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WEEK 2
DAY 1 DAY 3 DAY 5 DAY 7
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WEEK 3
DAY 1 DAY 3 DAY 5 DAY 7
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WEEK 4
DAY 1 DAY 3 DAY 5 DAY 7
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TRICEPS
Take your right elbow in your
left hand then guide your
right arm down above your
head to the centre of the back
Reach down with your
fingers to stretch out the
back of your upper arms
Hold for 10-20 seconds,
then switch sides
HAMSTRINGS
Put your left leg out in front
of you and bend at the hips,
bending your right knee
Rest your hands on your
right thigh and slowly lean
forwards until you feel
the stretch in the back
of your left thigh
Hold for 10-20
seconds, then
switch sides
CALVES
Stand with your left leg
forwards, bent at the knee,
and your right leg straight
out behind you with your
foot flat on the floor
Lean forwards slightly
until you feel the stretch
in your left calf
Hold for 10-20 seconds,
then switch sides
Repeat the stretch but with
your left knee bent very
slightly so that you feel
the stretch in a different
part of the calf
LOWER BACK
Stand in a squat position
with feet slightly wider
than shoulder-width apart
Slowly rotate your
shoulders to the left
until you feel the stretch
in your lower back on
the right-hand side
Hold for 10-20 seconds,
then switch sides
UPPER BACK
Stand with your arms
straight out in front of you,
one hand over the other
Push your arms out until
you feel the stretch in
your upper back, without
bending at the waist
Hold for 10-20 seconds,
then switch sides
CHEST
Stand with your arms
behind your body, one
hand over the other
Keeping your chest out and
arms straight, lift your
palms up until you feel
the stretch in your chest
Hold for 10-20 seconds
QUADS
Stand with feet together and shift
your weight onto your right leg
Bend your left leg, bringing your
left foot up to your backside
Grab hold of your left ankle,
keep your hips facing forwards
and gently pull your ankle into
your body
Hold for 10-20 seconds,
then switch sides
PRESS-UP
Keep your feet together and elbows in
Your body should form a straight line
Brace the muscles in your abdomen
Bend your elbows to lower your body and inhale
Press back up, exhaling as you go
A strong upper body is vital for
general fitness and the ability to
take on any physical challenge
CHIN-UP
Hold bar with your palms facing you
Brace your abdomen, pull up with your arms
Keep your legs together and straight
Pull your chest up to the bar to clear chin
Lower down until your arms are straight
TRICEPS DIP
Start with arms straight and thighs level
Keep your back to the block as you lower
Keep your elbows pointing back
Stop before your upper arms are parallel
with the floor, then press back up again
before repeating the exercise
These powerful muscles carry you
around and are the foundation of
any strong and physically fit body
SQUAT
Place feet just wider than shoulder-
width apart, toes pointing slightly out
Bend your knees and lower
yourself down
Keep knees above toes and push
your hips back
Do not arch or round your lower
back; stop when your thighs are
parallel with the floor
LUNGE
Place feet shoulder-width apart
Draw back shoulders and
brace abdomen
Step forward, bending your
front leg and back knee
Drive back upright with front leg
The cores vital muscles stabilise
and transmit strength between
your upper and lower body
ASSISTED SIT-UP
Hold your arms across your chest
Keep your shoulders, back and neck straight
Brace your abdomen and sit all the way up
Lower yourself under control
Do not allow your shoulders to touch the floor
DORSAL RAISE
Lie on your front with hands by your temples
Use your lower back muscles to lift your
shoulders and chest off the floor
Lift slowly; do not bounce off the floor
MID-BACK
Hold your arms above
your head, holding your
left hand with your right
Gently lean to your left,
pulling your right arm
across and down until
you feel the stretch in
the muscle along the
sides of your back
Roll slightly towards the
floor to improve the stretch
Hold for 10-20 seconds,
then switch sides
GET FIT FOR THE ARMY
The Army needs its soldiers and officers to be fighting fit. Follow this exercise programme to prepare for initial training
UPPER BODY
ARMY FITNESS REQUIREMENTS
SOLDIER
When you attend an Assessment Centre (AC), you will be expected
to complete the following:
1.5-mile run within a set time limit (different regiments
and corps have their own requirements, ranging from
9 minutes 40 seconds to 14 minutes 30 seconds)
Two exercises assessing your strength, including the
upper body and lower back
OFFICER
You will have to complete a multi-stage tness test (beep
test) at the Army Ofcer Selection Board (AOSB) Brieng,
and again at the AOSB Main Board:

MALES FEMALES
Beep test level 10.2 Beep test level 8.1
50 sit-ups in two minutes 50 sit-ups in two minutes
44 press-ups in two minutes 21 press-ups in two minutes
CORE
BEFORE YOU START
Test your physical ability before you start your
training programme so you will be able to see
how much you have improved after several
weeks. After completing a warm-up, carry
out the following tests with a two-minute
break between each exercise:
Do as many press-ups as you can in one
minute. This is your press-ups maximum
Then do as many sit-ups as you can in one
minute. This is your sit-ups maximum
Time yourself running 1.5 miles. This is six
times around an athletics track, or you can ask
a family member to measure the route in a car.
