What is the difference between these two vests?

https://www.511tactical.com/se-en/tactec-plate-carrier

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The only visible difference is the one-handed quick-release in the upper front.

I think my testosterone levels could be low. I experimented with steroids in high school, and I think the effects are finally hitting me. I was wondering if I would be putting my career in Jeopardy by telling my PCM, or if HIPPA protects me. I would appreciate some advice.

Hey

I'm looking for a training program and was thinking of buying the 'Calisthenics and cardio' program from Stew Smith. The only problem is that i'm playing rugby three times a week (so i've only three days to train). Anyone that has this program?

Do any military spouses have a hard time staying fit or losing weight? Why?

Does anyone of you already purchased a training program from those PPF Germany guys? I am an airborne enlisted. Looking for a good program to prepare for German ranger selection. I heard some good feedback from their programs already.

This is the link of their shop www.ppf-germany.com

I'm looking for some recommendations for a good rucksack or hiking pack that can take 50-75 pounds of weight in homemade sandbags and cinderblocks.

Ideal price would be $60.00 - $100.00 and toughness/durability is paramount and capacity as the Cinderblocks are 8x16x4 and the sand bags are roughly 10x12x18. I live in a rural area so ideally it would be something through Amazon or other online outlets.

Hi :D

I just need some general tips on how to formulate a plan/routine to follow to get into better physique. I've heard of people buying fitness plans online, but I'm not at that age where I think I could genuinely afford it (15). Currently a student athlete, but not the best.

Hey all, wondering if some of you could help me.

I need to cut about a a minute and a half off my 1.5mile/2.4km time from 12:25 to 11:00 over the span of the next 8 weeks.

I initially started at 12:55 about 4 weeks ago and worked my way down to 12:25 through weighted Fartlek and uphill runs but I need something more effective.

I have the 8 weeks and am able to train 7 days of the week and am willing to do what it takes to get that shit time down. Does anyone have any effective weekly programs that could help my time? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

My body stats are : Weight: 95kg/210lbs Height: 172cm/5ft 7

Cheers

Been looking around on how to take care of my feet when rucking. Out of curiosity, do callouses help your feet out when hiking and rucking?

I created a workout app from the US Navy Seals workout plan. It's six months of running, swimming, and other exercises designed to prepare you for BUD/S. You can check out the app here - https://haffitness.glideapp.io/

The plan it's based on is here https://www.sealswcc.com/training/navy-seal-swcc-physical-training-guide.html

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Let me know if you have any improvements you want to see! I made it for myself, but would love to see others use it!

I am a 21F training for the acft. Currently I am stuck at 225 and haven’t done anymore. How can I build up my strength to deadlift more?

Also I naturally throw 8.9 for the powerball throw. Not entirely sure to build up strength to do more distance.

Currently running a classic split(strength is def not where I need it)

Chest, Triceps, Shoulders Legs, Core Back and Bi's Repeat x 1 Rest.

I'm looking to incorporate cardio on top of this. Normally I do 30 minutes on non leg days and ruck once a week. Anyone have experience with doing cardio on such a lifting schedule, if so what ended up working for you?

Note: I've been following this routine for about a month now with def. Improvements. Just not to familiar with setting up solid cardio improvement routine besides hitting a bike or tread mill for a set time to maximize improvement.

I was thinking about joining the national guard. I seem to have the opposite problem compared to most people here. I run about 3-6miles/day for fun about 8/9min/mile except for Sunday and run about 8-10 miles on Saturday. However, my upper body is lacking hardcore. I can do like 5 decent pull-ups (from climbing), but I can do like maybe 1 push up on a good day. I also need to put on some weight for reference I am 59" (149 cm) and 90lbs (41kg).

htk fitness just came out with a new plan for the lockdown. It’s supposed to be only body weight and I’m interested on trying it out (you know how online workout plans could be) but idk if i want to drop the money for it because it may not work for me. if anyone has bought it yet can you write down a couple workouts for me pls pls

I'm a second-career guy, 32M defense attorney in TX. I've decided I want to achieve more in my life and want to serve my country. I've lost 30 lbs so far and need to lose MUCH more. I've been overweight my whole life, but am changing everything for the better. My highest weight was 300 lbs, but I am down to about 250 at the moment. I've only used diet thus far, and want to start the fitness part, as I've been especially concerned about injury at 280 lbs (when I started dieting).

