Include aerobic and anaerobic exercises in your workouts, as well as muscle strengthening exercise and stretching.
If you have to walk for part of the mile, don’t be discouraged. Minimize the amount of walking by taking short walking breaks only when absolutely necessary. Don’t worry too much about hills, as the test will be conducted on a flat surface. However, training on hills may get you better prepared by making flat runs relatively easy.
Practice the shuttle run by measuring out a 30ft distance or going somewhere that already has two parallel lines 30 feet (9. 1 m) apart. For example, a regulation volleyball court is 30ft wide. Don’t forget to time yourself every time and try to beat your personal best time each run.
Use either overhand or underhand grip – put your palms on whichever side of the bar you prefer. After each pull up, lower yourself to a fully hanging position, with your arms almost all the way straight. Do not go so far that you hang loosely, or as far as would allow your elbows to lock out. Avoid jerking or swinging your body during movement, and do not kick or bend your legs up to assist you.
Don’t allow your legs to swing around, rest your chin on the bar, or tilt your head backwards to raise your chin.
If you go not have an exercise partner to hold your feet down, tuck your toes under something immobile, such as the bottom of a slide on the playground. Cross your arms across your chest so that your hands are touching the opposite shoulder throughout the exercise. Keep your elbows against your chest. Pull your upper torso upwards until your elbows touch your knees or thighs. Lower your torso all the way down, so that your shoulder blades touch the ground. Repeat this bend as many times as you can in one minute to mimic testing conditions. Do not bounce off of the floor, as this is dangerous and will not be allowed during the challenge.
Remove your shoes for the V-sit reach. Sit with your legs outstretched in front of you, with your feet 8 to 12 inches (20. 3 to 30. 5 cm) apart. Align your heels along a baseline, such as the edge of the carpet or mat, and position a yardstick extending from the baseline. Clasp your thumbs together with your palms facing downward. With your legs flat, lean forward, reaching beyond the soles of your feet as far as you can. During the actual challenge, you’ll get three “practice” reaches; your fourth reach will record your score according to the distance of your reach.
Never rush a stretch. Schedule and use a full few minutes to stretch out the muscle groups you’ll be working out. Avoid “bouncing” while stretching. Allowing yourself to bounce in and out of a stretch can tear muscle fibers detrimentally.
Do five repetitions of this stretch on each side. If you cannot hold the stretch for 15 seconds for 5 reps, start slowly with 2 or 3 reps on each side.
Hold the stretch for 15 seconds. Do five repetitions, or as many as you are able.
Do five repetitions of this stretch for each leg. If you cannot hold the stretch for 15 seconds for 5 reps on each leg, start with 2 or 3 reps on each side.
Do five repetitions of this stretch for each calve. If you cannot hold the stretch for 15 seconds for 5 reps on both calves, start with 2 or 3 reps on each side.
Hold the stretch for 15 seconds and do it twice for each leg.
Record your progress. Records your scores for each exercise each time your practice. Set specific goals to achieve for each exercise. Use the expected 85th percentile marks as especially significant goals to shoot for, though these don’t need to be your initial goals. Get more detailed explanations of each exercise from a JROTC-affiliated publication, many of which are available online. Furthermore, electronic and printable forms are available online to help you keep track of your training regimen and progress towards your goals.
For the shuttle run, you will be allowed to run twice, with the better of your two scores being used as your official score.
