Military Training

[ralis]

The military will abuse you and take away your individuality. It will put you in harms way and you will have no free will.

 

The modern military is about fighting for oil and other natural resources.

 

Iraq and Afghanistan are not about anything the propagandists will tell you.

 

 

ralis

Edited August 19, 2010 by ralis

[Kris]

HEY GUYS!!

 

I have yet another question, haha I just love asking for advice. Well I am planning on joining the military very very soon! I am starting to physically train to be prepared for BT. I was wondering if their were any excercises you guys have tried that help with upper body strength, cardio, and endurance. Also anything that helps rejuvinate you.

I am a 5 foot tall girl who can not do one push up so I need as much help as I can get to come through this amazing experience succesfully.

 

Hi,

 

I'd get hold of a pair of regulation boots and a regulation back pack. Don't start out running in boots and with a lot of weight! You want to ease into it. Start taking long walks with a good pace and light weight and increase the load gradually. This training will build some real endurance and you will avoid getting blisters when you start BT. (BTW learn to take care of your feet. )

 

For general fitness I'd go with Scott Sonnons Tacfit. ( http://www.rmaxinternational.com/tacfit/# ) or at least Flowfit ( https://rmaxinternational.3dcartstores.com/FlowFit_p_152.html ) Both will let you progress at the right pace for you and help you avoid injury. Check out the army manual to. As you get in better overall shape you can focus on the exact stuff you are going to do every day. Rmax has a great forum. I got a lot of help there when I started out with their stuff. I haven't checked it out in a while, but i guess it's still there.

 

The world need more taoist warriors.

 

Best of luck to you.

 

Kris

[ralis]

Hi,

 

 

 

 

 

The world need more taoist warriors.

 

 

 

 

Kris

 

Taoist warriors for the purpose of? Taoist warriors in the army to kill innocent women and children? Taoist warriors don't participate in insane wars!

 

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/mar/19/iraq

 

This article talks about the innocent women and children killed in Iraq. For what purpose? Nothing more than lies!!

[metal dog]

Let's see...

 

My grandfather on my father's side fought in WWII and Korea in the U.S. Army and was wounded. His wife was an army nurse.

My grandfather on my mother's side fought in WWII on the side of the Germans as a Nazi. His wife was an Irish nurse on the side of the Allies.

My uncle on my father's side fought in Vietnam in the U.S. Army.

My uncle on my mother's side fought in Vietnam in the U.S. Army, a Ranger, spoke seven languages, and worked as a "Specialist" in other areas of southeast Asia for over ten years.

And a few of my good friends served in the first Iraq war.

(Two of which have the Gulf War Illness and another who lost a leg over a ridiculous order from a superior...)

 

...all seem to come to the same consensus and opinion concerning the military and war of corporate sponsored governments...

 

"WAR...IT'S A RACKET..."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/War_Is_a_Racket

 

What the U.S. is involved with today are corporate ventures of death and destruction executed through the alliance of The Crown, the U.S. and terrorist Israel. With the keen ability to make profits off that destruction and rebuilding...talk about making the dough on the upside of spreading democracy and freedom from terrorism.

 

I actually left the U.S. six years ago because of domestic terrorism laws that can be applied to any U.S. citizen at the government's whim...and forget your habeas corpus and posse comitatus too. Unless this legislation is repealed I shall not return to the clusterfuck nation.

 

Nationalism, honor, bravery and all that tough guy talk is the brainwashing jazz to get you to feel all good inside about it. Like you are doing something good for God and for country. Get real. Do some reading. Talk to people above the level of brainwashed grunts and profiteers suffering from psychopathic levels of machismo and posturing.

Edited August 19, 2010 by metal dog

[ralis]

Let's see...

 

My grandfather on my father's side fought in WWII and Korea in the U.S. Army and was wounded. His wife was an army nurse.

My grandfather on my mother's side fought in WWII on the side of the Germans as a Nazi. His wife was an Irish nurse on the side of the Allies.

