What can a female do to increase their PT score?

SGT(P) Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 21 Jan 2016 13:09:24 -0500

I'm a 26 year old female in AIT who earned a 230 on my last APFT. I weigh a few pounds over the weight limit. On my last APFT, I did 30 push ups, 65 sit ups and ran an 18:01 on my two mile run. I would like to get at least a 290 on my next APFT because it will be my first APFT at my first duty station. I am interested in ways to lose weight, improve my APFT score and become stronger and more fit.

Response by SPC Private RallyPoint Member made Jan 21 at 2016 1:12 PM

SPC Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 21 Jan 2016 13:12:10 -0500

One of the best ways to get better is to keep doing it. Find ways to do push-ups and sit-ups every day and run every chance you get. Walk to places that are close instead of taking a car. And of course always watch your diet. You can't out-exercise a bad diet. In the same token, you can't out-eat no exercise.

Response by SSG Private RallyPoint Member made Jan 21 at 2016 1:15 PM

SSG Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 21 Jan 2016 13:15:14 -0500

Not to be discouraging... If you want to learn spanish, do you pratice french?

You can get into a gym, or get a dietitian if you want.... But basically it comes down to self discipline.

-Do more pushups more frequently.
-Do more situps more frequently.
-Run faster then you did last time.

Unfortunately the PFT regiment isnt designed to Improve your abilities, but to maintain them.

"The ammount of effort put forth twords a singular event, will dictitate the quality/quantity of sucess"

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made Jan 21 at 2016 1:16 PM

SFC Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 21 Jan 2016 13:16:43 -0500

I recommend 30:60's and 60:120's for dropping your run time. As far as push ups and situps go just keep doing them. Mix it up with other exercises. The push up sit up drill works as well. If you want to go full beastmode I recommend Crossfit. Of course you should do your homework before jumping into anything.

Response by Sgt Aaron Kennedy, MS made Jan 21 at 2016 1:23 PM

Sgt Aaron Kennedy, MS — Thu, 21 Jan 2016 13:23:49 -0500

To run faster, run longer. Instead of training on a 2 mile course, stretch your legs and start doing DISTANCE. If you are able to do 5~ miles at "similar" pace, you will be able to bump your speed at 2 miles.

As an example. My half-marathon pace is 10:30 (yes, I'm slow). But that's a STEADY 10:30 for 13.1 miles. When I get down to a single mile, I'm much closer to 6:30~ (it HURTS, but I can do it), and I'll be 40 this year.

For the push-ups/sit-ups, focus on maxing (and surpassing by 20%) ignoring the time limit, then bringing them down to the time limit. Basically keep working them. Do them every other day.

For weight. Diet is everything.

Response by SSG Private RallyPoint Member made Jan 21 at 2016 1:34 PM

SSG Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 21 Jan 2016 13:34:23 -0500

To increase your run time, try doing quarter mile sprints. So sprint one lap then jog a lap. Do this for two miles and then work your way up to sprinting half a mile sprints.

Response by CW3 Private RallyPoint Member made Jan 21 at 2016 1:41 PM

CW3 Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 21 Jan 2016 13:41:11 -0500

Can you run a sold 2 miles or do you need to stop and walk? There are lots of different things to do to improve.

Response by SSG Audwin Scott made Jan 21 at 2016 1:43 PM

SSG Audwin Scott — Thu, 21 Jan 2016 13:43:45 -0500

Do more of what you are already doing. If you need to Improve your run, run more etc. etc.

Response by Capt Jeff S. made Jan 21 at 2016 1:51 PM

Capt Jeff S. — Thu, 21 Jan 2016 13:51:33 -0500

Diet and Exercise... There is no short cut to physical fitness.

Response by SGT Private RallyPoint Member made Jan 21 at 2016 2:16 PM

SGT Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 21 Jan 2016 14:16:25 -0500

I'm going to suggest what I've done and known to work with myself and every Soldier I've had - do NOT do pushups everyday. Incorporate it into a stable workout plan.

