Well Ive taken my ASVAB test and gotten outstanding scores, Well just one problem i have though my weight, For the MOS(job) im going to be doing is Air Traffic Controllman and for this i need to pass several physicals, below might be some information that might help you experts help me, i have till january 7th of '08 to get down to 26% or pass agility test.

Age: 18

Height: 6'1

Weight: 270lbs

Body Fat%: 30%(this is based on the army neck and across the naval abdomen measures)

Some things for you pros to know the army will accept me with this body fat percentage if i can pass an agility test which consists of stepping up and down to a beat on a box id say about 12 inches high, few pushups, and situps. OR i can choose to get down to 26% bodyfat which is what i really want to do.

Here is some questions id like to ask,

1) What is a good way to shrink my stomache to lower my body fat the quickest way(doesnt necisarily have to be the healthiest way seeing as im on a time based schedule here)

2) Any tips on how to improve military workout(pushups,situps,chinups, ect)

3) Would creatine in anyway affect body fat% loss? or can i take it if im only doing cardio would this help?

My Diet

Well not much i can say about it other than its usually about 1500 calories a day. Which was a drastic drop from the just sitting at home being lazy 3000+ a day that i used to consume. What i eat,

Eggs(boiled, fried with non fat,cal, ect spray)

Cerial(usually under 180 cals per serving in the AM)

All green veggies(brocoli, green beans, spinach, the works i love green veggies)

Toast(i try to stick to rye bread, dill rye as its 80 cals per slice)

Fowl( chicken, turkey, wether it is lunch meat usually frozen chicken steaks with nothing added in them)

I also eat Boca, Morning star Frozen foods(like veggie based chicken and beef steaks)

Salads(with very light italian dressing and bacon bits)

Lean cuisines often when im in a rush(the ones i buy are always under 250 cals, no preservatives)

Potatoes( rarely but when im hungry i tend to crave these)

Tuna( i eat this often also as its high in protien and cals, tuna in water not in oil)

Frozen mixed veggies(usually green veggies but somes colored and mixed)

Rice(I try to avoid minute but i eat both brown and white)

A few questions on diet

1) is drinking diet soda bad?

2) Is chewing suger free <5 calorie gum bad for when i get say sweet cravings or food cravings?

3) lastly is ther other things you could reccomend i could eat that would fill me up but i wouldnt have to eat alot(keep in mind not looking for the healthiest way to loose weight seeing as im on a times schedule)

My Workout

(i wear a solar belt, wraps around stomache holds in heat i dont know if thats exactly what its called but yeah i wear it at all times)

I go to the gym from 7-10am heres a list of what i do, keep in mind im trying to do stuff to shrink my stomache and loose wieght( the army measures by the length around the neck, and the length around to stomache going across the naval)

treadmill( incline for 30 mins at a faster then powerwalk speed on ours it measures a 3.7)

Bikes(15 mins at about 90 rpm on lvl 10 random up and downhill)

Sauna(for about 1 hour split up into 15 minute increments with 5 min breaks)

Abs(try to shrink stomache)

Tricep, legs, chest(i do minor workouts of these to improve my pushups and running)

AND

Later in the day i run with the local stationed army soldiers n do a bit of military workout pushups,situps ect.

Thanks,

-Alex

A little glimpse at what im looking like at the time

http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p38/xaqinvisibleman/fat.jpg

Step ups are not only a good way to get ready for the step test, but they are good for your fat loss goal. When you're heavy, you might as well use it to your advantage. Excellent conditioning work too.

Start your step-up work with dumbells that you can handle for sets of at least 25 reps, and then add weight as quickly as you progress. A 12 inch step is fine, you can use a slightly higher one if you want to make the test feel easy.

Trust me on this one, you can build a lot of strength endurance with step ups. And if you prefer, walking hills is not bad either - there you might prefer a weight vest or rucksack. Technically the rucksack is biomechanically suboptimal, but the Army is going to do that to you anyway.

