Wants to join the military but not physically capable
February 10, 2011 10:42 AM Subscribe
I want to join the military but am not physically capable. I want to help out, but since strength and fitness are not my strong points, I am thinking of contributing other services that won't require those. But I heard that everyone, even the people not in physically demanding jobs like medical and intelligence force, must pass physical tests and training. I am willing to train myself beforehand if it's required, but I need to know what I must do and how everything works. Thanks.
If your goals is service, you also might consider working as a civilian for the military. That wouldn't require basic training or fitness constraints. Otherwise, the physical requirements for each branch are different, but often quite demanding.
posted by ldthomps at 10:53 AM on February 10, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by ldthomps at 10:53 AM on February 10, 2011 [1 favorite]
Hylas is right, and moreover, it should be pointed out that the early parts of basic training is specifically designed to develop physical skills, not prove them, per se.
Provided you don't have any actual medical challenges, you'll probably be OK. You'll be better off if you talk to a recruiter and plan ahead, of course. But you don't need to train like an Olympian. That's not the hurdle you should be thinking about.
posted by Cool Papa Bell at 10:55 AM on February 10, 2011
Provided you don't have any actual medical challenges, you'll probably be OK. You'll be better off if you talk to a recruiter and plan ahead, of course. But you don't need to train like an Olympian. That's not the hurdle you should be thinking about.
posted by Cool Papa Bell at 10:55 AM on February 10, 2011
The gym I go to shares a parking lot with a military recruiting office. I've seen the USMC in there with high school kids, I assume helping the kids get a head start on getting into shape for Basic. Some of these kids could not do a single pull up. It didn't seem to disqualify them from anything. All it got them was encouragement and help from the Marine leading them to try harder, keep working, etc.
The point of Basic is to turn you into a Marine, or Soldier, or Airman. They don't expect you to walk into the door in prime physical, or mental condition for the mission.
posted by COD at 11:08 AM on February 10, 2011
The point of Basic is to turn you into a Marine, or Soldier, or Airman. They don't expect you to walk into the door in prime physical, or mental condition for the mission.
posted by COD at 11:08 AM on February 10, 2011
If only the military had something to get you in shape right after you join. Ideally, it would have physical training, military education, and weapons training (after all, it'd still be military, right?). After that program, they could educate you on your new career field, specifically.
They could call the first part something like "Basic Training" and the second part something like "Advanced Individual Training."
Expect my suggestion to be implemented some time in Quarter 1 of 1775.
(You'll be fine. Most recruits can't pass an APFT when they join up. That's what training is for. To enter basic training in the US Army, you have to be able to do 13 pushups, 17 situps, and run a mile. It's slightly tougher in the Marines, but easier in the Air Force and Navy.)
posted by phoebus at 11:16 AM on February 10, 2011 [8 favorites]
They could call the first part something like "Basic Training" and the second part something like "Advanced Individual Training."
Expect my suggestion to be implemented some time in Quarter 1 of 1775.
(You'll be fine. Most recruits can't pass an APFT when they join up. That's what training is for. To enter basic training in the US Army, you have to be able to do 13 pushups, 17 situps, and run a mile. It's slightly tougher in the Marines, but easier in the Air Force and Navy.)
posted by phoebus at 11:16 AM on February 10, 2011 [8 favorites]
I started running about 4-5 miles a day about 6 months before I went into basic, it really helped. I'd recommend pushups, too, you'll be doing a lot of those. To give you an idea of what bootcamp is like, I went in weighing 185 and came out at 155, and I was eating like a horse.