Dont worry if it is not exact, as long as you
use the same route when re-testing later
Write these results down, because you will need to
repeat this assessment at the end of each training
period for comparison. You will also use half of your
maximum press-up and sit-up scores to give you
the number of repetitions for some sessions in your
training programme (see table at foot of poster).
EXERCISES
STRETCHES
COOL-DOWN
Finish all sessions with
the following:
Reduced-pace jogging
or walking for 2-3 minutes
Hold stretches for 10-20
seconds (see stretch
routine above)
LOWER BODY
W
ARNING
You should always
check with your
doctor before
starting any
intense exercise
programme
WARM-UP
Do the following routine before each session. If you are
in a swimming pool, swim slowly at rst and stretch at
the shallow end of the pool.
Walk/jog for 2-3 minutes
Controlled rotation of shoulders and hips for two minutes
Increased-pace jogging or skipping for 2-3 minutes
Light stretching for 4-5 seconds on each stretch
You should have a rest day every other day to give your body time to recover. Start with the four-week Level 1 programme. After testing yourself to check
on your progress, move on to Level 2 and then to Level 3. Once you have completed Level 3, continue doing it until you start your initial Army training.
The most intense sessions Sessions requiring mediumeffort General health-boosting sessions YOUR WEEK-BY-WEEK STEPS TO FITNESS
10 mins
warm-up
Circuit training:
2 x 12 of each
exercise
10 mins
cool-down
10 mins
warm-up
Circuit training:
3 x 15 of each
exercise
10 mins
cool-down
10 mins
warm-up
Circuit training:
4 x 15-20 of each
exercise
10 mins
cool-down
Steady run
20 mins
3 x max
press-ups
3 x 8 squats
3 x max
sit-ups
3 x 8 dorsal raises
Steady run
25-30 mins
4 x max
press-ups
4 x 12 squats
4 x max
sit-ups
4 x 12 dorsal raises
Steady run
30-40 mins
2 x 45 secs max
press-ups
4 x 15 squats
2 x 45 secs max
sit-ups
4 x 15 dorsal raises
10-15 mins
warm-up
Run hard for 1
min, recover for
1 min; continue
for 10 mins
(75-80%efort)
10 mins
cool-down
10-15 mins
warm-up
Run hard for 1
min, recover for
1 min; continue
for 14 mins
(75-80%efort)
10 mins
cool-down
10-15 mins
warm-up
Alternate running
hard then
recovering for
intervals of
1, 2 and 3 mins
(75-80%efort)
10 mins
cool-down
Brisk walk
30-40 mins,
or swimming
15-20 mins
Brisk walk/jog
30-40 mins,
or swimming
20-25 mins
Brisk walk/run
30-40 mins,
or swimming
25-35 mins
Steady run
20 mins
3 x max
press-ups
3 x 10 lunges
3 x max
sit-ups
3 x 10 dorsal raises
Steady run
25-30 mins
4 x max
press-ups
4 x 14 lunges
4 x max
sit-ups
4 x 14 dorsal raises
Steady run
30-40 mins
2 x 45 secs max
press-ups
4 x 15 lunges
2 x 45 secs max
sit-ups
4 x 15 dorsal raises
10-15 mins
warm-up
Run hard for 1
min, recover for
1 min; continue
for 10 mins
(75-80%effort)
10 mins
cool-down
10-15 mins
warm-up
Run hard for 1
min, recover for
1 min; continue
for 14 mins
(75-80%effort)
10 mins
cool-down
10-15 mins
warm-up
Alternate running
hard then
recovering for
intervals of
1, 2 and 3 mins
(75-80%effort)
10 mins
cool-down
10 mins
warm-up
Circuit training:
2 x 12 of each
exercise
10 mins
cool-down
10 mins
warm-up
Circuit training:
3 x 15 of each
exercise
10 mins
cool-down
10 mins
warm-up
Circuit training:
4 x 15-20 of each
exercise
10 mins
cool-down
Brisk walk
30-40 mins,
or swimming
20-25 mins
Brisk walk/jog
30-40 mins,
or swimming
25-30 mins
Brisk walk/run
30-40 mins,
or swimming
30-35 mins
Steady run 20 mins
(60-70%effort)
3 x max
press-ups
3 x 12 squats
3 x max sit-ups
3 x 12 dorsal
raises
