How to Combine Different Types of Exercises into One Military Fitness Workout

This combination of exercises is a way to work in some basic strength-training lifts with typical calisthenics and cardio events seen in military testing. You can do the full workout below or the segments you prefer, depending on your time available and abilities:

If you think a quick 1-10 half pyramid of pull-ups and push-ups is a warm-up (55 reps of both), this workout may be perfect for you:

Pull-up/push-up pyramid 1-10 warm-up with 100-meter jogs (or 10-20 jumping jacks/jump ropes) between each set (stop at 10) + run one mile

Do one pull-up and one push-up, then jog 100 meters (or jump rope or do jumping jacks) between sets. Then do two pull-ups, two push-ups, jog 100 meters; three pull-ups, three push-ups ... continue up the half pyramid until you fail or hit Level 10. Then jog one mile or bike for 10 minutes.

Life section: The classic push-pull duo. This is a great one for a dumbbell or barbell bench as you can do your bench press, roll over and kneel on the bench to do the bent-over rows to balance out this plane of pushing and pulling exercises.

Repeat three times.

• Bench press 10
• Dumbbell rows 10/arm

Take a dumbbell to the bench that you can row for 5-10 repetitions per arm. Then do your bench-press set for 10 reps but pick a weight that you can get all 10 reps but probably fail at 12. Then roll over and do the dumbbell rows on the bench. You can also do dumbbell bench presses if it is your preference and easier for the logistics of your gym.

Death by push-ups/five-minute plank (10 push-ups EMOM): This is not just a physical challenge but a mental one. Planking for five minutes is tough. Adding 10 push-ups every minute on the minute (EMOM) is tougher. Most military fitness tests now require push-ups and plank poses. Get good at these by adding them in this fashion on your upper-body days.

Calisthenics/cardio section: The weight-vest (WV) exercises are optional, depending on your ability, but the goal here is to do as many WV pull-ups and WV push-ups as possible without rest and then see how many you can do without weight. The following exercises include another dumbbell push-pull combo with biceps curls and military presses in one movement. Lift the dumbbells from your hips to your shoulders and into an overhead position. Then top it off with dips and an easy active rest run of 400 meters.

Repeat three times.

• Weight-vest pull-ups max
• Weight-vest push-ups max
• Pull-ups max
• Push-ups max
• Dumbbell biceps curl/military press 10
• Dips 10-20
• Run 400 meters easy

If you have any energy to finish the following sections, give this a try:

Death by Pull-ups, five-minute flutter kicks with five pull-ups (EMOM): Similar to Death by Push-ups, this one involves five minutes of flutter kicks, but you get to stand up quickly and do five pull-ups EMOM.

Final section (cardio): Bike or easy jog option for 30 minutes. If you have time to cool down with a cardio option, pick one of your choosing and see how far you can get in 30 minutes at a moderate pace. You can mix and match a few options, such as a 15-minute bike ride and 15-minute jog, a 30-minute swim or other nonimpact cardio options.

Check out the Military.com Fitness Section for countless articles on workouts for all fitness levels and multiple goals. You will find it in the fitness section if you are looking to ace fitness tests, get through competitive selection processes, or lose a few pounds and get healthy.

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