Fitness and being in the Army

**Mountainman360** · 07-11-2015, 07:50 PM

Sounds like a contradiction but it's really hard to reach my fitness goals with being in the army. We run damn near 20 miles a week and every morning from 630-8 were doing physical training. Which almost always involves cardio. I just wanna gain muscle!! On top of that, we leave for weeks at a time to train with no gym for miles eating crappy food. I've been in 6 years with 10 months left and can't wait for the day I can actually start working towards my goals without all this bs to slow me down. I want to lift weights, have my own routine, my own meal plan and have time to cycle without having to worry about going to the field for a month and ruining everything. This is more of a rant but just thought I'd share my experience with with everyone. The military preaches to stay fit but at the same time if I was doing things on my own I'd be in 100x better shape. End rant.

**Euroholic** · 07-11-2015, 08:07 PM

As you just typed the type of fitness that the army requires is different to looking aesthetically pleasing. There are alot of soft cockk jobs in the army where you can stay on base training all day. But thats no fun. I was fit from playing rugby when i joined the army and being in i lost fitness. You do realize the point of civil service is to give up everything whilst in?

**Mountainman360** · 07-11-2015, 08:23 PM

Originally Posted by Euroholic

As you just typed the type of fitness that the army requires is different to looking aesthetically pleasing. There are alot of soft cockk jobs in the army where you can stay on base training all day. But thats no fun. I was fit from playing rugby when i joined the army and being in i lost fitness. You do realize the point of civil service is to give up everything whilst in?

Definitely not a true statement. The 'point' of being in is to not give up everything, although that is a sacrifice that sometimes has to be made and I knew that when I joined (before I was into weight lifting) everyone has their own reasons for joining, saying that is just ignorant.

**Euroholic** · 07-11-2015, 08:10 PM

20 miles a week is not that much in military terms mate. You should be running 10km+ a day

**Mountainman360** · 07-11-2015, 08:27 PM

Originally Posted by Euroholic

20 miles a week is not that much in military terms mate. You should be running 10km+ a day

Yea if you want to increase the chance of injury by 1000%. Lol no one teaches soldiers how to run they just do it so injury can result pretty easily. Dumb I know. 10k a day is way excessive unless you're training for a marathon. Of course running isn't all we do but you can only do so much with body weight exercises.

**Meateater** · 07-11-2015, 09:27 PM

Originally Posted by Mountainman360

Sounds like a contradiction but it's really hard to reach my fitness goals with being in the army. We run damn near 20 miles a week and every morning from 630-8 were doing physical training. Which almost always involves cardio. I just wanna gain muscle!! On top of that, we leave for weeks at a time to train with no gym for miles eating crappy food. I've been in 6 years with 10 months left and can't wait for the day I can actually start working towards my goals without all this bs to slow me down. I want to lift weights, have my own routine, my own meal plan and have time to cycle without having to worry about going to the field for a month and ruining everything. This is more of a rant but just thought I'd share my experience with with everyone. The military preaches to stay fit but at the same time if I was doing things on my own I'd be in 100x better shape. End rant.

Do what you can to reach your goals. No weights? Focus on bodyweight exercises like pushups, chins and squats. Add some resistance if you like. Crappy food? Buy your own food when you have time and chow down.

**Euroholic** · 07-11-2015, 10:51 PM

10km a day is nothing. I would live and breath training when i was in the army. All day everyday.

If you only got 10 months to go just enjoy your time left. You can train how you want soon. I was infantry and i was no longer fit for operations and being a rear echelon whimp is not my style so i left. Being a civilian sucks balls!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

**crazy_rocks** · 07-11-2015, 11:03 PM

I understand what your going through. I just got out about two years ago and we were going to the field for a month or more multiple times a year, yes that's right. It was a hard charging infantry unit over achievers in both battalion and brigade leadership. Things may not be perfect right now but concentrate the time you do have on building good solid strength and learning as much as you can. When you get out in ten months you will be able to employ it like nobodies business.

20 miles a week is more running than you need. I always made sure I balanced it out with distance running and sprints on other days. Don't worry it will soon be over.

**Mountainman360** · 07-11-2015, 11:17 PM

Originally Posted by crazy_rocks

I understand what your going through. I just got out about two years ago and we were going to the field for a month or more multiple times a year, yes that's right. It was a hard charging infantry unit over achievers in both battalion and brigade leadership. Things may not be perfect right now but concentrate the time you do have on building good solid strength and learning as much as you can. When you get out in ten months you will be able to employ it like nobodies business. 20 miles a week is more running than you need. I always made sure I balanced it out with distance running and sprints on other days. Don't worry it will soon be over.