You want to improve your pushups?
Do sets of pushups with IOTV. If you improve your ability to handle a heavier weight with a specific movement, you can improve your ability to handle less weight (your bodyweight) in the same movement. Maybe twice a week.

For example: 3-10 sets to Failure with 2 minutes rest. Every successive workout, ensure you do more reps or cut the rest by 5-10 seconds.

You want to improve your situps?
Do the same with decline situps. Ensure you stop when your body is parallel to the ground. Your abs should be stressed the entire time. Do the same as prescribed above.

You want to run 2 miles faster?
Incorporate HIIT.

I recommend against simply doing the exercise more because I think it's a waste. You're a Soldier. Improve your ability to move in full gear WHILE improving your APFT score.

Lastly, good rest and good diet. Diet is what you eat. It does NOT mean removing calories. Your body needs energy.

Rant Complete.

Response by PO3 Private RallyPoint Member made Jan 21 at 2016 2:32 PM

PO3 Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 21 Jan 2016 14:32:27 -0500

rules of thumb ... 2121rest. 2 heavy workout, 1 light, then repeat it and end with 1 rest day. There is you one whole week of workout schedule.

watch what you eat ... it make a lot of different.

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made Jan 21 at 2016 2:44 PM

SFC Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 21 Jan 2016 14:44:12 -0500

As a female, I can say that fitness has to be a lifestyle for you. It can't be something where you wait 2 months out to want to start practicing for. We are already at a disadvantage simply because we are females. So, don't make it harder for yourself. If you have to get yourself a personal trainer, get one. Invest in you and your career. Me personally, I like to do 3 PT tests every week. Mentally, it helps me out. If I do them all of the time then what is it going to mean to me when I take a record? Nothing. It will be a regular workout day for me. At times I do it as a warm up to my lifts. Now, I have been in the gym for years so don't get me wrong, it took me some time to get to that point but set goals, realistic ones, for yourself. Obtain them, maintain them and set new ones. As another post said on here, there are a lot of different ways, but be smart about it and don't get so focused on one way of training. I weight train, swim, run, do the functional things in crossfit and a world of other things to train in different ways and continue to push myself. Just don't get discouraged.

Response by CPT Pedro Meza made Jan 21 at 2016 3:05 PM

CPT Pedro Meza — Thu, 21 Jan 2016 15:05:12 -0500

Not knowing about how much weight you want to loose, I will start by saying talk to your health care provider first; play it safe. Next the only solution to increase APFT score is to improve on those scores that need it and not to bother on those that are maxed out. Run Girl run.

Response by BG David Fleming III made Jan 21 at 2016 3:08 PM

BG David Fleming III — Thu, 21 Jan 2016 15:08:55 -0500

Take shakeology drink and invest in a P90 x or insanity DVD! I found this worked for me! At 54 years old, I still score above 250!

Response by CDR Private RallyPoint Member made Jan 21 at 2016 3:25 PM

CDR Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 21 Jan 2016 15:25:31 -0500

First and foremost congratulations on deciding that you want to improve your APFT scores by improving how you live. There are a couple of areas you need to work on.

First is diet. What you eat and how much you eat has a significant impact on how much you weight, how much energy you have, your mental health and your willingness to stick with a diet and exercise program. It can be a vicious cycle of eating because you are unhappy because you weight to much because you eat ...
Also hydrate, hydrate, hydrate. A lot of times that hunger is really dehydration.

Second, is working out. There are plenty of options, but first you have to decide if you need help or not. A work out partner or group who can motivate you is extremely beneficially to sticking with a workout program. Plus you can make new friends and have support when you need it.

There are a variety of places and ways to workout. At a gym or at home. The Gym is nice since they have the equipment and they often offer classes. Base gyms are free and a good place to start especially if you live on base. You can easily and cheaply buy a few dumbbells at the exchange and download a few apps on your phone that have workouts on them. Sworkit and the fitness buddy system from Azumio have both body weight and free weight workouts (that are free!) that you can do just about anywhere in as little as 15 minutes.

