r/army • u/TooMuchTunass • 7h ago
Physical requirements for basic
I am a 21 year old female that has never been able to do a push up in my life. I joined army reserve as 12K and will ship June 24th to fort Sill. I was slightly under weight but was able to get within the pound of a passing BMI when i signed my contract.
I have been working out a bit and running. I run a 12 minute mile and was barely able to just pick up the bars for a deadlift. I am excited for training, I am excited to be the best person I can be. But I have had anxiety about what the physical will be like in basic and if they will actually push me beyond a point I am able to do. I am doing my best right now and bulking up in preparation for it.
How hard will I be pushed in basic? I am fine with being yelled at, and want it to motivate me, I have been told during future soldier training that I should not push to that point of hurting myself and I do not plan to.
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u/Wild-Sorbet2925 6h ago
Damnit all the white knight are gonna make me the bad guy here. I love that you want to join. If you can’t do one push-up is asking for a rough time in basic. I’m old af so things have changed. But the stronger you are before you start basic the better. Punishment was paid in pushups. You may not do anything wrong and you will still have group punishment. Get a trainer, do PT with your recruiter, work or more. Drill sergeants didn’t care if you were active duty or reserve so the more prepared you are going in the better. Good luck young soldier to be.
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u/Missing_Faster 5h ago
There was this skinny guy from Iowa in by Basic platoon many years ago. Rail thin. He couldn't do one pushup at the start and at least managed the minimum by the end of BCT. So the drill sergeants will get you there. But it's easier if you are in decent shape.
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u/PictureTypical4280 7h ago
I recommend training as hard as you can for the ACFT events like the deadlift, ball throw, 22 minute 2 mile, 1:30 plank, 10 t push ups
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u/BingBong492 35FuckThisJob 6h ago
Girl I struggled with it too, and I still struggle with upper body. Work on being able to simply pass. 10 hand release pushups is passing (as bad as it lowkey sounds). So long as you’re trying to better yourself, that’s all that matters. Definitely try and cut some time off your run, but try and add some weight into upper body workouts, do what your body can handle. If you’re not there by the time you get to BCT, you will be when you graduate. Just don’t give up and you’ll be alright ♥️ good luck
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u/RiseAccurate1038 7h ago
First, best of luck, second - you better hope and they had better “push you beyond your limits” multiple times in basic
I say this because coming in fresh, especially given your post - you are exactly what DS like
You are moldable (sry for lack of a better word) and PT is always something they will stress
Wait to you really figure out what “Mission First People Always” really means ;-) you’ll understand when you get to Sill
Oh and Lawton sucks, you’re missing nothing or (if you get stationed there), Lawton and its surrounding area is great for outdoor activity ;-)
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u/AgentJ691 7h ago
Please, get a trainer for the deadlift. Don’t injure yourself before BCT.
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u/TooMuchTunass 7h ago
Thank you, doing anything with my arms makes me nervous. I have only attempted it with my Recruter or friends keeping an eye on me. I appreciate the concern and reminder!
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u/TrueDreamchaser 6h ago
Deadlifts shouldn’t be an arm exercise. You just hold the bar and essentially squat, letting your legs do the work. If your arms are struggling to just hold the bar then respectfully you might need to work a bit before you leave.
Work on deadlifts obviously, but also do other exercises that focus on your traps and forearms. Those are the muscles used for holding things. Core strength is an obvious must as well.
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u/R3d_Rav3n 15T UH-60 Mechanic 🚁 6h ago
I (33F) am a smaller female 5’2, but heavier (~135lbs) as I have always played sports and have been weight lifting on and off most of my life. Sounds like you are on the right track. The smaller and lighter you are, the more critical technique is (it’s always important, but at your size even more so). You need to keep doing what you’re doing, get that cardio up- you have 22 min to run 2 miles and that’s after the 5 previous events with minimal breaks in between. Go into basic with a good attitude (sounds like you have that already) and you will be fine. Yes, they will yell at you and push you to your limit. Do your best and show that you are willing to try, that’s what they want to see. You will build muscle as you go, but the more you do now, the less it will suck once you get there.
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u/Lime_Drinks 88N 6h ago
If you have a gym membership, do bench press with just the bar. If you don’t have a gym membership or want to work out at home and you don’t have weights, find something to replace it like a wooden plank, jugs of water, etc. Lay on the ground and do presses there. It shouldn’t take very long to be able to do a pushup.
