Okay...

I want what every guy wants... a six (maybe an eight) pack and a body that I can be proud of when I take off my shirt and everything else, but I'm worried that maybe that isn't really the best thing for me at the moment.

From what I've been told, "fat" is a required nutrient and it is needed in excess in certain people (ie. soldiers, fire fighters, endurance athletes) because it is a "slow release" form of nutrition that can be used during certain activities (say, 5 miles runs, obstacle courses, 20 hour patrols, 16 mile ruck marches, etc.) I want a certain type of body, but I am afraid that the type of body I want (as per some of the Army's nutritionists) may actually be hurtful to me performance as an Army Officer.

I'm actually kind kof stuck in the moment trying to find something I can do to get the best of both worlds. The Army requires endurance in Pushup, situp, and running events, but then it requires muscular srength inevents like the chinup and everyday ruck-marches and such. Are there any vets or current soldiers out there on the forum that have figured out a way to max the PT test as well as build muscle size?

All I've been told is, "put on weight, put on weight...." I'm getting tired of it... Now I'm 187... I can do everything thatI set out to do (PT test wise, Pushups, Situps, run, and Chinups), but I'm not happy with the body I have appearance-wise. Any ideas on a balance? What is a healthy Body fat percentage for someone that has to perform "daily", 365 days a year, at a moments notice? In essence, I'm preparing for a competition every day while performing every day as well...

thanks..

"Put on weight" means put on muscle.

Do you see fat marathon runners? Do you see fat elite athletes? While fat is an energy storage mechanism, it is not meant for high-level fitness energy release. It is your body's way of storing energy when food supplies are short.

Have you met anyone out of boot camp? They lose fat, gain some muscle, and get in shape. It's not a time for eating at a buffet and getting fat.

What will prepare you to be ready for a moment's notice is a very good fitness level and adequate eating throughout the day (acting as your 'fuel').


Okay...

I want what every guy wants... a six (maybe an eight) pack and a body that I can be proud of when I take off my shirt and everything else, but I'm worried that maybe that isn't really the best thing for me at the moment.

From what I've been told, "fat" is a required nutrient and it is needed in excess in certain people (ie. soldiers, fire fighters, endurance athletes) because it is a "slow release" form of nutrition that can be used during certain activities (say, 5 miles runs, obstacle courses, 20 hour patrols, 16 mile ruck marches, etc.) I want a certain type of body, but I am afraid that the type of body I want (as per some of the Army's nutritionists) may actually be hurtful to me performance as an Army Officer.

I'm actually kind kof stuck in the moment trying to find something I can do to get the best of both worlds. The Army requires endurance in Pushup, situp, and running events, but then it requires muscular srength inevents like the chinup and everyday ruck-marches and such. Are there any vets or current soldiers out there on the forum that have figured out a way to max the PT test as well as build muscle size?

All I've been told is, "put on weight, put on weight...." I'm getting tired of it... Now I'm 187... I can do everything thatI set out to do (PT test wise, Pushups, Situps, run, and Chinups), but I'm not happy with the body I have appearance-wise. Any ideas on a balance? What is a healthy Body fat percentage for someone that has to perform "daily", 365 days a year, at a moments notice? In essence, I'm preparing for a competition every day while performing every day as well...

thanks..

Based on the charts here (http://usmilitary.about.com/od/theorderlyroom/a/bodyfat.htm), I think the army would be happiest if your body fat percentage is between 9 and 20 percent. A six pack is usually visible at 9 or 10%.

All I've been told is, "put on weight, put on weight...." I'm getting tired of it... Now I'm 187... I can do everything thatI set out to do (PT test wise, Pushups, Situps, run, and Chinups), but I'm not happy with the body I have appearance-wise. Any ideas on a balance? What is a healthy Body fat percentage for someone that has to perform "daily", 365 days a year, at a moments notice? In essence, I'm preparing for a competition every day while performing every day as well...

thanks..

I'm not surprised about this. It will vary on the individual, but for instance when I was backpacking a lot (like nearly every weekend in the summer + 3-5 days 1/month) in mountainous terrain I, found 12-17%BF (no abs) to allow me to have the energy reserves to do this.

No way could I do that on my current 9-10%. Not only would I have to take way too much food now (I use to survive happily while hiking on 1500kcal/day for 3-5 days), recovery would take too long and I wouldn't have the stamina to go 4-6 hours of solid hiking without constantly eating. Actually, thinking about it I hiked the best at about 180lb which would have been close to 17-20% BF. Yikes!

But I do other stuff now, for which a lack of body fat is more beneficial.