Now that I'm in a little better shape and healthier, I want to integrate actual fitness into my plan. I want to go to OCS eventually, so I understand that I will need to be in STELLAR shape to keep up and be successful. I don't have any false beliefs about how hard it's going to be, or that I think doing this is going to be easy. I get it, but I've flexed my brain as hard as I can in law school, but never tried to work on my fitness.

I really need some tips from some folks who have been through the wringer, e.g. the overweight guys who lost weight and ran a marathon or (namely) joined the military and were successful. I plan on starting with in-home plyometric exercises, push-ups, situps, squats, planks, etc as we are still in light quarantine and I am concerned about using shared equipment until this dies down. I'm looking for guidance on progression, etc. Mainly, I'd like some realistic goals to set that aren't "lose 50lbs in 30 days and run a 7:00 mile". Anyone can tell you that. I've been heavy since I played football in HS.

I know there's gonna be alot of guys on here who are gonna sh*t all over me, and I expect that. I'm not so naive ot think that this isn't gonna be outrageous. I'm just looking for some guidance and help, even referrals to other pages or people who like to help people like me. I'm leary about talking to many recruiters, who usually give guys like me some attitude because I can't sign up today, so I'm asking for help from the general community.

Thanks for the help.

I am debating enrolling into the military I really wanted to back when I was in high school but was unable to lose the last bit of weight I needed to qualify with my measurements right now I'm dieting and running generally doing push-ups and sit-ups at least 3 times a week at 6 ft and 290 lbs. My question being do you guys have any recommendations for a relatively bulletproof plan that I can put together over the next say month or so as far as workouts are concerned?

Anyone have experience with Mitchell Strength or War Horse Athletics considering getting one or the others programs

Yo fellas I got sort of a conundrum. I’m 3 months out from army basic, Currently training for RASP (ranger assessment and selection program) going after basic. I need to cut 1:30 off my 5 mile and improve my ruck pace by a minute to meet the standard. Do y’all think that rucking has more carry over to running or the other way around? Should I be rucking twice a week and running 4 or should I run 5 times a week and ruck once?

First read these two threads.

http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=166574071

http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=166578481

Indeed along with track runners and manual laborers, I notice so many military people-especially those who aren't gym rats and those who are HARDCORE about military lifestyle to the point even in civilian life they still retain military habits- look down not only on young guys who lift weights because they believe young guys aren't building quote "REAL FUNCTIONAL STRENGTH....... But they even look down on using any type of weights including free weights because so many of these military types believe all weights do is build a nice body and to a far lesser extent increase "explosive" "brute" strength but fails to develop real strength such as the endurance to run a marathon or climb ladders while carrying a rucksack.

While I'm not none of the above nor am I an athlete specializing in any endurance sports such as tough mudder or intensive cardio activity such as swimming, I can tell you lifting weights not only made me stronger for real life strength (such as carrying heavy items across the farm fields) but I got a hell lot more endurance than I ever did in my life to the point I can now jog 10 miles (in the past I can barely jog 2 miles). This extends to every other activity I can think off-I jump higher, I can do more pullups and pushups, I can climb ladders more easily, etc ever since I got into weightlifting.

So I can't understand why military guys not only believe weightlifting doesn't have any benefit aside from brief brute strength explosive power but why they even look down on muscular (and really ******* STRONG and incredibly athletic young men) for lifting weights! I mean even many policemen lift weights in their freetime. So why is weightlifting so looked down by military types (especially those who are "HARDCORE" into military lifestyle)?