My uncle on my father's side fought in Vietnam in the U.S. Army.

My uncle on my mother's side fought in Vietnam in the U.S. Army, a Ranger, spoke seven languages, and worked as a "Specialist" in other areas of southeast Asia for over ten years.

And a few of my good friends served in the first Iraq war.

(Two of which have the Gulf War Illness and another who lost a leg over a ridiculous order from a superior...)

 

...all seem to come to the same consensus and opinion concerning the military and war of corporate sponsored governments...

 

"WAR...IT'S A RACKET..."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/War_Is_a_Racket

 

 

I am glad you mentioned Gen. Butler who on behalf of the very wealthy and powerful corporations, was going to over throw the U.S. gov't and replace it with a fascist gov't. Many in this country have never heard of this event.

 

ralis

[Aetherous]

I'm still in the guard, after one deployment to Iraq as a medic, and getting out in January.

 

Do not join.

 

Do not join. Do not join. Do not join!

 

All that "shaolin" said on the first page is spot on. Respect to him for having tried out for SAS, too.

 

Joining was the worst decision I've made in my entire life. Go to college, or just work normal jobs here and there. Don't sacrifice your own freedom for a useless cause. The benefits aren't worth it, and any chance they get they will try to take these benefits from you.

 

The leadership in the military is made up of mostly spineless idiots. They don't care about your well being, they care about what their boss will think of them if they disobey orders...so they will willingly screw up your life when it comes down to it.

 

Basic training was the best part of my military experience. It was all about taking care of your "battle buddies", and doing more than you thought was possible. I was so proud to have joined, despite the challenge...but that experience ended. The real military is not like that.

 

I am not proud to have served, and I don't consider what soldiers are doing today as "serving their country". I think today's "soldiers" are just underpaid contractors, serving the interests of the government, not actually defending the nation.

 

If you want to become a nurse, go to school for it and take out student loans. Work a summer job. The only reason a person should join the military today is if it's their absolute last option. I mean, if you can't even get a job at McDonalds.

[metal dog]

I am glad you mentioned Gen. Butler who on behalf of the very wealthy and powerful corporations, was going to over throw the U.S. gov't and replace it with a fascist gov't. Many in this country have never heard of this event.

 

ralis

 

I believe he was approached by the powerful because his war record would make him a good figurehead for their movement in order to derail the New Deal. Corruption begets corruption on all fronts in the power game.

The U.S. now suffers economically nonetheless...and war maintains the empire.

 

Best to cut through the B.S. and join a good war contractor group like Blackwater which has political immunities from prosecution and just go all out like the dirty business war really is.

 

After your first stray bullet kills a child on the street and you eek out a few tears over the mess, grab some complimentary anti-depressants and psyche drugs, quickly validate yourself and move onto the next insurgent to justify the collateral damage...while humming American the Beautiful.

Edited August 19, 2010 by metal dog

[3bob]

I did a four year hitch in the USAF and an additional year of Army National Guard. (Vietnam era & later)

 

Anyway, I'd suggest the Air Force or Navy if you want more of a tech type of support job (which may lead to a job when you get out) or the Army and Marines, which also have tech type jobs but there you must be far more prepared to rough it out on the ground, be stationed close to combat zones, and possibly become involved in close combat. (thus very hard and dangerous duty)

 

Most of the standard warm-up and strecth exercises along with push-ups are good; then lots of fast walking and stairs, also some steady jogging. (give your body time to adapt now while you still can because in BT they don't give you time)

 

Start getting up at 4:30-5:00 in the morning 6 days a week, because that is how it's gonna be in BT.

 

Be prepared to be screamed at and cut down ... for apparently no good. reason.

 

Be prepared to be marching a lot and making various formations, since you will have no schedule of your own. Period. (marching can be fun if you are not exhausted and have sore feet which is somewhat of an unlikely situation during BT and or at other times)

 

Have private compartments for the mind and emotions to tuck things away, since there won't be a democratic process and open discussions for you to air your pov's..

