Have any of you heard of/used the 100 Push Up program? I found it on another forum and thought I would ask for experience over here. They also have programs for sit ups, pull ups, etc.
Did something similar for the Army PFT with a buddy for push ups and sit ups about four - five weeks before a record was due. We’d always start with doing two minutes trying to do as many as possible as it was good practice for the test day. First week would be that then adding however many sit ups/push ups would get you a total of 120 with muscle failure built into it. So if I could get 50 in two minutes, I’d then rest for 60 seconds then knock out as many as I could until failure of correct form, let’s say 25. Rest for another 60 seconds, then knock out another 25. Then rest another 60 seconds and do another 20 to make the 120 total. Sometimes would be better than others but we just made sure that we got our total in. Did that three times a week with a days rest in between. The following week I’d add 20 more to the total to make 140 and try and do more each set to keep at around 4 sets. After around four to five weeks we were at 180 total per session. The total for our 2 minutes for the APFT was up to about 75 push ups and sit ups.
I dont do that exact program, but since i’ll be doing PT tests for some jobs coming up, i’ve been working on my pushups.
Aside from chest day at the gym, what i usually do is…every other day i’ll max out (do as many as i can), then about 2mins later i’ll try to get as close to the first number as i can. Thats it.
When I came off profile, I had to get back to maxing pushups within 45 days or I was going to be kicked out of Scouts. I went from 58 to 81 in 4 weeks just doing timed sets three times a week. (3 sets of 1:00 max effort/1:00 rest)
What’s your end goal?
I just downloaded an app for this today and started. Sounds pretty fun.
Well I graduate college in August (early, not late!) and I’ll start basic and OCS after that so I want to be at at least a 300 APFT (while I haven’t done an official test, my unofficial score is around a 210) at the beginning.
Do you already have an OCS contract?
A 300 APFT is pretty easy to achieve. You could have a 300 in as soon as April if you work hard. August is no problem so long as you don’t get lazy over the summer. Pyramid workouts will get you there quickly as well as interval training for your run. Just make sure you mix in resistance training too. I know a lot of guys with 300+ PT scores that can’t carry a ruck to save their lives.
No, I’m meeting with the recruiter either this week or the next.
My experience backpacking (I seem to always over-pack so it’s never ultralight packing) should help me with the ruck march, right?
Keep us updated on your progress. What is your starting max, if you don’t mind sharing?
Rucking, as with almost everything else in the military, is mostly a mindgame. I’ve seen some fatbodies who can’t even pass the PT test hump the 240B and a 60lb ruck while I’ve also seen studs crying on the side of the road a few miles into the EIB 12-miler.
For that small part of rucking that requires physical ability, deadlifts, squats, and lunges are your friend. I don’t know about you, but my recreational hiking is dramatically different in intensity compared to a roadmarch.
No matter what, though, it’s going to suck. It’s just a matter of how you prepare physically and mentally that determines how much it sucks.
Good luck with the recruiter, and especially with the rest of this semester.
I have one friend who hikes like his ass is on fire and the only source of water is at our camp for the night, and I try to make sure he leads the hikes. But yeah, I imagine it won’t be as bad as a ruck march, but I’m looking forward to it.
Thanks for the luck, I will really need taking 18 hours this semester. Hopefully I’ll have the GPA requirement to take advantage of the automatic branch selection they’ve put into place recently.
Which branch(es) are you considering?
Infantry would be fun but I’m not sure how practical it would be for a life after the military if I don’t make a long-term career out of it. As of now I’m leaning towards either MI or Finance, but I’m trying to find someone to talk to concerning those branches.
With the qualifications you’ll receive as an 11A and the wide myriad of jobs that officers fulfill in Infantry battalions, you’ll have absolutely no problem finding work outside of service. On top of the professional certifications you’ll receive, the personal achievements will make you a more confident and capable leader in the business world.
Keep in mind I’m an 11B, so I’m just a tad bit biased.
Great post and thank you for your selfless service to our amazing country! I’ll keep the advice in mind
If you’ve got the time, just start knocking out 10-20 pushups every thirty minutes. =)
That’s not going to do anything for his APFT.
The workout I sent out calls for that many pushups every 60 seconds
This is what a friend told me about this “100 push-up” plan…
I wanted to share it if it might help someone else not to waste their time. Or maybe this was his own body’s personal reaction to it, who knows?
My numbers would start me at week 3, but who knows. Thanks for the input.