I am new and need some specific help

[chimo2u]

Hello! Please forgive me if I am poating this in the wrong area. I am new and this is my first posting attempt. I am a 35 yr. old female, striving to join the CF by Fall of 2005. My biggest challenge is to meet and exceed the fitness requirements. I am currently trying to lose about 50lbs and gain the strength necessary to do pushups. I can not even do 1 pushup at present. Also, I have VERY low cardio endurance at the moment... I recently did 12.5 laps (which = 2.5 km) around the field house at the base gym (A very nice indoor track)... and managed it in a SAD 19:00. Mostly walk/jogged it. I know I have quite a way to go to meet my goals. I want to be able to run the 2.5 km in under 15:00 and do 10 full male pushups (even though the min required for my age is 7.... I want to aim somewhat higher. I am hoping to get some advice on a good starting point for my training, I really do not want to waste time, because I am only getting older each day that passes! ;D I have a plan of Full body weight trainig Mon/Wed/Fri and walk/jogging on Tue/thur/ Fri on the track.... Walking only to recover and trying to jog as much as I can in between. I find running is a bit hard on me right now because of my weight, but I am hoping it will get easier as I reach my weight loss goal. I don't want to injure myself, so this is a big concern in planning my Cardio training. Sorry this is a long post, but I wanted to give an idea of where I am starting and where I want to end up. Lastly, I want to join Reg force as an RMS clerk. Thanks in advance for any insight/advice.

 

[x-grunt]

Hi there. A good starting program for cardio and strength I found is the CF expres program guides. Each guide has different levels from absolute fitness beginner on up. You can choose your level, and it gives you reasonable milestones. The jogging one was really good for me.

Find them under the title MARLANT fitness program here:
http://www.psphalifax.ns.ca/FleetFitness/default.asp

Choose Jogging, and also Strength and Muscular Endurance guides.

 

[Farmboy]

Forget going to a gym and buying wieghts and all that other $%#%#$. Use your own streangth to increase your streangth. Go here to find out more http://www.mattfurey.com/

As for wieght loss forget all those diets ect., it all comes down to eating less calories than you burn.

You can eat fat, carbs, protien ect. it doesn't matter just limit your intake to around the 2000 calories a day.

It really is as simple as that.

 

[Bert]

Chimo2u

Theres many ways of improving one's fitness level.  The best thing to do
is talk to a PSP staff member (I see you have access to a "base gym") or
a knowledgeable fitness trainer at a gym.  Check out this BMQ video:

http://www.recruiting.forces.ca/media/videos/high/basic_rt_en.wmv

The fitness test may assess your levels using the step-test, push-ups,
and sit-ups.  These are indicators of fitness and not necessarily what
to train for specifically.

Looking at the video, you'll notice all kinds of moving around
with ruck sacks, climbing obstacles, marches, runs, and it takes a good
level of strength, endurance, and perseverence to make it through.
I'd suggest discussing your case with a fitness trainer and design a
program that will improve all around strength and endurance.

Make sure the program ramps you up as fast as you can but not
so fast that you risk injury.  Take as much time as necessary to get
into condition.  The fitness test generally occurs at the later
stages of the CF application process that may take 6 months to
a year depending.

Good luck.

 

[chimo2u]

Thanks for the helpful info so far! I am really appreciating it. As for talking to the psp staff to help me set up a fitness program. I allready asked and was informed I must be military for them to help me. Therefore I am looking to doing this on my own as I cannot afford a personal trainer. Should I focus on getting in shape now and wait to begin processing application until I can meet the fitness requirements or should I begin processing some paper work as I see it can take some time (6 months to a year or more)? Keep in mind I can't do one pushup yet, so I know I have alot of work in front of me. I live near Fredericton, NB if anyone can recommend a good trainer or place that will help set up a personal program. Thanks for all the helpful Advice.

 

[043]

Chimo2,

What MOC are you looking at?

 

[aesop081]

Chimo2,

What MOC are you looking at?

Mike...she's looking at RMS (first post)..........can't you read  ;D

 

[043]

Apparently not! Thanks Pat, and whew, sounds like a great trade for her.

