<p>bulletandpima; your mention of poppy seeds is so funny. I think I went all 21 years in the Air Force and was always cautious of what went in my body. Including Poppy Seeds. Can't tell you how many restaurants and bagels I passed up that had Poppy Seeds. I know it was probably more paranoia than anything, but I never took the chance. I remember when I got stationed in Amsterdam Holland. Talk about paranoid. Wondering if the OSI or CID were under cover in a bar. Wondering what might be in the food, coffee, drink, etc... I was ordering. Walking into a number of establishments where you knew they sold hash. </p>
<p>Now, to listen to someone trying to justify and rationalize the use of steroids. Especially in the light of all the press it has gotten. As stated, what's really bad is that the OP thinks it's totally acceptable and should be condoned; if it isn't already. </p>
<p>Now, if you happen to be too worried about your weight, then do it naturally. Build muscle mass and add calories. I remember when I first entered the military. I was 134lbs. There were 2 of us they thought were "Under Weight" and 1 other they thought was border line "Over Weight". I remember the 3 of us being taken to the "Chow Hall" 15 minutes earlier than everyone else. The TI made our trays for us. (Unless you were allergic, you kept your mouth shut if you didn't like it.) And we did eat it all. I think when I got done with Basic Training, I only gained about 4-5lbs. Of course the athletic department was happy because I could still run the 1/4 mile in under 60 seconds.</p>
<p>Agreed. On a similair note. What do you all think of the workout plan in the appointee kit. It seems a lil light on the circuit/weights and a lil slow on the runs. I can't imagnie that alone would prepare someone for basic.</p>
<p>Would someone mind posting some details on the suggested workout plan for those who haven't yet received the Packet?
Thanks. Gosh-darn USPS, good for nothing. Postage costs a fortune, mail's never delivered. They must be employing... Oh... Wait. Disregard that.
:D</p>
<p>Running: Alternate between 2-3 mile runs and 3-5 mile runs, 3-5 times a week. Make it your goal to run the short runs around 7-8 min. per mile, the longer runs at 8-9 min. per mile. </p>
<p>(Sprints or suicides are a good supplement to running, but improving your cardio-vascular system and lung capacity as well as your muscular endurance is more important than speed.)</p>
<p>Exercises: I would reccomend a workout 3-4 times a week focusing on muscular endurance. Alternate between doing the following two circuit workouts:</p>
<p>Max set of pullups/max set of pushups
High rep set of situps/High-rep set of crunches (50-100)
High rep set of partial squats/High rep set of 4-count flutter kicks (30-50)</p>
<p>(Repeat 3-5 times)</p>
<p>As for weights or strength training, if you're on the small side it's not a bad idea to add some bench press, squats, or leg presses to build up some bulk, but MAKE SURE to work on tone and endurance primarily...running, pushups, and squats/flutter kicks should be things you repeat ad-nauseam.</p>
<p>A good goal would be to be able to run 4 miles in 35 minutes or less, do 10-20 pullups in a max set, 60-100 pushups in a max set, and 100-150 situps in a max set.</p>
<p>Pima, I was curious too. Here's what the guidance USNA linked has to say about the issue:</p>
<p>Tonic Water</p>
<p>Background: Cinchonism is the well-known syndrome of quinine overdose involving disturbances of vision, hearing, and balance, which has occasional importance in aviation pathology, usually related to ingestion of tonic water. Ordinary social drinking of tonic water may lead to appreciable amounts of quinine in the body, although the levels are far lower than those commonly used in the treatment of malaria. The Armed Forces Institute of Pathology (AFIP) in Washington, DC, found levels of 0.2mg/L in pilots in 3 fatal accidents in which positional cues seemed to be important. AFIP results show that commercial tonic water can contain 5.5-6.8 mg/dl. In the late eighties and early nineties, the Surgeon General of the Army medically restricted regular users of tonic water from flying and advised all aviators not to use it. Army aircrew members were restricted from flying for 72 hours after ingestion of tonic water. It has been suggested that a chronic low-dose intake of quinine may accumulate in the endolymph of the human vestibular system and this accumulation could produce vestibular effects equivalent to a unilateral labyrinthectomy (see “The Bite of Jesuits’ Bark”, Aviation Space and Environmental Medicine, July, 1989).</p>
<p>Not to worry - Twenty nine years ago, when I showed up for BCT, I weighed 135 lbs (typical wrestler). Due to the three square meals a day and only a few workouts a day at BCT (compared to a year-round wrestlers schedule) - by the time I marched back from Jack's Valley I was up to 150 lbs. The only problem, my weight class at the Academy was 142. Again, due to the gourmet eating at Mitchells and only one daily practice - five times a week, it was incredibly difficult to make weight. SOOO - forget about steroids and just eat at Mitchells!!! It will get you heavier!</p>