 

Have some good buddies to talk with and share support, because if you get to tightly wound-up and are by yourself a lot you will crack or break.

 

Don't dwell to much on the future, just make it through each day in BT in decent shape and suddenly it will be over, and then off to your tech school along with some off-duty time for yourself and buddies.

 

Of course you will probably have to work with lots of guys, and that is a very big area in itself! (with all of the ramifications to deal with!)

 

There is unhealthy pride and also healthy pride, both in the service and out.

I wish you the healthy kind

 

Om

Edited August 19, 2010 by 3bob

[voidisyinyang]

Makyea you have epilepsy so you can not join the military:

 

http://www.epilepsy.com/node/975161

 

No, your son cannot join any branch of the service if he has epilepsy. Generally, an applicant must be seizure free for a period of 5 years without the use of medication in order to be allow to enlist.

 

Exceptions are made and waivers are issued. But only in cases where an applicant had a single seizure incident within 5 years but has not been diagnosed as an epileptic nor has had any other history of seizures. The Army and the Marines are the only ones that I've heard of issuing these waivers.

 

But a person diagnosed with epilepsy and is currently on medication under the instruction of a physician most definitely will not get one of these waivers regardless of the branch. A person with epilepsy is considered non-deployable and is therefore not wanted.

 

http://ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=49971

 

"That means on average 18 veterans commit suicide each day....A Rand Corporation report last year found that as many as 20 percent of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans exhibited symptoms of PTSD or depression."

Edited August 19, 2010 by drewhempel

[ralis]

I spent 5yrs. in the USAF during Vietnam. I was to be drafted in the Army in spite of a physical disability that should have kept me out. In spite of that, I was put in a job that would have made my physical problem worse.

 

The point is, the military cares about no one but the assigned mission. The military is nothing more than a machine to do the bidding of the elite ruling class.

 

I know this is a movie, however it gets the point across! Those that survived this said it was 10x worse than what is depicted here!

 

I friend of mine who has passed on was in WW2. He said the U.S. Army was a machine that destroyed everything in its path!

 

 

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gZgKo46X8CI

Edited August 19, 2010 by ralis

[Marblehead]

I haven't exalted passivity for activity: I'm just suggesting you to spend your energy in other directions!

 

I'd not stay passive if my family/my friends would be in danger, but an Army is about fighting for power and money.

Are these taoist values ?

 

Why are you thinking about people that can attach you ?

 

I'm studying kung fu and the training it's a lot about fighing. Still I'm not thinking about people threaten me: I've learnt to develop good feelings and joyful living, because of taoism, training and this forum too.

Of course I'd use my kung fu against someone that's trying to kill me, but it's not the point now.

 

Okay. This is a bit more toward reality. And I agree, the world would be a much better place if no armies were needed by any group of people for the purpose of protecting themselves.

 

And I agree that the militaries of many nations have been grossly misused. I can think of Switzerland and Austria as being exceptions.

 

But this thread started out as a discussion of a member asking for suggestions for preparing themself for basic training, physically and mentally. That is all that was requested.

 

I made my post because of the first response to the poster. An alternative view. Military service in any of the American services holds a lot of benefits for its members. If a person is currently unemployed and wanting to improve their chances of being something more than what they are at present then I think this is an outstanding choice.

 

The fact that the US was involved in an illegal war in Iraq has nothing to do with this individual.

 

Yes, I have a lot of negative things to say regarding the military of many nations, my own included. But that's not the point. The point is that I think it is a good decision for that individual who started this thread and I wish them the best.

 

Peace & Love!

[shaolin]

Theres lots of advice here, especially from people who have been in the military and seen active service and been in real conflict.

 

I agree with marblehead with regards to the moral part of things. Yes sadly there are times when one must use violence to defend themselves and there are things that may be worth dying and killing for (if you are forced in to such a situation), but to put oneself in such a situation without it being forced on you is a different matter, as are the aims of the people you are fighting for.