In army vs marine fights, one common comments I hear is that marine requirements isn't special by detractors of the USMC (esp servicemen from other branches in particular the army) because "the only difference is that you run 1 more mile and you do pullups!". However the belief pullups don't do anything different is not just something held by anti-marines in other branches. I saw this comment by a practitioner of HEMA which is basically reconstruction of lost European swordsmanship and other close combat styles including obscure historical wrestling styles and forgotten kicking techniques and so much more.

https://www.reddit.com/r/wma/comments/c5cssa/can_you_practise_sword_tecniques_using_indian/eszjqho/

(Marines are an exception really, because in effort to be "different" than the Army they decided to make pullups their main focus instead of more useful pushups, which is imo foolish because nowhere on a modern battlefield will you ever hang from a bar and pull yourself up. Unfortunately even the US military doesn't always behave in the most rational way when it comes to training soldiers, sometimes bowing to what is traditional more than what is well validated with empirical research. This is how Marines end up focusing on a battle-field useless exercise like pullups, and the Air Force requires its airmen to ride exercise bikes which again, has no practical usage for a battlefield. Their measuring a type of fitness level, but not one that is applicable to modern battlefield warfare. The US Army physical education program favors training for actual battlefield situations moreso than the other branches do)

I seen similar comments from other non-military subject specialists such as many traditional martial artists saying pullups are not needed and you are better off doing forms and older boxing coaches from the pre-Mike Tyson years say the same thing. As do some bodybuilders and weightlifters (who believe heavy weights are all you need) and other experts from a variety of fields.

I am curious does adding pullups to your training a big deal of resulting in more physical fitness esp strength and stamina? Does it really make people have far more endurance in the battlefield? I mean despite what people from multiple non-military fields such as gymnastics say about pullups being pointless, practically all hardcore jocks I know in baseball, soccer and other spectators sports of top popularity esp football do pullups in addition to the typical training of their sports and additional weight training. Same with Rangers and other SOF units despite already being top tier from their secret ops training. Even in the bodybuilding world, plenty of people disagree with the no pullups needed advise and do it in their own freetime. Certainly Arnold Schwarzenegger and Ronnie Coleman did pullups. In the boxing world Mike Tyson and George Foreman did pullups too and both boxers are renown for their hard hitting powers.

So I am curious is adding pullups a big deal? Even a number as small as 4? I mean even the female marines used to be required only to do flex arm hangs for a few minutes. So I assume that 3 pullups brings a considerable boost to physical conditioning?

I'm not sure if this is the best place to ask this but I'll give it a shot.

Pro Army guys who often go on marine bashings often attack the USMC PT standards as not being that different. In particular they often attack the Running requirements with comments in the spirit of "USMC bootcamp only requires an extra mile of running so its not that different".

I am very curious. Is running 1 more mile really bring a big deal changer in physical conditioning and difficulty in bootcamp? I'm not asking about the comparison of the USMC and Army basic training as a whole I'm just asking specifically about the running requirements being 1 more mile. Is that really a big deal?

In an off topic non military discussion, how big would simply adding a single mile be in running esp track and cross country? If you and your opponent are used to training at 10 mile runs but he only runs 14 while you run 15 miles on training days, would that bring a big gap in speed and stamina esp on running days?

Because I sort of see the Army guys' point. Esp since every other requirement of PT in the Corp requires a noteworthy higher number of reps to their army counterpart and even requires pullups which the Army standards do not....... Why is running not that much higher? I can see in everything else the Corps got it harder by a notable degree from pushups and situps to marching miles so I can understand why the army guys think its joke that the running standards is just 1 mile more in the Corp.

Can anyone clarify how 1 mile more is a big deal? I'm not an athlete and don't have any military experience, I just started getting weightlifting and working out in general so I don't have much experience in running. Is 1 mile more really much harder to do and a big boost in speed and endurance?

What is the best options to get military fit in about a month and a half? I can do push-ups fine, sit ups for days, but my shins kill me when running. I need to get better at stuff like burpees, and other endurance cardio type stuff fast. I’m not out of shape. Just in the wrong kind of shape. I’m in bulk light on the meat head kind of shape.

I’m looking for workout routines and the “tactical monster” from hard to kill fitness sounds like it would help me with my pt test. Does it (or other routines from them) also include running, or am I just gonna have to include my own running routine? Asking because I want to max out my apft before I go active (it’ll be a bit before I’m able to)

Currently in Phase 3 of the 6 phase, 6 month long War Machine Program. I also looked ahead to the next three phases as to whats in store.

