<p>How can I be sure that I will be totally prepared for the phsical rigors of Air Force Academy Life and everything that it will include (BCT and other stuff, etc.)? Can you give me some goals to be able to do by the time I arrive and be able to survive? I am a sophomore and am wanting to make sure that I wouldbe able to cut it. Thanks for your help in advance.</p>
<p>Quite simply, you can’t. No one is “totally prepared for the physical rigors” of the Academy, which is exactly the point of having physical rigors. You will break at some point. Your classmates will too. Your cadre are going to push you to the point of muscular failure and beyond. The reason for this is to see how you react after that point. If you can get together will a classmate and help each other do one more, then you’ve learned something.</p>
<p>That being said, don’t worry too much about this. The fact that you’re asking a question about whether or not you’ll be able to cut it probably means that you’ll be able to cut it. You care, so you’ll likely do well. BCT is not the hardest thing you’ll ever do. Parts of it are challenging, yes, but essentially anyone who wants to be here will have more than enough motivation to succeed.</p>
<p>If you want some hard numbers, I would recommend that you show up able to do 50 push-ups, 10 pull-ups, and a 7:00 mile or better. Sit-ups are hard to measure because there are so many variations in the way they’re done. You’ll be doing a lot of exercises that you’ve never seen before, but most of it comes down to core/upper body strength and, more than anything else, a desire to succeed. I’m confident that with a little preparation, you’ll do just fine.</p>
<p>Thanks for the numbers. I’ve been trying to increase my upper body strength but it absolutely terrible. I am soooo weak and suck at pushups/pullups. Any suggestions?</p>
<p>Practice and patience. Just keep doing the exercises and you’ll start to see some results. Consistency is the key - don’t give up and don’t get discouraged. You’ve still got two years to go, so you have plenty of time to work on it. Find a way to work them into your schedule. Watching TV? Do 20 push-ups when a commercial comes on. Procrastinating that paper? Go do a few pull-ups instead of just wasting time mindlessly.</p>
<p>It’s all about self-discipline. You don’t need to do a ton, you just need to do them. Think about it: let’s say you decide to do 30 push-ups and 10 pull-ups every day. That doesn’t sound so bad, right? Those are very doable numbers. If you do those every day between now and BCT, though, that adds up to over 22,000 push-ups and 7,000 pull-ups, meaning that you’ll be huge. Like I said, you have plenty of time, so start now and just do a little bit every day. It’ll make a tremendous difference.</p>
<p>Yeah, i used to be super fat lol. And i made myself lose 60 pounds. I hope that discipline will carry over. BUt thats a good idea. I used to not be able to run a half mile without walking and now i can run 4 miles.</p>
<p>Ok, here are some PFT numbers to look at.
(males)
be able to do 12 pull-ups, 60 push-ups, 95 sit-ups (this is the max, but it is one of the easiest to get points on), and a 600m run in the low 1:50s. That should get you a comfortably passing grade on the PFT.
AFT: 11:15 is passing, shoot for low 10s or better.</p>
<p>For BCT, also do some flutter kicks…</p>
<p>Looks like I have quite a bit of work to do! Im also debating between afrotc and USAFA because, as i said before on a different thread, I dont have a varsity sport. I have almost everything else perfect but my dad wont let me do a sport. I dont really think I will get in to USAFA but i definitely try my best. I visited the AFA and I really think that the camaraderie and disciplined environment would suit me well. Hopefully it works out.</p>
<p>eastpanther - I am one of those rare exceptions: no high school sports. I did Taekwondo for 10 years with championship titles and a lot of rank, but no varsity letters. Did I mention I’m graduating in 11 days as a DG and going off to grad school? Don’t give up hope, varsity letters aren’t everything. Good luck.</p>
<p>hornetguy, thanks for the support and congrats on your graduation. that is an amazing accomplishment and thanks for serving our country. you have told me that you were really good at TKD on another post before. what realy worries me is that i am not distinguished in any sports as you were nor will I be able to. Im so afraid I will not be able to cut it physically.</p>
<p>sports do not equal fitness.
Yes, usafa does like to see sports on people’s resume.
yes, there is a high correlation.
…but the two are not the same.</p>