 

You will be potentially killing and dying for American foreign policy. Do you know what it is? Do you know what it REALLY is, behind the propoganda?

 

Is it worth killing and dying for? Is it in accordance with your moral ethics?

 

Is it really worth the pain in your family, or the pain in the families of others who meet a horrid and voilent death?

 

All of these thoughts and considerations and views. In REAL conflict its all blood, fear, rotten bodies and shit. Like a butchers being used as a public toilet. Its disgusting animalism air brushed in to words like collateral damage, conflict and fatalities.

 

Whoever desires to kill should be prepared to be killed. Trust me , you dont need that shit.

 

Youtube "US marines cry after fire fight".

 

We all must walk the path that we have chosen.

[Aetherous]

Military service in any of the American services holds a lot of benefits for its members. If a person is currently unemployed and wanting to improve their chances of being something more than what they are at present then I think this is an outstanding choice.

 

The benefits are just to get people to join. As soon as they can, they strip you of your benefits.

 

This is actually happening in the guard right now. First, it was kicking people out and taking their enlistment bonuses back, for not passing their fitness test. This was because for a period of time there were too many members in the guard. A bunch of my friends were kicked out and owed thousands.

 

When I passed the fitness test on stress fractures, they said it didn't count and wanted me to re-do it. Now for the past year and a half I've been on profile, just so they can't touch me.

 

They've held my tuition reimbursement (over 7 thousand dollars) for the past three semesters because of this.

 

I went to additional medic training, and they chose not to count it. Now my EMT license expired and they want to recoup my bonus again. Looks like it will be 1000 bucks that I owe them for this.

 

Do they really need my money?

 

If a person is unemployed, they should mow lawns and keep applying at different places. The military is much different than it was years ago.

[ralis]

 

 

 

 

 

 

I made my post because of the first response to the poster. An alternative view. Military service in any of the American services holds a lot of benefits for its members. If a person is currently unemployed and wanting to improve their chances of being something more than what they are at present then I think this is an outstanding choice.

 

 

Peace & Love!

 

The military did not help me "be all you can be"! I am responsible for being who I am. That is just a scam to get people in and the promise of the illusory money being offered today. Just more psy ops at work.

 

 

ralis

[suninmyeyes]

. .

Edited August 19, 2010 by suninmyeyes

[Maddie]

Ok to answer your origianal question without philisphical commentary.... here is what you do ( I was in the Army, did basic blah blah blah)

 

Push ups- if you can't do a real push up do girly push ups, if you can't do girly push ups, then bench press as much as you possibly can until you can do girly push ups, and then do as many girly pushups until you can do real push ups, then do as many of those as you can.

 

Sit ups- if you can't do those do crunches, and leg lifts lying down.

 

Running- slowly build up your distance, don't do too much too fast, and brisk paced walks are also good if you can't run very well.

 

Healthy Diet- no junk food, ect...

 

One last thing. I personally do martial arts, finding a good martial arts school might help as well because they work you out really good (just make sure the instructor looks like he/ she is in shape, no pot bellies) and you can make friends, and doing excersice in a group is easier than doing it alone. ;-)

 

Hope that helps

[metal dog]

 

And thank you for those most sobering shots of realistic commentary ralis...a voice of sanity amongst the un-sane.

Edited August 19, 2010 by metal dog

[Marblehead]

The military did not help me "be all you can be"! I am responsible for being who I am. That is just a scam to get people in and the promise of the illusory money being offered today. Just more psy ops at work.

 

 

ralis

 

While I will agree with you to a point I will not totally agree. There are many oportunities to be had by being able to get out of the dirty ole town a person is living in and seek out available opportunities.

 

And it is true, we each are resopnsible for being what we are the point is if there are more opportunities there is a better chance we can become something we would not have access to if we just stayed where we are.

 

Sometimes you gotta' move in order to be moved.

 

Yes, the slogans generate interest. I see no problem with advertising. And don't tell me you have never heard of exaggerated advertising before.

 

Peace & Love!

