Brainstorming: ENPFT
Endurance Nation Physical Fitness Test 
I've been thinking about doing this for a while but the Pushup Challenge has created an opportunity for us to create something more formal and fun (?)
I'd like to combine elements of the Marine Corps and Army Physical Fitness Tests, to create at graded system. Elements:
- Max dead-hang pullups, graded from 0 to max of 20, 20 = 100pts. Women do a timed bent-arm hang. I'll have to find tables and vids for this. Dead-hang = full lockout. 20 legit deadhangs is legit...I've lost a LOT of strength.
- Max crunches in 2 minutes. 100 = 100pts
- Timed 3 mile run. 18' = 100pts
That's the one I'm familiar with, from back in the day .
To this we add the Army's pushup standards, table here. 100 pushups is legit.
There you go! Call it a max score of 400? Start up a Group, hold ourselves accountable, schedule some virtual tests, keep score and add scores to our sigs?
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Comments
IN!
I like this idea. But one of the things that really hooked me with the 100 pushup challenge was that there was a roadmap to follow to get me to that goal. So I might suck on the test today- but over the next 6 weeks I should be able to complete the challenge.
It would be nice if this ENPFT had a similar approach.
Oh- and what about the squat-thrust dealios? I remember you put us through a ton of those things during a one week EN Bootcamp kinda Challenge back in 2008. I wanted to kill you at the time, but man those things really kick your ass in a good way!
If you wanted to give people more of a total body/core/pull up/push up challenge you could always use something like "the Pillar".
It's 30 reps of 10 exercises for time. I forget all 10 but it was push ups, pull ups, sit ups, squats, etc. 10 minutes was the goal time.
Vince
The kind of stuff I did before I found triathlon... It'll be interesting to see how far I've fallen! In. Hope I just don't get hurt.
I didn't want to make this into a formal program that involves publishing workouts, etc, just want to keep it simple.
We have a pushup challenge, that takes care of the pushup part of the test.
Start doing pullups, core work, and the OS run stuff certainly covers the run training. Then, at some point, we just scheduling a testing day(s) and see what happens.
I have a pull up bar in one of my door frames and every time I walk through that frame I gotta give 3 pull-ups. Next week will be 4, etc. I need to add 3-4 informal sets of pushups to this, fend off the dogs long enough to get in some core work, (daddy on the floor = play time, or Riley stands over me and get's all alpha-male-y), etc.
The pullups, for the test, anyway, need to be on just straight bar. Think your normal playground, running path pullup bar. Overhand grip is best, as you'll start to swing with an underhand grip. Underhand is ok if you have someone to keep you from swinging.
The deadhang part is no joke. When I enlisted, in '95, the rules were much more lax. You had to go all the way down and all the way up, chin over the bar, but you could kinda bounce at the bottom, even snapping your lower body upward to use a little momentum. Then they changed it so you had to go down to a full lockout of your elbow. More deliberate, slower movement and therefore more challenging.
When I started doing some “core workouts” I was amazed how out of shape a person that can do an ironman is!!! Count me in!
Matt
My oldest turned 14 yesterday. He loves playing football. We bought him a gym membership for off season strength & agility training. Going to have him join us informally in this challenge. Looking forward to it.
What's this bent elbow hang for time thing?
Nemo,
You could search for it (sorry, I have a call in 5'). Basically you mount the bar, have someone push you up so your chin is above the bar, and hang there for time. Mo' time = mo' points.
Thanks! Got it- sounds tough, but not nearly as tough as what I had pictured in my head!!!
We had pull up bar on the floor for 20 months. Finally put it up about 2 months ago, and it still has not been used. This might just be the kick in the pants I need.
Ladies- A friend with a pull up bar in her kitchen said that doing negative pull ups (i.e. use a chair or something to get your chin over the bar, hold yourself there, then just slowly lower yourself, don't try to pull yourself up if you're a newbie) will build the strength to get you started. I keep saying I will...
I am mostly likely in, assuming I try this negative pull up thingy...
Another alternative to the negative push ups: About a year ago I started trying to do a proper pull-up (but I quit). The trainer at the Y suggested that I start by laying on a bench under one of those adjustable weight lifting bars, the one where the bar is attached but can be raised an lowered. Then just pull up my torso. That was supposed to get me strong enough to start pull ups.
Well, I had my first sorta shot at this today. After my run with the Boyz and before a call I knocked out 4 x 20 pushups and 4 x 6 pullups. None of that was to failure but it was NOT as comfortable as I would have liked.
Jeezus, I used to knock this stuff out like it was going outa style. Marine officer standard, at least for company grade, combat arms types like me, was 20 pullups. BAD juju to get up on the bar in front of your Marines and not get your 20. Uggg, much work to do...
If you cannot do any....Not sure what to do unless someone wants to unweight you a bit every set to allow you to lift yourself up. Negatives are an option, which requires that someone lifts you up and you fight it down for a 5 count. Eccentrics are harder on muscles but help with the golgi tendon organ reset mechanism and grooves the nervous system to fire the appropriate muscles. Much strength progress initially comes not from increase muscle strength/cellular diameter changes but from the nervous systems improved ability to fire the muscle. My 2 cents.
Vince
Got out in '93, before they tightened the pullup rules. Those guys that could "kip" used to piss the rest of us off. Course, only cuz we were jealous that we were stiff as boards, and couldn't knock out 20 in about 20 seconds like they could!
It was like break-dancing on a pullup bar!
Do they still do timed sit-ups for the Marine PFT? Crazy! Pretty darned sure my back surgery had something to do with slamming my lower back on the ground (usually concrete
) 3 days a week trying to get my 100 situps in 2 minutes!
I'm in for the run and pullups! Don't know about the situps - we should do atomic pushups on a swiss ball or something
No, situps are now crunches (100 vs the old 80), butt has to stay on the deck (which I know is what you meant to say, cuz there is no ground in the Corps)
Okay, after watching WAY too much Ninja Warrior in the last 3 days...I'm IN! I was skeered of the Push-up challenge, but the negative chin thingy looks more doable. Going to have the DH put a bar up in the kitchen...
This is scary 'cause I roped Joe into doing the push up challenge with me. And today as he talked about his last push-up workout I casually mentioned maybe we need to add a pull-up bar somewhere. His response "yeah, I've been trying to figure out where we could put something like that- or maybe use the deck steps".
Oh crap, what have I done???
I have this, mounts above the door jamb, no tools required
http://www.amazon.com/Creative-Fitness-DG-Door-Gym/dp/B00029A7C0