My sister wants to be in the Marines & she wants me to help her train?

Question

I work out all the time & Im in good shape & all that, but I do a lot of soccer-specific stuff and so Im thinking she's gonna need a slightly different workout then what I do. So what's some good training stuff for a 15 year old Marine Wannabe??

Answer 1

The soccer specific stuff is probably good training for endurance. I played on the Parris Island soccer team when I was stationed there in the eighties. The non-stop running in that oh-so-pleasant heat and humidity really helped out my stamina. I'm not really sure about the physical requirements of womens recruit training, but it will be challenging.
Try googling "Marine Corps daily dozen". That's 12 exercises that every male Marine did every day in boot camp and beyond. In addition to the physical part of training, your sister will have to be mentally tough. Have her watch the beginning of "Full Metal Jacket". That movie is the closest thing to boot camp I've ever seen. (except for the phycho freak-out thing)
You could also buy her the book "Marine, The Biography of LtGen Louis B "Chesty" Puller. That book is very inspirational.
Something that is very important is to win the running portion of the PFT she will take in boot camp. The first two parts of the test are easy to max and the winner of the run is declared the most physically fit recruit of their series. That means a meritorious promotion to Private First Class.
Good Luck and Semper Fi

Answer 2

Ok, Im not a marine, but I am a combat engineer in the Canadian forces. I am currently training to get into JTF2, which is the equivalent of the delta force or SEALS in the U.S. This is what I do:
1)Long distance swimming twice a week (1500m) 30laps in a 50m pool as fast as I can.
2)Running with a weight suite and ankle and wrist weights(I got my weight vest from the Athletics Coordinator with my unit, but Im sure theres a civilian equivalent. The wrist and ankle weights can be found at any good sports or running store. I run 10k every other day as fast as possible.
3)Yoga. I cannot possibly tell you how good yoga is for your body. People will tell me I am a sissy, in my unit but I beg to differ becuase they know Im stacked as well as flexible because of yoga. Yoga is the ultimate tool for improving your flexibility and allowing your muscles to withstand greater stress. I do hot yoga, which is yoga in pretty much a sauna room, but any yoga or similar club is excellent.
4)Badminton. My God badminton has taken me from being an uptight ogre to a speed machine. Badminton does wonders for your explosive strength and fast twitch muscle fibres which help your body perform fast powerful movements. Necessary in self defense and any sort of combat offensive.
5)This is the most important. You will always hear rumour about elite military as being totally ripped and a muscular machine, but this is fiction. Elite units in the military totally focus on endurance, speed, and aggression(or violence) becuase the ultimate defining difference between reg combat and elite combat personel are their ability to withstand and work in high stress environments. You can be the strongest guy in the world and make a crappy soldier, becuase you will not be able to use your strength in high level situations. The key thing to focus on, in both your mental and physical workouts is absolutely pushing yourself to the highest level possible and always increasing the level. Most people will tell you to develop an excersise plan that will stay the same for weeks, but I and many other soldiers will tell you that you must emphasize total body fatigue in every one of your workouts. Every time you end your workout you should be physically and mentally exhausted. This is the only way you will be ready for both the training and the subsequent years in a special forces or elite military environment.

Answer 3

An endurance/running routine where she builds up slowly to about 10 miles. Also weight training concentrating on upper body strength. A course in martial arts of some sort would be helpful also..not for the fighting aspect but more for the discipline and exercise and mindset. Good luck to her.

Answer 4

Thank you for your service, and your sister interest in serving. All of your questions are best addressed directly by your sister, but I have some general comments regarding your questions.... ending up somewhere else It depends entirely upon the job she chooses. It is possible that she will choose a job that drills in San Diego. Other jobs may require a bit of commute to get to the drilling location. do they deploy?? and for how long? The Marine Reserves are part of the military. That means she WILL be deployed. It is impossible to say where, and for how long she will be deployed. And by nature, her job will determine what duties she has while deployed. By congressional order, she cannot be assigned a combat role (infantry). However, there is plenty of danger associated with noncombat roles. (military police, etc) Good luck.....