basic, you don’t normally want to do this… it can actually hurt your chances of maxing the test.

So, now that we know what NOT to do, here’s how you should train to max your PT test:

• Train only those exercises that make you BETTER at what you’ll do on the test. That means you’ll limit your workouts to exercises that make you better at doing push-ups, sit-ups, and the 2-mile run.
• You will only train 3x a week, in order to allow your body time to recover.
• You will train your muscles to failure (on the push-ups and sit-ups), but ONLY once a week, and ONLY at the end of the week.
• Will will run for a longer distance than required on the test, while trying to keep the same speed throughout each run. And, you will run right after you do your strength training, in order to simulate the test.
• You will rest four days a week, and eat a healthy diet all week long.
• You will also stretch and do flexibility training on your rest days, to avoid injury.

The Army Physical Fitness Workout

Here’s a sample workout:

Push-ups - In sets of 25, resting no more than 45 seconds between sets, decreasing your rest time between sets by 5 seconds each week.

• Push-ups with hands shoulder width
• Push-ups with hands wider than shoulder width
• Push ups with hand touching
• Push-ups with feet elevated on a chair or bench
• Push-ups with hands elevated on a chair or bench
• Push-ups on knees to failure

Ab exercises - In sets of 25, resting no more than 45 seconds between sets, decreasing your rest time between sets by 5 seconds each week.

• Sit-ups with feet anchored under the edge of a couch or bed
• Sit-ups with feet NOT anchored
• Sit-ups with a twist at the top (when you are fully vertical)
• Hanging knee raises (hanging from a chin-up bar or monkey bars)
• Hanging leg raises
• Inverted sit-ups on a decline bench

Run –

Calculate the target speed you need to run at on each mile to max your run. Then start off the first week running the first 1/4 mile at that speed, and then finish you run at your usual pace. Extend the distance you run at your target pace by 1/4 mile each week.

If you aren’t already a runner (for example, you are trying to prepare for Army basic training), you’ll need to do the following until you can comfortably run three miles: Use the rule of tens to get up to running three miles three days a week: Start by running only 1/2 mile, and increase your running distance by no more than 10% every week. BUT… walk the rest of the distance after your run at a brisk pace until you’ve completed three miles.

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Following the above program will allow you to build up to maxing your Army physical fitness test gradually over time. As always, consult your physician before starting any exercise program.

I’d wish you luck, but luck ain’t got nuthin’ to do with it… just put in your time every week, eat properly, and get plenty of rest and you’ll meet your goal of maxing that PT test.

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About the author: Mike Massie, BAAS, NESTA CPT, is a certified personal trainer and boot camp instructor from Austin, Texas.

(Note: This article and all content on this site is copyrighted and may not be reproduced or distributed without the express written consent of the author. Thank you for respecting our content.)

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