To those in the military

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Leah90

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It seems there are alot of people from the military on board which I think is awesome. I want to go into the Airforce but at the moment I wouldnt make it in the Basic training run for sure. I was just wondering if you guys think that if I kept running/jogging and training till April or so, I would be able to do it? I really want to join. Im at a healthy weight I just havent run/jogged in a long time, I usualy bike and only for around 1/2 hr. a day. And if you have any advice on how to prepare myself better for basic, that would be great. Thanks!


leah
 
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Im guessing ur female...but either way....basic is more mental than physical. Push-ps, sit-ups, running are all par for the course. Road marching with a 35lb. pack, and a lot of lower body work is involved and my husband says since women tend to be a a bit weaker in the upper body...pull ups would help.
 
I just joined the Air Force myself. Leave in May... I am trying to work in a running schedule... ha. All I cant really do that well, since its been years ...
 
2-4 minutes of exercise double endurance and speed.

OK, so you want to join the military, and you are concerned about getting in running shape. I think I can help you here, even though it will sound too good to be true.

First, I am one of the few chiropractors who actually works at an Air Force Base for the Department of Defense. I treat these people all the time, and I have to keep them running. What I'm going to tell you is beyond exciting.

A study, published earlier this year studied 16 "Recreationally Active Subjects" did an endurance cycling test. Then 8 of them did TWO WEEKS of exercise, but only 3 TIMES PER WEEK and technically they only exercised 2-4 minutes per day. At the end of the two weeks, the results were:

8 control subjects = no change
8 Exercising subjects = Double the endurance (26 minutes before study, 51 minutes after the 2 weeks)
, = Increase muscle glycogen 26%
, = Increase Aerobic Enzyme activity 38%

WOW, is that impressive? So what was the exercise?

30 Second Wingate Sprint ("as hard as you can") on stationary bike
4 minutes rest (or light pedaling) Followed by
30 Second Wingate Sprint and another 4 minutes rest.

They did a total of 4 to 7 sessions of sprinting each day Mon Wed Fri, which equals less than 4 total minutes of exercise per day.

A previous study did the same exercise 5 days per week and found No improvement in endurance. Sprint Interval Training takes 24-48 hours for the muscles to recover otherwise you will over fatigue them.

You can do the sprinting running or biking, or any activity you can sprint, but I recommend running if that is the activity you want to improve.

Other studies have shown that sprinting not only improves endurance very fast, but has been shown to be the most effective way to improve speed and improve race times. In one study, the sprinting group burned half as many calories, but lost 6 times more subcutaneous fat than the endurance group (though there were some problems with this study, there is a good physiologic basis to expect this).

The 4 minutes of rest is based upon the time it takes to resynthesize the creatine phosphate (energy storage molecule) in your muscle. This time is important. If you want a more detailed explanation on the biochemical and physiological effects of 30 second sprint/4 minutes rest and why it works, let me know and I will go into more detail (I'm a detail kind of guy).

For my patients this study has been GREAT! Military personnel have to exercise regularly, including running, and have to pass an annual fitness test, which includes a 1.5 mile run. Many of my patients backs hurt when they run. This means that they aren't running, and are losing any aerobic fitness they had. Most of these patients back pain comes on after 5-10 minutes of running. So instead of telling them not to run, we put them on a sprint running training: 30 seconds as hard as you can, 4 minutes walking - at least 4 times.

So far this has worked great. They all enjoy sprinting more than running; they don't feel guilty during the walk because they know it is important; they are all maintaining or actually improving their endurance without hurting their backs; and a few have already reported not only passing their test, but improving their times significantly.

So you want to "get in shape" fast????

30 seconds as hard as you can sprint
4 minutes rest
Repeat minimum of 4 times, more if you can.

You might want to warm up a few minutes of jogging first.

Remember ONLY 3 Times per week. You can do other aerobic exercises on the in between days, but Don't sprint 2 days in a row.

NOTE: Ultimate lazy man's exercise: Stationary bike or Elliptical trainer in front of a TV. Casual pedal until first commercial, then ALL OUT SPRINT for length of first commercial (commercials are 30 seconds long). Then relax and casual walk until next set of commercials. In an hour program you get 6 sets of commercials/sprints, and no guilt for relaxing in between.

Or, some benefit may be derived from just occasionally sprinting during the day. Bike in the garage? 30 second sprint when you take the garbage out, and then later when looking for that screwdriver, and then again when doing the laundry. Just try to get in as many as possible 3 days a week and see if it doesn't have a positive effect.

BOOM BABY!! Now doesn't that information get your blood flowing?

Good Luck

Duane


Burgomaster KA, Hughes SC, Heigenhauser GJ, Bradwell SN, Gibala MJ.
"Six sessions of sprint interval training increases muscle oxidative potential and cycle endurance capacity in humans."
J Appl Physiol. 2005 Jun;98(6):1985-90. Epub 2005 Feb 10
 
Wun you wascally wabbit wun!

As a side note to the previous post:

Another aspect of sprint training is that it doesn't allow your body to adapt.

With endurance training (prolonged running) the more you do it, the easier it becomes. Enzymes plateau, and other enzyme systems actually decrease (such as anaerobic enzymes, AMP-Kinase, etc)

Sprint training never gets easier. "As hard as you can" will always be as hard as you can. As your muscles adapt, you will push them harder. Hence the enzymes being stimulated don't plateau or go down, and the benefits may be more long lasting. Which also may be why more subcutaneous fat was lost in the one study compared to the other group doing more exercise. Just a thought...

Duane
 
Duane, so all this talk about Anaerobic enzymes, is that what is burning in my lungs when I run, especially when I haven't ran in so long, well distance and running more than a mile? Please explain =)) I want good news that I wont DIE because I cant breath super well when running!
 
No, the enzymes are not why your lungs are burning. Some discomfort when breathing when first beginning to get in shape is not uncommon, but if the discomfort is as extreme as you say, and it is effecting your ability to breath, then you may either have asthma (chronic inflammation of the airways) which is only symptomatic when you are exercising, or possibly respiratory allergies to something in the air where you breath. Problems breathing when running, if severe, should be evaluated by a competent physician.

Duane
 
Leah90...I am in the Navy. I have been in the Navy for almost 10 years. When I first joined I never ran anywhere unless I was being chased. The only way to get better at running is to do it. What I did was start off by walking at a easy pace. Do this two or three times a week. Then when you are not getting sore from that anymore, add short periods of running for like a minute or two. Then continue walking. Keep doing this until you are in a slow jog. Eventually, you will be able to run the whole distance without stopping to walk. Once you can do that...just go back to the same principle of speeding up and slowing down without actually walking. If you stop running even for a week, you will be surprised at how much you lose in a short time. Also, add some strength training in as well. I still run 5 times a week. Anywhere from 2-4 miles a day. Depending on what body part I am going to workout in the gym. I usually run a moderate pace and then sprint for the last couple of minutes. The only reason I do this is because I like to get a good sweat going before I do my strength training, and I want to maintain where my running is at.
 
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