Prep for CFA...5 days out.

afrotc2022

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Jul 5, 2017
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Hi y'all!
I'm taking my Academy CFA on Thursday... does anyone have tips on how to prep? What to eat/drink? How to stretch or lightly work-out? Resting tips?

I'm kinda' late to getting it done, and I want to do well on it.

Thanks!
 
In theory, you should've done all of your training before hand, you won't improve your scores much by training the week of. So assuming you have been training, below is what I would personally reccomend.

Sunday: Excersise. I would reccomend running through the entire CFA yourself so you're prepared and know what to expect, push yourself here.

Monday: Rest. Stretch and stay hydrated. Eat well, avoid fast food and other foods you know are bad for you, but you don't really have to begin your meal prep here.

Tuesday: Exercise. Go on a light jog (1-1.5 miles) and do some push ups/sit ups to prepare. No need to go all out here, just stay loose. Start to increase your starchy carb and protein intake.

Wednesday: Rest and meal prep. Again, stretch and stay hydrated. Eat well, your energy for your CFA will come primarily from what you eat today. Take in a lot of startchy carbs (pasta, potatoes, brown rice, oats, and other grains) also get some lean protein in (chicken breast, lean beef, nuts, etc.) especially for dinner. Don't stuff yourself, but remember this is your energy.

Thursday: Depending on when your CFA is, plan your meals accordingly. Have a wholesome breakfast w/ carbs and protein (avoid sugars), have a banana, and HYRDRATE! Water is your best friend, I wouldn't reccomend sports drinks as they often contain too much sugar for their own good. Similar things for your other meals, keep them small and keep them often. I wouldn't reccomend eating within 2 hours of your CFA outside of a light snack like a protein bar or a banana.

As with anything, there are many opinions, and mine is only one. This is what works for me, but someone else might say the complete opposite works for them. So take it with a grain of salt. Best of luck on your CFA!
 
Consume adequate amount of protein, carbs, calcium, antioxidants, and daily vitamins.
Go over the entire CFA 2X/day and have it scored. Stay hydrated and do the best you can.

You are behind by not having prepared from the day you decided to apply. However, better late than never. Push hard! Good luck![emoji125][emoji123]
 
In theory, you should've done all of your training before hand, you won't improve your scores much by training the week of. So assuming you have been training, below is what I would personally reccomend.

Sunday: Excersise. I would reccomend running through the entire CFA yourself so you're prepared and know what to expect, push yourself here.

Monday: Rest. Stretch and stay hydrated. Eat well, avoid fast food and other foods you know are bad for you, but you don't really have to begin your meal prep here.

Tuesday: Exercise. Go on a light jog (1-1.5 miles) and do some push ups/sit ups to prepare. No need to go all out here, just stay loose. Start to increase your starchy carb and protein intake.

Wednesday: Rest and meal prep. Again, stretch and stay hydrated. Eat well, your energy for your CFA will come primarily from what you eat today. Take in a lot of startchy carbs (pasta, potatoes, brown rice, oats, and other grains) also get some lean protein in (chicken breast, lean beef, nuts, etc.) especially for dinner. Don't stuff yourself, but remember this is your energy.

Thursday: Depending on when your CFA is, plan your meals accordingly. Have a wholesome breakfast w/ carbs and protein (avoid sugars), have a banana, and HYRDRATE! Water is your best friend, I wouldn't reccomend sports drinks as they often contain too much sugar for their own good. Similar things for your other meals, keep them small and keep them often. I wouldn't reccomend eating within 2 hours of your CFA outside of a light snack like a protein bar or a banana.

As with anything, there are many opinions, and mine is only one. This is what works for me, but someone else might say the complete opposite works for them. So take it with a grain of salt. Best of luck on your CFA!
Thanks for spending time to give me some coaching!
 
Sorry I read this so late. I wish I had seen it earlier. At this point I'd say -
1) There's not much nutritionally you can do besides eat normally (not heavy and nothing special). As touched on above, pre-competition food for an event of this durations should be light, things like a banana, toast w/ peanut butter, and some water. Loading up on protein or lots of carbs is not going to have a positive effect on a set of tests that last 1/2 second (basketball throw) to 6 - 8 minutes (run).
2) The one thing you can do is warm up well. A brief outline - a) a light jog of a few minutes, b) some stretching, c) definitely some dynamic movements like arm swings, leg swings, sprint drills, etc... and d) make sure a do 3 - 5 basketball throws at 75% effort before that test.
Signed - a longtime track coach and occasional assistant proctor of the CFA
 
Hi everyone! First off, thank you so much for the great advice, it definitely helped!

Here's how I did:
BB Throw: 82 feet
Pull-ups: 12
Shuttle Run: 9.8 secs
Sit-ups: 71
Push-ups: 60
Mile Run: 6:23

I definitely felt prepped up with the diet and rest advice y'all had for me. I felt pretty bad on the run, but I am at 2,000 ft above sea level, so...
Still, I think 6:23 is just above average for USAFA.

Thanks again you guys!
 
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