Greets,

First a brief intro. My name is Charlie, I'm from the Chicago area. I've been thinking of joining the Air Force as an officer. I already have my degree in Information Technology (with minors in Business Admin and Political Science). I wanted to try to get into the new Cyber division, or if not something in Comms. My problem is with the Fitness. Like a typical computer guy I'm not in shape. I'm 26 years old, and I weigh about 195 lbs. I'd like to try to get into shape within the next 3 months or so, specifically for the Air Force PT, but I want to be in shape anyways, and I didn't really want to aim for the minimum.

So I've been trying to run. I've heard intervals are the best way of doing things. So what I've been doing is a workout on a treadmill I made. It has a 5 minute warmup and cool down. In between I sprint for 1 minute, rest for 2 minutes. I do that combination 8 times. This totals (according to the treadmill) a 32 minute walk/run, at a little over 2 miles.

So questions:

1) Does that sound adequate? Or should I be doing something better?

2) How often a week should I run? Can I run everyday? More than once a day?

3) Should I plan my runs more around time, or distance?

4) How should I start working pushups/situps into the workout? Or should I wait until Im better at running?

Any help would be appreciated, thanks.

-Charlie Brewer

101 views and no replies?

Post this over on the AF Board and I guarantee you'll get a response...they may not all be helpful or friendly, but you'll probably get some hits that will point you in the right direction.

First, can you run a mile and a half without stopping? If not, that's were you need to focus your training for right now. If you can, make sure your intervals aren't too extreme. From how I'm understanding your post, you sprint then slow to a walk, the goal is to keep your heart rate up, so think more of a fast jog to a slower jog. Intervals are a good method of training, but should be used as part of a routine. You need to get used to running at a sustained pace.

You can run up to what you're body will allow, up to 6 times per week. Since you're new to running, injuries are a very real concern for you, so if you're body is taking too much of a beating, take a day off. At this point in your training, running multiple times per day isn't going to give you much benefit. Get yourself a good pair of running shoes (go to a store that specializes in running and ask them to fit you) and avoid running on pavement, especailly concrete, to avoid injury.

Time or distance? Both. But, first and foremost you need to be able to run a mile and a half without stopping. Work on this when pick up the pace.

Sit ups and push ups use different muscles and can therefore be worked on now.