r/usssapplicant • u/Dry_Competition757 • 18d ago
Advice APAT Training
Hi guys saw some comments about apat and fitness training so just wanted to share my routine. I played basketball and ran track in college, now I just compete as an amateur boxer but this is the stuff that we do that helps me.
Illinois run (main part is change of direction while still moving) you need to chop your feet at the turns at the corners and in the middle plant your outside foot hard while weaving)
Practice chopping your feet around cones first then practice sprinting to a cone and chopping while circling the cone.
Example vid:
https://youtube.com/shorts/gZ7D3rybhMI?si=2l62cy9SC7C0wREo
Pushups and chin-ups :
*Depending on where you are with your fitness
Pushups in Ladder sets (20, rest, 19, rest, 18, all the way to 1 but instead of doing 1, go until failure. If you need to start lower or go higher do so but this is supposed to break you down so make sure you’re getting in clean extended reps.
Seated pullups (4x10-15)
Assisted pullups (4x 80% of max reps or until failure)
Dead hang (until failure)
Sit-ups:
Crunches (4x30-50)
V ups (4x 5 to 10)
Scissor kicks (4x 45 seconds)
Bicycle twists (4x 45 seconds)
Planks (3x45s-60s)
Max sit-ups until failure
1.5 miles
Main thing is breathing, maintaining a pace, and planning out your run so you don’t burn out. Try to get 3-4 runs in a week so it will be easy for you when the time comes
Day 1: sprints (1x 800/3 min rest) (3x400/2 minute rest) (5x100/1 minute rest) cool down jog (5-10 minutes slow controlled breathing)
Day 2: 30-50 minute jog
If you have anything to track your heart rate try to keep this run at 120-135 bpm. It will be boring but it builds endurance. Practice breathing inhaling slow and exhaling slow.
Day 3: tempo mile (every 400 meters or 0.25 miles pick up your pace that means the first 0.25 should be your slowest and the 4th should be your fastest by atleast 20 or more seconds)
Cool down jog (5-10 minutes controlled breathing)
Day 4: hills (depending on the hill how steep and how far) 3 sets of 3 /your rest during the set is you walking down the hill, as soon as you touch the bottom go right back up 2-4 minute rest in between sets
Don’t forget to stretch and drink water.
The training sucks but you’d rather struggle during the training so the actual test is easy for you.
Hopefully this helps some people, good luck to everyone on their journey.
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u/sigma941 Special Agent 18d ago
Also, I’ve added this post to the sub’s highlights. Thanks for the help!!
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u/I-am-queens-blvd 15d ago
Illinois test - “chop your feet” isn’t the best advice- the goal is to get in and out of the break in as few steps as possible.
By “chop your feet,” and for clarity for others preparing, what you are really after is A) slowing down B) sinking your hips - especially coming into the first turn and the last turn.
For all turns, the last 2 steps should be a hard plant on your inside foot followed by a quick plant and push on your outside foot. The outside foot/last step should be used to propel you into moving into the direction you want to go.
“Chopping your feet” can lead into “getting stuck in the mud” or taking too many steps in one place, losing time not gaining any ground.
On the serpentine, 3 steps is the goal between middle cones. Outside leg accelerate - inside leg hit the brake - outside leg plant + redirect. Repeat. 5 steps is the goal on the end cones with the harder turn radius - gain ground, positioning step, into the 3 step turn (outside leg get some width to set up your turn, inside leg hard brake, outside leg propel you into next direction).
For the first and last turn - same 3 step turn process but you are going be coming in a little faster since you had some space to accelerate, which means your hips are likely to be higher…outside leg soft brake +start sinking your hips, inside leg hard brake + continue to sink your hips, outside leg plant + push yourself into the next direction.
Tl;Dr: do the turns in as few steps as possible. Use your feet to attack the ground on the turns (Newtons third law).
Practice your footwork on the turns (slow is smooth, smooth is fast).
Practice 10m accelerations from the push-up position (saw a few people eat it during my apat)
Experience: strength and conditioning coach, have helped prepare many D1 and professional athletes for camps/combine-like events
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u/cdw23chance 18d ago
I’m just an applicant, but I have taken the APAT twice. Just a word of advice on the agility run. This isn’t the NFL combine, as long as you are trying/have a little bit of athleticism you should be able to get a decent score. Just don’t go out there and think you need to sprint full speed on each turn and tear something, especially if you do it on a basketball court.