The Student Room Group

Press-Ups at RAF Halton

Hi, was just looking for some advice on my press ups, i have 11 days till halton and am fairly fit, however i am quite a big lad, 6ft3 15stone 5 pounds, this makes it a little hard for me to do press ups i can do like 15, i dont get it though because i can bench press nearly 90kg and am quite strong, any advice to get my numbers up?

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Reply 1
Hiya mate, im at raf halton at the mo, just keep practicing, you only need to do 13 to pass your RAF fitness test.
Trust me you will get plenty of practice when you do pt.
good luck and have fun.
Rickerz
Reply 2
cheers for the advice mate, dont want to look like a plumb though only doing 15 pres ups
Reply 3
Hi mate.

I do 47-50 press ups a minute now, and its quite simple how I got it that high.

An RAF PTI guy told me:

Just do about half your maximum effort, three times a day. And within a week you’ll be doing better.

Remember, the adrenaline will really help you on your test. You’ll be fine don’t worry.
Reply 4
13 to pass? what a joke.
you've passed. Im at Halton now and like other people have said you will be fine. you will enjoy the aero runs, I stupidly got myself into group 1 for fitness and did a lovely 5 mile run up hills including the PTI's lil friend... "The Snake". But seriously you will enjoy it and good luck.

rickerz, what flt r u in?
Reply 6
hi dave im in 8 flt. looking forward to cpt i think not.
Reply 7
Quiet_Mason
Hi mate.

I do 47-50 press ups a minute now, and its quite simple how I got it that high.

An RAF PTI guy told me:

Just do about half your maximum effort, three times a day. And within a week you’ll be doing better.

Remember, the adrenaline will really help you on your test. You’ll be fine don’t worry.


typical brain dead PTI

If you do half the effort, your muscles will become lazy. You need to do your max. twice a week for your muscles to get used to it and adjust. You need a couple of days inbetween to let them grow, rather than pummel them into the ground. I do about 44 press ups a minute.
Reply 8
:tsr2:
Dagowly
typical brain dead PTI

If you do half the effort, your muscles will become lazy. You need to do your max. twice a week for your muscles to get used to it and adjust. You need a couple of days inbetween to let them grow, rather than pummel them into the ground. I do about 44 press ups a minute.


LMAO. I've heard many comments along the lines of "don't listen to PTIs" and "yea they say things like that" etc - maybe starting to believe them.

Yea I agree with your theory, doing it every day is basically over-training.

I train my chest in the gym 2-3 times a week (properly), which I would guess helps massivly.
Reply 9
this is what i dont understand, just before i stoped lifting to get fit i was benching 104kg and could close grip-press 42kg which i considered quite good, but i just cant do push ups?? i dont get it at all
Reply 10
Aaron - start at the beginning my friend :smile: Do as many as you can, then better it by 2 the next week etc.

Make sure you've eaten about an hour or so before so you've got energy and you breath heavily during the press ups. I tend to breath in and out deeply just before them to get the air into the bloody stream and to the muscles (preperation). Count in your head :smile: i used to count out loud and it stopped me from breathing properly. You must teach your body to do them.
aaron1wall
this is what i dont understand, just before i stoped lifting to get fit i was benching 104kg and could close grip-press 42kg which i considered quite good, but i just cant do push ups?? i dont get it at all


Without trying to sound like a complete **** by stating my own figures, i could do 58 push- ups in a minute before going to OASC, but i probably couldn't do the weights you're doing. In fact when i go to the gym i hardly do much in the way of lifting weights, and when i do i barely work on my chest. I found circuit training, and funnily enough, doing lots of push- ups, to be most helpful.

Also, think about this. You say you're quite a big guy. Well I'm quite a slim dude, and enjoy a fair bit of rock climbing, so i dont have a huge amount of body mass to move off the deck. I couldn't imagine many of the Muscle Monkeys at the gym (who could probably lift at least 6 times as much as myself) would be able to do many push ups at all, as they probably have too much muscle/ bulk / body mass to lift. (They certainly don't climb too well!) Maybe here their greater strength, is actually their greatest weakness.

See what i mean?
You can nearly bench your weight - how many reps can you do of your weight? I would start doing press ups instead!
Reply 13
Well simply to improve press ups do a lot of them. But if it appears that your having trouble with press ups because of your size and not physical weakness then get a back pack put some weight in it then do some press ups this will make you work harder for that press up and make press ups without weight easier thus getting you to do more.
Reply 14
Thanks for the help guys i have increased my reps a little, i lift 4 sets of 10,8,8,6 mate.
Reply 15
13 press ups seems awfully low for a fitness test. I was thinking it'd be more like 30-40.
Mate, this is the RAF we're talking about here - it's why we have such a bad rep. with the army !

To be fair though, the powers that be have recognised that most of the remfs in the RAF are a tad too portly, so the criteria is being raised as of this October.
Reply 17
Rizza Razzu
so the criteria is being raised as of this October.


Yes, candidates will have to raise (and drink) two mugs of tea in 10 minutes in future.

There will also be a new RAF BFT from October that will require a full tea urn to be negotiated onto a four-tonner.
Four Tonner ? !!!

Damnit - i was told it was a Land Rover ! :biggrin:

I'd better get back in training.....
Reply 19
Back to press-ups - OP as a female i was told to do as many pressups as I could in male style then either drop to my knees and continue 'girlie style' or raise my feet (exercise ball was mentioned but i reckon a bench, sofa, convient step or whatever will do) and continue that way. SO you could try that to get your numbers up.