Third is motivation. You have it since you asked the questions, but you need to maintain it. Don't expect to get fit after one workout. Slow and steady wins the race. Make small gains and track what you are doing. (The apps are good for that as well) Set small goals that are achievable. Most people try to go from 0 to 60 and they don't see the goals they want right away and they quite. This is why having support from others is important.

Forth is actually doing mock-APFTs. The best way to do more push-ups is do push-ups. The best way to do more sit-ups is do more sit-ups. The best way to run faster is to do short quick runs and also long distance runs. Do mock-APFTs to gauge how you are doing and to see where you need improvements.

Best of luck.

Response by SSgt Jessica F. made Jan 21 at 2016 3:41 PM

SSgt Jessica F. — Thu, 21 Jan 2016 15:41:09 -0500

SPC Joyner,
I am 31 years old and after a nine year break in service and having a child, I had about forty pounds to lose to be able to come back in! While I am not trying to advertise in any way but what worked for me was 21 Day Fix by Beachbody which couples healthy eating with portion control and Shakology and has a daily workout! I also use Endomondo as a running application and subscribed to it and ran 3 days a week and it helps create running plans and helps with telling you when to run faster and does interval training which was awesome! Good luck!!!

Response by SGM Steve Wettstein made Jan 21 at 2016 3:46 PM

SGM Steve Wettstein — Thu, 21 Jan 2016 15:46:04 -0500

Here's the deal with all of those that say do more PU and SU. Yes doing more should help you score higher but you have to do it smartly. When you do weight training it takes your muscles approximately 72 hours to repair themselves. So, if you are going to do more PU and SU, you need to give yourself a break in between days you do them so you do not over train them. If you over train them you will be doing yourself more harm than help. It will actually break your muscles down and they will not repair themselves because you wouldn't be giving them enough time to repair. So, if you are going to just do PU and SU, do them on the days that you do them in unit PT or something like M,TH, SAT. You can do abs more frequently. A lot of people say that you can do them every day. I am unable to do this because I work them pretty hard, so I do them every other day.

Response by CSM Private RallyPoint Member made Jan 21 at 2016 4:22 PM

CSM Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 21 Jan 2016 16:22:33 -0500

First I will say, being a female has nothing to do with anything.

I recommend concentrating on your diet. That is the hardest part of being fit. You have to be disciplined in what you eat. You can cheat on your diet but it should be occasionally or one day of the week. Focus on losing weight, set a goal and stick to it. You will be surprised how much better you will be able to run without carrying around that excess weight. Cardio, cardio, cardio. Nothing burns the fat faster than running. You should be doing some type of cardio six days a week...running, jump rope, ride a bike, swim, etc. You must eat the right foods so your body has the fuel to perform the cardio. Lean protein like chicken and fish, lots of fresh vegetables and fruit, eat small meals at least four times a day.

Do strength training. Get in the gym and lift weights. You don't have to lift heavy but you want to stress your muscles. Bench pressing and tricep exercises will help with your pushups. Use a weight that you can do three sets of 10-12 repetitions. Do three sets of about four different chest exercises. Do back and leg exercises too. Start easy do chest and triceps on Monday, back and biceps on Tuesday, legs on Wednesday or do Monday, Wednesday, Friday.

For your situps, do exercises that work your lower abs and hip flexor muscles. Leg lifts, hanging knee raises, declined situps, planking. When you execute the anchored situp like the ones we do on the APFT you use your hip flexor muscles more than your ab muscles.

Doing PRT in the morning with your unit isn't going to get you where you want to be, you have to put forth the individual effort to exceed the standard. You can do it, if you put your mind to it!

Response by 1SG Private RallyPoint Member made Jan 21 at 2016 5:42 PM

1SG Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 21 Jan 2016 17:42:51 -0500

I see a lot of "do more pushups". Realize that pushups make use of your core as well as deltoids and triceps. If those muscles are relatively weak, your pectorals get recruited more and more. One of the keys to performance with pushups is to also work the other groups. Working to strengthen core muscles have the added benefit of helping sit-ups and maintaining good running form; taking stress away from your legs and hip flexors.

