Calling all devil dogs or Vets for advice!

**Devil Dog74** · 07-02-2004, 10:49 AM

Im Currently running a 265 PFT i'm only 20 years old 187lbs 5'10. I've been on a strict Cutter for 2 months and its finally given me the body i want which is down to 9% bf. Anyways my biggest concern is i'm in the marine corp and i'd like to increase my pull up rate which to 20 *no kipping, and run 18 min in 3 miles. I've been lifting weights since i was 14 years old and i've never had to do pull ups until i joined the marines. Every now and then i'll do 13 pull ups once i cranked out 16 and now it seems i struggle with just 13 now

. I've tried rows, lats, biceps, military press *back workouts. I'm not really progressing at all. As for the running I'm in cuba and its always black flag over here

no good to run in the mornings because its so f^ckin hot here that i'll get dehydrated in no time. Now I do use a tread mill but I shouldn't really rely on that if i'm able to achieve optimal running in weather conditions. I know i should be running outside instead of indoors anyways. I'm just wondering if there were anything i can do to improve my pull ups to 20 *with confidence and my 5K run 0r 3 miles in 18 min (i currently run it in 22:00 min :[ Thanks

Devil Dog74

**cpt steele** · 07-02-2004, 11:20 AM

Hey bro when I was in we could kip, but I know they have changed that. The best way to increase your pull-ups is to do heavy weighted pullups. 6-8 reps 4sets, twice a week lets say mon and wed on fri just do a couple of unweighted sets .

On a different note how do you like gittmo? I think it sucks there but its not like you have a choice. Be safe bro

Semper-fi

CS

**Devil Dog74** · 07-02-2004, 11:31 AM

Gitmo at first was cool, but it got old fast. Soon to come down the road I think its gonna be fort gitmo LOL, thanks to the army. Navy doesn't have a very good budget. Its always hot here and Less twats about so to speak. Whenever I pt I try to get it done either first thing in the morning roughly 4 am or around 9 pmish because its so humid here

. Other than that time gitmo is well...gitmo... and let me tell u this everyone shares women down here lol. not to be mean or anything but women who rate a 3 in the states some how rate a gitmo 8 0r 9 i can't explain why but thats just the way it is.

Ok so i will add weighted pull ups with my workouts during back days which will go twice a week. Any more suggestions fellas?>

Devil Dog74

**63190** · 07-02-2004, 11:38 AM

For pull ups, the best thing I have found is just to do them slow and controlled for as many reps as you can. Just do them for as many sets as you can until failure. I've been on the Schwarzenegger plan and he says to do 50 total, no matter how many sets. I can only do like 13 in a row wide grip (palms out) and narrow grip (palms in) I can barely crank out 10. Just keep at it. When I started out I could only get 7 wide and 5 narrow. Also, make that your priority lift. Start out with the pull ups instead of leaving it to the end or some where in the middle of your work out.
For your running, I'd have some family state side send me a heart rate monitor. Train with that at 65-70% of your target heart rate for an hour on the tread mill every day. That will lean you out. It takes 45min to an hour to get your body to burn fat. For conditioning to make your 5K quicker, every third day, I'd run the 5K with a cammel pack. Keep a steady pace as fast as you can handle. Sprint for 15 seconds and then back to some thing comfortable and keep sprinting as soon as you recover.
That's some thing like I used to do in high school wrestling. You line up the team and start jogging a quick pace. The guy at the end had to sprint to the front and then maintain the pace. It just kept going like that for a half hour or so. Then we finished it up with sprints on the b-ball court.
Gassers some call it. Sprint to the near-side free throw line and back. Sprint to the half way mark and back. Sprint to the far-side free throw line and back. Finally the opposite goal line and back.
When you can see the end of the 5K, start hauling ass. This will help out your time.

