Get fit like a Royal Marine...or something...

I saw an advert last night for the Royal Marine Commandos- apparently the Army is recruiting.  For some reason (great marketing technique?) the advert led to me check out their website...and I came across their Get Fit to Apply page  You've got to be really fit before it's even worth sending off an application form to join the Green Berets...these guys are absolutely something else and to be in with a chance of being selected for training, you have you prove that you've got what it take...but to help people get to that stage, the Army offer loads of really useful exercise advice on their website.

I may have had an inclination to join the TA once upon a time in my teens, but I'm certainly not planning on applying for the Marines!  However, their exercise information is really well put together, and they've got a suggested, generic, circuit training plan based just on resistance exercises, and also one that they will personalise for you depending on you current fitness level including cardio training. I thought I might just be able to use some of the information to help me build the core fitness/strength that running alone doesn't seem to have given me.

So, I delved a bit deeper and there are easy to follow, simple videos (using a very fit, vest-clad marine doing the exercise) and detailed instructions for how to do warm up stretches and the exercises included in the circuit training, and it's all very straight forward. In fact I was a bit inspired by the whole thing, so this morning, I did one of the generic circuits.  It nearly killed me, and I couldn't do all of it, but think I may well start doing this on the days that I'm not running, particularly as I seem to have got bored with the gym recently.

So, if you're looking for some information about exactly how you should be doing those exercises that just don't seem to be working, or need an idea for a challenging circuit training plan that doesn't need any equipment other than yourself, or just some well put together health and fitness advice, this would be a really good place to start!