Wednesday, July 14, 2009
Deck 5—PHASE 3, lower body workout: link
1 hour of Frisbee football

Saturday, July 15, 2009
Deck 4—PHASE 3, upper body workout: link

It’s been a while since I’ve posted a workout. It’s a lame excuse, but I switched computers and I’ve been lazy about getting my passwords put on the new computer. Nevertheless, the workouts have continued uninterrupted. Josh who was at 4 pull-ups the last time I posted, is now up to 8 pull-ups. He is also over 100 crunches for his 2 minute drill. Considering on his first IST (Initial Strength Test) he was at 0 pull-ups and 35 crunches, he has come a long way. He continues to work hard, so he should be in great shape when he leaves for Parris Island in the fall.

Travis is at Parris Island and said the PT was definitely a help. In fact his exact words were, “I can say beyond any doubt that mornings in Gunny’s office have been the most beneficial part of my short Marine Corps History.” It pays to prepare.

Gunny Rose finished with recruiting duty and is back in the fleet. The poolees here in Harrisonburg were lucky to have him as their recruiter. He put a lot of good people in the Marine Corps this year and made them better by taking the time to develop them while they were in the Delayed Entry Program. Recruiting done without a genuine concern for those recruited is just sales. When done with genuine concern it’s mentoring. Gunny Rose was a great mentor in the last year. Although he is modest about his work here, I think he has done something special and worth emulation.

Sgt Thomas is the new recruiter here in Harrisonburg and is picking up where GySgt Rose left off. He is continuing the fitness program for the poolees. I’ve got over a year of working out with the group now. It’s been quite an experience to watch these young people grow so strong in a few short months. It’s been great for me as well. At nearly 37 years old, I’m in the best shape in years.

Exercise works!

Monday March 30 2009
3 mile run

Wednesday, April 1, 2009
Set up Traveling Wall

Friday, April 3, 2009
1.5 mile run
Deck 4—PHASE 3, Upper body workout: link

Monday April 6, 2009
Deck 3—PHASE 2, lower body workout: link
1 hour of razzle dazzle

Wednesday, April 8, 2009
Deck 2—PHASE 2, upper body workout: link
1 hour of razzle dazzle

Saturday, April 11, 2009
Field Meet

Josh got his pull ups to 4 this week, which is 4 more than he was able to do a month ago. Taylor wrote from Parris Island and said he is 1 of 3 in a platoon of 57 that can do more than 20 pull-ups. His mid PFT was a 277 so he is doing well. He spent more time in the DEP pool than anyone else, so I'm not surprised.

Wednesday, March 18, 2009
3 mile run
DECK 5 – PHASE 3, Lower body workout: link

Friday, March 20, 2009
1.5 mile run
Deck 4— PHASE 3, Upper body workout: link

Monday March 23, 2009
1 hour of Frisbee football and razzle dazzle

Wednesday, March 25, 2009
1 hour of Frisbee football and razzle dazzle

Friday, March 27, 2009
1.5 mile run
Phase 4 Deck — Full body workout

Joel was back from boot camp so we played some sports on Monday. It's really a testament to the caliber of people that are joining the Marines from Harrisonburg that they come to PT at 0600 in the morning while on boot leave.

Monday March 2, 2009
3 Miles

Wednesday, March 5, 2009
1.5 miles

Friday, March 7, 2009
1.5 mile run
Deck 4— DECK 4 – PHASE 3, Upper body workout: link

I'm probably jinxing myself, but hopefully this was the last really cold week of PT. On Monday especially, we were running up hill in the snow -- which I would complain about except, according to my dad, that was his daily trip to school as a kid, so I'll keep quiet.

Wednesday, February 25, 2009
3 mile run
Deck 3 RACE— PHASE 2, Lower Body Workout: Link
2 minutes of crunches (winning team exempted)

Friday, February 27, 2009
Deck 2 RACE— PHASE 2, Upper Body Workout: Link
2 minutes of crunches (winning team exempted)
1 hour of Frisbee football and razzle dazzle
1.5 mile Indian run

It was a great week of PT. The Frisbee football and razzle dazzle were a last minute addition on account of the nice weather. The Indian run was also a nice change of pace that everyone enjoyed. I was nice to run without having to wear sweats, beanies and gloves. Spring can't get here fast enough.

Monday February 16, 2009
4.5 mile run
2 minutes of crunches
1 minute of crunches
30 seconds of crunches
1 minute of ins and outs, then 1 min of flutter kicks (no break after the ins and outs)
2 minutes of crunches
1 minute of hello dollies
10 atomic sit-ups

Wednesday February 18, 2009

3 mile run
Fitness Decks: Deck 5— PHASE 3, Lower Body Workout: Link

Friday February 20, 2009
1.5 mile run
Max Set of Pull-UPs
DECK 4 – PHASE 3, Upper body workout: Link

It was a solid week of PT for the group. We made modifications to the 3rd phase lower body deck and to the 3rd phase upper body deck. We've added two minute crunch drills on both decks as well as a few other modifications, so be sure to update your decks if you're following along. It'll make you big and strong.

Wednesday February 11, 2009
3 mile run
Deck 3— PHASE 2, Lower Body Workout: Link

Friday February 13, 2009
1.5 mile run
Deck 2— PHASE 2, Upper Body Workout: Link

This is the new format for the Fitness Platoon posts. I think this makes it a little easier to follow along, even if it's a week behind what we actually do. As you can see we try to work each muscle group hard once a week. Right now, we're doing one long run, one medium run, and one short run. In general, this is the format we keep to. When the weather gets warmer we'll do speed work and interval training on the lower body day. Occasionally, we also throw in an easy week or a sports day if we've been going at it hard for several weeks at a time.

This is how the poolees in Harrisonburg, Virginia are getting ready for Marine Corps boot camp. So far it's been working well. Everyone who has spent at least a month in the program has passed the initial strength test in boot camp. Taylor got his pull-ups from 12 to 22 before he left for Parris Island. Many other poolees are seeing their pull-up numbers about double since starting.

Personally, it's been good for my health as well. I wasn't in the best shape when I started. I've dropped 20 lbs (back down to my Marine Corps weight when I was 23) and have gotten into halfway decent running shape again. My best run time on the IST is 10:18 but I'm hoping to get that down under 10 minutes when it gets warmer. I can get over 100 crunches in two minutes and have gotten my pull-ups up to 26. Since I'm 36 now, I'm quite happy with the results so far.

I'm going to make a format change as to how I post the workouts we do. I'll post once a week at the end of the week. This will make it easier for those wanting to follow along to see how the weekly plans are put together.

It's still cold.