**Hypertrophy** · 07-02-2004, 11:44 AM

Structure your runs. Like if you have a half mile track and want to run 1 mile in 6 miutes and are not able to do so currently. Run the half mile in 3 minutes, take a 2 minutes recovery and run the last half mile in 3 minutes. Do this and keep reducing your rest intervals. This can apply to your 5k/3.2 miles as well. Treadmill is fine. Research shows that it needs to be at a 1% grade to equal running outdoors that is completely flat. I would adjust the grade/% incline througout your run to mimic outdoors, but true, you will lose some specificity.
Good Luck

**Devil Dog74** · 07-02-2004, 11:51 AM

Originally Posted by 63190

For pull ups, the best thing I have found is just to do them slow and controlled for as many reps as you can. Just do them for as many sets as you can until failure. I've been on the Schwarzenegger plan and he says to do 50 total, no matter how many sets. I can only do like 13 in a row wide grip (palms out) and narrow grip (palms in) I can barely crank out 10. Just keep at it. When I started out I could only get 7 wide and 5 narrow. Also, make that your priority lift. Start out with the pull ups instead of leaving it to the end or some where in the middle of your work out.
For your running, I'd have some family state side send me a heart rate monitor. Train with that at 65-70% of your target heart rate for an hour on the tread mill every day. That will lean you out. It takes 45min to an hour to get your body to burn fat. For conditioning to make your 5K quicker, every third day, I'd run the 5K with a cammel pack. Keep a steady pace as fast as you can handle. Sprint for 15 seconds and then back to some thing comfortable and keep sprinting as soon as you recover.
That's some thing like I used to do in high school wrestling. You line up the team and start jogging a quick pace. The guy at the end had to sprint to the front and then maintain the pace. It just kept going like that for a half hour or so. Then we finished it up with sprints on the b-ball court.
Gassers some call it. Sprint to the near-side free throw line and back. Sprint to the half way mark and back. Sprint to the far-side free throw line and back. Finally the opposite goal line and back.
When you can see the end of the 5K, start hauling ass. This will help out your time.

Camel bak eh

I knew i should have been running with that thing. From now on i'll never leave home without this *till i leave cuba

. Pull-ups, I can't do them wide grip you know palms out. I can only do them palms facing me so it really feels like i'm working my bi's, back, lats and shoulders all at once

. the thing the marine corp stresses the most during the pull ups you have to do dead hang so the faster i go the quicker i become fatigued and the slower i go the less i can do because i'll still end up getting fatigued. i'll just have to keep at it till i finally crank out my max set. I want to be able to achieve more tho because even if i concentrate on 20 i need to get into the habit i can always do more like bench wise increasing 5lbs per week. I know bench and pull ups are 2 different things so i will try to concentrate on pull ups as my core workout from now on till i get a 300 pft

thats all i need for a promotion unless i wait another 6 months... lol. Anyways i'll be running with short intervals of sprints tho i wish i had a track to run on, Gitmo does have one but i live along ways from it... another thing is theres alot of hills so i'll be getting alot outta my legs. Speaking of legs should i do more squats, deadlifts and cleans. Yes i still do cleans mainly because i want more speed

. running short distance isn't a problem its always the long distance.

Devil dog74

**63190** · 07-02-2004, 12:02 PM

If you do full squats light weight mad reps that could help for endurance. Also, walking lunges with dumbells and straps or even the barbell if you've got the room. That will help to maintain speed on hills.
Straps could help you get more reps out of your pull ups. But make sure you only use them every other work out, so you don't get used to cheating your grip strength.

**Devil Dog74** · 07-02-2004, 12:15 PM

Check Sir, I'll get on that heh, as i'm typing this i'm also reconstructing my workout routine so that i can perform for my PFT and increase my strength. I may however drop some mass due to lots of running. I was thinking of just doing non workout days of:

Cardio 0400 am 45-60 min of running to start out roughly 3 to 4 miles. I'm gonna buy a heart rate monitor as well as a pedomiter to make sure i'm running the distance i need as well as i'm running with the intensity.

protein shake with peanutbutter no other source of carbs.

