The Army Training System - AskTOP

Persons who have not been active,especially if they are age 40 or older,should start with the preparatory phase.Many soldiers who fall into this categorymay be recovering from illness orinjury, or they may be just out of highschool. Most units will have soldiers inall three phases of training at the sametime.PREPARATORY PHASEThe preparatory phase helps boththe cardiorespiratory and muscularsystems get used to exercise, preparingthe body to handle the conditioningphase. The work load in the beginningmust be moderate. Progression from alower to a higher level of fitnessshould be achieved by gradual, plannedincreases in frequency, intensity, andtime.Initially, poorly conditioned soldiersshould run, or walk if need be,three times a week at a comfortablepace that elevates their heart rate toabout 60 percent HRR for 10 to 15minutes. Recovery days should beevenly distributed throughout the week,and training should progress slowly.Soldiers should continue at this or anappropriate level until they have noundue fatigue or muscle soreness theday following the exercise. Theyshould then lengthen their exercisesession to 16 to 20 minutes and/orelevate their heart rate to about 70percent HRR by increasing their pace.To be sure their pace is faster, theyshould run a known distance and try tocover it in less time. Those who feelbreathless or whose heart rate risesbeyond their training heart rate (THR)while running should resume walkinguntil the heart rate returns to the correcttraining level. When they canhandle an intensity of 70 percent HRRfor 20 to 25 minutes, they should beready for the next phase. Chapter 2shows how to determine the THR, thatis, the right training level during aerobictraining.The preparatory phase for improvingmuscular endurance and strengththrough weight training should starteasily and progress gradually. Beginningweight trainers should select about8 to 12 exercises that work all thebody’s major muscle groups. Theyshould use only very light weights thefirst week (that is, the first two to threeworkouts). This is very important, asthey must first learn the proper formfor each exercise. Light weights willalso help minimize muscle soreness anddecrease the likelihood of injury to themuscles, joints, and ligaments. Duringthe second week, they should use progressivelyheavier weights on eachresistance exercise. By the end of thesecond week (four to six workouts),they should know how much weightwill let them do 8 to 12 repetitions tomuscle failure for each exercise.this point the conditioning phasegins.CONDITIONING PHASEAtbe-To reach the desired level of fitness,soldiers must increase the amount ofexercise and/or the workout intensityas their strength and/or enduranceincreases.To improve cardiorespiratory endurance,for example, they must increasethe length of time they run.They should start with the preparatoryphase and gradually increase the runningtime by one or two minutes eachweek until they can run continuouslyfor 20 to 30 minutes. At this point,they can increase the intensity untilthey reach the desired level of fitness.They should train at least three times aweek and take no more than two daysbetween workouts.For weight trainers, the conditioningphase normally begins during thethird week. They should do one set of8 to 12 repetitions for each of theselected resistance exercises. Whenthey can do more than 12 repetitions ofany exercise, they should increase theSoldiers and unitsshould be encouraged toprogress beyondminimum requirements.1-8