Time management at upt

J3Rizzo

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Joined
Mar 31, 2019
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For those who are currently at, or have attended UPT, is there any time at all to work out in the gym and maintain a serious training regimen? I know that studying holds number one priority, but I think a strong focus on fitness leads to better quality academics. Can anyone give me a rundown of a typical busy day? Can you get to the gym first thing in the morning?
 
You make time. The UPT work day is 12 hours. How you use the other 12 is up to you. Most people will probably keep 30-90min for working out.
 
Echoing Raimius...you will make your own schedule. UPT is...a unique experience. The schedule adjusts weekly; you may be reporting at 0330 and be done by 1530. Or you may have the 1730 report and fly all night and go home around 0600. It just "depends."

During my time...I found ways to schedule workouts...they were seldom rigid re: time, but they were done almost daily. I needed the sanity break!

Steve
USAFA ALO
USAFA '83
 
For those who are currently at, or have attended UPT, is there any time at all to work out in the gym and maintain a serious training regimen? I know that studying holds number one priority, but I think a strong focus on fitness leads to better quality academics. Can anyone give me a rundown of a typical busy day? Can you get to the gym first thing in the morning?
I didn't do UPT, but different service flight school and several iterations of civilian new hire and type training. As you pointed out, fitness helps but you need to balance.
To reiterate what others wrote, you have to be flexible. Some days you may have an early show and a long day. Some days you will be off. Also, what works best for me may not work best for you. I found trying to get to the gym for a HIIT work out and/or 30-45 minutes of weight training on "school days" helped. You'll see people on bicycle machines reviewing flashcards. Later, as smartphones became available I used apps to help with workouts. During my most recent training, I used Fitbod. I programmed in the equipment available at the training center, then each day I would tell the program how much time I had and it would spit out my workout. On days off I would try to get outside for either a bike ride, a hike or a run.
 
I know I am very late to reply on this, but this is a topic near and dear to my gym loving heart so here is my $.02

Like Raimius said, you don't "have" the time, you "make" the time. You will 100% perform better in UPT by staying in shape and giving your mind a mental break every single day. Life in UPT is stressful, but after 60-90 minutes of lifting it feels a little bit better. The key is to use your 12 hours of time in the flight room effectively. If you are productive studying and preparing for those 12 hours, you will not need to study much at home and will have time for the gym.

Many people told me it was a losing battle staying in shape for that year. False. The only days I didn't hit the gym were the nights prior to checkrides. Not only can you stay in shape, but you can make serious progress in any strength training program you decide to do.

TL;DR
Study hard, lift heavy
 
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