I will hopefully be leaving for basic training withing the next few months (Navy or National Guard)?

Question

but I am not very good at doing push ups. The best of done is 4 in a row. I know that's not good at all, but I'm working on them and getting more strength and better at them. Has anyone entered basic unable to do a lot of push ups? Did you improve a lot? What was it like? Thanks, and any tips on how to improve would be highly appreciated.

Answer 1

When you arrive at the Reception Center, you will be given a test to see how many push-ups you can do, if I recall correctly (it's been almost 20 years) guys had to do 9 to pass, I think girls had to do 1 or 2. If you couldn't do 9, you went to the Fitness Training Company, where you stayed until you could do your 9 pushups, and *then* you started basic training! You do not want to end up in FTC! Just keep working on them every day...go slow and pace yourself...try doing them with your feet up on a chair- it's harder and it'll work your muscles more. Try and do one more every day, or at least 1/2 of one more every day. See if you can make it to 15 or so by the time you leave for basic, and believe me, once you get there, you'll have no worries about doing enough pushups!! Good luck and hang in there!!!

Answer 2

Do you have a recruiter as yet? No matter what branch you sign up for it is the recruiter's job to help you with every aspect of getting in. I have 2 sons that went in the service just a few months apart. I also advised them to look into each branch as well. See which one was best and which one has the most to offer. My older son has been in the Air Force for going on 8 years now. My younger son was in the Marine Corp for 4 years. Both of their recruiters worked with them until they thought my sons were ready to go in. Make a regiment for exercise and practice regularly. Do as much as you can, just take it slowly at first. Set your self a limit, let's say do 5 push ups for now. After a week or so, up the limit by 1 or 2. Keep doing that until you feel you are getting better at it. Any thing that you want to accomplish takes practice. Just don't over do it right away. Diet is also good for you. High protein, try to take it easy on fatty foods as well. Hope this information helped you out a little. Don't get discouraged either. I admire you for wanting to go into the service and wish you all of the luck in the world as well. There should be more young people willing to do what you are doing. Good luck!

Answer 3

Congrats on joining the Armed forces, 4 push ups isn't bad for someone who hasn't really been doing push ups so don't give up. My suggestion to you is to start off slow, you can start just by doing as many push ups as you can do in 4 minutes do that ten times a day for a week and then after that week push that 4 minutes to 5 until and then so on until your able to do those do as many push ups as you can in 2 minutes. You will build up your endurance and be able to do more push ups in 2 minutes because you have continued to work on that muscle group. As a former Army girl the Drill Sgt made sure we were in top shape by the end of basic training and they will work with you to help you meet your personal goals. Good luck!

Answer 4

I'm leaving for BCT on 13-Jul and really need to improve my pushup count as well. The best way to do 'em is to just keep crackin' 'em out! Every chance you get, drop and do as many as you can without pain. You might be able to improve by doing spread-leg pushpus too. Spread your feet fairly wide and you might find you can get a few more in...

And you WILL improve in Basic - but make sure you can make the minimum before you get there to make it easier. Talk with your recruiter too - they should be able to give you some suggestions and some motivation - just never give up!

Hooah!

Orion

Answer 5

I leave for basic training for the army Feb 22 07. I only have to do a minimal of 3 push ups. They will work you every day twice a day. You will get better and stronger. Good luck

Answer 6

Just do a few several times a day and you will be fine. Be able to knock out 20 in a row and you will be ahead of the game.

You will need to be able to run a mile and a half in 15 minutes or less (Age determines exact time).

For the Navy, boot camp is not all that intensely physical. It is more about attention to detail and blind obedience, than about looking like Rambo.

I would suggest that you do some research into exactly what your enlistment contract entails. I had no idea until after I had been in for a while. It probably would not have changed my decision about enlisting, but you have the benefit of the Internet and you should know what you are signing.

Every enlistment contract is for a minimum of eight years. They can and have been extended through stop loss during times of war. Until this week a stop loss was in effect for US forces, keeping many service members in the military well after their EAOS (End of Active Obligated Service).

If possible, try to get a designated rate BEFORE you go to boot camp. Many recruiters will tell you that going in un-designated will allow you to look at the jobs available and choose later. Your choices will be limited by the needs of your command. You cannot usually strike for any rating that is not assigned to your command.

Unrated personnel are the pool for the command crap jobs. Chipping paint, scrubbing toilets, washing dishes etc. You get near zero input as to you duties or job assignments, and if you do not like your job, you get to do it anyway.

If you decide that you want to be a Quartermaster, but the command needs a Boatswain's Mate, you will be blowing a whistle and tying knots, not charting courses.

If you decide you would like to work on jet aircraft, but are stationed on a frigate, that rating will not be available to you.

If you are going in as a Fireman, the same applies for Engineering.

Besides the lack of job choices, one idiot in your immediate chain of command can keep you from striking for rate or advancing for a very long time.

I saw many individuals over the years seesaw back and forth from E-1 to E-3 and back to E-1. Once a person is rated and assigned to a division the ups tend to outweigh the downs.

Many others stayed at E-3 for extended periods, waiting for the recommendations or job openings.


All that said, this is the most important suggestion I have.


Instead of going into the military now, get your butt into college. Your enlistment contract is not binding until you go to boot camp.

Get your bachelor's degree. Get your Bachelor's degree!!!!

Then if you still wish to join the military, you can enlist as an officer. Look at the difference in pay scales. The advantages you get far outweigh even the pay differences.

Better treatment and living conditions than the enlisted personnel at EVERY command throughout the services. More time at home while in Homeport.

Job opportunities unavailable to any but the most senior enlisted when you leave the service. 20% of the nation's homeless are Veterans. Very few of the homeless veterans were officers.

An officer with a degree in basket-weaving, and one day at the command, gets better treatment and respect than any enlisted with an armful of hash marks. (1 hash mark = 4 years).

An officer that makes an offensive remark to or about an enlisted person may be talked to, if the remark was really serious. He may even have to apologize.

An enlisted making a similar comment about an officer would be subject to prosecution under the UCMJ, and likely face a Captain's Mast.

Be the Master or the Monkey.

College is affordable. Go to a two year Community or technical college in your local area. Tuitions there are much less and should be easily affordable.

Then, after you get your Associates degree, you can transfer to nearly any four year college. As a bonus, you are a transfer student, not an incoming freshman. This means you have to meet a much less stringent set of admission requirement.

Now you decide what field you want to work in when you grow up and pick a degree in that field.

Next hit your local 4 year college. Now you only have 2 years of high tuition to finance. A job, financial aid, and judicious use of loans will be able to cover this.

Now you are four years older, a bit wiser, college educated, and the military will still be there, but willing to pay you much more.

Answer 7

u dont stop doin them during boot. my old drills said that were gonna work out till they got tired. if u can max out the run and sit ups u can get buy with the min. amount of push ups and still get a good pt score. try spread arm and diamends. they work out the diff. muscle groups. another thing to try is put your feet on a chair and do decline. the more u keep doin them the better you get

Answer 8

Go to a gym and start doing benchwork. Start off somewhat light, build endurance, and then start adding heavy weight. It's probably the fastest way I can think of to build arm strength for pushups. good luck.

Answer 9

Maybe it would help to go to a gym and do some exercises to strengthen yourself up. It might make things easier for you in basic. Couldn't hurt. Good Luck!! We're pulling for you!!

Answer 10

just keep cracking at the push ups, when i came in i couldnt do that many but in time especially if we messed up we did push ups all the time, you have to increase your stamina