[Marblehead]

The benefits are just to get people to join. As soon as they can, they strip you of your benefits.

 

 

I don't deny that things like this happen. It happened to a lot of folks during the post-Vietnam phase-back. I knew a Captain who was lacking only three credit hours from getting his BA so he could hold his Captain rank but they flat denied him an extension. He decided to get out instead of taking an enlisted rank.

 

And I will grant you that the Defense Department is very impersonal when they make their decisions. But they are only following instructions from our government.

 

Peace & Love!

[voidisyinyang]

http://www.military.com/NewsContent/0,13319,138137,00.html

 

CARLTON, MINN. -- Luke Kamunen began to wonder if he'd made a mistake the moment he arrived for basic training. He was still in the airport at Fort Jackson, S.C., with other members of his Minnesota National Guard unit, when an officer reprimanded him publicly for leaving a paper cup on his seat in the airport.

 

"I was thinking, is this what it's going to be like the whole time?" Luke said. "I'm not even on the bus yet."

 

His twin brother, Leif, started having doubts within weeks when a drill sergeant indicated they were probably headed to Iraq. Leif said that possibility had been downplayed by the recruiter who signed him up in Duluth.

 

On Jan. 2, the twins, age 21, and their brother Leo, 20, went AWOL from the Army. All three failed to return to basic training after Christmas break in northern Minnesota. Five months later, Luke has been released from the military, while Leif and Leo remain absent without leave. They say they plan to turn themselves in soon.

 

The Kamunen brothers are an example of a growing problem -- Army desertions have risen 35 percent in the past two years, according to Defense Department figures. The number rose from 2,450 in 2004 to 3,301 in 2006.

[Marblehead]

And the morale of that story is that if you can't handle a little criticism and if you believe everything anyone tells you you are going to be very disillusioned.

 

Peace & Love!

[Marblehead]

So. Can y'all tell I am still an Army man even though I have been retired for over thirty years?

 

Peace & Love!

[Sunya]

I'm applying to be a clinical psychologist for the Navy. They will pay for my tuition, pay me officer salary while i'm in school, pay for me to get licensed, and then give me a nice job where I will be able to, hopefully, help the many soldiers who truly need psychotherapy. I think it will be a rewarding experience and I look forward to it. In the end, I will retire by 50 and then maybe open up a meditation retreat center somewhere in the mountains.

 

My advice is to go to college first and enter in as an officer. Also, make sure you know exactly what you want to do in the military. They treat their health corps members very well (doctors, psychiatrists, psychologists, dentists, etc.) and will pay you to go to medical school. If money isn't a problem, there are still good reasons. As mentioned, you get trained to be a confident leader and you're part of a community who looks out for each other. That can be a nice feeling.

 

Military certainly isn't for everyone. If you're a very individualistic person who can't bear the thought of following orders, then it probably isn't for you. Same goes for those who want a lot of control deciding where they live. Personally I would enjoy moving around and living on bases.

Edited August 20, 2010 by Sunya

[voidisyinyang]

I'm applying to be a clinical psychologist for the Navy. They will pay for my tuition, pay me officer salary while i'm in school, pay for me to get licensed, and then give me a nice job where I will be able to, hopefully, help the many soldiers who truly need psychotherapy. I think it will be a rewarding experience and I look forward to it. In the end, I will retire by 50 and then maybe open up a meditation retreat center somewhere in the mountains.

 

My advice is to go to college first and enter in as an officer. Also, make sure you know exactly what you want to do in the military. They treat their health corps members very well (doctors, psychiatrists, psychologists, dentists, etc.) and will pay you to go to medical school. If money isn't a problem, there are still good reasons. As mentioned, you get trained to be a confident leader and you're part of a community who looks out for each other. That can be a nice feeling.

 

Military certainly isn't for everyone. If you're a very individualistic person who can't bear the thought of following orders, then it probably isn't for you. Same goes for those who want a lot of control deciding where they live. Personally I would enjoy moving around and living on bases.

