I used AI to help build my own elite physical fitness routine.
Immediately after hitting publish on my previous blog post I took some time to figure out my plan of attack when it came to the physical side of things.
Which coincidentally made me realize that while I have the caloric math worked out, I haven’t tackled the nutritional aspect at all. So, expect a part three! My first trilogy! 😂
Alright!
So, one of the biggest problems we face when it comes to tackling any problem is finding out where to begin.
I struggle with this a lot on a ton of my different personal projects. Usually, motivation gets me to the starting line, but once I see just how daunting of a task or how much research or work is involved, I chicken out. However, this time… things kind of just flowed out of me.
Take that fear & procrastination!
I decided to start from the end goal.
I felt like if I could define what I’d like to be able to do with my body, then I could figure out how to approach it without all the analysis paralysis that can really kill your momentum.
I decided that I would go back to my roots.
I may or may not have discussed it in a previous post, but just in case, I used to be in the United States Marine Corps - Reserve (USMC-R). An overall okay experience with some sour moments, but that’s not a story I’d like to visit at this time. However, what I would like to get into is the one thing I’ve longed for ever since letting myself go.
I long to be able to run again.
Running long distances was always a beautifully and torturous form of meditation… Once you overcame that first warm-up slump, you were in the clear for a loooooong while, until of course, your stamina bar depleted or the run was over… whichever came first.
That yearning also gave way to a romanticized vision of the often dreaded PFT.
It truly is a wonderful measure of your baseline fitness!
Running, Push-Ups, Pull-Ups, Crunches, and as of recently… Planks
Perfect! Now I have the foundations of what I’d like to be able to do. However, what you may not know about me is that I tend to have a bit of a massochistic ego problem. For example: I didn’t just enlist. I wanted the Marines! I didn’t want an okay training program! I wanted to be elite! 😂 😂 😂
So naturally I thought,
“How can I do this but better?”
“What if I took a birds eye view of all the US Armed Forces, Special Forces, and Federal Agencies’ PFTs, tossed them in a blender and made my own super civilian PFT.”
Truthfully I’m no longer in the Armed Forces nor in any Federal Agency so there’s no real need for me to do this outside of general fitness goals, but I just keep going back to a specific thought.
“These organizations have spent generations and literal trillions of dollars researching the best ways to get the best physical performance and consistent output from both the general public (in the enlisted side) as well as those a little more determined or physically gifted.”
David Goggins is a fucking endurance machine! My only issue is that he’s so focused on endurance that he’s sacrificing longevity.
I have zero desire to be the next David Goggins, but what I do want is to find the perfect overlap between personal peak performance, consistency and recovery/maintenance. I want to find that sweet spot of fitness where I’m still running in my late 80’s and have no fear of taking a tumble because ya boii is just that hard!
So, I took to ChatGPT and prompted the following:
Compile a list of all the exercises of the United States Armed Forces, Special Forces, & Federal Agency PFT.
Describe what exactly those exercises are testing for.
Combine them all into a general PFT that overlaps with the majority (if not all) of the service branches that one can use as a baseline guide for their own personal fitness at home. Separated by graded events and break down the scores required to pass event by minimums to pass and maximum points achievable.
Lastly, come up with a progressive training guide to be able to achieve a minimum passing grade on all of the listed events of your General PFT.
Also… I may or may not have prompted it to call it the Pagan Physical Fitness Test… 😅
I know… I know… It’s a little self-centered but hey! I’m the one writing this post, ok? Also, I’ll attach ChatGPT’s full breakdown response down below, but before that we have a couple more things to go through…
First off! This is the first iteration of the Pagan - General Physical Fitness Test
What do you think?
Personally, I think this is a solid way to consistently test my discipline as well as my baseline fitness since I would like to perform a proper one of these every month or “log one for official record” every quarter… I dunno, 😂
What I do know is that having something that I can put on a scorecard will allow me to track tangible progress (or lack thereof).
BUT WAIT THERES MORE!
Outside of what I’ve been referring to in my own notes as “Baseline Fitness” I’d like to work with strengthening my body via “lifting heavy shit” and my mobility / flexibility.
I just joined a proper gym this last week on a whim, since I’d been meaning to do so forever but never made time for… I’ve gone once, but was directionless. Now that I have a tangible goals I can probably go back with a short-card of gym-specific exercises for overall conditioning. My goal isn’t to get big nor lean… just to be physically fit.
That may sound odd, but I don’t care about being the biggest man in the room, nor the one with the lowest BMI with shredded abs.
I don’t want to be on stage, I just want to be strong and feel good overall… Looking good when I take my shirt off and being able to shoulder my girl with ease is a bonus.
Dall-E has come a loooong way… Once I make some money, I’ll commission this, until then…free assets it is…
Lastly, I also want to tackle mobility and flexibility… Even when I used to do yoga twice a week, I’ve been described as someone who’s as flexible as a brick… and I’ll tell you what… I’m sure we’ve all seen bricks with more range of motion than me.
My child’s pose might as well be table pose.
This aspect is one that I’m not really going to prioritize just yet, but I’d like to plant the seeds in both our minds, so that once I have actual routines in place and things become more like second nature then, I can begin adding that part of training into the mix little by little.
I guess as a future bonus I’d love to perform some form of martial arts again as well as play tennis recreationally.
I used to do both back in the day. I was pretty average, but it was a lot of fun. At the end of the day. It’s not about being the best, but about being healthy and capable.
It may sound cliché, but I want to enjoy life to the fullest.
I don’t want to let that little inner demon steal any more joy from me with all that self-deprecating talk.
What are your fitness goals?
