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To crush your PT test, train like a powerlifter

Between his nearly three decades in uniform and 10 years on the competitive powerlifting circuit, Army Staff Sgt. Gregg Ramsdell knows a thing or two about building the kind of cross-discipline fitness you need to hack it in a combat zone.

Outside his two deployments to Iraq and his civilian career with the Department of Veterans Affairs in Oregon, the 47-year-old National Guardsman has racked up a string of military and state powerlifting titles in California, Nevada, Oregon and Washington.

So if you’re looking for a program that will get you ready for your next physical fitness test, Ramsdell has tips for each event:

Running. Even if you’ve waited until a few weeks before your test, you can still improve your time — if you’re willing to train hard.

“Train like you are in an Olympic event,” he said. “Dedicate one hour a day to your running. No, don’t run for one hour, but [your] stretch, run and stretch afterward should be around one hour. Relax and run with ease.”

Ramsdell bases his recommendations on the Army’s two-mile test, but you can apply his workout to any of the services’ running-test distances.

Begin by running 1½ miles a day for four days, then add a half-mile per session. In a few days, you’ll be running double the PT-test distance. The gradual increase builds endurance without punishing your body. After three weeks, time yourself to find out if you’re clocking the time you need for the test.

If you can, run on the same course your unit will use for the PT test, so you know where the finish line is and can time your ending sprint accordingly.

Be sure to stretch for at least 15 to 20 minutes before and after your run — and don’t run in anything other than proper running shoes. Your knees and ankles will thank you for it later.

Push-ups and pull-ups. Whether your PT test includes push-ups or pull-ups, you need to work your chest, triceps, shoulders and back. Since push-ups are timed, you’ll want to train with light to medium weights (no more than 65 percent of your body weight), doing no fewer than 12 reps, Ramsdell said.

He recommends the chest press; shoulder press; dips; front, side and rear shoulder raises; leg presses; and hamstring curls. Try to vary the mix. Start training no later than eight weeks before the test, doing three to four sets of 12 to 15 reps. If you do any more than 15 reps on any one exercise, add five pounds to the next set — and don’t rest for any longer than 30 to 45 seconds between sets.

Crunches. To max out this portion of the test, you need to work on more than just your six-pack. A combination of sit-ups, leg raises and side bends should do the trick, if you work each exercise into your daily routine.

“Breaking up your ab workout in between your exercises will alleviate boredom,” Ramsdell said.

Start with 35 sit-ups, either on the floor or a sit-up board. Then, flip over and immediately do 40 leg raises. Shoot for completing three sets of each as part of your strength training. To add an exercise that works your obliques, do two sets of 100 side bends, one set per side.