What are the Marine Corps Daily Dozen

July 14, 2006 12:12 PM

I would like to know what some of these Marine Corps calisthenic exercises are.

These are the USMC's "daily dozen:"
1. Side straddle hops (jumping jacks)
2. Marine Corps Push-ups
3. Cherry pickers
4. Rowing Exercise
5. Side Benders
6. Flutter Kicks
7. Toe Touchers
8. Crunches
9. Trunk Twisters
10. In-Place Double Time
11. Standing Leg Lifts
12. “Six Inches” (Lying leg-lifts)

I get jumping jacks, push ups, flutter kicks, crunches - what about the rest of them? Has anybody tried using these as a workout routine (in or out of the USMC)? Any advice?

posted by annabkr to health & fitness (3 comments total)

They are not unique to the Marines, the Army and Army Infantry use them as well... my old favorite THE JANE FONDA! Yelled with an inflection on fonda -- haha - the memories of my military training...

I dont remember them all (sadly, or happily, depending on your point of view)

but the Cherry picker is extending your arms straight out. Fingers towards the sky and opening and closing your fingers as if you were reaching out and picking something off a tree at shoulder level. Did doesn't sound hard, but do it for several minutes and the pain will set in.

In place Double time, is running in place.

Side benders is just bending to the side with your hand over your head... bend to the left - your right hand points that way, bend to the right your left hand points that away (over your head)

Toe Tocuhers, Eitehr sittign or standing, its jsut basically a stretch to touch your toes..
posted by crewshell at 12:50 PM on July 14, 2006

Salient features - exercises do not require any support, nothing except your body and the ground. All USMC exercises are done on a 4-count - 1, 2, 3, ONE. 1, 2, 3, TWO.

Side straddle hops - jumping jacks, four-count.

Cherry pickers - spread your legs with knees straight. Bend straight over and touch the ground with both hands three times, each time touching the ground farther back between your legs. On the fourth count stand back up straight and put hands on hips. Touch, touch, touch, stand up. Touch, touch, touch, stand up.

Marine Corps pushups - 4-count. Down, up, down, ONE. Down, up, down, TWO.

Rowing exercise - never heard of it.

Side-benders - never heard of it.

Flutter kicks - Lie flat on back. Lift both legs so heels are six inches off the ground and knees are straight. Kick one leg up at a time, up to about 18 inches off the ground. Like you were swimming, in the air, on your back. 4-count.

Alternating toe touchers - Arms straight out sideways, legs spread, knees straight - touch right toe with left hand, left toe with right hand, repeat. 4-count. The counts are touch left toe, stand up, touch right toe, stand up.

Trunk twisters - legs spread, knees straight, hands on hips - bend forward, left, back, right, forward, left, back, right. Four counts makes one revolution. Do about 10 of these, then go the other way around for 10 more.

In-place double time - never heard of it, but it obviously means run in place. We always did these exercises as a prelude to a 3 mile run, so jogging in place was unnecessary.

Standing leg lifts - never heard of it.

Six inches - like the flutter kicks, but just hold both heels six inches above the ground until you can't any more.

Also: Hello Dolly's - Like flutter kicks, but spread legs and close legs while holding heels six inches above the ground, on a 4-count. Open, close, open, ONE. open, close, open, TWO.

Also: squat-thrusts, AKA "monkey-fuckers": start standing up, legs slightly spread. Drop to a crouch, hands touching the ground; kick legs back, balancing on your hands (now you're in pushup position, more or less); kick legs forward into the crouch again, stand up and reach for the sky (jump!). Crouch, legs back, crouch, jump up. Repeat. If you do it right you look like a monkey at the zoo who is just about to start throwing feces. Making monkey noises is optional but recommended.
posted by jellicle at 1:07 PM on July 14, 2006

here is a link of the excerises with photos, thanks goes to Ken... (got an email from him about this)

Enjoy -- MAKE IT BURN!
posted by crewshell at 2:37 AM on July 15, 2006