Being physically fit is an important part of being ready for military combat.
Whilst courses and training are taught and provided, you will also need to keep your fitness up when not in training/on camp.
But, first things first. In order to exercise you’ll need to warm up. This is made up of 3 phases:
RAISE
- Body temperature
- Heart rate
- Respiration rate
- Blood flow
- Joint fluid viscosity
ACTIVE AND MOBILISE
- Activate key muscle group
- Mobilise key joints and ROM used in the current activity.
POTENTIATION
- This phase of the warm-up will see a gradual shift towards the actual workout itself, and will normally involve specific exercises increasing intensity.
Now, to the actual exercise…
RUNNING
An easy workout which is great cardiovascular health, which can be done with or without weight
- Jog one mile in 7-8 minutes
- Three sets of quarter-mile sprints in 90-100 seconds
- Jog or walk a quarter-mile
Six sets of:
● Sprint an eighth of a mile
● Jog an eighth of a mile
CROSSFIT
High intensity interval training: increases strength, lung capacity, endurace and enhances body composition
- 10 chest to ground burpees
- 10 press ups
- 20 air squats
- 20 mountain climbers
- 20m lunge walk Repeat 3 times.
STRENGTH TRAINING (upper body)
- Hand-release push-ups (as many as possible in 3 minutes)
- Pull-ups (as many as possible)
- Reverse plank (hold for 1 minute)
- Chair dips (as many as possible in 2 minutes)
- Standing power throw (2-3 tosses in 3 minutes)
STRENGTH TRAINING (lower body)
- Squats (as many as possible in 2 mins)
- Deadlift (3 reps in 5 mins)
- Lunges (as many as possible in 2 mins)
- Kettlebell swing (10 sets of 10 reps with 1 minute rest in between)
- Wall sit (hold for 1 minute)
Lastly, and arguably the most important is the cool down. It should consist of the following content for an overall cool down, focussing initially on the main muscle groups used during the activity to prevent injury.
- Pulse Rate Reduction
- Joint mobility
- Static stretching
Static stretches should be held for 25 – 30 seconds and no more than two stretches per muscle group. The cool down should last between 8 & 10 minutes.
Get out there and get active, exertion is great but be careful not to overexert yourself.
Jay Jay’s was founded in 1993 by our team of former Police and Military personnel. We’ve been manufacturing load-bearing equipment and supplying clothing for the military for thirty years. Our innovative, built-for-life products and industry-leading customer service have earned us an outstanding reputation that we’re incredibly proud of.
Why not try for yourself?