Thanks for the motivation brother. I do the same concerning sprints, long distance, ect. I like to keep it mixed up. Idk what army the 10k a day dude is from but there's no use in having a good cardiovascular system if your arms are too weak to hold up your weapon. Lol gotta work in upper body and core exercises every other day on top of running or you'll just be weak all around minus your calfs and quads. I feel it on the over achiever part too, I'm in an infantry brigade as well and the story is the same here. They love training and since deployments died down that's ALL we do. Stil try to make it to the gym as much as possible but it's counterproductive a lot and I can't even tell you how many times it feels like I'm starting all over due to long training exercises.

**crazy_rocks** · 07-11-2015, 11:54 PM

Originally Posted by Mountainman360

Thanks for the motivation brother. I do the same concerning sprints, long distance, ect. I like to keep it mixed up. Idk what army the 10k a day dude is from but there's no use in having a good cardiovascular system if your arms are too weak to hold up your weapon. Lol gotta work in upper body and core exercises every other day on top of running or you'll just be weak all around minus your calfs and quads. I feel it on the over achiever part too, I'm in an infantry brigade as well and the story is the same here. They love training and since deployments died down that's ALL we do. Stil try to make it to the gym as much as possible but it's counterproductive a lot and I can't even tell you how many times it feels like I'm starting all over due to long training exercises.

I use to go to the gym as soon as it opened at 5am before PT. Not everyone can do it but it may help with being to tired to lift after work.

**Mountainman360** · 07-12-2015, 07:43 AM

Originally Posted by crazy_rocks

I use to go to the gym as soon as it opened at 5am before PT. Not everyone can do it but it may help with being to tired to lift after work.

Tried this a couple times and said nah, ended up being almost 3 hours of non stop training before I even eat breakfast. I don't have an issue with going after work most of the time, I just have to eat a ton more for all the exercise/strenuous work I do during the day which sucks. Already on top of a fast metabolism.

**bignath4607** · 07-12-2015, 02:06 AM

I know about this only too well spent 17 in the british army dont get me wrong i was fit and strong but because of the deployments crap food choice on base oh and drug testing i could never achieve how i wanted to look been out exactly a year now and look so much better for it can still play a full game of rugby and be in the gym 5-6 times a week look and feel pretty good so dig deep brother and save it til you get out that way you can dedicate to how u want to train and when best of luck

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**energizer bunny** · 07-12-2015, 01:00 PM

Originally Posted by bignath4607

I know about this only too well spent 17 in the british army dont get me wrong i was fit and strong but because of the deployments crap food choice on base oh and drug testing i could never achieve how i wanted to look been out exactly a year now and look so much better for it can still play a full game of rugby and be in the gym 5-6 times a week look and feel pretty good so dig deep brother and save it til you get out that way you can dedicate to how u want to train and when best of luck

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17 years mate! only 5 years off the big 22. do you mind saying why you didnt stick out for the full pension? if its personal no worries mate.

**bignath4607** · 07-12-2015, 01:50 PM

Originally Posted by energizer bunny

17 years mate! only 5 years off the big 22. do you mind saying why you didnt stick out for the full pension? if its personal no worries mate.

Yeah it was getting harder not to chin someone as its changed so much plus i volunteered for redundancy and got it which has set me up for life dont get me wrong i loved most my time and have a lot to thank the army for but would t recommend it to anyone these days which is a shame especially now theyre ruining the pension

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**energizer bunny** · 07-12-2015, 02:09 PM

Originally Posted by bignath4607

Yeah it was getting harder not to chin someone as its changed so much plus i volunteered for redundancy and got it which has set me up for life dont get me wrong i loved most my time and have a lot to thank the army for but would t recommend it to anyone these days which is a shame especially now theyre ruining the pension

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Good stuff on getting the redundancy mate, got two brothers in the Army, wey one has just left. The other has been in 13 years but since he jined at 16, i dont think the first 2 years count towards the pension! so hes half way through. He says the same about the bullshit.

**bignath4607** · 07-12-2015, 03:17 PM

Originally Posted by energizer bunny

Good stuff on getting the redundancy mate, got two brothers in the Army, wey one has just left. The other has been in 13 years but since he jined at 16, i dont think the first 2 years count towards the pension! so hes half way through. He says the same about the bullshit.

Cheers pal yeah i was chuffed as i have a young family too so was win win yeah your right anything under 18 dont count for shit as you cant be deployed theyll do right on leaving tell them to take full advantage of the leavers package theres so many good courses to do especially if they aint already used their learning credits

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**thomas8883** · 07-12-2015, 03:57 AM

since I left i workout more now than what I ever did in the army but the big difference is I'm enjoying it more I had this same conversation with my mate who is still serving and he couldn't believe the difference in me now to the way I looked whiles I was serving