 

http://www.democracynow.org/2007/8/29/psychologist_author_mary_pipher_returns_apa

 

We play the second part of our conversation with renowned psychologist and author Mary Pipher. She gained headlines last week when she returned her Presidential Citation award from the America Psychological Association in protest over the group’s policy on military and CIA interrogations.

 

At its annual convention just over a week ago, the APA’s policymaking council voted overwhelmingly to reject a measure that would have banned its members from participating in interrogations at Guantanamo Bay and other US detention centers....

 

MARY PIPHER: I’ve been following this issue as a psychologist for a couple years, mostly on your show, Amy. But last Sunday, August 19, APA, American Psychological Association, passed what they call Substitute Motion Three, which essentially allows psychologists to continue in their roles supervising and in some ways overseeing, planning the interrogations at places like Guantanamo and perhaps black sites, as well. I was very upset by this.

 

I also watched your show on Monday. I had read the Vanity Fair piece by Katherine Eban, a wonderful piece, the Jane Mayer piece in The New Yorker. And it all came together. And I just decided I really don’t want our organization to go this way. I’ve had a very good long-term relationship with APA. I’m very proud of my profession, but I was so aware that we were making a terrible mistake, and I felt it was my—it was really a moral imperative that I act.

 

I thought my act would be of small import, and no doubt it will be of small import, but I hoped two things would happen as a result of it. One would be that American Psychological Association once again join the other helping professions: American Medical Association, American Psychiatric Association, American Nursing Association, all professions that do not permit their members to be in Guantanamo or the CIA sites. The other thing is, I realized that if psychologists weren’t in those sites, they could not exist, because we give those sites legitimacy.

 

Well, first of all, psychologists designed much of the torture. We were involved with the SERE project at Fort Bragg. We developed the protocols. And what our field has actually done is create through reverse-engineering, actually, some of the earlier methods for our captured [POWs]. We reverse-engineered them into a very rapid and heinous process by which almost anyone could be broken down and hallucinating and psychotic and, in a sense, destroying their mind within about twenty-four hours, forty-eight hours. And so, we’ve been very, very much a part of this.

 

http://www.democracynow.org/2010/7/8/military_psychologists_face_complaints_with_licensing

 

Two US military psychologists are facing complaints with their state licensing boards over their actions at Guantánamo Bay. The psychologists, Major John Leso and Colonel Larry James, are accused of helping perpetrate the abuse and torture of prisoners in violation of standards of professional conduct. On Wednesday, Harvard Law School’s International Human Rights Clinic filed a complaint against Larry James in Ohio, where he now serves as dean of Wright State’s School of Professional Psychology. Meanwhile, the Center for Justice and Accountability filed a complaint against John Leso here in New York.

 

Both James and Leso played key roles in interrogations at Guantánamo. Leso served at Guantánamo from June 2002 to January 2003. He led the Behavioral Science Consultation Team involved in the interrogation and torture of Mohammed al-Qahtani. In 2003, James arrived at Guantánamo to head a group of up to five psychologists who assisted in intelligence gathering and interrogations. James would later serve in Iraq, where he became the first psychologist stationed at the Abu Ghraib prison.

 

...

 

Major Leso and the psychiatrist, Major Burney, created a protocol to use these harsh techniques, three levels of increasingly aversive types of techniques, starting with just lying to the detainee and ending with hypothermia, stress positions, sleep deprivation and all of the techniques that we know as torture. So, Major Leso was responsible for creating the protocols, and then they used these protocols, first with Mohammed al-Qahtani, who they interrogated for forty-nine days straight, twenty hours a day, using and implementing these very techniques. And Major Leso is known, because the log of that interrogation was released, to have been present for some, if not all, of—certainly for some—of that abusive interrogation, and participated.

Edited August 20, 2010 by drewhempel

[goldisheavy]

That is exactly why I am training haha. I really want to be the best I can be. I think it is so funny that civilizations went from almost worshipping soldiers to calling them bad people. I don't think some people understand soldiers take orders they are given so they can best protect home. No one calls a mother bird bad for protecting her family the best way she knows how.