As a 14 year vetran of the Army I will say welcome to the service. :tu: As far as your job goes, you got one of the best in the Army :D To lose weight, you have a couple months to do it right. Take the weight loss in stride. Dont worry to much about the scale. look at how your body is reacting to the demands you are placing on it. You are young and a little big so chances are as you increase the demands you place on your body you will be increasing muscle mass as you drop fat. So really dont worry about the scale to much. What I would suggest is WALK! Every night/morning/afternoon whenever for at least 2-3 miles. As you get better at the walk start to jog/walk a little. As the jogging gets easier, jog a bit further until you can go for at least 2-3 miles. Watch what you eat. (goes without saying). Watch out for shin splints, a very common injury among young Soldiers. Start training your shins for this. You can point your toes up (think about touching your knees with your toes. Obviously impossible, but thats how to imagine doing the exersize) Hold the flex for 30-60 seconds and do this 3x5 times, twice daily. This will strenghen the shin muscle and hopfully help prevent the dreaded shin splints. All in all good job in joining our ranks and good luck with the weight loss. HOOAH!!!

Asking for advice on weight loss that may in any way put your health at risk is a bit of a strange request. I'm not sure what kind of ideas you had in mind here that people would be willing to suggest you try.

The good news is don't have to worry about this. There are plenty of effective and healthy methods you can adopt that should allow you to reach your goal within the timeframe you're working under. 2 months should be enough time with your apparent dedication.

For the diet, it would be helpful if you listed out a typical day's meal plan. The calorie range you stated is less than what would be required if you stayed in bed all day. You shouldn't feel you need to slash your calories in half with the amount of activity you've added to your life. There's plenty of room to still have a nice deficit that will peel the fat off.

With the way you describe your methods to shrink your stomache, you probably need to look into the myth of spot reduction. Crunches, situps, etc. won't shrink your midsection faster than working your totaly body. They require less energy expenditure than bigger exercises, so they'll only slow things down if you prioritize them incorrectly.

Are you using the sauna as a method to promote fat loss? I'm kind of wondering why you're in there for an hour.

You might benefit from increasing the priority of your strength training. I get the impression your gym session is mostly cardio focused. Extra activity is good, that's what you want, but don't fall into the trap of thinking lifting weights is only for strength/muscle, and cardio is what really burns fat. If you're getting a good cardio workout in with the soldiers you're running with, I'd make sure your time in the gym is focused on aspects you're not getting elsewhere.

You could always hit the treadmill for some walking after the strength work if you want.

If you eat and train right, I think you'll put yourself in good shape to pass both the conditioning and body fat tests.

i dont know why they're requiring you pass a fitness test. No amount of step-ups will get you out of that tower fast enough if a plane were to crash into it.

Hey Alex,

Good luck and congratulations on joining the Army. You have to remember that even if you get your BF down to 26% you're going to still have trouble with boot camp PT- so don't stop at 26% just because you meet the requirements for your MOS!


1) is drinking diet soda bad?

Depends in how much you drink. It's not going to hurt your weight loss goals but you still need to make sure you are getting enough water. Remember that caffeine dehydrates you so for every diet soda you should have extra water (unless you're drinking no-caffeine diet)


2) Is chewing suger free <5 calorie gum bad for when i get say sweet cravings or food cravings?
This should be fine.

Forget shortcuts and spot reduction. Get serious about diet and training. Passing an agility test is no victory, you will get in the door and get your ass hammered at basic, and be on the fat boy program until you get your bodyfat to standard. If you think dieting sucks, imagine it with a D.I. over your shoulder. You better be able to pass a PT test, have your bodyfat within standard, which for your age should be sub-24%, and be able to run and ruck like a machine. You will have all the time in the world to eat donuts in the Control Tower later, with a soft-hearted commander who will let you suck in your gut for the tape test, but the DIs will show no mercy.

Look up www.startfitness.com and SGT Ken, a lot of his training is geared around military requirements.
(Go to the GX articles, there is an 8-week preparation for the APFT, get on it now and you will have time to complete it by January.)

I forgot to ask, do you know when you ship off to basic? Is it on 1/7/08 or is that only the physical agility test. I agree with cajunman with the fact you are going to need to get into much better shape than 24% BF to survive PT during basic.