Lunch 3 around 1200 pm chicken breasts and EFA gel tabs probably 3 of those with CLA and a protein shake.

Snack around 14:30 pm peanut butter on a spoon 4 scoops

good snack to have i guess and 2 bottles of water.

Dinner 3 chicken breasts or 4 if the chow people are nice i guess kinda hard to eat what u want when ur in the military without actually paying for it. This is also followed by EFA's X3 gel tabs.

and around 19-2000 i'll run when the sun isn't up but its gonna humid as a m*ther f^cker

i'll run 2.5 miles sprinting intervals sprint for 15 seconds and jog for 2 mins i'd figure id go with this till i work my way up to 30 seconds of sprinting and from 30 to 45 seconds and so on. I know i can't expect to run to my best in a matter of days but i'm willing to go strict with this routine and i will achieve nothing but perfection. Anything less will be uncivilized

So guys let me know what u think i know i shouldn't have posted this on the workout questions but i couldn't help but add it in here i just wanted to make sure if this was a good idea before i get started to get it all in order.

Devil Dog74

**Hypertrophy** · 07-02-2004, 12:32 PM

Good Luck with your anaerobic training on a diet that low in CHO, shew wee!!!

**Darkness** · 07-02-2004, 07:13 PM

I can do 34 pull ups, but I've been doing them all my life!!! Do them with weights...go all out on it, get a bar somewhere in your crib and jump on it every chance you got, do weighted ones every time and non weighted once a week.

O-2 ~Dark

**cpt steele** · 07-02-2004, 07:37 PM

Originally Posted by Darkness

I can do 34 pull ups, but I've been doing them all my life!!! Do them with weights...go all out on it, get a bar somewhere in your crib and jump on it every chance you got, do weighted ones every time and non weighted once a week.

O-2 ~Dark

Thats what I said... When before I went to a.r.s I spent every waking second doing pulls pushups leg lifts and sit ups. When I was 19 and graduated ars I could run the pft @ 17.50 30 pull ups and 150 situps I was hard as hell.. Weight pulls is the onlyt way to get your reps up there with your natty weight. Happy fourth of July devil dogs oorah

**chicamahomico** · 07-02-2004, 07:56 PM

Exactly. There was a time when I could do that many as well and it was the result of frequent and unrelenting practice. Charles Poliquin has awesome articles which lay out programs and show variations on the exercise that target your sticking point.

Originally Posted by Darkness

I can do 34 pull ups, but I've been doing them all my life!!! Do them with weights...go all out on it, get a bar somewhere in your crib and jump on it every chance you got, do weighted ones every time and non weighted once a week.

O-2 ~Dark

**inheritmylife** · 07-02-2004, 08:29 PM

You're all stinkin nasty pigs. Now your gonna fry like nasty pigs. Get your asses on my quarterdeck! Pushups.

**Darkness** · 07-02-2004, 09:47 PM

Originally Posted by inheritmylife

You're all stinkin nasty pigs. Now your gonna fry like nasty pigs. Get your asses on my quarterdeck! Pushups.

What would Chesty do!!!

**cpt steele** · 07-03-2004, 05:01 AM

Originally Posted by Darkness

What would Chesty do!!!

Im Dan Daly byatch......oh oh I mean I Rick James

**Devil Dog74** · 07-03-2004, 08:27 AM

LOL

Thanks bro's weighted pull ups it is. I'll make it known i'll have to do them every day in my schedule 4 days on 1 day unweighted
I will strive for 6-8 reps weight and 1 rep for max after.

Devil Dog74

**63190** · 07-04-2004, 01:59 PM

Happy Independence day US people!
OK, here's what I did yesterday:
Narrow grip chins, no added weight. set of 10, set of 8, and ten sets of 3.
Seated cable rows, 1x12@140lbs, 1x10@140lbs, 1x10@140lbs.
That's all the back work I did and I'm sore as hell today.
I guess next time I'll do the weighted chins and see if I can get more overal reps.