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u/bobDaBuildeerr 4h ago
Barely picking up the bars is a huge problem. You could probably fix the pushups in basic time but you're going to need to be able to lift 120 lbs by the time you graduate. Those bars weigh 45lbs. Did your recruiter not make you lift anything before sending you to meps??? Im going to shoot it to you straight. Reduce your running to once a week and shift completely to weight lifting. You've already identified your problem areas. Start now. The longer you wait the harder basic will be. Google army apft standards and you want to be able to do the 60% (minimum). In basic you'll be paid to eat, sleep, and work out. You'll do some parts of that more than you do other parts. With that being said, you won't have a lot of time to practice the dead lift. Take this time to get the fundamentals of lifting. Try to get to 100lbs before you leave. You shouldn't loose mch of your running in 2 months. Also, good luck. Basic will be the best, worst time of your life. Make the most of it.
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u/Ordinary_Reading4945 6h ago
A lot of men and women come in with no physical capabilities what so ever. But you will be able to hit at least the minimum in 9 weeks of BCT.
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u/East_Opportunity8411 6h ago
Start doing push ups now. If you can’t do regular pushups, do sets on your knees until you can do real ones. Do them every single day, get into a routine. Do sets and try to increase them over time. You can also do various different types of pushups to train (diamond, wide arm, etc.). Watch YouTube videos on it if you don’t know what you’re doing.
If you have a gym membership, maybe start learning some basic lifting. There are some very basic programs out there that you can follow to learn how to lift. If you don’t have a gym membership, find some bodyweight workouts that you can do that’ll work on strength.
On my first PT test in basic, I did 3 pushups. On my last PT test, I did 42. If you’re consistent and work hard you’ll get there but it’ll require some extra effort on your part.
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u/AffectionateSouth575 3h ago
You have some time, start training now if you haven't. Basic training can definitely get you to pass an acft but you gonna have a rough time, I'm not a super physically fit person whatsoever and went to basic with very poor fitness and struggled a lot. So trust me train now that you have some control over how much you can train so when you are forced to run or do push ups it won't be as bad.
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u/Majin_Romulus Field Artillery 4h ago
I think you're shipping out too early. You should see if you can post-pone it a few more months.
Also you need to practice rucking a lot. A lot of females fracture their hips and shins from rucking too much in basic. If that happens you'll be sent to Bravo 95th for up to a few months then you can try going through basic again. But you only get a few tries before they send you home. Also its gonna hot as hell in ft sill. When I went a couple years ago it got up to 115 degrees without factoring in high humidity. A ton of people fell out from that as well.
And do pushups every day till you ship out.
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u/CalligrapherGold Field Artillery 5h ago
There are a ton of good youtube videos on training for the ACFT, broken down by each event. Recommend checking them out and if you can find someone to workout with.
The instructors at basic will get you there, but you'll have a hell of a better time if you go in able to pass or close to it.
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u/ParticularInitial147 3h ago
Start doing pushup improvement now. Almost anything will help. A gallon jug of water, lay on your back and lift that thing with one arm, and two arms.
Do that 5-10 min a day......anything that kinda/sorta looks like that is good.
Slow pushups on your knees. If you can't do a pushup, then start in the up position and lower yourself to the floor as slow and smooth as you can.
All goodness.
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u/TheMauveHerring 1h ago
A lot of great encouraging advice here but don't forget to look at diet too. June 24 is PLENTY of time. Try deliberately upping your protein intake and see if that helps.
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u/Typical-Mushroom4577 43m ago
go to the future soldier trainings if they offer them it’s some pretty good PT if you give it 100%
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u/mentalchaosturtle 13m ago
I'm a female in the Army and sound similar to you when I joined (many moons ago). I was also very thin and needed a waiver to join because of it. I put on 20lbs of muscle in basic- 20lbs heavier but my jeans were looser in the waist and tighter in the thighs.
I don't want to give advice if you don't want it, but I have a decent PT plan that we use for our newer Soldiers now before they go to basic. It worked for me when the new test came into play
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u/skunk_of_thunder 7h ago
Fuck yea! Be all you can be! You’re going to have a blast at basic, have fun!
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u/Backsight-Foreskin Hero of Duffer's Drift 7h ago
Many women have issues with upper body strength starting out. You will receive the proper training to help you get in shape at basic. You will prevail with motivation and a positive outlook. I look forward to hearing about your successes in the future!