Introduction: Nick M

[AvidHiker]

Hello everyone,

My name is Nick M from Florida. I am 21 years old and will be graduating this semester with a degree in Business Management.

I had originally wanted to enlist right out of high school, however my father who had served 20 years (active and reserve) in the Navy had talked me into going to college first. I figured that I could respect his wishes for some time more, and perhaps develop further as a person beforehand. He wishes I would go the officer route, however I believe I would both be missing the camaraderie, as well as not understand the full picture of those who would look to me.

I started looking into the Rangers, because all my life I have been been big into the outdoors, and have also been somewhat of an adrenaline junky. I am always looking for a challenge and strive for difficult situations where I can grow. I've matured to a good degree while off at college, and value my time here, though cannot see myself chained to a desk in the corporate world the rest of my life. I've got a great internship with a probable job offering right out of school, but still believe that a future in the military is what I want. I believe a challenge like the Rangers would be both fulfilling and honorable, and I am willing to try my hardest to make it happen.

I have always been physically active, though have not had the greatest commitment to a workout routine partially due to school and work. The rest of the blame is attributable to laziness. For the last two months I have been running regularly and hitting the gym. I've also taken a step back from work and have finished all classes I'd foreseen to be difficult in order to give myself the max time for physical improvement before I graduate in May.

My intentions are to finish school while pursuing an 11x option 40 contract, all the while working my ass of physically. I have not yet performed a mock PT test, and don't expect it to be very impressive. Regardless I will be conducting one this weekend. I have also not yet spoken with a recruiter, but plan on it soon.

Thank you for your time Rangers.

[Jim]

Welcome, Nick, If you want to earn a place in the 75th Ranger Regiment, you came to the right site. We take pride in the fine young men who pass through armyranger.com in their life journey. Please begin by reading the FAQs as well as selected threads and stickies. Most questions you might have are already addressed. The search feature, located on the top right of this page is your friend. Look forward to your posting the results of your PT test; this will provide you with a baseline to build on. Please include pull-ups in your score. Never, never quit!

[AvidHiker]

Thank you Ranger Jim. I am grateful for this valuable resource.

[AvidHiker]

I ran my mock PT test today with some friends earlier this morning. One of which a former Army Infantryman, who hopefully kept the test close to standards.

As of 1/13/2017:

Push-Ups: 44
Sit-Ups: 62
2 Mile Run: 14:56
Pull-Ups: 9

As far as room for improvement, I feel like my push-ups were severely lacking. Especially since I only did them for around 1 minute before failure. Sit-ups felt good, though I really burnt out towards the end. I have some good speed, I just need to really work on my endurance. I am confident my run time will improve, as I use to be a decent runner in high school. Pull-ups need a good deal of improvement as well. I will be doing research on how best to improve these.

Any comments are appreciated. Thank you Rangers.

[CharlieRanger1FFV]

Welcome to the site, Nick.


RLTW!!!

[Jim]

Nick, I am curious about your site name. Are you really an avid hiker? Never, never quit!

[AvidHiker]

I would definitely say so Ranger Jim, and Ranger Lunch. It's one of my favorite things to do along with surfing. I read on another thread that someone else had hiked the entirety of the Pacific Crest Trail, and while I have not had a trip in similar length, I try to get out for at least a weekend every month or so. I've hiked all over Florida (my home state) and have been on trips in many states around the South East. My favorite hike so far being a solo that I did in Virginia. It was a 60 mile stretch from the Roanoke area towards Lynchburg. It was here that I hitchhiked for the first time (and did quite a lot of it) as well as hiked my biggest mileage in a day. A dream of mine is to hike the entire Appalachian Trail, which I had been planning after college. I now believe it would be a setback towards my goal of becoming a Ranger though, if I did it at this point in my life.

The outdoors has become a big part in my life, especially since college. I have been in a leadership position at my school's outdoors club for the past few years, mainly to find others as enthusiastic towards hiking as I was. I think my passion for hiking comes from the part of me that loves a good challenge. There's not a whole lot that compares to the satisfaction of finishing a day of hiking, especially when it was met with hardship. This being rain, heat, bugs, or a large distance.

I hope that my hiking experience will give me some sort of an edge in the rucking portion of training, though I am currently accustomed to wearing a nice Osprey backpack with as little weight as possible. I have been working in a rucking portion to my training this last week and plan on increasing the difficulty as time goes on. I want to have my legs in as good shape as possible.

Thanks for your interest Rangers, and thank you for your welcome CharlieRanger1FFV.

[Jim]

Nick, when you ruck, please limit your ruck weight to 35 pounds. That is the Ranger standard. Never, never quit!

[AvidHiker]

Thanks for helping me keep perspective Ranger Lunch.
Understood Ranger Jim. Is this to prevent injury? I was under the impression that much more was done during selection.

[Jim]

Understood Ranger Jim. Is this to prevent injury? I was under the impression that much more was done during selection.

During training, if the weight of the rucksack is increased, the rate of march is adjusted. Never, never quit!