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Wcyeung123

5-Year Member
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Sep 21, 2015
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Hello everyone, I am a reaplicant wanting to get in the class of 2021. My CFA scores weren't that good before. Push-ups were 45, sit-ups 65, pull-ups 7, shuttle run 9.6 sec, and mile 7:53. I've been working out with my upper body portions throughout the whole year. Now, push-ups are 67, sit-ups 78, pull-ups about 9-10, and shuttle run 9.1 sec. I am having trouble with improving mile run time, any suggestions?
 
Also, I'm still working out these areas. I am planning on doing my CFA around mid-August.
 
Good news: you have a plan and you have stuck to it the past year!
Sobering news: the performance increase you describe could have been achieved in one month...
Great news: you can most certainly increase your performance significantly by mid-August!

Can you tell us your past year's work out routine please, and how much time you'd be able and willing to dedicate to working out the next two months. Then we can come up with some ideas;-). Also, what about the basketball throw?
 
There are tons of threads on working out with suggestions. Stew Smith is a very common one. Just google and it will take you to his site. Lots of different sites on crunches and push ups. A great way to get better at running is to find a local running club. It always helps to run around others to improve. Generally they leaders of the group at very solid runners or do it for a living. They can provide suggestions to improve your running by throwing in speed work, endurance and mileage will preventing injuries.
 
When it comes to the CFA mile run...you really need to work on SPEED...going out and running "easy" for 20-30 minutes isn't going to cut it. Something like 2 sets of 8 x 200m (with a 100m jog in between each 200m and 400m jog in between each set) that is significantly faster than what you would average for 200m in a mile run (i.e. if you are shooting for a 6 min mile, that would be 45 secs for 200m...so 35-40 secs per 200m is about right). Adjust accordingly...you can mix it up (do 300m or 400m or a combination thereof on one day versus 200m or a ladder: 200m, 300m, 400m, 800m, 400m, 300m, 200m, etc.)...wouldn't recommend intervals below 200m or above 800m. When it comes to pace/times for your workouts, initially base it on what you can CURRENTLY run your fastest mile at right now. Then, as you get faster, update your times accordingly. One full lap around an outdoor track is 400m.

Edit: for clarification, you shouldn't be doing an interval workout EVERY day...you do need to have "easy" days in between to recover and rest days. However, the above are examples of the kinds of workouts you need to do.
 
Also... Core...core... And more core! A strong core and you will improve with the BB throw, the sit-ups, the shuttle and the mile.

Sounds like on pull ups you may be pulling a lot of weight? What is your height and weight ?
 
I wrote this some time back on a thread of a kid with a similar problem. I have modified it to fit your times....

My two cents worth:
I used to coach milers. When I had a raw new kid who wanted to get their time down, I had them run quarters at a pace considerably faster than they ran in the mile. For you it would be at about a 1:40 or 1:45 pace. Then rest for two minutes and go again...do this for 4 laps. Do this two days in a row. Take a day off then run a mile for time. Try to increase your stride. A couple of cycles of this should get you where you can hold a better pace for longer.
Run run run, do pushups, do ab work, do pull ups... Good luck kiddo
 
My Basketball throw wasn't that good either, it was 70ft. My workout routine was a mixture of working out at home and in a gym. First I would get up in the morning run around my neighbor hood, about 0.5 miles and do some sprint intervals in between. Then I would set a 1 minute time limit to do as many push-ups and sit-ups within that time. The time limit varied during school, I had to set a 30 sec limit than 1 min. I tried practicing my basketball throw, I've been looking around where I can do it without disturbing anyone. I practiced it in my suburb community and in the park, but I hit a lot of cars and almost people. My height is 5'7" and my weight is 157. It was 162 two weeks ago because I was on vacation to a relatives graduation in Canada. I've been focusing on my upper body than my running portion. I tried running the mile for the first time two days ago only to find that my form was off and I injured my shin and Achilles tendinitis area. Should I still run if I still feel slight pain in those areas?
 
After that I would rest, eat some snacks. Then I would go to the gym and work on strength training focusing on my upper body and back. I would 5 set of 5 reps (5x5) with heavy weights, hence the lower reps. I started this routine through trial-and-error and it took me about almost half a year to get a good workout routine planned to show strength improvement.I would bench and military press for my chest and triceps, skull crushers for my triceps, concentration curls, lat pull downs, seated rows, barbel curls, and leg presses. I wasn't good at pull-ups by the pull downs helped a lot. And after an exhausting strength workout, I would do about 5-10 min cardio on the treadmill. I set it with about 10-10.5 incline with a spread of 3-3.5 mph. It may be slow, but putting the incline together it was exhausting and I felt the burn every time the next day. I noticed that every time I run the mile, I get dizzy and somewhat light headed and stop to take some breaths for a second or two and keep going.
 
Can you find a SAQ coach? We work with the high school football strength agility quickness coaches... We generally gear towards lacrosse specific training but have changed it for May / June / July / August. We will test second week of July and first week in August for mock baselines and baseline check. Plan on final in September then back to lacrosse strength for rest of fall.

I say all that to say Find you a good SAQ coach or trainer. It is worth the time and money.

Good luck.
 
OP, looks like you have the will, but need to find some better workouts. Great suggestions on here for speed work and plethora of information on the Internet. Some simple google searches of training for the mile will give some details as already mentioned on here with speed work. Your push ups and sit ups need work. The 30 second/1 minute gig is good, but shouldn't be the daily. Check out the link that Capt MJ posted with info from Stew Smith's stuff. There are some videos on the basketball throw on the USMA or USAFA thread stickies. Take a look. Honestly repetition is the best path to this. Find a football field or basketball court and just practice.
 
+1 for Stew Smith. We used some of his suggestions when we designed a work out plan for our DD, added some modifications and after three months she maxed sit-ups, pull-ups and push-ups. If time is an issue, my daughter trained for all of those w/o leaving the house or using heavy equipment. Key is to balance and vary your exercises, increase the max, and go for reps. This is where the "pyramid" can be very helpful. Allow yourself rest days, and listen to your body to avoid injury. What also helps is working with a partner who watches your posture and pushes you to do more just when you thought you gave all you could.

As for health... regarding your leg pain, I'd not risk "running thru it" without knowing what exactly is causing the pain... A bigger concern might be the regular dizziness during your mile runs. Ever thought about consulting a specialist? If it is not nutrition or hydration related, then I'd definitely want to know what might be causing it.
 
Just my $.02, but my mile time drastically dropped in the four months of track season. I went from a 7:13 to a 5:40. What I think helped me was running 400m sprints on little rest. Also, work on your flexibility and form. Good luck!
 
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