I would definitely recommend Air Force or the Navy. The Army and Marine bootcamps are much more rigorous and their day to day working life is liable to be more physically demanding. I was an Electronics Technician in the Navy, it was a pretty good gig as far as military jobs go, interesting work and not much heavy lifting. I would look at the kind of jobs available and see if any appeal to you, I knew nothing about electronics going in, so don't let that limit you either. Considering that they desperately need people right now, I'd guess you can be pretty choosy about getting a guaranteed school.
posted by doctor_negative at 11:30 AM on February 10, 2011
I would definitely recommend Air Force or the Navy. The Army and Marine bootcamps are much more rigorous and their day to day working life is liable to be more physically demanding. I was an Electronics Technician in the Navy, it was a pretty good gig as far as military jobs go, interesting work and not much heavy lifting. I would look at the kind of jobs available and see if any appeal to you, I knew nothing about electronics going in, so don't let that limit you either. Considering that they desperately need people right now, I'd guess you can be pretty choosy about getting a guaranteed school.
posted by doctor_negative at 11:30 AM on February 10, 2011
If your goal is to promote and defend US values through service, you should also consider other US Agencies with similar goals - Foreign Service with the Department of State, USAID or the Peace Corps - not to say these folks aren't fit, but you won't be required to go through "boot camp" there are no physical barriers to serving. If those don't excite you, then agencies like NSA, CIA, DIA are all intelligence organizations which work, at times, in the same venues as DoD and would offer you the opportunity to serve as an intelligence officer or analyst without any type of physical barrier to service.
posted by cactus86 at 11:43 AM on February 10, 2011
posted by cactus86 at 11:43 AM on February 10, 2011
Army PT standards (when I was in) were 42 pushups in 2 minutes, 53 situps in 2 minutes, and 2 miles in 15:30(I think). After failing a few times, you get put on some sort of PT training program to get you back into standards.
Basic is designed to build you up to passing your PT test. It's going to be less shitty for you if you train now, but it's not really too much fun either way.
TL;DR: Navy or Air force.
posted by thsmchnekllsfascists at 11:44 AM on February 10, 2011
Basic is designed to build you up to passing your PT test. It's going to be less shitty for you if you train now, but it's not really too much fun either way.
TL;DR: Navy or Air force.
posted by thsmchnekllsfascists at 11:44 AM on February 10, 2011
In the Navy, that might mean being on a ship, or boarding fishing boats to give locals asprin, or whatever.
It might also mean being a corpsman attached to the Marines, which doesn't have its own medical specialty, and since they fall under the Navy umbrella, they use Navy corpsmen. A friend of a friend is a Navy vet who served as a corpsman and did two or three tours in Afghanistan. He never served on a ship - it was boots on the ground the whole time. So keep that in mind.
posted by rtha at 12:37 PM on February 10, 2011 [1 favorite]
It might also mean being a corpsman attached to the Marines, which doesn't have its own medical specialty, and since they fall under the Navy umbrella, they use Navy corpsmen. A friend of a friend is a Navy vet who served as a corpsman and did two or three tours in Afghanistan. He never served on a ship - it was boots on the ground the whole time. So keep that in mind.
posted by rtha at 12:37 PM on February 10, 2011 [1 favorite]
Getting fit is the easiest thing in the world. Set a distance to run and run it as fast as you can every day.
You will get faster, and it will get easier as you do.
Do as many pressups and author as you can.
You will do more each day, and doing it will get easier.
Anyone who tells you getting fitter is any more complex than that is trying to sell you something.
posted by dougrayrankin at 12:46 PM on February 10, 2011 [1 favorite]
You will get faster, and it will get easier as you do.
Do as many pressups and author as you can.
You will do more each day, and doing it will get easier.
Anyone who tells you getting fitter is any more complex than that is trying to sell you something.
posted by dougrayrankin at 12:46 PM on February 10, 2011 [1 favorite]
How did the iPhone get author from situps?
posted by dougrayrankin at 12:47 PM on February 10, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by dougrayrankin at 12:47 PM on February 10, 2011 [1 favorite]
This thread is closed to new comments.
Also, you can set your start date far enough in advance to allow for training, and recruiters in some branches regularly organize PT or will help you with PT so you can have a realistic chance of success.
posted by Hylas at 10:50 AM on February 10, 2011 [2 favorites]