This is a little about me and what I do. I am going LIVE at 10am tomorrow morning and wanted to test out the system to make sure we do not have any hiccups. Bring your questions tomorrow and I will answer them. Looking forward to it.

Over the last decade, military fitness tests have evolved from purely calisthenics and cardio testing to incorporating weightlifting, including the bodyweight bench press and the hex bar deadlift. The Army Fitness Test includes the hex bar deadlift, heavy farmer's walks, and weighted sled pulls as part of its test of strength and power. Weight vest pull-ups and deadlifts have also been added to the Navy Human Performance Test (HPT). Additionally, the Air Force Operator Fitness Test (OFT) includes deadlifts and other dynamic power events, such as broad jumps and shuttle runs. They all still have cardio components of timed runs (1.5, 2, and 3-mile distances). The Navy HPT and the AF OFT also include swimming. The Marine Corps also has a Combat Fitness Test, but uses military-applicable sources of weight, such as ammo cans and people to carry, rather than actual weight equipment. Regardless of the branch of service, depending on your job, you may be required to lift weights or carry a load in a military fitness test. Learning how to strength train is a must. A Classic Lift Cycle (5/3/1) to Get Stronger If you are solid in your calisthenics and cardio, your lack of strength training may become apparent in these new military fitness tests. To make the most of your training time, consider learning the techniques of the lifts and applying the 5/3/1 cycle to that lift. The good news is that the tests mentioned above all require a 3RM (3 Rep Max). This means that you lift as much weight as you can for 3 reps. The reason I like this workout is that it helps you get stronger in all three rep ranges (5RM, 3RM, and 1RM). It works like this:For this weight-lifting goal, you can change the 5/3/1 to a 5/3/3 if you prefer not to do the 1RM section of the workout. Try this cycle for 4 weeks and practice the lift you want to improve 1-2 times a week with heavy lifts. Here is how the cycle works:

Whether it is a leg day or any other workout day for that matter, 9 times out of 10 you do not want to miss it for any reason. The same goes for mobility day. Just because it is the easiest workout of the week doesn't mean it is not the most important one! I have found these mobility days to be truly life-changing. They are that important to me anyway. About 7 years ago (at age 45), I actually thought I might have to give up running as my hips, lower back, feet, and knees were in near constant achy pain. Nothing debilitating, but always hurting and it took a long time to warm up for any workout. I decided to turn a longer run day into a non-impact day and mix in some stretching and foam rolling regularly. I came up with the 5-minute on / 5-minute off cardio/stretch routine that now looks like this:Repeat 5 times5 minutes of non-impact cardio5 minutes of stretching, foam rolling, or massage tool I left the gym feeling great and started adding it in the middle of my week as well as on Sundays (my day off). Man was that perfect!. And I never gave up running, but I am running lighter (less than 200lbs) and focused on staying mobile and lighter on my feet. It has evolved just a little by adding in more tools as well as adding in a session of swimming immediately after. The swim session is more of a technique based training session that mixes in treading, stroke technique, as well as other pool skills like drownproofing.  Here are some of our tools of the mobility day: HyperVolt, Ryobi Orbital Car Buffer, massage balls, foam roller, hard plastic half balls to help work out any knots that are not loosening with just stretching. https://www.stewsmithfitness.com/blogs/news/dont-skip-moblity-day

We do this 5 min cardio / 5 min stretch/massage for 5 sets (50 min) then do a series of exercises and stretches that are yoga based stretches and dynamic movements.