NoQuarter's CFA Progress Thread

[NoQuarter]

Hey everyone! I'm interested in the AFA and NA and the big hurdle is my fitness. One of the things I wrote in my introduction post last week was that I'd try a mock CFA. After thinking about it some more, I decided to make a detailed post to keep me motivated and moving along. My idea is to update the post about once per month with the results of mock CFA's and have a discussion at each stage. The first number is my result and the second is how far off I am from the average. I'd be curious to know if there are any published minimum scores. Also, there is also a poll question that asks for your honest opinion. Please let me know what you think. Thanks for reading!

April 26

Basketball throw 43/26
Pull-ups 0/12
Shuttle run 14.1/6
Crunches 14/67
Push-ups 14/48
Mile run 8:19/1:50

We went out to the track with a few neon plastic rulers, long tape measure, basketball and stopwatch, and basically drew part of the course with the rulers and tape measure as a guide. I looked at the test guide and figured not being able to take long breaks between parts was going to be trouble. Then again, I don't know of any test where you get unlimited time. I was surprised to see the basketball go as far as it did and my friend mockingly clap and smile at me after he put the ruler down where it landed. The pull-ups were a no go and I couldn't even do one. That's pretty bad, but the advice I was given in my introduction post should help. It basically went wohuuunnn, but I couldn't even do one so nevermind. The shuttle run was weird and it seemed like much of the time was spent turning around rather than running, at least for me. The crunches were harder than they should have been because my stomach was in the way and I had to basically squeeze myself together to get to my knees, so I'll be losing the soda and chick fil a for sure! Push-ups: I was surprised that I was able to do 14, but staying up at "rest" (?) for too long pretty much ended it and I had to stop early and let the 2 minutes run out. As far as the mile went, if it wasn't for the eight minute rest, I probably wouldn't have made it and believe me, there was a hurrrhh, hurrrhh, hurrrhh the whole time but especially toward the end. One day later, I look back on it and think that eating better is going to do the most at the start.

 

[LA rockymnt hi]

If you want something bad enough, you do everything in your power to make it happen. Do you have an accountability partner? Someone who will push you when you don’t want to be pushed but will also be your biggest cheerleader!
Write down your plan, mark each day and accomplishment off and don’t give up when you have an off day. You CAN do this.

 

[NoQuarter]

Hi everyone! It's the end of May now, and some things have changed for the better since last month. A couple of things actually got worse. Here's what happened since. You might first notice the results of the poll. Three of the six said "Yes" to the poll question, and five said it was at least possible I would pass the CFA. One of the six said "No." This means that half were certain, two thought it at least possible, and one was certain it definitely would not happen.

So after posting toward the end of April, I thought about what I wrote and really felt that I could meet at least most of the commitments I made. My friends and I went out last month and did the first mock CFA, and we did the same thing today. The really big change is still not eating fast food, but on May 22, I just had to get some soda, and I've again said no more to soda as of yesterday. If you're reading just for the facts, here they are.

May 31

Basketball throw 42/27
Pull-ups 0/12
Shuttle run 13.5/5.5
Crunches 30/51
Push-ups 32/30
Mile run 8:00/1:31

Like before, the first number is my result, and the second number is how far from the average. I took an earlier suggestion and read and watched Stew Smith to help me prepare for the CFA. He recommended doing push-ups in my spare time, and focusing on not running "long and slow." As you can see, this advice helped me improve. I actually got a bit worse on the basketball throw and my first two tries were actually six feet shorter than that because I wasn't throwing it at a 45 degree angle. We were not sure what happened! The shuttle run got faster likely because I was trying to run "all out" for 1:30 three or four times per week. The first time I tried, I could not do the fourth repetition. Toward the end of the month, I was able to do all four, but it took me 5 minutes of walking back to where I started to catch my breath. My friend held my feet during the crunches and lamely but jokingly cheering at me as I was struggling. I still can't do one push up but got about halfway to the top of the bar, which I think is an improvement. The run got faster and there was less Hurrrhhhhh sounds like before, but I got tired after about a minute and a half coincidentally and couldn't go any faster after slowing down. My parents got me a half electric bike and I started riding it in the middle of the month. I've also been walking a lot more. The pull ups remain elusive and if you have any advice, please let me know. Thanks for reading!

 

[Texark147]

Hi everyone! It's the end of May now, and some things have changed for the better since last month. A couple of things actually got worse. Here's what happened since. You might first notice the results of the poll. Three of the six said "Yes" to the poll question, and five said it was at least possible I would pass the CFA. One of the six said "No." This means that half were certain, two thought it at least possible, and one was certain it definitely would not happen.

So after posting toward the end of April, I thought about what I wrote and really felt that I could meet at least most of the commitments I made. My friends and I went out last month and did the first mock CFA, and we did the same thing today. The really big change is still not eating fast food, but on May 22, I just had to get some soda, and I've again said no more to soda as of yesterday. If you're reading just for the facts, here they are.

May 31

Basketball throw 42/27
Pull-ups 0/12
Shuttle run 13.5/5.5
Crunches 30/51
Push-ups 32/30
Mile run 8:00/1:31

Like before, the first number is my result, and the second number is how far from the average. I took an earlier suggestion and read and watched Stew Smith to help me prepare for the CFA. He recommended doing push-ups in my spare time, and focusing on not running "long and slow." As you can see, this advice helped me improve. I actually got a bit worse on the basketball throw and my first two tries were actually six feet shorter than that because I wasn't throwing it at a 45 degree angle. We were not sure what happened! The shuttle run got faster likely because I was trying to run "all out" for 1:30 three or four times per week. The first time I tried, I could not do the fourth repetition. Toward the end of the month, I was able to do all four, but it took me 5 minutes of walking back to where I started to catch my breath. My friend held my feet during the crunches and lamely but jokingly cheering at me as I was struggling. I still can't do one push up but got about halfway to the top of the bar, which I think is an improvement. The run got faster and there was less Hurrrhhhhh sounds like before, but I got tired after about a minute and a half coincidentally and couldn't go any faster after slowing down. My parents got me a half electric bike and I started riding it in the middle of the month. I've also been walking a lot more. The pull ups remain elusive and if you have any advice, please let me know. Thanks for reading!

