Para fitness Programme

[FuturePara]

Hello all I have just joined. I was wondering if any one could give me like a programme for me to work on I want it to be hard and achieveable.

I haven't got the money for the gym so you will have to rule that one out, If you could give me a good starting point as I have only just started running the other week I am currently running 2.5 miles every day, I am also doing 3 - 30 second full on push ups and sit ups. But there is more to be done if I want to be a Para so if anyone could help me I would be very grateful. If it helps I am 17, Weigh 9 stone and I am 5 ft 5...yes I know I am small lol.

[Lou1607]

Hello,

I started off by running 40mins at a time and running on Mon, Wed and Sat. When running I went at about 70% so faster than jogging but not really speeding either. I had to stop quite a bit but just walked for 20-30m or so then carried on.

I also did a body weight exercise plan on Tues, Thurs and Sun.
The plan was:

20 Pressups
25 Crunches (more effective than sit ups)
20 Pressups
30 Leg raises
20 Pressups
25 V-crunches
20 Pressups
20 Tricep Dips
25 Crossover Crunches
20 Tricep Dips
30 Leg raises

I increased these as I did them until they were 5 higher, then added a 5kg weight to crunches and dips and went back down to the original number of reps. You could also add in Pullups if you have a bar etc. to work your biceps. I didn't.

I had Friday as a day off. No point in doing all that hard work if your body doesn't have time to catch up.

I did this for 6 weeks just to give me a base to move on from. I've moved up now to using weights for some of the upper body and doing a mix of 3 and 5 mile runs.

I've haven't been doing fitness for ages so feel free to correct anything here if I've made a muck up.

Hope it helps

[muzza1]

awesome starting routine that mate

[steve_14]

think i might give this a try m8 as im hoping to be either a para or royal engineer but a parachute specialist so either way i need to be as fit as a para.

good luck with your training

[Chris129]

Hi M8 theres no point asking people to see what they do for there fitness cos there program is tailored towards them!!!! All you need to do is know what you can do and build upon that!! If you can only run 3mile then just run 3mile at 70%-80% your MHR before you know it ull be doing 5-6 mile! When you have built a good base line you then can start incorporating other training methods such as Interval/Fartlek split laps etc...For start and to build a baseline try doing something called and aerobic curve PM if you dont kno what this means.

Im a qualified Fitness Instructor so if you need any advice then PM me...thats goes for any1 guys!! If theres advice you need ill do my best to answer if for you

[SandyTheGuvnor]

From my experience civvie fitness instructors know nothing about military fitness especially para reg fitness requirements, i have had former recruits with all these civve quals it didn't do them any good but at least they knew what the inside of the jack wagon looked like as they were always in it

[Chris129]

From my experience civvie fitness instructors know nothing about military fitness especially para reg fitness requirements, i have had former recruits with all these civve quals it didn't do them any good but at least they knew what the inside of the jack wagon looked like as they were always in it

Ok i dnt even pretend to know anything about Para Fitness because i have not done it yet but i did do training in the Rifles so i do have an insight into training and methods of the Army! I was simply giving the guy abit of info to build a baseline of fitness not give him advice on Military fitness.

[Lou1607]

Hello, I posted the plan about 4 posts up and to be honest I've changed it loads since I really got into it.
Managed to get my bike down so I'm doing a 3 mile benchmark run and two 5 mile runs with a cycle in between them of about 10-12 miles on average with some savage hills.

I know next to nothing about fitness really, but I'd have to agree with the other comments. Use any plan as a starting point but don't take it as the final word. I'd say just get running really, start off on 3mile ones if you need to and build it up.

When I first started running 3miles I'd stop ALL the time and never really keep going and I was getting times of 35minutes. I just ran another 3 mile with hills today and got 24.19 which is my new PB which I'm really happy with. The hardest part of it is in your head. Just keep plodding, push yourself to always beat your previous record and enjoy that feeling when you blast out a run.