Well i have between now and 2 weeks into december to either past the agility test or get 26% bodyfat which is the armys max, as for my diet i pretty much eat what the list says but i just never go over say 1000-1500 calories a day, i try as many pushups as i can which i am very week at, yes the sauna i do for fat burn figured the mroe sweat the more water that comes out of my body, heres what i did today


Walked on treadmill incline for 30 mins

walked on steps for about 10 mins

did some calf n thigh workouts(figured it might improve my running a bit more)

Did 1 bicep and tricep workout to help with pusups

did 75 crunches in abouts 2 mins

went home

every hour i do max pushups that i ca or every 60 mins on the clock, ill admit i really suck at these can only do 6-10 an hour, help plz im lost here

jogged tonight for about a mile( got really tired) then walked a mile cuz i couldnt run no more.



i know things i may be doing may seem a total waste or no good at all but im here for help so i dont have a problem with being told im wrong as long as you help thx, ive always wanted to be in the military i really want in willing to work till i drop because i cant move no more to get in shape.

yes the sauna i do for fat burn figured the mroe sweat the more water that comes out of my body
Exactly. The sauna will get water out of your body. It won't do anything for fat. If you enjoy the sauna, that's fine as long as you're not in there for dangerous lengths of time. But it won't do anything for fat loss.

, heres what i did today


Walked on treadmill incline for 30 mins

walked on steps for about 10 mins

did some calf n thigh workouts(figured it might improve my running a bit more)

Did 1 bicep and tricep workout to help with pusups

did 75 crunches in abouts 2 mins

went home

every hour i do max pushups that i ca or every 60 mins on the clock, ill admit i really suck at these can only do 6-10 an hour, help plz im lost here

jogged tonight for about a mile( got really tired) then walked a mile cuz i couldnt run no more.



i know things i may be doing may seem a total waste or no good at all but im here for help so i dont have a problem with being told im wrong as long as you help thx, ive always wanted to be in the military i really want in willing to work till i drop because i cant move no more to get in shape.
The cardio looks pretty good, although you might be overdoing it a bit. Hard to say. Is it getting harder every day (indicating that you're not recovering fully day-to-day), or is it getting easier? If it's getting easier, keep it up. If it's getting harder, you might want to cut back, or insert a rest day every so often.

However, if you've got access to a gym or freeweights, you'd be much better off dong squats, rows, bench presses, and deadlifts than all those pushups and isolation exercises. You also need to have rest days to let your muscles recover.

You should probably up your calories a bit, too, especially if you start weight lifting. You'll probably need more than 1500 calories worth of food to fuel your recovery (you need the nutrients in the food as well as the calories themselves).

Yeah, i have access to a gym with everything you can think of in it, its hard to say really like today when i ran outside my house on the levy seemed alot tougher then the treadmill :S but i still did it was just tiring, was looking over that sgt ken stuff seems good but thing is i totally suck at pushups ill do 6 and then its like i cant lift my body weight anymore, i guess im just very paranoid i never stop a day to rest because i think im wasting time and every chance i can get to workout i should i guess this time situation is just driving me crazy, i mean i have to worry about my body fat at the same time that i have to worry about being able to do pushups, situps, ect.


oh another question, is creatine bad during all of this? i mean i dont want to take creatine then when i go into basic not have creatine and be totally week, i dont know if it will do that just saying and doesnt it retain water? so is it good to take when trying to loose BF%? or weight in general.

Yeah, i have access to a gym with everything you can think of in it, its hard to say really like today when i ran outside my house on the levy seemed alot tougher then the treadmill :S but i still did it was just tiring, was looking over that sgt ken stuff seems good but thing is i totally suck at pushups ill do 6 and then its like i cant lift my body weight anymore, i guess im just very paranoid i never stop a day to rest because i think im wasting time and every chance i can get to workout i should i guess this time situation is just driving me crazy, i mean i have to worry about my body fat at the same time that i have to worry about being able to do pushups, situps, ect.


oh another question, is creatine bad during all of this? i mean i dont want to take creatine then when i go into basic not have creatine and be totally week, i dont know if it will do that just saying and doesnt it retain water? so is it good to take when trying to loose BF%? or weight in general.
Heavy lifting will help you to build strength and burn fat, both of which will help you with your pushups and situps and whatnot. There are tons of beginner lifting routines that would work for you.

Even with the pushups, you should incorporate some rest days. Especially when on a caloric deficit, it's possible to overtrain and make no strength gains or even get weaker.

I can't say anything one way or the other about creatine. Never used it and haven't really researched it.

From what I understand creatine is going to help you push out some more reps. It can't hurt but I don't think you're going to see that much of a difference. You're main concern right now is really to drop the BF. Push ups are going to be a hell of a lot easier when you're 30lbs lighter.

If you don't pass the agility test or hit 26% by two weeks into december will that buy you more time to get in shape? If you can get a deferment for a couple more months I think it'll make a huge difference. I know you want to hit the ground running, so to speak, but I think if you are now looking at only 6 weeks till your test it may be better take spend more time training.

