Preparing for OCS - Physical

OCS PT is not meant to strengthen you. You should not go to OCS looking and hoping to get into better shape. If you are out of shape going to OCS, then you will become in better shape. If you go to OCS, as you should, in good shape, then your body is going to break down, and you will lose strength. But you will all gain Endurance, and that's what OCS PT is all about. Physical and Mental Endurance, the drive to push on when your physically and mentally exhausted, stressed and fatigued. Ooh-Rah!

Preparation - You should consult the Preparation Guide link that I have listed above, and read the section about being physically prepared. If your too lazy to scroll up, then listen up. Run! Stop lifting weights, and Run! Keep working out, but switch to all body weight excersises. Such as push-ups, sit-ups, lunges, pull-ups, etc. Work all of these types of body-weight exercises into your running routine. You should be able to comfortably run four miles without coughing up a lung before you get to OCS. So remember, body-weight exercises and RUN! Run your guts out.

Juniors - More specifically, OCS PT starts with the Juniors at a pretty slow pace. You run in sneakers ("go-fasters") pretty much throughout all of the Juniors cycle, while running in boots and uts for some PT courses. Junior running paces are generally around 7-8 minute mile paces, not that hard at all... Junior PT is not difficult, at least I didn't think so. But you should still come prepared to smoke check every other candidate, and to help the weaker ones.

Seniors - Seniors PT is an entirely different story. We ran in go-fasters, I think three times, the initial PFT, the first run of the first day of Seniors cycle, and the final PFT. The rest of the cycle is ran in Boots and Uts, with LBV, two full canteens and weapon. We ran different ways every time, some individual runs, some squad, but mostly were timed courses. Such as the CFT, and the Endurance Course, which is a smokecheck!

Humps - The Juniors do the three mile, up to the 9mile humps. Nothing to bad, little walk in the woods during the day. The Seniors do the three mile, up to the twelve. But Seniors do the twelve mile hump at night (or early in the morning) in complete darkness. Its a little disoriententing at first, but you get used to it. Takes about three or four hours if I remember correctly. When your done humping, you shower up, then get bused over to TBS for breakfast with the new LTs.