You are working hard. Keep it up! My son said that getting a pull up bar for his bedroom doorway helped because he does pullups each time he goes in and out of the room. Also he started with an exercise band to help lift him during pullups to start with. Also try lowering yourself down slowly, doing a reverse pull-up.

 

[OldRetSWO]

Why an electric bike? My wife and I are multiples of your age and ride non-electric bikes several times per week.
We often do 8 or more miles at least once per week and many 2 to 4 milers on a day to day basis. It
does not take long either. For you, this could/should be in addition to running almost every day. Even easy jogs
for several miles every day will help you to your goal.

 

[USMAZoo98]

Get you a pull up bar to hang in a door or in a garage. Buy some resistance bands that you can use to assist with training for pull ups until you can start doing them unassisted. That is how my son learned to do pull ups. You have long ways to go to bring those scores up, but kudos to you for putting in the effort. Your running should combine different types of training - long distance, sprints, etc. The basketball throw is about technique and repetition. You still have time to improve. You should set a target date for when you want to take the official CFA (later this Fall or even winter), understanding that you have until the end of January next year ultimately to complete it.

 

[smokey%]

Get you a pull up bar to hang in a door or in a garage. Buy some resistance bands that you can use to assist with training for pull ups until you can start doing them unassisted. That is how my son learned to do pull ups. You have long ways to go to bring those scores up, but kudos to you for putting in the effort. Your running should combine different types of training - long distance, sprints, etc. The basketball throw is about technique and repetition. You still have time to improve. You should set a target date for when you want to take the official CFA (later this Fall or even winter), understanding that you have until the end of January next year ultimately to complete it.

To add to help with pull ups, I would recommend doing scapular pull ups, negative pull ups, inverted rows, and reverse hammer curls. I went from 1 to 5 pull ups in a little over a month by doing those exercises once or twice a week. There is a plethora of videos on youtube on how to improve pull ups and you'll find the same 4-5 exercises being promoted in all of those videos.

 

[A1Janitor]

Why an electric bike? My wife and I are multiples of your age and ride non-electric bikes several times per week.
We often do 8 or more miles at least once per week and many 2 to 4 milers on a day to day basis. It
does not take long either. For you, this could/should be in addition to running almost every day. Even easy jogs
for several miles every day will help you to your goal.

My next door neighbor graduated from USNA two years after Staubach. Had a horrible car accident and both legs should have been amputated. Millions of dollars of medical later - and he rides 6 to 10 miles a day on his bike.

Unbelievably active.

 

[NoQuarter]

Hey everyone! It is now summer and it looks like there are some places where I will really need to see someone to help me improve. The news is mixed for last month because I got better in some areas but worse in others. I cannot stop drinking soda or going to Chick-fil-a to save my life, and it showed this time. I also bumped my ankle against a concrete stair the Thursday before last and it still hurts even when touching it softly. My hand also got hurt because I fell on the staircase sideways and came down really hard. Ouch! If you are here just for the numbers, here they are:

June 30

Basketball throw 42/27
Pull-ups 0/12
Shuttle run 12.5/6.5
Crunches 38/43
Push-ups 40/22
Mile run 8:25/1:56

So as you can see, I am still no better off throwing a basketball or doing pull-ups compared to a month ago. The pull-up number is a bit frustrating because even though I got better at doing push-ups, I still can't even do one! Actually, I started counting 1/2 if I got halfway up, but this definitely is not a passing score. One thing I stopped doing since May was the 1:30 all-out sprints. That actually helped my running time because I was able to try to go full speed for 30 seconds at a time twice, and that almost made my mile time go below 7 minutes. I think my stamina is bad but that eating right (as suggested in a reply to my introduction post) is probably the most important. Because I was able to do more push-ups and crunches, I am guessing some of my weight turned into muscle, which means my metabolism probably went up. This is good because I think it will be easier to lose weight, but as long as I cannot do a pull-up, I won't pass, so I am going to get lean muscle (think tall surfer type) and increase my stamina that way. I think my ankle will heel soon and I'm committed to taking out the fast food and soda, so things should get better at the end of this month. As always, if you have any advice, especially for increasing stamina, please let me know. Thanks for reading!

 

[MidCakePa]

I cannot stop drinking soda or going to Chick-fil-a to save my life, and it showed this time.

Completing physical tests is much easier when you’re not carrying excess baggage. That’s certainly true for running and movements such as pull-ups and push-ups.

Contrary to popular opinion, exercising is not the single best way to lose weight. Changing your diet is. Up your intake of lean protein and non-starchy carbs (fruits and veggies), cut your intake of starchy carbs and gratuitous fats. Avoid added sugars. Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate.

Now, add cardio and resistance training…and see the gains coming your way. Best wishes.

(Great way to boost your pull-ups is to do more than just pull-ups. Do lat pull-downs and seated rows. Vary your pulls, such as assisted pull-ups, different grips, mixed sets, rings, even farmer’s walks to strengthen your grip.)