Don't know if this helps you but when I served in the Air Force there were 3 of us that always failed the weigh-ins. And evry single time (you think they would have learned who we were) we'd have to remove our BDU tops to show them why we were failing. Then we'd get a complete attitude reversal to "way to go!". The only problem I had in making the pt runs was due to the air being thinner than I was accustomed. If I remember correctly for 5 foot 6 I was not supposed to weigh any more than 150 pounds. But for the entire 12 years I never heard one negative thing with the exception of the first few minutes at weigh-in.

Now granted I wasn't the fastest runner and I just barely made the qual time (but I hate running to begin with) but I made it and that's what counted. But if you are looking to set teh example and have a more continuous enderance beyond just qualifying then I would think you'd need to wander closer to the mid to upper teens percentage.

Not to get off-topic, but I have a lot of friends who completed the AT in straight months (usually about 5), and most of them dropped to about 10-12% on the trail. I think it's completely possible to keep 10% backpacking constantly as long as you pack enough light weight calories (usually dry ramen works best).

But unless the OP is doing long-term survival missions without many MRPs, I think gaining muscle and dropping fat is a good route.



I'm not surprised about this. It will vary on the individual, but for instance when I was backpacking a lot (like nearly every weekend in the summer + 3-5 days 1/month) in mountainous terrain I, found 12-17%BF (no abs) to allow me to have the energy reserves to do this.

No way could I do that on my current 9-10%. Not only would I have to take way too much food now (I use to survive happily while hiking on 1500kcal/day for 3-5 days), recovery would take too long and I wouldn't have the stamina to go 4-6 hours of solid hiking without constantly eating. Actually, thinking about it I hiked the best at about 180lb which would have been close to 17-20% BF. Yikes!

But I do other stuff now, for which a lack of body fat is more beneficial.

Thanks guys for all the responses. Now my "scale" reads 14%, and the nutritionists that calipers me says I'm at 9%.... which I know is wrong because I can't see a six pack. I think they're trying to make me think I'm thinner than I am...

I feel that when I lower my BF percentage, I lower my performance on things like the 5 mile run or even a 2mile. I'm running 2 miles in less than 13 minutes and 5 miles in about 32 minutes now, but when I was 2 or 3% more BF, I was in the 14s in the 2 mile and 35 minutes in the 5.

I started Airborne school today (cake walk), but I'm curious for after I complete Airborne and Ranger. I understand that I'm not lifting for a few months at all once I start Ranger school on 27 Aug., but I'm trying to set my self up for success and not hurt myself lifting for the next month in things that are required (pushups, situps, 2 mi. run, 5 mi. run, chinups, 2.5 mi. run in boots, and a 16mi. ruckmarch)...

I want to build more muscle for strength, but I don't want to lose the endurance.... Right now I can pass and max most of the events that are required... I want to "look better" and get "stronger", but not at the expense of failing PT tests...

Not sure where you got the idea that endurance athletes are anything but ripped. No world record marathon is being set by anybody who doesn't look like they need a burger--and fast. Professional cyclists are also incredibly skinny, bordering on gaunt. They have an incredibly low body fat. Some is necessary, but most elite endurance athletes are closer to 5% than to 10%. The extra weight is a liability and has to be carted around.

Now, if you want to be physically strong to carry not just your body, but also heavy packs around, you will need some muscle, but you do not need fat. Lots of muscle and low fat is difficult and takes time, but there are plenty of people with 6 packs, great endurance, and good physical strength. Losing no more than five more lbs I'd have a nice six pack and I'm a very competent runner and have a good bit of strength.

I'm not surprised that you were faster with less fat, because running is far slower as a person gains weight. Personally, I've done a good job maintaining strength with frequent weights, while doing 7 hours/week of cardio, much of it intense, heart-busting stuff, and some very long sessions of 2-3+ hours. That level of activity means I can lose weight on 3000 calories/day, which helps a lot, I feel, with maintenance of strength.

When I was skinny I thought my hunting buddy always walked my ass off because he was fatter and had more energy. Then I got fat and learned that no, I was just totally worthless at hiking. I started doing cardio, and now I'm better at hiking. I'm not sure if there's a big ol' conclusion to be made here, just thought I'd throw that out.

Every recon Marine I know/have met has been a big, muscular dude. And they do some pretty extreme stuff, possibly on par with the rangers.

I don't see how weight training could possibly hurt your ability to run, march, whatever. Especially since the body cannibalizes muscle far more efficiently than it does fat when it needs energy. If the body liked to burn fat so much, we'd all be complaining about how we're tired of our six-packs but we just can't seem to get rid of them.