How could I improve on my Army APFT run in 7 days?

1. 61

   shawnyce.thomasposted 13 years ago

   How could I improve on my Army APFT run in 7 days?
   
   I usually run at about 17:54
   
   

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2. 0

   Yarightposted 13 years ago

   Do a lot of stretching! Take at least 5 minutes 3 times a day to stretch your legs, and abdominal muscles. The day before your run do not over exert yourself exercising as your muscles won't have time to heal completely. But, do stretch for about 5 minutes, and eat a bowl of Wheaties before your run.
   
   In my opinion I would use the 7 days like this:
   
   Day 1: Stretch, Jog briskly for a mile.
   
   Day 2: Stretch, run a mile.
   
   Day 3: Stretch, rest the whole day while eating food high in carbohydrates, and protein.
   
   Day 4: Stretch, jog briskly for 2 miles
   
   Day 5: Stretch, run 1 mile, jog another mile. Then run as fast as you can for as long as you can. (Do that 3 times)
   
   Day 6: Rest, Stretch, drink enough water.
   
   Day 7: Eat a bowl of Wheaties or any other high carbohydrate food. (This will give you the energy to sustain running) Also drink an ample amount of water. Stretch for 10 minutes at least before your APFT run.
   
   I would do something like that to get ready for it. Good luck I hope you get 15:00!

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3. 71

   chrisaltamiranoposted 13 years ago

   Here's what you have to know first off. Your lungs are like balloons, the more you exercise them, the more they stretch out and expand..the less you exercise the more collapsed they will become. 7 days..you're working with a short amount of time. So you'd better get to work asap.
   
   Prior to day 1: drink at least 1 gallon of water per day.
   
   After workouts: drink at least 2 gallons to replace the water you lost and then some.
   
   You're going to be running two miles in less than 18 minutes, lets say you want a goal of 16:54..to break it down to a minute faster than your last run. How you do this is by stressing your lungs so you can breath more easily.
   
   So try this. Use the treadmill and put it up to pace for a mile in about 9 minutes, however increase your incline to 3.0. This gives your legs and lungs the affect of running uphill and gives you more of a cardiovascular workout, rather than just running at no incline. Do this for one mile. Go ahead and rest for 5 minutes. Then put the incline at 0.0 (normal) and run another mile. I can guarantee you it will seem faster, and a lot easier. This is because you stressed your legs and lungs prior. Do this for the first two days. Then day three increase your time to 12 minutes. Day four to 14 minutes. Then day 5 to 16 minutes. Day 6 push yourself to 20 minutes and eat light. Same goes for day 7, drink lots of fluids and eat something very light. But make sure that whatever you do eat works for you.
   
   I don't agree with Yaright with the whole wheaties thing because carbohydrates are making you last a long long long time. But you're only going to be running for less than 18 minutes and plus not every ones bodies are the same. For example what works for me is a piece of toast (carbs) with some strawberry jelly (sugar) and some bananas (sugar/potassium) and that gives you tons of energy to play a full 90 minute game.
   
   So you have to definitely test which foods work for you and which ones don't.
   
   Another great tip I have to offer you is to get shaved ice, and mix your sports drink with it about an hour before your run. The ice mixed with your sports drink will give you energy, and cool your core. Enabling you to run longer with more energy since your core won't heat up so fast.
   
   hope this helped and Good Luck!

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