Officer Candidates School Blog
OCS Preparation Workouts

The Ultimate Marine Corps Combat Fitness Buddy Workout

What You Need:

  • A motivated buddy
  • Boots and utes (or boots and any pants, like jeans)
  • A pull-up bar
  • Two 30-lb ammo cans (or 30-lb dumbbells)
  • A stopwatch

What You’ll Do:

Warm Up

  • Start out with a quarter-mile jog then two minutes of easy jumping jacks
  • Mix in high knees and arm circles on the jog

The Circuit

USMC-CFT-Ammo-Can-Carry
An example of sprinting ammo can carries
  • Alternate with your partner, completing 10 total (5 each of you) 30-yard ammo can sprints
  • Plank, 1:00 front, :30 left side, :30 right side, :30 front, simultaneous with your buddy
  • Alternate with your partner, completing 6 total (3 each of you) 20-yard buddy drags
  • Ammo can press: do 40 ammo can lifts above your head (using just one can) and then count as your buddy does 40
  • Alternate with your partner, completing 8 total (4 each of you) 30-yard fireman’s carries
  • One max set of pullups
  • Finish up with 30 yards of lunges

Cool Down

  • Jog slowly about a quarter mile and hydrate
  • Do some methodical stretching: our stretching program or focus on what your body needs
Example Buddy Drag
Example Buddy Drag

Tips

Rest as little as possible between events. If you are new to this, try a 30 second rest between stations. Remember to hydrate throughout. Practice your form for Fireman’s carry and buddy drags before you begin the workout.

Watch Examples of These Exercises

Watch the CFT video on our Physical Fitness page to see an example of all of these exercises
ammo can carryammo can liftsbodyweight workoutboots and utesbuddy workoutCFT videocombat fitnessfireman's carryfunctional fitnesslungesmarine corps workoutsphysical fitness at Marine Corps OCsphysical trainingpull-up barThe Ultimate Marine Corps Combat Fitness Buddy Workout

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