You guys are so nice!!! Laurie, I trained starting last November. I began by doing 16 "girl" pushups, the ones on your knees. Also, I had broken my foot, so I couldn't do any other kind until 6 December. I also started on the recumbant bike 3-5 times a week for 20 minutes, which didn't bother my foot. In December, I started doing as many "guy" pushups as I could -- which was 1 the first week.
Then I'd finish out the 16 with "girl" ones. As I added "guy" pushups, I decreased the others until after about six weeks I could do 16 real pushups. Then I started working to do them fast enough to finish within one minute. I found that I had to give myself a day in between pushup days to recover -- I was using brand new upper body muscles, and it was very easy to overtrain. I had started alternating power walking on the treadmill with the bike in December; in January, I started running on the treadmill verrrrry slooowly. It took three months of running 15 minutes (5 minute walk warmup) 2-3 times a week to build up to 1.5 miles in <14:24. The crunches never were a problem, so I just kept doing 30 in < 1 minute every time I did a pushup day. I gotta tell you, though, that losing 15 pounds before the test really helped
I took the Air Force Fitness Assessment (they say, "It's not a test." Right -- tell it to the Marines!) I scored the full 100 points 
Pushups (16 in < 1 min seconds), situps (30 in <1 min), abdominal girth (29.5, by the skin of my teeth and the generosity of the tester), and I ran my 1.5 miles in 14.20. I am thrilled!! I thought I was going to collapse, what with all the pollen and the heat -- I always run on the treadmill indoors. But I did it!
MichelleRae , 05-17-2004 05:26 PM
ozziesgirl , 05-17-2004 07:34 PM
)!
