Para training

[Munnzy]

Hello all,
I am 16 and ive wanted to join the Paratroopers for a while now. Ive decided to start up my training. Can you please let me know if this is okay and if you have any ideas as what i could do also? I'm going to an Insight weekend in Jan. Im quite fit at the moment but i wish to push my fitness level to a new level. I have an older friend in the paras and he said it will be the hardest thing i will do.
Any advice would be greatfull
Here is my weekly training program

Monday - 2 Mile Run

Warm up before you start the 2mile March make sure you stretch off
well before as there will be no stopping once you have started the 2mile.


Tuesday -Upper body Endurance Training

Start with Press ups. These will improve the endurance of your
triceps, shoulders and pectorals. These will be performed in sets of:

3sets of 15 wide (Allow 30seconds rest between each set)
3sets of 12 normal
2sets of diamond

Once these have been completed take a 5minute rest.
You will move on to your abdominals, improving this will increase
your core strength. These will be carried out in sets of:

3sets of 20 crunches (Allow 30seconds break between each set)
3sets of 20 normal sit ups
3sets of 20 leg raises
3sets of 12 leg pull ins

Wednesday -2 Mile Run Fartlek Style

For these 2mile march you will be putting Fartlek into it. This is when you
Walk for a short distance, then jog for a shorter distance and then sprit for a certain time.
You will walk for 10seconds, then job for 10 seconds and then sprint for 15seconds.

Thursday - Full Body Endurance

Just the same as Tuesday

3sets of 15 wide (Allow 30seconds rest between each set)
3sets of 12 normal
2sets of diamond

3sets of 20 crunches (Allow 30seconds break between each set)
3sets of 20 normal sit ups
3sets of 20 leg raises
3sets of 12 leg pull ins

Unlike Tuesday you will also be improving the endurance of your lower body as well.

3sets of squat thrusts (Allow 30seconds break between each one)
3sets of quad rips lasting 1mintue each
3sets of 25 bunny hops

Friday - 2 Mile Run

This will be the best 2mile run out of the week, every Friday you will
time yourself and aim to beat the time you got last time. You will be aiming to beat your time by at least 1/2seconds every time. Once you get to a certain time that you are happy with, increase the length of your run.

[Greenronnie]

Never mind all the technicalities of the pressups, sit ups etc, just get some more milage in! Your shortest run should be 4 miles, building up to 8 or so. You won't have any endurance if all you doing is 2 miles at a time.

[Airborne Legend]

f*ckin hell! Less typing more running! Ronnie's right mate, smash the miles in to your legs it'll help you out no end. Upper body and core strength is good but it's no good if you can't keep up on runs

What battalion is your mate in?

[Munnzy]

Ahhh okay well il do more running then. If i start at 4 miles. And work it up from there. Should i keep the press ups ect or just forget about it and do miles?


Ahh hes in 2 para. Involed with the Apache incident

[Greenronnie]

No mate, do both! Just concentrate more on the running than the press ups/sit ups. Ref the mileage, would be a good idea to practise how fast you can get your 1.5 mile down to once a while too.

Was your mate injured in the Apache incident? Hope he's doing ok if he was. I was on the lash with a couple of lads from C Coy 2 Para on Remembrance Sunday, was good to see them back in one piece.

[Munnzy]

Yeah hes making a fully recovery. But he had serious blood lose and alot of flesh wounds from shrapnel. Hes out of hospital now but had to have hours of surgery
Thanks though

Okay well il do both then, my mate wants to join aswell so we both will do it and get our times down.

Thanks for the help

xx

[AlexATK]

Yeah i agree.

[SandyTheGuvnor]

Just so you aware the runs here start at 5 miles so make sure you can are at least able to run that distance. A lot of joes downfall is that they only train for the 1.5 mile run and it is a massive shock when the first run is over 3x the distance they have been running.

[Munnzy]

Oh right, well i have 2 years before i sign up so i will be doing plenty of cardio training. Every week or two il increase the length of my run

xx

[just_me]

Sandy, what kind of times are joes hitting when then come down to ITC on the 5 milers? And what kind of times are expected from the training staff?

[wanna_be_sky_god]

And too give a rough guide too the sort of times joe are running here. I took one of the platoons out this morning for a 5 mile run in 36 mins which included a a bit stretching so looking at 33 - 34, mins plus the first 2 miles was into a hideous wind.

[just_me]

Oh right, how did I miss that?