I-day physical readiness

S

sa_applicant2023

USNA 2023
Joined
Dec 19, 2017
Messages
102
Good afternoon,

I will be joining the class of 2023 in June. I wanted to ask if anyone can give advice on what types of numbers I should be hitting physical fitness wise (mile run, pushups pull-ups sit ups, etc.) in preparation for the Academy.

I am fully aware that I should shoot to be as physically fit as possible before I day, I just want to know this information so I can properly visualize my progress over the next few weeks. Thank you!
 
Your PTR will have some info - see this past copy for an idea.
https://www.usna.edu/PlebeSummer/_f...tem 3 Important Information Class Of 2020.pdf

Then:
Run
Run when you don’t feel like it.
Run when the weather is bad (but not dangerous).
Run at different times of the day.
Run on hard surfaces so you harden your legs against shin splints.
Run for easy miles and run intervals to help increase speed. No one expects you to be a jackrabbit, unless you already are, but you don’t want to be the one falling out or immediately getting injured. You want to keep up easily and with reserves.

Do push-ups, sit-ups, pull-ups more than once a day, so you can bang them out easily and in good form, no matter how you are feeling.

WORK UP to all of this. Cardio stamina and core strength are always good, don’t overlook strength (don’t over bulk) and flexibility.

Learn and practice relaxing breathing techniques - this will come in handy for all the stressful times in your life. Look up Navy SEAL box breathing.

Don’t obsess about this. Arrive in good shape, and sweat and work with your classmates, when you all start building your bonds.

Take the time to enjoy family and friends and close out this part of your life with good memories.

And - learn how to shower, brush teeth, shave face extraordinarily fast. You’ll be sharing a sink and shower with others, and you’ll have minimal time to get yourself ready.

Do you know how to shine leather shoes? Who in your family can you ask? This may sound silly, but there is a whole science and bucket of tricks that goes with shoe-shining. My dad was a Navy man, and he taught me all his tricks. Came in handy, and I could help others. I needed help making hospital corners on my rack at OCS, and others helped me. That’s how it works.

More than you asked, so pick and choose what you want.

You will definitely see those who arrive having done no prep. Balance this with other important things. Like hugging your family more!
 
My DS would tell you that you need to be able to run a 5:30 mile any time you are asked. He's a former cross country and track runner and a seriously motivated crayon-eater-wannabe, though.
Realistically, you should be able to run at 7:00/mile pace easily any time you want. If you can do that, the running part will be enjoyable, rather than an ordeal.

And if you do nothing while you peruse these forum pages, make sure you read and digest everything that @Capt MJ writes in response to Plebes-to-be, such as yourself.
She knows what she's talking about when it comes to The Yard, since she worked there as a BattO for a number of years.
 
You’re too kind. I believe in sharing gouge, as that’s what helped me. It’s what uniformed or formerly uniformed people do!

Just sharing what I have soaked up during that tour, from over 20 years of sponsoring 4-5/plebes a year, who return as upper class and alumni, from lots of listening (you learn a lot by keeping quiet as 8-10 rule the Saturday dinner table or the upper class hit the bag of Naval Bagels on Sunday morning), from my old grad DH, from continuing involvement in and about the Yard with long-time friends and contacts, from being on the invitation list for parades and Forrestals, from my salaried work in financial services for the military market.

In two weeks, we have a date at the Pentagon to help pin on the collar insignia of our first sponsor mid to make Captain. She’ll be wearing mine. About time they went back to work.
 
Oh, that is cool.
 
I’ll try to give you some numbers to help you gauge your progress. The passing PRT time for males is 10:30 so I would recommend you being able to run sub 10:00 prior to Plebe summer. This is by no means a requirement but will certainly make things easier for you physically. The max scores for push up and sit-ups is 101 in 2 minutes. Here is a link to a PRT score calculator. If you can make above an 80 going into Plebe summer you will be making an A by the end.

http://www.angelfire.com/md/USNA2002/prt.html
 
I keep reading this advice and telling my son to start running. He is at a 5:30 pace but hasn’t been running for awhile.

He does crossfit and plays tennis every day - and looks like he is in great shape.

He is at about 70 push-ups and 95 sit-ups.

He doesn’t want to run! He wants to spend time with his girlfriend. I hope he is ok.

Edit: I took him to dinner last night ... I have never seen him eat that much in my life!
 
Best advice...run!!! Run some more. And then run again. Really. Run, run, and run. Totally serious.
 
I am going to be a detailer this summer. We have certain things we can and can not do to the plebes. There is a card that has what we can do each day. Get ready for a lot of front leaning rest. I highly recommend practicing on a gym floor because you will slip and slide in your classmate's sweat as you are doing them.