Steady run
25-30 mins
(60-70%effort)
4 x max
chin-ups
4 x 16 squats
4 x max sit-ups
4 x 16 dorsal raises
Steady run
30-40 mins
(60-70%effort)
2 x 1 min max
press-ups
4 x 20 squats
2 x 1 min max
sit-ups
4 x 20 dorsal raises
4 x 12 triceps dips
10-15 mins
warm-up
Run hard for 1
min, recover for
1 min; continue
for 12 mins
(75-80%effort)
10 mins
cool-down
10-15 mins
warm-up
Run hard for 1
min, recover for
1 min; continue
for 16 mins
(75-80%effort)
10 mins
cool-down
10-15 mins
warm-up
Alternate running
hard then
recovering for
intervals of 1, 2, 3,
2 and 1 min
(75-80%effort)
10 mins
cool-down
10 mins warm-up
Circuit training:
3 x 12 of each
exercise
10 mins
cool-down
10 mins warm-up
Circuit training:
3 x 20 of each
exercise
10 mins
cool-down
10 mins warm-up
Circuit training:
4 x 15-20 of each
exercise
10 mins
cool-down
Brisk walk
30-40 mins,
or swimming
20-25 mins
Brisk walk/jog
30-40 mins,
or swimming
25-30 mins
Brisk walk/run
30-40 mins,
or swimming
30-40 mins
Steady run
20 mins
(60-70%effort)
3 x max
press-ups
3 x 14 lunges
3 x max sit-ups
3 x 14 dorsal raises
Steady run
25-30 mins
(60-70%effort)
4 x max
press-ups
4 x 18 lunges
4 x max sit-ups
4 x 18 dorsal raises
4 x 12 triceps dips
Steady run
30-40 mins
(60-70%effort)
2 x 1 min max
press-ups
4 x 20 lunges
2 x 1 min max
sit-ups
4 x 20 dorsal raises
4xmaxchin-ups
10-15 mins
warm-up
Run hard for 1
min, recover for
1 min; continue
for 12 mins
(75-80%effort)
10 mins
cool-down
10-15 mins
warm-up
Run hard for 1
min, recover for
1 min; continue
for 16 mins
(75-80%effort)
10 mins
cool-down
10-15 mins
warm-up
Alternate running
hard then
recovering for
intervals of 1, 2, 3,
2 and 1 min
(75-80%effort)
10 mins
cool-down
10 mins warm-up
Brisk walk/run
30-40 mins, or
swimming
30-40 mins
10 mins
cool-down
10 mins warm-up
Brisk walk/run
30-40 mins, or
swimming
30-40 mins
10 mins
cool-down
10 mins warm-up
Brisk walk/run
30-40 mins, or
swimming
30-40 mins
10 mins
cool-down
FITNESS
ASSESSMENT
1 min max
press-ups
1 min max sit-ups
1.5-mile run
FITNESS
ASSESSMENT
1 min max
press-ups
1 min max sit-ups
1.5-mile run
FITNESS
ASSESSMENT
1 min max
press-ups
1 min max sit-ups
1.5-mile run
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RG/LEA/359 March 2013
Produced for the Ministry of Defence by Army Recruiting Group
Crown Copyright March 2013
MAXIMUM HEART RATE TABLE
As you get tter you will be able to exercise faster with your heart
rate staying the same, so you can use your heart rate to ensure
you are training at the correct intensity. Your warm-ups should
be in the LIGHT EFFORT training zone, and hard interval sessions
should push you into the MAXIMUM EFFORT zone. Your heart
rate changes as you get older so you will need to nd your own
maximum heart rate. To do this, deduct your age from 220 to give
you a maximum rate for exercising at 100%. Once you have a
number, nd the corresponding gure on the left-hand axis (below)
and look along the graph for your heart rate training zones. Wear
a heart rate monitor to refer to when training to keep tabs on how
hard youre working.
EFFORT
You should be able to talk comfortably (60-69% effort) when jogging,
talk in short sentences (70-79% effort) at a steady effort, and when
running hard your breathing should be heavy and it should be very
difcult to talk (80-100% effort).
205
190
100
115
130
145
160
175
205 205
190 190
100 100
115 115
130 130
145 145
160 160
175 175
15 20 25 40 35 30
80-89%HEAVY EFFORT
AGE
90-100%MAXIMUM EFFORT
70-79%MODERATE EFFORT
60-69%LIGHT EFFORT
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