Are you wondering what are the benefits of military push ups and how they can help you race more effectively? If so, welcome to RunDreamAchieve. I am excited you have made it here. The military push up is much like regular push ups. The only difference is military push ups require the athlete to keep their elbows closer to the sides of the body. Also, keeping your arms closer together versus the regular push up. Push ups most definitely will help in to ensure you maintain form while running fast.
Consistent reps of push ups, sit ups and planks daily can only build on your overall fitness. Pace sustainment is one of the most challenging aspects of running fast. So, you definitely want to use military push ups as a part of your strength training routine. You don't need to be in the gym more than once per week. Of course, many military members are regularly in the gym 2 to 3 times a week. It really just depends on what you overall focus is. Is it to run a faster 1.5 mile (US Air Force, Navy & Coast Guard) 2 mile (Army) or 3 mile (Marines) on your physical fitness test?
Army Combat Fitness 2 Mile Running Course
If so, you may want to check out the new Army combat fitness 2 mile running course I created. It consists of 9 modules with 58 video lessons. In addition, concludes with a 16-week, custom-built training plan designed for your specific goal time. I have run 9:27 for 2 miles, 14:18 for 5K and 2:19:35 for the marathon. So, share with you the top strategies and tactics I used to run at the elite level. My overall goal with this course and all of the products I create here is to help you improve your body's lactate tolerance. The end result is you will be able to sustain goal race pace longer and get a new personal best.
How Many Push-Ups Do Soldiers Do?
It really depends on the military member. I routinely did multiple sets of 25 push ups each for years. For example, 8-10×25 push ups every day or every other day. There are many other military members who will do several hundred push ups per day. Again, just depends on the athlete. Military push ups are somewhat more challenging than regular push ups. So, they are great for keeping you fit and prepared to race fast.
My top recommendation is to first focus on building your aerobic fitness. Athletes in the military should be running easy and relaxed for a minimum of 4 weeks. Again, a longer build up is far better than a shorter one. The main reason is that it takes about 4 weeks for the body to adapt to any stressor being placed on it. So, you really can't get in race shape in a matter of 4 to 8 weeks. Sure, you can build some general fitness but a 16 to 24-week build up will produce better results.
You won't be in such a rush to get into superior, anaerobic shape. I would advise doing 5-6x100m strides twice per week throughout your build up. There are Army races like the Army 10 miler that will depend you be in superior race shape. So, you have to continue to focus on your acceleration drills. In addition, speed training where you are running at your vo2 max.
LEARN MORE ABOUT THE ARMY ACFT 2 MILE COURSEMilitary Running Program
A legitimate military running program needs to have a heavy dose of anaerobic training comprised within it. The world's top runners are running between 35 to 40 percent of their weekly training at or below their anaerobic threshold. Why do they make it look so easy? They simply are running at a high percentage of their maximum heart rate for a longer period of time. I highly recommend investing in a heart rate monitor. Heart rate monitors will help to ensure you are training at the proper intensities without over training.
I use the Garmin 245 regularly. It helps me to focus more on staying at the correct heart rate rather than worrying about pace. Your pace will take care of itself the fitter you get. The heart doesn't have to work as hard. In addition, you are able to run much faster splits at the same heart rate you started off with earlier in your training block.
CHECK OUT OUR RUNNING COURSESHow Do I Train to Run 2 Miles in the Army?
I would advise taking a look at the new Army combat fitness 2 mile running course I created. I cover the exact training methodologies I used to help me earn a USATF Olympic Trials “A” standard time in the marathon. Remember, the faster you can run the 1.5 mile to 3 mile distance the more competitive you are going to be in the longer races. So, my goal in creating this course and the other running courses I have is to help you to use leverage. Higher mileage is not a guarantee you are going to run a faster 2 mile.
What happens if you run too many of your miles or kilometers too slow each week? You will become a superior, long slow distance runner. Our goal is to race fast and sustain goal pace longer than our competition. Proper pacing is vital. I alway advise to those athletes that come here to focus on negative split. So, run the second half of your race faster than you run the first half. Your likelihood of going into oxygen debt will drastically decrease. In addition, your chances of success will rise.
LEARN MORE ABOUT OUR PRIVATE, MEMBERSHIP COMMUNITYHow Do Military Prepare for Running?
I served for over 20 years on active duty before retiring in March of 2022. I have found in that time that we run the most during basic training and in leadership schools. Also, somewhat less during morning PT during the normal workweek. I saw many military members over the years having issues holding pace on their ability group runs. Also, going out far too fast on their physical fitness tests. I competed in numerous national and international races and ran professionally for the Army.
I was fortunate to have been selected to the US Army World Class Athlete Program. How? Consistent, non-stop training at paces that were considerably faster than goal race pace. I spent considering time running down below 4:40 mile pace in training.
The result is I would eventually run 5:07 mile pace for the half marathon (1:07:06). Also, 5:19 mile pace for 26.2 miles (2:19:35). I cover these exact training strategies I used in the running courses and training plans that I have created here. I have seen many athletes using my products getting massive personal bests. A major reason for this is they are stressing the energy systems of their body properly. In addition, paying closer attention to recovery.
Military Running Workout Strategy
As mentioned above, you definitely want to focus on doing consistent military push ups weekly. In addition, start running your long runs at faster paces. I saw far too many runners over the years getting in the habit of just running long and slow every single weekend. Again, our goal is to sustain race pace longer. Easy running won't produce this physiological effect. Fast running does. So, you should be doing 1, vo2 max workout, 1 long run and 1 tempo run each week.
Also, ensure that you are jogging on recovery days. The real benefits of our training come from within the rest cycle. So, you stress the energy systems of the body then allot sufficient time for adaptation to occur. It won't happen overnight. That being said, if you follow a legitimate military workout strategy you will set yourself up for success. I have done my best here to create products and services that can help you do exactly that.
We are running at between 95 to 105% of max heart rate running at the vo2 max. Our vo2 max is our body's maximum oxygen uptake. It is running at speed that are so excessive we can't clear lactic acid faster than it is building up. The end goal with workouts like speed training is they recruit more fast twitch muscle fibers. The more of these we can recruit the more efficient we will run. Examples of vo2 max workouts are speed intervals on the track, hill repetitions and fartlek workouts. In addition, faster, varied paced long runs.
Closing Thoughts
I would love to keep in touch with you. Make sure to subscribe to the RunDreamAchieve YouTube channel. I focus on making new videos there each week to help runners such as yourself get to the next level. Lastly, make sure you are continually practicing relaxation. Remember, the less muscular and mental tension the better the performance. Look at the world's top runners. These athletes always look relaxed despite running at very high speeds. How do they do it?
Again, running a higher percentage of their weekly training at significantly faster paces. In addition, they also take their recovery seriously. Runners succeeding follow all of the fundamentals. For example, getting a minimum of 8 hours of sleep a night, good nutrition and hydrating well. In addition, they also practice mental training as well. How often do you spend visualizing yourself getting across the finish line in your goal time?
The world's top runners combine both mental as well as physical training to produce superior results. So, start taking 10 to 15 minutes daily and really focus on mental rehearsal. I credit mental training to helping me break the 2:20 marathon barrier. Oh, and I was consistently doing military push ups leading up to that performance. I hope this post has been helpful and look forward to hearing about your new personal best.
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