What I like: The Aerobic Capacity focus of the first three months. It does what it’s supposed to do and appropriate for anyone who’s never taken the time to build a strong aerobic base with long easy running. This sets you up for more potential when you hit the running improvement portion. The rucking. Appropriate for those ready for 40lbs in your rucksack. There is no required pace, nor any pressure to meet a standard. Actual focus on rucking improvement doesnt happen until phase 5, and until then it gives you a once-weekly natural-gait natural pace rucking to condition ones musculature and connective tissue to rucking. This is progressed monthly by poundage and duration. The Strength and Strength Endurance phases. Test a training max, then progress via percentage work. First strength phase was Squat, Bench, Deadlift, Military Press. You do each movement once a week with a 5x5 scheme. My bench only improved 5 pounds as I am someone that requires much more upper body volume. My military press improved modestly. My squat and deadlifts improved greatly after not having done heavy lifting in 6+ months. During this phase I maintained my strength endurance and remained able to max out pullups on the Marine PFT. The Strength Endurance phase is a grinder. Just lots and lots of reps. Great core work throughout this program. I also enjoyed the hypertrophy block of this program. It was fun. Didn’t necessarily notice any improvements, though. Sessions take about an hour long. Rucking starts at 45 minutes and by month 6 will be 2 hours in duration. For the first week of each phase, there will be a video for every session to explain the sessions in greater detail and demonstrate the movements.

What I think some people may want to adjust: The amount of lifting, especially upper body work. I noticed very little upper body improvement throughout. I ran a separate powerlifting program on the side after the initial Phase 1 Strength block and improved via that. I had to manage my volume and numbers carefully for squatting and deadlifting. For those seeking to maximize the qualities War Machine is trying to improve (aerobic capcity and strength endurance in the early phases), additional squats and deadlifts arent going to be as beneficial on a pro/con scale. Now that I am in a strength endurance cycle, the strength maintenance sessions are a bit wonky. I generally don’t like Difficult but Doable prescriptions but I do them. However the rep scheme is progressed weekly from 4 to 3 to 2 to 1 rep with heavier and heavier weight. Without prescribed percentages I am hesitant to load weight on the bar. The movements for this rep scheme are: squat, military press, and pullups. Yes, a 1 rep max weighted pullup.

Who I recommend this for: Athletes who have some aerobic ability (able to run 3 miles, already running at least about 6 miles a week) and have 6 months to train before service or a selection process. War Machine is a conservatively progressed program - results don’t necessarily come as fast as an aggressive program but injury? I would imagine a near zero percentage. Mental fatigue? Much more manageable compared to more intense programs. And the improvements in resilience to running and rucking are noticeable even in the easy running and rucking phases. For an athlete without a comprehensive experience in weight training, this program will expose you to a variety of barbell, dumbell strength movements. No olympic lifting or complex exercises with questionable value (e.g turkish getup).

For those seeking only a portion of what this program offers - Atomic Athlete also offers standalone rucking improvement, standalone aerobic base, and stand alone running improvement programs. They do offer strength, strength endurance, and hypertrophy programs but I havent looked too much into them.

If I were to do Atomic athletes programming again in the future, I would start with their advanced aerobic base program, the “bridge” program, then their running improvement program.

For 30 bucks a month, it’s worth my money.

Hey everyone,

I came across this subreddit and wanted to share the free workouts that I use from Hard to Kill Fitness. There are a lot of great ones in there with mostly bodyweight, cardio, and minimal equipment sessions. Hopefully someone will get some use out of them!

Link: https://hardtokillfitness.co/blogs/free-military-style-workouts

I'm training for the army PT test, specifically increase my max push-ups in 2:00 min. I'm starting at a humble 21-25 in one minute. The advice I've seen is to do at least 100+ reps per day in the min possible number of sets (sets to failure).

My question is, how long should I rest between sets? With 1-2 min rest my sets look like 25, 15, 13, 10... Should I rest longer, shorter or about the same with my goal being muscular endurance?

When I Google this the answers are usually for the goal of building muscle and are not in the context of doing reps to failure.