 

[Strike]

I would suggest hitting a Running Room store and getting on a running program with them but I don't think there is one in Freddie yet.  If you are not much of a runner don't push yourself too hard.  Start by finding a good and comfortable gait that you can do for a minute or two.  Then walk a minute in between.  Slowly increase your running time between walking breaks until you get to 10:1 (Running Room method, which should get you to running the distance non-stop).  It's best to find a distance to start this at.  5 km is a nice round number and you will slowly see your non-stop running times start to increase and your overall times will decrease.  Take the runs at an easy pace and once a week time yourself so you can see your improvements.  Running about 4-5 times a week is good.

Don't injure yourself and GET GOOD SHOES!!!  Can't stress that one enough.  Also, cotton is bad.  Why?  Well, sweaty damp cotton weighs a ton, doesn't dry out, and chaffs (ouch).

As for the push-ups, I know going to the gym can be very intimidating.  Get yourself a stability ball and do some core (torso) strength exercises.  Most of these balls come with a set of exercises to do and there are also loads on the net.  If you can hit the gym, the rowing machine for about 20-30 minutes 3-4 times a week will help with your cardio, endurance, and strength.  This was one of my big exercises before I got in and it really helped with my push-ups.  Of course, bench presses and butterfly with weights is also a good one.

Finally, set a goal for yourself -- which you seem to have already done for the push-ups.  I try and achieve the same levels as are required for the guys -- except for the shuttle run 'cause I suck at it, lol.  (But I still get exempt.)

So, good luck and keep us updated.

CHIMO

Apparently not! Thanks Pat, and whew, sounds like a great trade for her.

That's really rude.  Glad your not in my trade.  Not many would put up with that attitude.

 

[bossi]

... I am a 35 yr. old ... striving to join the CF by Fall of 2005... currently trying to lose about 50lbs and gain the strength necessary to do pushups. I can not even do 1 pushup at present. Also, I have VERY low cardio endurance at the moment... I find running is a bit hard on me right now because of my weight, but I am hoping it will get easier as I reach my weight loss goal. I don't want to injure myself ...

Sorry, but I'm not going to offer any amateur advice on fitness training.
Your weight loss goal, if taken in relation to your present or target weight, represents quite a significant percentage (e.g. if you weigh 200 lbs now, you're trying to lose 25% of your present weight).
Also, you're talking about losing roughly seven pounds per month for seven months ... again, quite a significant pace over a relatively extended period.

Please go see your family doctor, ask for a referral to a (professional) dietician, and develop your physical fitness program with professional advice from both your doctor and your dietician, tailored to your specific situation, metabolism, and family history.
Please don't give yourself a heart attack by trying to run before you can walk.
Please don't ruin your knees - ask about low-impact alternatives (e.g. swimming).

 

[Michael Dorosh]

Forget going to a gym and buying wieghts and all that other $%#%#$. Use your own streangth to increase your streangth. Go here to find out more http://www.mattfurey.com/

As for wieght loss forget all those diets ect., it all comes down to eating less calories than you burn.

You can eat fat, carbs, protien ect. it doesn't matter just limit your intake to around the 2000 calories a day.

It really is as simple as that.

I don't think this is accurate.

Females require fewer calories per day to maintain their weight.  3500 calories = 1 pound of fat.  A 35 year old female of average weight needs about 1800 calories per day to maintain her weight; anything less, and you work towards losing, anything more and you work towards gaining.   

If your maintenance level is 1800 calories and you want to lose 1 pound per week, you would need to reduce your intake by 500 calories a day, or 1300.  However, exercise will also burn calories - an hour of walking, for example, will burn 200 to 400 calories.

There are some good websites that will help you calculate your maintenance level and the math of it all.  Easy once you know how - I've lost 10 pounds in the last month just by watching what I eat.

Best to see a doctor about a safe weight loss program.  Good luck.

 

[Michael Dorosh]

Here is a great URL.

For a 5'6' woman, weighing 170 pounds and 35 years of age, her maintenance level is 1896 calories.  That's assuming a sedentary lifestyle, think of it as "worst case."  They don't really define the activity levels which is a pain.

http://www.caloriecontrol.org/calcalcs.html

So if you were to maintain a 2000 calorie a day diet (and were 5'6" and 170 pounds), you'd actually be gaining weight, all other things being equal.

The good news - just about all foods now have nutrition information printed on them - prepackaged meals are great for that.  And even fast food can be researched on the internet - google "big mac calories" or whatever, for example.  You can treat yourself on occasion as long as you keep your calorie intake combined with exercise below the maintenance level, you will lose.