Well, here's SSgt MTB1BKRs opener for when I start working with a young man or women who has fallen on the wrong side of the Marine Corps Height/Weight standards: The key to losing weight is, output has to be greater than input. Then I get a goofy look because they don't understand. Then I say, you have to burn more calories than you eat, every day. If you feel like having a bowl or a quart of ice cream, then you have to work harder. The last serious case of "fat kid" I had was 55 pounds over his max. After 5 months of working with me, he was 15 pounds under his max and scored a 285/300 on his physical fitness test. Here's how my routine usually goes:
Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays: 1 hour run, starting slow and gradually increasing the pace throughout the run, best done on a treadmill where the pace can be controlled. Start around 5 mile's per hour and then increase the pace by .1 every 2-4 minutes. The goal here is not to run far or fast, but to build endurance and burn fat. The body gets into it's optimum fat burning stage after about 20 minutes, the other 40 minutes is burn time. After the hour, walk for 5 minutes to allow the muscles to cool down prior to stopping to help prevent the buildup of lactic acid in them.
I do pull-ups because it's part of the Corp's fitness test but here's what I would do to get better at push-ups for the Army. First, figure out how many he can do in one max set while rested. devide that number by 5, we'll say 40 in a set so that's 8 per set. Do 10 sets of eight with abdominal exercises between each set. For abdominal exercises, the all around best exercise for the whole abdominal region are bicycle crunches. you can go to this website to see how they should be done correctly:
http://www.sparkpeople.com/resource/exercises.asp?exercise=12 The key to these is going slowly. A lot of folks I see doing them want to go as fast as possible thus turning it into a cardio workout instead of an abdominal exercise. Slow steady movements with a deliberate tightening of the abs works best. He should start with sets of 10. After 10 sets of pushups and 10 sets of bicycle crunches he should do some stretches to keep the muscles loose while they are still warm.
Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays: 30 minute interval run, also best done on a treadmill but can be done on the road or track pretty well. The intervals should start off as 2 minute jog and 1 minute run or it could even be 3 minute jog to one minute run depending on the individuals fitness level. The jog portion should be just that, a jog, not more than 5.5 miles an hour and not slow enough that you could comfortably walk. The run portion should be fast enough to be above your comfort level, for new runners that's probably going to be about 1.5 miles an hour faster than the jog portion but can be faster, he should get to the end of the run portion just before he feels like he's not going to be able to make it. As his level of fitness increases he can make the jog shorter and the run/sprint longer and faster. I usually work up to 1 minute jog to 2 minute run/sprint. After the run is over, follow it with a 5 minute walk again to slowly cool down the muscles.
For the strength part, take the max set again and devide it by two. Do three sets of this number. Between each set, do the bicycle crunches again and this time throw in front planks
http://www.acefitness.org/exerciselibrary/exercisedetail.aspx?exerciseid=32 and tricep dips on a chair or other platform. After the three sets a good set of full body stretches again to keep everything flexible.
This program might seem a bit extreme, but it works. I have used it on kids who are over weight and ones who are within standards who just want to get into better shape and it's worked well for all of them. One thing to tell him is, you get out of the workout what you put into it. The harder he pushes himself the quicker he's going to see results.
Right now, I'm going through the beginning of this program myself. I have been on limited/light duty for nearly a year for foot problems that started in 2003. I trying to be tough and didn't get it looked at until last year. Now, I'm pending surgery in September on my left foot. I have been in a cast on that foot for 8 weeks until two weeks ago. Now I'm wearing the velcro'ed on boot. Knowing that I'm going to be on crutches for about 6 weeks after the surgery and then in another cast or boot after that, I have decided that I had better whip myself into better shape before the surgery so I don't get too fat while I can't really exercise. I was at my max allowable weight when the cast came off, 6' 202 pounds. I have been running again since last Monday. This morning when I woke up I was at 196 pounds. I only run on the treadmill as the road or track really hurts my foot. Your son will see quick improvements on this program if he sticks with it and is really dedicated.
Here's another run workout he can do on the 30 minute days that my students typically call "the SSgt MTB1BKR death by sprints program." For this program it's best to be on a 1/4 mile track which I usually devide into 4 equal sections.
Stage 1: 8 one section sprints with a one section jog between each, should take 4 laps ef done correctly.
Stage 2. 6 two section sprints with a two section jog between each, should take 3 laps.
Stage 3. 4 three section sprints with a three section jog between each
Stage 4. 2 four section sprints with a four section jog between each
I typically start my classes with only stages 1 and 2 and then every week I add another stage. I get 24 young men and women fesh from boot camp and have 37 work days to teach them Basic Electronics and get/keep them in shape. In every class I get some who thank me profusely for helping them get better and then the ones who don't like getting in better shape despise me. Either way, I have only had one student to date who didn't get better.
Here's a great place to look for different exercises for different parts of the body:
http://www.acefitness.org/exerciselibrary/default.aspx I have been through their personal trainer courseware but haven't had the time to get certified.
Best of luck to your son and congrats on his future enlistment.
Take care,
Bill
haha.
