Finally enlisting

USMC_XJ · 06-11-2010, 07:21 PM

I am going Sunday night/ Monday morning to MEPS and will officially be a Poolee of the Marine Corps. I have finally told my parents, specifically my dad, who I thought would freak out. (he didn't).

I am 21, but have wanted to do this since I got out of high school, but due to different situations, I didn't. Now I feel it is time.

I started out talking to a recruiter last month, weighing 223 and standing 5'11''. I was already under the weight, but to ship to Parris Island, I needed to be down to 208. I could also only do 40 crunches/ 2 mins. and 0 pull ups. (Even though I lifted in highschool, pull ups kick my ***). I went today and am down to 206, up to 80 crunches and 3 pull ups. They are looking to get me to Parris Island by mid October, but they say I will be leaving no later than November.

Any advice that I should take? I ask my recruiter a lot of questions already, but he is still my recruiter, and might not give me the whole picture.

I work out every day with 3 other poolees who I have only know for about a month in a half, and they are better friends than I had in highschool. Already I can see that I will like this decision in the long run, but have a feeling it is going to be the toughest thing in my life.

Thanks for reading.

EricWoot · 06-11-2010, 07:24 PM

what MOS did you pick? I'll be leaving for bootcamp in december. I'm gonna be a grease monkey

USMC_XJ · 06-11-2010, 07:26 PM

58. Military Police.

CarolinaExPat · 06-11-2010, 07:46 PM

Good luck. As a former Marine Sgt., infantry, and a combat vet (with deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan), I say the most import thing I would require of you if you came to my unit would be to work your a** off. Physically you will always improve. I wasn't in my peak physical condition but this constantly improved. I went in only doing 13 pull ups and my 3 mile time was 23:30. Within a couple of years I was doing 40+ pull ups and my run time when I got out was 17:42. Couple this with the 100 crunches everyone needs to get (see below), and I went from a 220something PFT to a 300. Keep your head straight because it will suck at times, but if you do that you'll be fine. Good luck and thanks for joining.

"If you don't get 100 crunches on your PFT, your partner can't count" -General Michael Hagee, 33rd Commandant of the Marine Corps.

XJMuscle98 · 06-27-2010, 03:15 PM

I wouldn't worry about it too much, just work on your PT.

You have time though. It will suck pretty much all the time, it's just about how you embrace the suck that will determine whether or not you hate your life for the next four years (or however long you stay in).

One more thing, for the love of god, if you graduate boot camp and earn the title, do not buy a retarded ****ing digipack, nor purchase mototees, nor feel the need to let everyone know that you are a Marine, and please never get a high and retarded.

2006_Sport · 06-27-2010, 03:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by XJMuscle98

I wouldn't worry about it too much, just work on your PT.

You have time though. It will suck pretty much all the time, it's just about how you embrace the suck that will determine whether or not you hate your life for the next four years (or however long you stay in).

One more thing, for the love of god, if you graduate boot camp and earn the title, do not buy a retarded ****ing digipack, nor purchase mototees, nor feel the need to let everyone know that you are a Marine, and please never get a high and retarded.

You're an idiot. There's nothing wrong with a high and tight.

XJMuscle98 · 06-27-2010, 04:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zach06

You're an idiot. There's nothing wrong with a high and tight.

Except every motard in the Marine Corps has one, and it screams look at me everyone, I want you to know I'm a Marine!

2006_Sport · 06-27-2010, 04:46 PM

Says the guy who posted a thread in GD and bumped it saying he was back from basic

emayer32 · 06-27-2010, 04:46 PM

I say buy all the moto stuff you want you should be proud to be a marine. Congrats on your decision.

nwiTJdave · 06-28-2010, 11:21 AM

first off to the shower shoe XJmuscle...Shut up

if you want to sport a high and tight after boot, go for it. Nothing wrong with being proud of being a Marine.

to the OP: work on your pt. Dont worry about running so much for right now, work on your pull ups and sit ups. Some very simple ways to improve pull ups are to do a prymid. do 1 pull up, get off the bar wait 15-20 seconds get back on bar do 2...get off wait 15-20 seconds...do this until you max out. say you max at three. after that wait 30-45seconds get on bar do 2 pull ups. wait 15-20 seconds do 1. if you do this two or three times a day you will see a vast improvment of your pull ups. Pull ups are the key to a high pft score. You get 5 points per pull up.

for sit ups: when you wake up in the morning, do a max sit up. then go right into 10 pushups. do another max set of sit ups then pushups then situps then pushups again. Before lunch, do the same and then before you go to bed do the same again.

For running: start off light. say run 1 mile a day for a week. the next week run 1.5 miles. Dont worry about time right now, just keep running or slowly jogging. your inital strenght test IST at boot will be a 1.5mile run. So really work on getting to atleast being able to run 2 miles prior to boot. you will get in good enough shape there to run 3miles in around 24mins with ease. most recruits probably run a 22-23min 3 mile time. if start kicking your *** now during pt you will only make parts of boot even easier. And remember when you are there...nothing is personal. if the DI says why didnt your mother just swallow you, try and not to laugh as that will only lead to some IT

USMC_XJ · 06-28-2010, 05:34 PM

Running is going alright. We have been doing Indian running with ammo cans for the past week. Up to 5 pull ups and have finally gotten 100 crunches. I am down to 200.

By the end of July, I want to be up to 10 pull ups and have my 1.5 miles down to 12 and be down to 190.

We are running at least 3 miles every day.

I am very proud to even be a Poolee right now. I have Corps stickers all over my XJ and see no problem with any of that. I am proud of what I am doing.

USAFRecon · 06-28-2010, 05:43 PM

Well thanks for joining. I am a wingnut so I don't have to worry bout 3 mile runs

Good luck man!

newjk · 06-28-2010, 06:05 PM

good luck be proud, remember the di is there to mess with your head and they are good at it. Semper-fi.

nwiTJdave · 06-29-2010, 10:13 AM

i know some former marines that go to osu and columbus state. if you have any questions let me know and i can see if they will me pass their cell phone numbers off to you. two of them are going through mecep and should be getting a commision this year or next and another two are just friends from my old company.

USMC_XJ · 06-29-2010, 11:24 AM

Yea, one of the recruiters at my station is already yelling at me all the time. I know he is doing it to help me, but still annoying. Lol.