Incorporate pushups into your routine but it is important to balance that with stuff that will target the delts and triceps. Dips, row machine, and tricep extensions are good for that.

Response by CH (CPT) Private RallyPoint Member made Jan 21 at 2016 6:17 PM

CH (CPT) Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 21 Jan 2016 18:17:21 -0500

Here's what I've learned for myself: YouTube has number of trainers that will show you specific training exercises to improve your APFT score. In addition, check out the book BODY BY SCIENCE for strength training. For push ups, I do decline push ups VERY SLOW UP AND DOWN. I go as slow as possible in order to tap out as quickly as possible. I don't train push-ups again for a week.
For situps, I use a 25lb weight (find what suits you best) and do crunches to exhaustion. I then hold the same weight halfway up in the situp position, and do the other half of the situp from there, to exhaustion. Again, I do these VERY SLOW. It makes the muscles hurt and strain, and causes the body to build muscle in response to the strain, but without excessive soreness. I train situps everyday.
For the run, HIIT is the solution: Sprints are the only way to actually increase speed. You already have the endurance, you just need to run faster. Warm up, and then sprint AS HARD AS YOU CAN for 30 seconds, walk for 15. Do 8-10 reps. Rest an entire week. I cut 1.5 minutes off my run that way.
I understand the NCOs emphasizing that you need to just keep doing PT. That is very true, but a focused training regimen makes a faster, substantial difference. The body is designed to survive and conserve. It will keep the current shape and ability and resist change unless pushed to. You can do a bunch of situps and pushups and go to the gym and jog....and very little will change. The Body will maintain where it is and return to its set-points. You have to create specific tensions that force it to change and create new "standards."
Another book is THE FOUR HOUR BODY, which also includes an eating plan that I find the most reasonable and sustainable for weight loss and long term.

(BTW, I'm not a female...but I did lose 50lbs and go from miserably failing the APFT to passing in the 200s in a year. I still have a ways to go, obviously. But I discovered that just "working out" didn't do me any good. I had to have specific exercises for specific outcomes.)

Response by 1SG Private RallyPoint Member made Jan 21 at 2016 6:46 PM

1SG Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 21 Jan 2016 18:46:25 -0500

Honestly you can try all the greatest work out plans . You can change your whole life style and you can try a little bit of everyone's advice. There's only one way to be good at something and that's to do it. So if you want to be good at push ups or sit ups or running then you have to do those things. There is no prestigious training to a PT test. Don't let the Army 300 studs full you in to failure. Just practice those events consistently. You will get better.

Response by Sgt Tom Cunnally made Jan 21 at 2016 6:56 PM

Sgt Tom Cunnally — Thu, 21 Jan 2016 18:56:07 -0500

Have you thought about getting a Fitness Trainer to work with you?? Also running two miles in 18:01 could be improved. Try to run a mile in less than 09:00 go for 08:00 Use an exercise bike to help build up your leg muscles & then try running ...You will notice an improvement in a few weeks. I was a PT Instructor in the USMC so let me know how you are doing and we had to run 3 miles in less than 18 minutes which was not easy for many of the guys who hated to run.

Response by MSG Patrick Quinn made Jan 21 at 2016 9:44 PM

MSG Patrick Quinn — Thu, 21 Jan 2016 21:44:41 -0500

Holy smokes you have a lot of great tips to use! As far as eating, don't drastically cut your calories - your body will go into starvation mode, your metabolism will slow and you won't be able to fuel your fitness routine. Eat six small healthy meals a day, no processed foods, replace with real tuna, chicken breast, turkey breast, salmon - broiled or baked, not fried. Eat your veggies. Breakfast is your most important meal. Drink lots of water. Include whole grains and complex carbs (brown rice). Re: fitness, I love love love the interval training advice, make sure you strength train, and by all means do cardio. Mix it up. Write down your goals, keep an exercise and food log. My wife and I are both certified personal trainers (NASM and ACE), any questions, send a message. Now go crush it!

