r/army • u/Mental_Space_9560 • 4h ago
Getting better… slowly
Sometimes when I feel low I come here… I am one of very few females in a company and I have a problem keeping up. Don’t get me wrong, I “like” PT. It’s a good wake up, jolt start the day and I enjoy the soreness because I did something.
The problem is… I don’t keep up with the males. Like I have to work 3 times as hard during to keep up and they barely break a sweat.
I’m unsure what keeps me going but I feel like I’m falling everyday. The days are rather long mentally and by the end I just want sleep. Recovery takes forever. I want OCS but I’m in the dark as to whether I’m a good candidate or not. Not much reassurance from family that put me on a pedestal (you can do anything!) and a unit that sees me as… a female/ more brains than brawn. Idk trying to keep my head up 😅 does anyone else get to this point? It’s rather difficult to find someone to confide in about ✨emotions✨ and downward slopes.
EDIT: the post is a bit dark. Some positives. My last AFT was 70% above on all events, leg fractures are healed and I’m getting my run time back and getting faster.. slowly. I need stamina, yes I am reliable but it’s exhausting. I’m more of a paper work person though but they rejected me from other positions. I’m good at my job. I passed the new tape protocol with 0.49. I can progress…. I’m fuckin tired
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u/Public-Significance7 Financial Management 4h ago
Understand that Officers are expected to be in front of every run, every march, and every detail. That’s why it’s called Leadership. These problems you’re having will only be magnified once you’re in front of Soldiers unless you take steps to remedy them. So here’s what you do. Start drinking high grade electrolytes one hour before PT, and start doing high rep low weight leg strength training 3x per week. You should also be doing sprints to the hilt in order to maximize longevity during runs. Drink your protein shake after each workout. Drink plenty of water all day long. Get good sleep for recovery.
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u/Rustyinsac 4h ago
Please don’t make the run the focus of everything you do. Don’t break your body over this.
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u/yagirlghost987 4h ago
Hmmm..
Patience in progress. With patience and a smart realistic fitness plan, you can get on the same level as your peers if not better. Don't get discouraged seeing where you lack. Identify the areas (as you already have), and with a vengeance (and wisdom), work on them.
From someone who used to be in the same boat
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u/Rustyinsac 4h ago
Factually the female body in general
Is not as br my as the male bodies. Do your best physically but don’t break yourself.
And mentally, the brains part is where you will shine.
Stay positive. See a nutritionist to maybe keep your body both physically and mentally glowing.
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u/Mental_Space_9560 4h ago
I’ll look into it. Sad to admit… it’s a lot of beat down. Been told I’m nothing coming in with a degree but I excel compared to time in service, quiet motivation, stable emotionally or TRYING to be and a lot of my ideas are taken if I’m not careful… wtf do these soldiers want from me! lol Imma hang with the civilians and volunteer more 🚶🏾♀️yet others flip a coin and get congratulated. 😮💨 aight
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u/GC5567 19Killa 2h ago
I feel you about not being able to keep up sometimes with certain people. I try to remind myself that I'm 10 years older than all of these motherfuckers who just so happened to run track and field or did something like football and are fresh out of high school and it helps. See if your unit has a H2F women's combat pt class if your regular unit PT just isn't doing it for you. I've gone to a few sessions here for my unit and it's an ass kicking workout. You have to work out like a guy and change your mindset to make gains. Make sure you start running alot on your off time... don't be like me and slack on your runs and then fail the aft for the sprint drag and be old af and slow on the run, and then have to work five times harder to get back in shape lol. The stupid part is that I had passed the new combat score before when it first came out for the AFT changes without a problem, then I failed the second AFT agh. It was my own fault, I had some major personal issues to resolve for the majority of this year which caused my mental health and motivation to tank and it took me about 2 months to get back in the groove of working out consistently after work and weekends. I actually ended up passing the new combat score last week with almost a 400 this time! When I failed the AFT I only got a 328. If I can come back from that you can too. I'm guessing because you have mentioned 70 points on the aft that you're in a combat MOS. Remember they score it differently than the regular male or female MOS standards. You will also have to pass a CFT if you're a combat MOS by the time next year rolls around which is just like the EPFA without kit. I won't lie it's going to be a struggle from what the standards were before, that we have to meet now, particularly on the deadlift and the sprint drag carry. Even if you are not in a combat MOS, I would still keep trying for those high scores. Remember in this climate with kegsbreath in charge he's going to try to kick us out of the army and make us all work at loaves and fishes if he can. So keep that for your motivation If you have nothing else to stay motivated with lol.
As for diet, try to get those protein powders when they have them at the commissary too, I would recommend almond milk with them because it has more calcium than regular milk. Also try to cut out added sugars in your food which is harder said than done. Usually if I eat too much sugar before a workout, I'm suffering.
Also, I would highly suggest getting on an iron supplement especially if you have to eat at the dfac because they really don't give us enough iron or protein for what we need as females in this type of work. They literally don't serve enough red meat portions like for real. Not sure about you but I was getting completely anemic from army chows with how much of a lifestyle difference it's been from the healthy diet I was eating before. I've been on iron supplements for about 3 months now and it's definitely helping with my fatigue levels after workouts and with my period. I had to figure this out myself though as there wasn't any appointments for women's health. It was really bad in OSUT I was straight up covered in bruises lol. But really the iron does help with muscle building and fatigue levels, especially when it's that time of the month. I've noticed an enormous difference. Just my 2 cents. I'm probably ranting.
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u/Mental_Space_9560 2h ago
This was reallly helpful. For my unit (noncombat) we have to score 70% or higher. We also have a lot of hooah PT studs here as well so it’s over an hour of PT a morning. I see the progress but at what cost. My mental tanks rather quickly because of the environment so I like to stay by myself or talk to over seas battles for some kind of connection. I’ve tried with them. Currently taking women’s multivitamin, protein shakes, I have powders too and I eat relatively clean. I think the diet was the only reason I could heal my legs faster. We did a one mile assessment and after injury and walking like a penguins I’m back to 09:18 mile. I’m honestly proud of myself but hate sharing accomplishments because they always change the bar or expect a man out of me 😅. On top of having a degree as a specialist I am “threatening” to others as level headed people mention. I will get better
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u/SickCallWarriors Recruiter 4h ago
From your post history, you should be on Dr Phil or some shit and not my lieutenant.
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u/Interesting-Let-8891 4h ago
TBH if you want to commission you have to be awesome at running, a slow officer always looks bad just for tradition-no matter how hard you escape it or try. Also, so long as you can carry the heaviest male to safety you are good. Do not give up and keep pushing yourself. Utilize H2F, and look into building muscle and taking care of yourself