Also just run. Run sprints and long distance. You are going to need both. I also recommend just spending a lot of time on your feet until I-day. During the summer you will almost constantly be standing and it takes a bit of getting to use too.

You will have to run a full PRT a few days into the summer. Do your best but don't freak out if you don't pass. I ran a min slower per mile when I took it as a plebe. At that point, I was stressed out from the summer and the new food and sleep schedule so it was not surprising how poorly I did. Plebe summer will get you in shape but it is much more enjoyable if you go in being in good shape.

Work out but also enjoy time with your friends and family. So much is about to change. Right now you may wish that it would just hurry up and come but in the midst of the summer, you are going to be wishing you could go back and enjoy your family.
 
You will have to run a full PRT a few days into the summer. Do your best but don't freak out if you don't pass. I ran a min slower per mile when I took it as a plebe. At that point, I was stressed out from the summer and the new food and sleep schedule so it was not surprising how poorly I did. Plebe summer will get you in shape but it is much more enjoyable if you go in being in good shape.
Click to expand...

Engineer2021, et. al., somewhat related...do the plebes take a PRT at the end of plebe summer that counts for that fall's official PRT? I thought I heard that this is how it is being done now, but could of also just been a rumor. This was never the case for us...but...if this is standard operating procedures (SOP) now, it is just one more reason to come in decent shape so that plebes are improving into top-shape versus playing "catch up."
 
The advice I give my incoming Plebes is pretty straightforward.... get in the best shape of your life. I don't care about numbers or statistics, but I tell them that Plebe summer is part physical, and part mental. If you can take the physical side of it off the table, then you can focus on what I think is more important..the mental. Case in point, my plebe summer roommate just couldn't do sit-ups. He could run, he could do pushups (he was one of those light, thin wiry type guys), but for some reason couldn't do sit-ups. The Plebe detailers were all over him ...

Bottom line, you can't control the mental stress..but if you are in good shape, thats one less stressor you have to deal with.
 
@usnabgo08

Yes, all of the plebes take their official fall PRT at the end of the summer. But a lot of them are on chit and have to take it with the brigade. I heard from a PE coach that 300 or more missed it this year and had to take the one with the brigade.
 
Here's your thought process as you begin running and running and running and running. Did I mentioned running?

41-best-funny-running-memes-images-on-pinterest-running-quotes-funny.jpg
 
Capt MJ said:
You’re too kind. I believe in sharing gouge, as that’s what helped me. It’s what uniformed or formerly uniformed people do!

Just sharing what I have soaked up during that tour, from over 20 years of sponsoring 4-5/plebes a year, who return as upper class and alumni, from lots of listening (you learn a lot by keeping quiet as 8-10 rule the Saturday dinner table or the upper class hit the bag of Naval Bagels on Sunday morning), from my old grad DH, from continuing involvement in and about the Yard with long-time friends and contacts, from being on the invitation list for parades and Forrestals, from my salaried work in financial services for the military market.

In two weeks, we have a date at the Pentagon to help pin on the collar insignia of our first sponsor mid to make Captain. She’ll be wearing mine. About time they went back to work.
Click to expand...

Wow. That’s SO cool. Weddings. Babies. Where does this rate? I can’t imagine. Must be up there!!
 
Yes, there will be two PRTs over PS. The initial PRT does not count for anything except sorting the plebes into running groups for PEP and giving plebes a baseline for themselves. Plenty of plebes fail the IPRT. Do your best, but don't worry too much if you fail. PEP is designed so that you will be prepared to pass the PRT you take at the end of PS that counts for your fall semester. If you are attending all of PEP you should pass without issues. If you get injured and go on chit, try to get off chit as fast as you can. While you will be in great shape at the end of PS you have still undergone a stressful environment for 50 days. For most mids their PS PRT is the worst one they take all four years.
 
However much you run, it won’t necessarily make you shine at plebe summer. But it will help prevent injury — mainly stress fractures and shin splints — which will help you get to the second PRT in decent shape. If you do get stress fractures or shin splints, you’ll be assigned to pool PEP. And then you’ll really wish you’d trained more. It ain’t fun.
 
My plebe severely sprained his ankle about 2 weeks before PPW on the O course, Summer PRT is the day before PPW - he was determined to complete & pass PRT so that he did not have to do the remedial for fall. He is a Cross Country Runner and was able to max the push ups & situps and hobble through the mile and a 1/2 at a 10 minute pace. By winter PRT, after fully healing the ankle -he maxed out on all parts of the PRT
 
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