Response by COL Ted Mc made Jan 22 at 2016 2:59 PM

COL Ted Mc — Fri, 22 Jan 2016 14:59:42 -0500

SGT(P) Private RallyPoint Member ; The very first step in weight reduction is to push yourself away from the table at least three times per day. Eat your veggies, cut the carbs, up the protein BUT make sure that the calories are trimmed.

Response by SFC Pete Kain made Jan 22 at 2016 3:02 PM

SFC Pete Kain — Fri, 22 Jan 2016 15:02:15 -0500

Quit posting on line and go EXERCSISE. There are no shortcuts. Good Luck.

Response by SGT(P) Private RallyPoint Member made Jan 22 at 2016 8:22 PM

SGT(P) Private RallyPoint Member — Fri, 22 Jan 2016 20:22:12 -0500

Check out the Army Wellness center on your Post. At Bragg they have Certified Trainers and Dietitians that help you get a real measurement of your Health and Fitness then then they guide you to a path....You still need to put in the work but you'll be well educated and ready to succeed ,

Response by MAJ Ken Landgren made Jan 22 at 2016 8:33 PM

MAJ Ken Landgren — Fri, 22 Jan 2016 20:33:02 -0500

What males do. Train more and perhaps differently.

Response by SGM Earl Richburg made Jan 23 at 2016 12:16 AM

SGM Earl Richburg — Sat, 23 Jan 2016 00:16:00 -0500

The only way to increase your push-ups for your next APFT; is to do more push-ups. More that you did yesterday, last week, and what your doing now. Same does for the run and sit ups. Be strict in your form and have your battle grade and watch you.

Response by PO1 Private RallyPoint Member made Jan 23 at 2016 6:48 AM

PO1 Private RallyPoint Member — Sat, 23 Jan 2016 06:48:01 -0500

HIIT. High Intensity Interval Training not only helps your cardio it helps with strength training too. Start with body weight then move on to kettlebells and medicine balls. My second deployment I did a HIIT routine (off the web no money required) every day and did additional strength training and lost 20 lbs in 3 months (results probably not typical. I only hate around 800 calories a day a stopped lifting completly)

Response by MAJ Private RallyPoint Member made Jan 23 at 2016 4:04 PM

MAJ Private RallyPoint Member — Sat, 23 Jan 2016 16:04:04 -0500

I absolutely love that the NCOs have the most input in this. Keep doing what you do best!

Response by SPC Michael McKinney made Jan 24 at 2016 4:36 AM

SPC Michael McKinney — Sun, 24 Jan 2016 04:36:09 -0500

I'm obviously not a female, but I can tell you what worked for me when I was concerned about my PT score.

After every duty day, I would warm up, administer a PT test to myself, cool down, and go home.

Low and behold, it got easier and easier, before I knew it, I was maxing push-ups/sit-ups every time, my run score improved, but never did max it.

Response by SSgt Private RallyPoint Member made Jan 24 at 2016 9:32 AM

SSgt Private RallyPoint Member — Sun, 24 Jan 2016 09:32:51 -0500

Best wishes. It seems hard to make it (promotions) these days! SGT(P) Private RallyPoint Member

Response by LCDR Rich Bishop made Jan 25 at 2016 1:33 PM

LCDR Rich Bishop — Mon, 25 Jan 2016 13:33:34 -0500

Increase you intake of water, cut out carbonated drinks, cut processed cheese and chips, increase protein, fruits and veggies and eat more fruit or blend into smoothies. Change up you PT routine, instead of always running, do some biking or cross trainer. Use lower weights for strength and do more reps, Get 8 HOURS OF SLEEP.

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made Jan 25 at 2016 3:41 PM

SFC Private RallyPoint Member — Mon, 25 Jan 2016 15:41:47 -0500

Put down the cup cake and work out more