CFA Daily Prep

W

Woah

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Oct 27, 2024
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I am hoping to be admitted into USMA for the class of 2029, and I am worried about the CFA. I am hoping for some tips, feedback, and advice. I will upload my scores here daily (hopefully).

27 OCT 24

Basketball Throw - 44 Ft
Pull-Ups - 9
Shuttle Run - 9.82
Situps - 91
Push-Ups - 52
Mile Run - 7:32
 
Google “USMA CFA averages.” You’ll see a PDF with CFA instructions and averages. You’ll see where you stand and can come to your own conclusions.
 
MidCakePa said:
Google “USMA CFA averages.” You’ll see a PDF with CFA instructions and averages. You’ll see where you stand and can come to your own conclusions.
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I see that I am lacking in some areas. I hopefully will keep improving before the real deal!
 
You need to work on your BB throw for sure (assuming you are a male). West Point is very strict on minimum of each event. My son did most of events well --but he struggled with BB throw for almost 4 months.
 
That mile run strikes me as a vulnerability. Not terrible, but if you were on a scheduled workout program you'd probably be much safer there.
 
The basketball throw is your biggest red flag. The throw is mainly about technique. There are videos on the internet to show you good training opportunities for improving your technique. Then it becomes about repetition. You should get on this immediately as it does take some time to really improve the throw. I believe your throw is currently a failing score. Your mile time is passing, but you should continue to improve your running, not just for the CFA but for your potential future at West Point and the Army. Your other scores are all generally along the averages.
 
gniyji said:
You need to work on your BB throw for sure (assuming you are a male). West Point is very strict on minimum of each event. My son did most of events well --but he struggled with BB throw for almost 4 months.
Click to expand...
Yes I am a male, and the BB throw is more difficult than I imagined
 
USMAZoo98 said:
The basketball throw is your biggest red flag. The throw is mainly about technique. There are videos on the internet to show you good training opportunities for improving your technique. Then it becomes about repetition. You should get on this immediately as it does take some time to really improve the throw. I believe your throw is currently a failing score. Your mile time is passing, but you should continue to improve your running, not just for the CFA but for your potential future at West Point and the Army. Your other scores are all generally along the averages.
Click to expand...
DanteoftheBloodAngels said:
It's not exactly the same, but I watched a lot of videos on how Soccer Goalies throw the ball, and I feel like a lot of it translated:

Also, this thread in the USMA Forum(it's pinned for a reason) is amazing: https://www.serviceacademyforums.com/index.php?threads/oh-no-the-basketball-throw.26843/
It has great advice for improving your BB throw. It's not as much of a strength exercise, as it is a technique thing. I'm certainly not a strong guy, but I threw ~80 ft. with a lot of practice. You can too.
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Ill keep working on my BB throw for sure. I gotta keep working on the mile run too, my PFA for AROTC I had to keep retaking because of the mile...
Thank you for the links for the BB throw! I'll re-attempt the CFA today as well and see how I do! Around 80 ft is something that I dream of for sure.
 
That is what I have been doing! I will post my next CFA run-through in about 6 - 7 hours, hopefully it goes a bit better!
 
28 OCT 24

Another Day, another CFA. This one was a tough one to do because I'm still a little sick and sore.
I am a male by the way.

BB Throw - 47 ft
Pull Ups - 10
Shuttle - 9.53
Situps - 78 (my core was so sore)
Pushups - 54
Mile - 7:30
 
If you’re not feeling well, it’s ok to take a rest day to let your body recover. Especially if you’re sick

You might want to do exercises that help with the specific events you’re struggling with in order to focus on those more.
 
I went from 0 to 3 pull-ups in three weeks for the CFA (I'm female) and I definitely agree with Ivy that rest days make training more efficient; I had a lot of rest while training those pull-ups. Also be sure not to overwork your muscles, as that can lead to injury or inhibited muscle growth. Some events can be trained every day, like the BB throw, but having a strict training regiment with built in rest-days, linear progression, and good nutrition all helped me train for the test.
 
Second the good nutrition point brought up by the previous poster. Especially with hydration. Water, Gatorade, Liquid IV, whatever works for you, just make sure you’re getting enough each day. And protein. And you could even “carbo load” night before your actual CFA and eat some pasta for that extra oomph the next day. The rest days are when your body can heal and repair itself to become stronger for the next time you work out
 
Ivy22 said:
If you’re not feeling well, it’s ok to take a rest day to let your body recover. Especially if you’re sick

You might want to do exercises that help with the specific events you’re struggling with in order to focus on those more.
Click to expand...
I do want to do more extra training as well, but I do need a rest day. Currently my rest day is sunday.
 
eyesbright250 said:
I went from 0 to 3 pull-ups in three weeks for the CFA (I'm female) and I definitely agree with Ivy that rest days make training more efficient; I had a lot of rest while training those pull-ups. Also be sure not to overwork your muscles, as that can lead to injury or inhibited muscle growth. Some events can be trained every day, like the BB throw, but having a strict training regiment with built in rest-days, linear progression, and good nutrition all helped me train for the test.
Click to expand...
Wow a three pullup increase is amazing. I do need to focus on rest days for sure, hopefully I will see more growth as you did. Coming up with a schedule is a bit difficult for me, most of my days seem to be chaotic, with different events coming up frequently. I will try your advice, thank you!
 
Ivy22 said:
Second the good nutrition point brought up by the previous poster. Especially with hydration. Water, Gatorade, Liquid IV, whatever works for you, just make sure you’re getting enough each day. And protein. And you could even “carbo load” night before your actual CFA and eat some pasta for that extra oomph the next day. The rest days are when your body can heal and repair itself to become stronger for the next time you work out
Click to expand...
Liquid IV seems a bit overboard to me... 😅
I do hydrate with water and Pedialyte.
Pasta cramming the night before is something I learned from competition as well, but I do need to focus on my nutrition.
(I am currently skipping breakfast every day...)
 
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