I have heard that the Army and Navy want to absorb the other branches because they prove unnecesary(to gain more money). I say this because all of the branches are filling up they are having to tighten restrictions, which shows that more people are starting to understand but I just hope that it spreads to everyone.

 

The problem is that most people agree that we need to protect our way of life, but we don't all agree on what is the best way to do so. Fact is, a lot of people believe diplomacy is the best way. Other people think that killing half way across the globe is the way to go. When you become a soldier, on one hand, you become more powerful as a person in a sense that you are trained to be maximally destructive. On the other hand, the decision-making authority for the power that you represent gets delegated away from you, to some bureaucrat(s) in the government, who don't necessarily know what is the best way to protect the country.

 

I wish that every time the president or other bureaucrat decided to engage in war, they and their sons and daughters were required to serve on the front lines for a year, to make sure they don't do so lightly.

 

That said, training is easy. The hard part is sticking with it and being consistent, but even that part is not hard if you enjoy training. If you don't enjoy training, then sticking with it can be hard. You should do what you can to make training more fun so that you're more likely to do it again and again.

 

When you go to the bootcamp, they will break down your psyche. That's what bootcamp does. They break you down as a person, so that they can program you, and tell you what you will become, when, why and how. There is no room for individuality in the army. Or not much room anyway. So going to the army is a severe sacrifice. It may be worth it. But it is certainly not a decision to be made lightly.

 

For pull-ups, do lateral pull downs at the gym with the weight you can do comfortably for 3 to 4 sets of 6 reps or so. As you get better, the number of reps will go up. When you get to 10 reps or so, increase the weight. When you train, don't train till you pass out. A good rule of thumb is to train at 70-80% capacity. In other words, after you're done with 3 sets of 6 reps, you should still be able to do a few reps, at least, or even more.

 

For push-ups, you can do push-ups off an elevated surface. So instead of pushing off the floor, you can push off the chair. This is easier than doing it off the floor. As you get better, you can lower the surface until you can do push-ups straight off the floor.

 

Push-ups and pull ups will give you more or less all the upper body strength you need. If you want to get a little fancy and if you have a little bit of disposable cash, you can buy yourself a kettlebell. I believe a woman's starter weight is 8 kilos (men's is 16). You can look up kettlebell exercises online. If you do kettlebells, I suggest the basics. Don't get fancy. Just do swings, cleans, presses, clean and jerk, and snatch. But start with swings and spend a lot of time on swings. Kettlebells will make you very strong and will give you a very high endurance level, but they won't make you look manly (you can look up pictures of women who train with kettlebells if you don't believe me). Of course kettlebells are also excellent for men, unless you want to look like Hulk, then you need to do bodybuilding with a 10 lbs dumbbell instead. I don't train a lot, but I do own some kbs, and I play with them from time to time and I highly recommend them because they are fun, unlike dumbbells, so there is a good likelihood of using them due to their fun nature.

 

There is a ton of good advice for training all over the place. There is no real need to ask spiritual people for advice on training unless you want to cultivate some exotic quality. If you just want good ole mashed potatoes and ham training, which has been used for hundreds of year and which still works after all this time, there are plenty of places to look.

 

Here's a little secret for you that not many people know. If you want to train an exercise that requires many reps, you should train your strength first. In other words, if you want to do a lot of pull ups, don't just do pull ups over and over, because you'll get stuck at around 10 to 15 pull ups. Instead, once you can do 10 pull ups, you need to start adding weight and do fewer of them with the added weight. As you get better you have to keep adding the weight (using the weight belt). Once you can do 5 pull ups with half your body weight in added weight, you'll be bale to do many many ordinary unweighted pull ups.

 

So strength and endurance work off each other. You always need both. If you want to do high strength stuff, you need very high endurance and not just strength.

 

Good luck.

Edited August 20, 2010 by goldisheavy