[sky ninja steve]

lol rifles

[Dalishus]

to pass PRAC the key elements you need to focus on are;

pressups - all the way up, all the way down (not wide arm)
sit ups - same again, arms crossed and locked against chest
(you want to be consistently reaching 50-70 of these each in 2 mins)

cardiovascular fitness, stamina and agility for running

you need to get out running 4/5 times a week, consistently running 8 min miles or less for anything around 5 /6 miles or more (obviously build up to this)

you also MUST get out for some cross county running. uneven ground. muddy paths. jumping logs. catapulting yourself over fences and walls. through and over streams and rivers. UP HILLS (this will prepare you for Steeplechase - THE hardest event of the course)

note hills; you need to get running up big hills, hard

get used to a tiring warm up of 1.5 to 3 miles. then trying to do your 1.5 mile best efforts. always put the most effort in the latter part of your routine - when your tired

[HCR]

sky ninja steve wrote

lol rifles

You can show as much disrespect as you like to the Rifles. But there the only Regiment who are permanently based in Sangin. And I cant think of another Regiment who have suffered more casualties in Afghanistan. Especially the 3 Rifles BG who suffered more than any BG since Korea.
Show some respect to fellow British Soldiers for f*ck sake

[sky ninja steve]

wooooooh stop unload not disrespect just a bit of inter regimental rivalry all in good fun chillax man

[tempz300]

once your in the paras do you not get the fittness pumped into you day in day out or have you got to be super fit from the begining?. cheers

[gunner75]

you have to meet the requirements that joining up towards the parachute regiment/infantry entails for starters. However that said just 'coasting' it wont do therefore you need to have that extra shine over most, so the objective at this stage is to get your fitness far greater than the 'basic' requirement. when i joined i was told in advance what was needed so i proceeded to train so I could comfortably smash the timings, I took the same training philosphy when I joined the regular forces as an older recruit and found I was running rings around some of the younger blokes there.

to the OP.

as your small and slight build (9stone suggests that) you should be a racing snake. eventually you will increase your mileage to be doing 5 to 15 mile EVERYDAY (obviously rest days and differing training intensitys chucked in). id suggest that you will probably find anything to do with endurance/speed while running at some point fairly easy due to your size. DONT forget strength and stamina training - do so at your own peril. sit ups, press ups and pull ups all being fine stay out of a gym as no point at this stage your wasting time in there when you could be outside thrashing yourself. what you do need is one long drawn out hill and one training partner.actually you dont need a hill. anyway what you need to be doing is either doing hill sprints (sprint up hill jog back down - repeat until required sets are completed. firemans carries (carry your mate up hill - jog back down, swap goes). things like that will make you feel like your hanging out of your arse but they will do your stamina no end of good. make sure you regularly chuck them in. another one I used to do but itll make you look like a nutter is circuits in the local swim baths. typically swim as fast as you can from one end to another, climb out jump in, climb out jump in so on till required sets are done, five quick pressups then jump in swim as fast as you can to other end and repeat circuit. sounds easy? try it, its not after a few lengths. dont be thinking because your small you need to pack on the timber, as i said stay out of the gym. weight training will be a waste of time at this stage. endurance and stamina are your best friend at the moment. alright saying i can press 'half a ton' but no good if your keeling over after half a mile on a tab. you'll prob get the p*ss ripped out of you for being a short arse but then I did (but i werent short haha) point is everyone gets it so just get on with it and let your fitness prep do the talking. anyway most of the 'muscle' lads cant hack it and cant do the tabs or whatever - because they didnt stay away from the gym!

[Flintstone]

"another one I used to do but itll make you look like a nutter is circuits in the local swim baths. typically swim as fast as you can from one end to another, climb out jump in, climb out jump in so on till required sets are done, five quick pressups then jump in swim as fast as you can to other end and repeat circuit. "

Lol, great info dude, but I have to say....I live in Macclesfield...plenty of nutters here so i wont stand out