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Good starting workouts / exercises?
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Good starting workouts / exercises?Posted:

Sif-
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Asking this question because 2 things
- Google / Bing giving me a hard time searching.
- Going to enlist for the army in march.

What are some good starting exercises? I am a really lazy person and just wondering what are some good exercises...

Also *Insert super fluffy kitten here*

losing weight and trying to gain muscle and be fit for when I join the army


Last edited by Sif- ; edited 1 time in total
#2. Posted:
Morone
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are you trying to lose weight?
#3. Posted:
NathanielKnowz
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What I did for weight loss anyway which got me moderately fit was walking and jogging. Also try working push ups into your daily routine and try doing around 50-100 a day. You should see results even if you have your caloric intake at around 1500.
#4. Posted:
Halo
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Which MOS did you choose? Not a good idea to enlist if you're a lazy person, lol. They usually get kicked out fast by failing two PT tests.

Oh and you should check out [ Register or Signin to view external links. ]
#5. Posted:
Mass
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That depends on 2 things, do you want to bulk up, or lose weight?
#6. Posted:
Motivational
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What are you trying to achieve?

You need to give us a little more information here, are you trying to increase your fitness? Your strength? Gain weight? Lose weight? There's completely different exercises for each specific goal.
#7. Posted:
Casca
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RainbowBoat wrote Asking this question because 2 things
- Google / Bing giving me a hard time searching.
- Going to enlist for the army in march.

What are some good starting exercises? I am a really lazy person and just wondering what are some good exercises...

Also *Insert super fluffy kitten here*


All of the above posts give you some excellent advice. I would like to add the following.

Since you are located in Ireland I concentrated on that area. I have worked extensively with members of the UK MOD, both Army and Royal Marines. My knowledge is based on my experiences with them. The UK MOD has similar standards and training as the Irish Defense Forces. Most of your Physical Fitness (PT) will be circuit based (round robin where you will do a series of exercises multiple times). I would concentrate on loosing weight and working on muscle endurance instead of bulking up. Lean and mean is the way to go when entering the services, you can always add mass once you are in (there are tons of good gyms on all military camps).
Your PT will mostly consist of
Running (LSD - Long Slow Distance, Short Sprints...etc) You will run different distances and speeds to help with your fitness level and endurance.
Road marches (with packs)
Smoke sessions (where your PTI or Drill will make you exercise because you are your training group messed up)
Preparing you for your PT Test. All events are timed and you must perform a minimum amount of repetitions to pass. You must complete the run as fast as you can.
Obstacle Course
Swimming (if required for your job)
Regular sessions - Circuit training

Below are some links that I hope you find useful
Irish Defense Force home page with an explanation of their entry requirements
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Video showing thier standards for exercises
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UK Royal Marines PDF that has a good recruit training program
[ Register or Signin to view external links. ]
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UK Army pages that refer to getting fit
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I would start slow because you don't want to get hurt. Buy a good pair of trainers and break them in properly and do the same with a new pair right before you leave for training.

When working on the exercises I would concentrate on form instead of repetitions. It is very important for you to learn and perform the exercises properly. When you take your PT test your instructors will not count them unless they are done to standard. Do them properly now and you will gain repetitions as you go.

Give your self an initial assessment test - BE HONEST. The goal is to improve from where you start. There is nothing wrong with having a low score when you start. Give yourself a test every week or every few weeks to keep track of how you are doing and keep a log.


Good luck to you

DON"T QUIT


Groovy
#8. Posted:
PMSL
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If your just starting out and your quite lazy would go for

10 Pushups - 3 Sets

10 crunches 3 sets

joggng every 2 days or every day if possible

-----------------

If you do that for a while you will tone up your stomachm chest, arms etc and start to shred fat there. then you can start bicep curling, barbell curls, etc go to gym maybe.

And start eating healthy like

Pasta, fish, rice, chicken, salads you will become fitter within weeks. of course there may be alternate programs but this one is pretty basic just up your reps every week to see progress.

After doing this you will start to relise, your burning excess fat, becoming fitter, then you add in the diet plans, you will start to bulk on your arms, chest and your body will just grow, then start looking for more complex exercises to do when you start to gain weight and it will eventually turn to muscle just dont give up and stick to it.
#9. Posted:
Motivational
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Since you've updated the thread, I'll give an updated answer.

You're not going to make much progress if you're trying to gain muscle and lose weight at the same time. To lose weight you need to be in a caloric deficit and to build muscle you need to be in a caloric surplus. They both require two completely different diets and it's impossible to do both without the aid of synthetic hormones.

If you're enlisting in March that gives you eight and a half months which is plenty of time to get into a suitable shape for the army. Instead of trying to lose weight and build muscle, you should spend four or five months bulking and then the last three months cutting. This will ensure that you've built as much muscle possible and that you're as fit as possible within that time frame.

If I were you, sign up at a gym first thing tomorrow (if you haven't already) and focus on compound exercises like the bench press, deadlifts and squats and try to build as much muscle as you can within the next four or five months. By then, you should have gained some fat and a good base of muscle and your fitness should be very good. Then spend the last two months eating in a caloric deficit and doing a ketogenic diet which will allow you to burn off the extra fat that you've gained during your bulk. You should then be left with very little fat, a good amount of muscle and the fitness that you've gained from doing cardio everyday.

The reason I'd recommend that you bulk and gain weight instead of losing weight is because you're not going to be able to build any muscle from losing weight and your fitness will increase at a far faster rate if you give your body the calories it needs. Eating in a caloric defecit and doing cardio won't increase your fitness anywhere near as much as eating in a caloric surplus.

In terms of cardio, do whatever you enjoy. Casca made some good mentions with swimming and running. In Ireland, you should be able to find local leisure centre but they can be a hassle driving to and from and expensive for membership. If you're able to join up though, definitely give it a go if swimming is your thing.

Running is one of the oldest exercises in existence and it works extremely well. Just keep increasing the distance and your speed and within a few weeks, you should see your fitness dramatically improving.

The fitness and strength requirements for the army aren't that hard to be honest. My brother weighs around 100KG and he was able to complete the Royal Marine Commando training. I remember he said that the lack of sleep and food was far worse mentally than all the training, so I'd be careful of that too.
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