Second Introduction - Austin

[Mr Weiss]

Good day Rangers,

My name is Austin, and I am a 21 year old senior at the University of Central Florida who studies International Relations/Middle Eastern Studies. I have previously introduced myself in 2012, but that intro is now located in the "Introduction Archive" section.

My desire is to become a member of Army Special Forces, and I have attempted to prepare myself as much as possible in achieving this goal. For the summers of 2012 and 2014, I attended an 8 week language immersion institute to study Farsi. My ACTFL rating is Intermediate-High. During this program, I befriended an 18D and a 180A from 5th Group. They were everything I desire to be: smart, motivated, and humble. I also interned at DoD for six months as a political analyst during 2013. It was an enjoyable experience, but I did not like working in an office environment all that much. I am currently studying abroad and will return to USA in spring.

My 25m target is to visit a recruiter and obtain an 18x contract prior to graduation in May.

PT Scores
PU - 55
SU - 68
2M Run - 14:56
5M Run - 43:49

I'm conducting PT 5-6 days a week, so these numbers will certainly improve by the time I visit the recruiter.

[Mr Weiss]

I forgot to add that my pull-ups are at 8.

[Slowpoke]

Mr. Weiss, welcome here. If you don't already know, your PT scores are abysmal. The good news is.... there is plenty of room for improvement. Your goal is an honorable one that not many attain, I suggest you begin a training program right away. Many of the Rangers here also served in Special Forces, they will be a great well of information and inspiration.

I wish you good luck in your journey

[gRavepc]

Mr Weiss,
First of all, Like Ranger Slowpoke said, your pt scores leave a lot of room for improvement. You said that you conduct pt 5-6 days a week. Can you explain what you actually do during those days?

[Mr Weiss]

Thanks for the welcome, Ranger Slowpoke and Ranger gRavepc.

I am working on muscular strength and running endurance at the moment. Once I am satisfied with my distance runs and overall strength, I will focus on functional strength and APFT events. Prior to shipping out, I will use Major Joe Martin's SFAS training plan. Please correct me if I am approaching this in the wrong manner.

Here is my current schedule:
Monday - 10k or longer run (slow-moderate pace)
Tuesday - Pushup/Sit up improvement in the AM. For PU, I usually do max reps in 3 sets of 60 sec/45 sec/30 sec or SGT Ken's "Push-up Improvement Plan. SU is 3-4 sets of 80% my max. Later in the day I do 5x5 lifting with pullups, dips, and core work. 1-2 mile run fast.
Wednesday - 5k run (fast)
Thursday - PU/SU improvement and 5x5 lifting with pullups, dips, and core. 1-2 mile run fast.
Friday - 5 mile run (moderate-fast)
Saturday - PU/SU improvement and 5x5 lifting with pullups, dips, and core. 1-2 mile run fast.
Sunday - Rest/Recovery

[Jim]

Welcome Austin. Four posts in two years? Never, never quit!

[Mr Weiss]

Ranger Jim - Please do not view my silence as inactivity. I have been reading the SITREPs and other posts on this forum over the past two years and have found so much helpful information. It is now time for me to get the ball rolling on my own journey, so I will update you Rangers as needed throughout my enlistment process.

[Mr Weiss]

Rangers,

06DEC14 Self-administered PT Test Results:
Pushups - 61
Situps - 72
2M Run - 14:41
Score: 253

I suck but am sucking a little less as every day passes. I'm still training for endurance, but I may throw in some sprint workouts every now and then. I will post updates once a month from now on since I won't be seeing a recruiter until March when I return home.

As a side note, I am running a 12K race in Hamburg this Saturday. Perhaps distance running is slowly finding a place in my heart.

[Mr Weiss]

Rangers,

Just wanted to say I finished the race in 66 minutes. I ran with a friend, so I didn't get to push myself all too much until the end. It was a trail race, and thanks to yesterday's rain storm, the trails were pure mud.