Just my 2 cents.

Your right i dont get officialy sworn in untill i pass my pyhsical but my recruiter seems to want me to get it done by the 7th, but ima do it at my pace,


oh i also forgot to list some suppliments i take:

Creatine
Whey Protien with all amino acids in it
Omega 3-6-9
multi vitamin

I whole Heartdly think you should Create a Weight Lifting REgime. Doing 1 or 2 workouts is well to me seems pointless. You should try doing a Full Body Routine 3 days a week. There are some Great ones on this site and at T-nation. And for little Twist to your Workout is Do them HIT meaning do them as fast as possible shortest Rest Periods as Possible and High REps. Keep the Intesity Up and it will drastically help your Cardio.

Your right i dont get officialy sworn in untill i pass my pyhsical but my recruiter seems to want me to get it done by the 7th, but ima do it at my pace,


oh i also forgot to list some suppliments i take:

Creatine
Whey Protien with all amino acids in it
Omega 3-6-9
multi vitamin

Hey Alex,

This is just my own opinion so do whatever you see is fit- I think it's great that you want to join the army. I've personally been contemplating the Marine Corps for sometime. However, I think it's in your best interest to give yourself some more time to get physically fit. This is by far the best decision to make instead of trying to meet the bare minimum standards in the next 6 weeks. You should be going to basic at 13% BF- not 26%.

The reality is at 26% you are going to be one of the bigger guys there and won't really be able to keep up with the others simply because they are going to be at a better starting point than you.

Your Army recruiter can be a good source of information. However, remember it's all a numbers game for him. The reason why he wants to get you in on the 7th is not because he thinks you'll be ready for basic. It's because you meet the minimum requirements and he's getting another person into the military. Unless you signed all the contracts you have the option to give yourself some time. I think in 6 months you can be down 50lbs (2lbs a week) and be more than ready for boot camp.

Again, it's just my opinion but maybe it's something to think about.

Sauna is a complete waste of time. Only use for sauna is recovery or to dehydrate to make weight for a weight class in a sport. If you are lucky enough to survive basic, perhaps you will be doubly blessed and get to see a country fondly referred to as "the sandbox" - sauna all the time, especially when wearing full battle gear!! Guess what, as unbelievable as it seems, I have seen soldiers go there and get fatter! Also, the locals (who live in sauna all year round) are not all ripped with six packs - in fact, there are quite a few fatties!! Guess what else, the DI is not going to make you sweat by letting you sit on your butt in a little hot wooden room, he is going to make you sweat by running your ass into the ground, holding your rifle above your head!! You are wasting an hour that could be spent exercising!!

Creatine is a waste. Not forever, but for where you are and what you need to be doing, the creatine adds nothing. You will get plenty of results out of good hard exercise and clean eating.

Where exactly are you, physically?? If you can't do 10 pushups or run two miles, you are going to have "ABUSE ME" stamped on your forehead first day of basic! You will be the target of every DI within a ten-mile radius!
MINIMUM STANDARDS for your age are 40+ pushups in 2 minutes, 50+ situps in 2 minutes, and run 2 miles in under 16 minutes. This is not hard, but if you can't do it, your life will be. DIs will get you to that point, but it will not be fun getting there.
Take a look at this prep (actually for OCS, but could still apply):
OCS Prep Workout (http://www.chicagomarineofficer.com/Downloads/PT/ocsprepworkout.pdf)

Finally, I am as old-school hardcore lifter as anyone on this forum, but I would caution you against centering your workouts around lifting weights until you have 100% confidence that you can meet the minimum standards in the events that the military tests. Your DI is not going to give two shits what your bench is, your quad/ham strength ratio, or how much you can deadlift - he wants you to meet standard, period. Like it or not, the military exercise regimens tend to be centered around running, calisthenics, bodyweight exercises, partner-resisted exercises, etc - all the shit you could do in the middle of nowhere with your rifle, your buddy, and your rucksack. (Ironically, we deploy with weights and cardio equipment that your local Golds would envy.) And that will be the PT you get at basic, and I have a feeling you will get more than your share.

DO NOT go until you are ready! Talk to your parents, talk to the local soldiers for information. Recruiters are not bad people, yours may think he is doing you a favor because you want to join, but I don't think he realizes that basic will be a living hell for you if you go unprepared.