Also, How do you feel about the Pagan - General PFT? 😂 😂 😂
Remember to subscribe!
I’ll be sending out the first email newsletter soon!
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As promised!
Here is ChatGPT’s Full Response:
Here's a comprehensive breakdown of the physical fitness tests for U.S. Armed Forces branches, special operations units, and federal agencies. We'll follow this with a General Pagan Physical Fitness Test (PPFT) that combines elements of these assessments, including a training guide for achieving a minimum passing score.
1. Exercises from U.S. Armed Forces and Federal Agencies
U.S. Armed Forces
Army Combat Fitness Test (ACFT)
3 Repetition Maximum Deadlift (MDL): Tests lower body strength.
Standing Power Throw (SPT): Measures explosive power in the legs and shoulders.
Hand-Release Push-Ups (HRPU): Tests upper body endurance.
Sprint-Drag-Carry (SDC): Assesses anaerobic capacity, speed, and muscular endurance.
Plank Hold (PLK): Evaluates core stability and endurance.
2-Mile Run: Tests aerobic capacity and endurance.
Navy Physical Readiness Test (PRT)
Plank Hold: Core endurance.
Push-Ups: Upper body endurance.
1.5-Mile Run or Row/Swim Alternatives: Cardiovascular endurance.
Marine Corps Physical Fitness Test (PFT)
Pull-Ups or Push-Ups: Upper body strength and endurance.
Plank Hold: Core stability.
3-Mile Run: Cardiovascular endurance.
Air Force Physical Fitness Test
Push-Ups: Upper body endurance.
Sit-Ups: Core endurance.
1.5-Mile Run or 20m Beep Test: Cardiovascular endurance.
Coast Guard Physical Fitness Test
Push-Ups: Upper body endurance.
Sit-Ups: Core endurance.
1.5-Mile Run or 12-Minute Swim: Cardiovascular endurance.
Special Operations Forces
Army Special Forces (Green Berets) PFT
Push-Ups and Sit-Ups: General strength and endurance.
2-Mile Run: Aerobic fitness.
Pull-Ups: Upper body strength.
Ruck March (12 miles with 35 lb pack): Stamina and load-bearing capacity.
Marine Corps Forces Special Operations Command (MARSOC) Assessment
Pull-Ups: Upper body strength.
Sit-Ups: Core endurance.
3-Mile Run: Cardiovascular endurance.
400-Meter Swim: Water survival skills.
Air Force Pararescue (PJ) PAST
500-Meter Swim: Water confidence and endurance.
Push-Ups: Upper body endurance.
Sit-Ups: Core endurance.
Pull-Ups: Upper body strength.
1.5-Mile Run: Cardiovascular endurance.
Federal Agencies
FBI Physical Fitness Test
Max Push-Ups: Upper body strength.
Sit-Ups (1 min): Core endurance.
300-Meter Sprint: Anaerobic capacity.
1.5-Mile Run: Aerobic endurance.
Optional Pull-Ups: Upper body strength.
CIA Physical Test (Estimated)
While details are classified, it likely includes:
Push-Ups
Sit-Ups
1.5-Mile Run
Functional fitness movements (similar to FBI or military tests).
2. General Pagan Physical Fitness Test (PPFT)
Graded Events
1. Push-Ups (2 minutes)
Tests: Upper body endurance.
Minimum to Pass: 30 reps.
Max Score: 75+ reps.
2. Pull-Ups
Tests: Upper body strength.
Minimum to Pass: 6 reps.
Max Score: 20 reps.
3. Sit-Ups (1 minute)
Tests: Core endurance.
Minimum to Pass: 40 reps.
Max Score: 60+ reps.
4. Plank Hold
Tests: Core stability and endurance.
Minimum to Pass: 1:30.
Max Score: 4:00.
5. 2-Mile Run
Tests: Cardiovascular endurance.
Minimum to Pass: 19:00.
Max Score: 13:00.
6. Optional Ruck March
Tests: Stamina and load-bearing.
Minimum to Pass: 3 miles with 20 lb in under 45:00.
Max Score: 5 miles with 35 lb in under 1:15.
3. Progressive Training Guide for PPFT
Phase 1: Foundational Fitness (4-6 Weeks)
Goal: Build basic strength, endurance, and cardiovascular capacity.
Plan:
Push-Ups/Pull-Ups: Perform 3 sets to failure 3x/week.
Core Training: Alternate planks (3 rounds, hold to failure) and sit-ups (3x20) 3x/week.
Running: Alternate easy runs (2-3 miles) with interval training (4x400m sprints) 3x/week.
Optional Rucking: 1x/week, start with 20 lbs for 2 miles.
Phase 2: Intermediate Progression (4-6 Weeks)
Goal: Increase volume and intensity.
Plan:
Push-Ups/Pull-Ups: Add weighted pull-ups or tempo push-ups 3x/week.
Core Training: Extend planks by 30 seconds/week. Increase sit-ups to max effort 3x/week.
Running: Add tempo runs (3 miles at faster-than-comfortable pace). Maintain intervals 3x/week.
Rucking: Increase weight to 30 lbs and distance to 3 miles.
Phase 3: Test Prep (4-6 Weeks)
Goal: Simulate test conditions.
Plan:
Full PPFT Simulation: Perform all exercises under timed conditions once/week.
Special Focus Days: Target weakest areas (e.g., add extra runs, pull-ups, or core).
Rucking: Increase to test weight (35 lbs) and distance (5 miles) 1x/week.
This structured approach prepares you for success across a broad spectrum of fitness tests, ensuring adaptability and readiness for personal or professional challenges.