<p>What I worry a lot about is the current rush to China by every major pharm. company to lower manufacturing costs. I've talked to a guy (whose brother is an AFA grad) who inspects these plants in China and it's scary. Half the documentation is in Chinese, they meet in "Board Rooms" without heat. Some of these contract manufactures are far outside of the major cities. Bottom line nobody really knows what is taking place. I really think Congress needs to mandate where a drug was finished to better inform the public.</p>
<p>Were am I going with this? So where do you think these anabolic steroids come from? You can't even be sure what's in them. I took care of a patient last August who went into fulminant hepatic failure within 2 weeks of starting oral anabolic steroids requiring emergent liver transplantation. The poor guy cried when he found out what happened...he just couldn't believe it had happened to him. We saw another young man die of hepatocellular carcinoma last year. Couldn't resect, and couldn't transplant. I try not to think of it - such a pointless loss of life.</p>
<p>As usual the active duty AF, parents, and cadets here have given very sound advice. Less is more.</p>
<p>After my career in the AF I went to work in the Evil Pharma manufacturing business. I currently do Quality Management for the largest Phamacy Benefit Manager in the country. I have seen the raw materials, where they are made, and how they are stored. I cannot agree with you more about the safety and integrity of these products. I know one large manufacturer that produces large amounts of their generics in facilities outside the US, and they scare me senseless sometimes. I am not a big fan of the FDA...to big...to slow, and miss the mark a lot, but without them we would be back in the snake oil days.</p>
<p>Anabolic steroids have destroyed to many lives, and the chance of the user having regular liver function testing, well we know that wont happen. How about the people who contract Hep or AIDS from the needles. JUST NOT WORTH IT!!!</p>
<p>I'm no where close to an expert, but you are dangerously under weight. I'm 5'8" and way 150. You should move your class up, 6% body fat is also dangerously low (I believe anything under 4% and your risking death). My suggestion would be to move up to a higher weight class and put on weight naturally. I weighed 143 at the beginning of the year and after lifting since November I hit 150. If you aren't willing to work for something as simple as gaining weight, I wouldn't even look at the academy. I'm a sophomore by the way.</p>
<p>1) I think everyone who has been READING this thread has come to realize I am not using it....</p>
<p>2) Most light-class state wrestlers have under 7% body fat. Its not dangerous its just a pain in the you know what. And I know this because they dont let you wrestle in classes that are "dangerous" for you. </p>
<p>3) Its not a situation of not putting in the effort, its a situation of a time crisis. I can not under any circumstances gain 30 pounds within the next 2-3 months naturally. I have been lifting heavy since I was a freshman and I weighed 89 pounds while wrestling 103. Also I only have like 1-2 months to lift because wrestling is not over for me yet, I am in the regionals and I have plans to go to states. </p>
<p>P.S. this thread should have died because it has been clearly stated that gaining weight is the last thing I want to do hence killing the purpose of this thread.</p>
<p>Are you crazy?!?! Haha, I am 5'7" and I weigh 135 now, and I wrestled 119 this season... Some people have natural low body fat contents because of an overactive metabolism and high level of athletic activity other than "lifting". I run XC and track as well as wrestle and it's tough holding weight on while being active like that... I don't agree with the steroids issue, but if he wasnt good on weight DodMERB probably would have flagged him for it, I do believe... Based on what current and past cadets have shared, you're gonna gain the weight at the Academy, and you really need to be built for endurance, I used to worry about myself being too "small" and too "lightweight", but I have decided that I feel good and perfrom well with a lean and light build, thus when I lift weights, I lift less weight more reps most of the time to build muscle endurance... ;)</p>
<p>To go with the above post, in PA and most all over the country now, we have to take a hydration and body fat test to qualify a minimum healthy weight... Ha its part of the sport and we make that choice when we join the team...</p>
<p>Just a thought and a bit of what I am thinking, any thoughts from others? :rolleyes:</p>
<p>Your health and weight will be closely monitored during BCT. If your SMO (safety/medical officer) believes you need to gain weight, you'll be given cans of Ensure every night. Whatever you weigh when you enter, you'll be taken care of.</p>
<p>I was a cross country guy in HS too. I inprocessed at 141, I believe (I'm about 5'10"). I think I was at 142 at the end of 1st BCT and around 145 at Acceptance Day. You'll be fed immense amounts of calories during BCT, so you'll likely gain weight naturally then too (not to mention, of course, that you'll be building muscle mass). I still weigh about 145 lbs today.</p>