If you've been into running training for a while you probably know already that shin splints can cause severe discomfort. The pain, common along the front edge of the shin is usually the result of intense, repetitive running training that involves hard impacts on the feet and lower legs.

The latest hype in the nutrition space is going vegetarian, vegan or plant based. Many celebs are promoting a version of veganism or vegetarianism and they claim the change in their diet has resulted in better health and fitness. If you are considering cutting back on animal products partly or completely you will need to educate yourself about the potential implications of your choice and have a deeper understanding of micronutrients to ensure you don't risk your health by accidentally missing out on essential nutrients.

If you already have your Physical Fitness Assessment scheduled, you will have heard of the beep test, also called multistage fitness test. It is a beast of a test designed to test your aerobic capacity (VO2 Max); you will keep going until you can't anymore and at what level you stop will determine if you passed the test or not.

If you would like to find out more about the actual test, read our previous blog on how to master the beep test. This article will go into details on how you can improve your VO2 Max so you don't need to worry about passing your PFA for the Australian Defence Force.

​The majority of female applicants for the ADF face the same problem; their grip strength is far from what is ideal for the demands of the Army. If your forearms are always on fire and preventing you from picking heavy weights up, then this blog post will definitely help you out. 

Many women who are looking to get into the ADF and need to pass the physical fitness assessment come to our gym for advice and help with their workouts. Often we spot common weaknesses at the beginning that could cause serious problems down the line if we just gave them sample workouts to follow focused on the goal only. One of the most critical issues we see is poor posture. It doesn't only increase the chances of injury, but you can't improve beyond a certain level, may that be strength or speed if your posture doesn't support those activities.

I get it. Your PFA for the Australian Defence Force is still a few months from today, so you may think you have time to start, you have room to be flaky with your workout schedule and think that you will eventually pull it off.
Join other ADF applicants NOW!  https://www.facebook.com/groups/thebarracksgymADFgroup/

​If you have at least one friend with military background you have probably heard that the best way of getting better at push-ups is to do them every day. However, in a previous post we have already discussed that performing them is not enough, your push-up form must be on point if you want to pass the PFA test for the Australian Defence Force. There is another reason you should learn the correct technique from the get go though.

​When training for your ADF entry fitness test, it can be tempting to focus purely on the exercises assessed. In reality, though, you’d be far better suited to focusing on overall fitness, endurance and strength with special attention to your posterior chain.

​Enrolling in the Australian Defence Force is a dream for many youngsters out there. Once you started your entry training, the PFA will seem like a walk in the park. If you want to make sure you get offered a job role in either the Military, Navy or Air Force, you have to pass quite a few tests. Swimming is one activity you will be tested for both the Military and of course the Navy.

​Given the role they are required to perform, it is no surprise that ADF recruits have to demonstrate certain levels of fitness upon commencement of their training. Fitness requirements for the ADF are monitored with the use of a test known as the ADF Physical Fitness Assessment as you probably already know.