(I personally do not believe you need to be 13%. But you better be under 20%, and you better be able to pass a PT test.)
:gl:

You can't be trying to get in the best shape possible on less than 1500 calories. It sounds like you're eating like a 110 lb female.

I saw your list of food choices which mostly look fine, but your daily combination of them is almost certainly suboptimal. It's a simple mindset to think if a little less food is good for fat loss, then a whole lot less must be even better.

Lots of good advice above; you need a combination of smarter and harder training. Focus it in a way that will have a positive carryover towards the level of conditioning that will be expected out of you.

Do them HIT meaning do them as fast as possible shortest Rest Periods as Possible and High REps. Keep the Intesity Up and it will drastically help your Cardio.

That's not HIT training.

Alex, I'll be honest and blunt with you: I don't see anyway that you are going to drop 4% bodyfat in the next eight weeks unless you really step up the workouts and your intensity. Right now you need to scrap everything but your choice of foods.

First, the diet. You need to be consuming more than 1,500 calories. You need at minimum 3,200 calories just to do nothing but sit around the house all day. Up your calories to 2,200. Eat five small meals a day. The foods you listed are pretty good. Don't be afraid of eating some healthy fats.

Second, you need to focus on cardio for your fat loss. Forget walking on the treadmill or riding a stationary bike. Why? Because in basic training, you are going to be running through mud, rain, wind...get used to it now. Get outside and get to running. You say you can jog about a mile? Good. That's a start. You need to do some interval training. Jog for two minutes, sprint for 30 seconds and then walk for a minute. Repeat this for 45 minutes. Do this 3x a week.

For strength, you need to focus your attention on the big three compound lifts and pushups. Forget working your arms. Pushups require triceps, but they mainly work the chest. The big three compound lifts are squats, deadlifts and bench presses. You only have eight weeks, so I'd suggest going to to the gym 2x a week and do the following

Squat 5x5
Deadlift 5x5
Bench Press 5x5

Rest about 2 minutes after each set

On the days you aren't lifting, do the following 2-3x a week:

Pushup 1x100

(How ever many sets it takes you to get there...it may be something like 10, 10, 8, 8, 7, 6, 6, 5, etc..) but the idea is to complete them as quick as you can. Don't do 6-10 every hour for a couple of hours. You aren't building any endurance that way. When I first started doing 100s, I couldn't do more than 12 in a row. I can now do over 60.

Chinups 1x12

Same idea. If you can only do two now, it'd be something like 2, 2, 1, 1, etc...keep going until you have 12 done. Again, I could barely finish 2 when I started, now I can finish 12 without stopping.

Stepups 1x100

Depending on how quick you can do these, you may want to either add weight by holding a dumbbell or wearing a vest or adding more steps. 100 steps is equal to climbing an eight story building. Aim for that and then maybe a 12 story and then a 20 story, etc...Just build up from what you can do.

Don't worry about trying to shrink your waist. Between the cardio and heavy lifts, your midsection will be taken care of.

I think eight weeks is the minimum amount of time one would need to achieve a 4% bodyfat reduction. Can it be done? Yes, but only if you are willing to grit your teeth and push through the pain and mental roadblocks. Stop the sauna and run instead. Eat more lean protein to get to 2,200 calories. Stop riding the exercise bike and do step ups. Drop the arm work and do pullups. Add in some heavy compound lifting. I think...no, I believe, you can do this! :tu:

Hi Alex,

It seems to me that this is the key to your post:

Some things for you pros to know the army will accept me with this body fat percentage if i can pass an agility test which consists of stepping up and down to a beat on a box id say about 12 inches high, few pushups, and situps. OR i can choose to get down to 26% bodyfat which is what i really want to do.

First of all, let me start by saying that I am not a pro (I just joined this sight today and this is my first post. Hello everyone.) and I am a little overweight myself.

That being said, if I was in your shoes, and my goal at this point was just to get into the army, I would focus on the agility test. I would do the exact routine for the agility test as often as possible, every day, twice a day if I could until I could beat that test thoroughly. That way you're guaranteed to get in no matter what, and who knows, maybe you'll end up under 26% body fat just by doing that with some good nutrition plans and won't have to do the agility test at all.

It's like playing sports: the only way to get good at catching a ball is to play catch. I know you'd like to get under 26% body fat, but I keep thinking that that will happen in time anyway once you're in the army.

:gl: