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Hello, I've just been down to the AFCO and spoken with a man from the royal navy about joining the Royal Marines (been twice before but told to come back when my asthma clearance was completed, which it now is)watched a couple of videos and was given my application booklet. My concern is that he said I should be running 3 miles five times a week and one 5 mile run with a rest day for swimming, this is on top of my usual circuit training (iam currently working through the royal marines cirtcuit training book. The blue one with the guy doing pressups on the front). Now I thought this was a little too much running, but if it needs to be done iam more than willing to do so, but I would appreciate a little advice as my common sense tells me this could be over training and may lead to injurys and may mean im not getting enough rest for my body.

Anyone have any advice they can lend me I will be greatful.




Thanks.

Get running, endurance is the word.

here are the days i ran on and it worked a treat for me:
tuesday = 7 miles in 45 mins
thursday = 7 miles in 45 mins
saturday = 8 max out sprints around a football pitch with 1 1/2 min rest between each.
after each of these i did as many heaves as i could.

i started by running 3 miles on these days and then you just build up through the weeks.
all of my other training i.e. press ups sit ups etc, were done in the mornings
hope this is of any help, toffee.

You can't just start running 5 days a week or you'll get shin splints or something equally as annoying. Start by running every other day then build up..

You need to build up your endurance base slowly. Start off running 3 miles three times a week and build it up from there. Before you start increasing the distance try and work on increasing the speed. When you can comfortably do 3 miles in 22 minutes build up the distance. You don't really need to be doing more than 6 mile runs though. Rather focus on speedwork and sprints. This is what I am now doing having been through the learning curve and re-entering the corps.

All the best,
Ben

Hey Woody, I'm a civilian but at one point came very close to joining the c@#t they found out I had cataracts and wouldn't let me in. When I was in college and afterwards, I lifted weights and ran like crazy. I got a perfect score on the running component of the USMC's entry physical fitness test, which required running three miles in less than 18 minutes.

The advice you got to build up gradually on your running is good. This is generally true of all physical fitness. A gradual buildup makes it more likely that you'll keep your motivation, and makes it less likely that you'll injure yourself. That said, I'd eventually aim for more than 3 miles five days a week and five miles one day a week. But in the short to medium term, that's a good goal.

Running (or bicycling or swimming, or a combination of those) is basically about cardiovascular exercise. If you're in your early 20s, a typical maximum heart rate for you would be 200-210 beats per minute. You should set an exercise pace that had your heart pumping at 75% of maximum, and for a couple minutes at the end you should go really hard and hit 190-200 beats per minute. (Remember: Not right away. You work up to those numbers over a few months.) The ultimate goal here is to reduce your heart rate at rest, which will happen as the result of the exercise. When I was in my prime, my resting heart rate was 50 beats a minute which is typical of athletes.

Your biggest risk from running is shin splints (muscle strain in the front of the lower leg) and tendon injury in the knees. The best way to prevent these problems is to do a good 15 minutes of stretching prior to your run. Also, after that big burst at the end of your runs, don't abruptly stop running but "wind down" instead. Also, use well-cushioned running shoes, and if it's possible run on a cinder, grass or dirt track instead of concrete. Some indoor tracks are made of a composite rubber, and that's good too.

Shin splints are merely an irritant, but tendon injuries can get serious. At the first sign of tendon injury (you'll know it -- sharp pain inside the knee when you move, starts off "tolerable" but builds until you go holy sh!t, what have I done), lay off the running. Get a styrofoam cup, fill it with water and freeze it. Peel off an inch at the top of the cup and rub the ice directly on the skin nearest the injured tendon. Do this for periods of five minutes off and on throughout the day. This will shrink the inflamed tendon and cause it to stop rubbing against the tendon sheath, which is what causes the pain.

The routine they've suggested for you will have you running six days a week. I think that will be fairly difficult to keep up. Start off by running a mile and a half every other day, and gradually increase it. Their full training routine will have you doing 20 miles a week. At my peak, I was doing 50 miles a week. Nine miles 4 days a week, five miles 3 days a week. It was a little extreme and I didn't sustain it for very long.

Also, if you can run a hilly course, that's better. Another alternative, if available to you, is to run up and down stadium stairs. It's very hard work, so don't plunge into that one anytime soon. One last thing. A real risk for runners is getting "addicted" to it, i.e., feeling as if you absolutely must run on a particular day. This aggravates more injuries than anything else. Please trust me, because I've been there: If you get tendonitis, stop running right away and do the ice thing and lay off for a few days. If you ignore it, it only gets worse.

Thanks for the advice guys

I'm useing the Royal Marine booklets and software to make up my of fitness time table. Because I'm still in collage its hard to follow there time table so I made my own.


Monday
Exercise
Kung Fu

Tuesday
Warm-Up
Exercise
Swimming
Warm-Down
Running

Wednesday
Warm-Up
Exercise
Swimming
Warm-Down
Running


Thursday
Warm-Up
Exercise
General Aeorobic & Strength Circuit
Warm-Down

Friday
Warm-Up
Exercise
Weight Lifting
Warm-Down

Saturday
Rest/Make Up For Days mist

Sunday
Rest/Make Up For Days Mist

Where I wrote Weight Trainning this is what I do on that day:

Arms -
Curls
Reverse Curls
Wrist Curls
Seated Dumbbell Triceps Extensions
Triceps Dips

Shoulders -
Front Press
Bent-Over Lateral Raises
Upright Rows

Chest -
Bench Press
Close-Grip Bench Press

Back -
Chin-Ups
Reverse Chin-Ups
Bent Rows

Legs -
Squats

Buttocks -
Floor Hip Extensions


Where I wrote exercise this is what I do:

Push-Ups
Sip-Ups
Crunches
Leg Raises

Snyder, that is good advice - particularly about the styrofoam cup; great idea.

Woody, listen to the advice about getting a good pair of trainers. THis cannot be emphasised enough. Get your running shoes from somewhere like the Sweatshop, where they will analyze your running style and find you the perfect shoe. Don't skimp on your feet. If you screw them up now it will cause you issues forever.

ive found nike air pegasus mike bowerman model to be the best trainers for all round exercises but ive heard a certain type of asics are good aswell

Generally speaking, people don't pay enough attention to shoes. They buy the cheapest instead of the best. Pennywise and pound foolish.