Wu Army Fitness Program, Phase 2 {Task}(DONE)

[Li Wang]

It was a perfect day that broke over the city of Jian An; not too hot and not a cloud in the sky. In this weather, one felt as if they could do almost anything. Peasants, those who weren't toiling in the fields or some other occupation, meandered through the countryside enjoying the pleasant weather. But what was the army doing on this fine day?

Tiger General Li Wang was determined that the day would be spent putting the soldiers back into peak condition; as of late, they'd taken to lazing about the barracks, neglecting all but rudimentary weapons training. The first battle may have just been won, and technically the first war, but it would be the first of many to come in these turbulent times. The Tiger General knew it would be impossible to keep every man here alive in the years to come, but he could at least bolster their chances as well as his own by building up their stamina.

The Tiger General thought it a fine day to exercise, and though the men might grumble now, they would thank their officers later when it came time to fight.

Sergeant Major, I'd like for you to assemble the troops into 10 regiments ASAP, then meet me back on this platform with your regiment sergeants. Include your self and I in that number. The Tiger General instructed the duty Sergeant Major as he mounted a platform at one end of the central courtyard. He would wait there until the men were marshaled.

Just under an hour later, all the men had been assembled and divided, including the shockingly high number who'd gone AWOL into the city to waste the day away. He frowned; not only should that not happen in the Wu army, but even accounting for the extra time it took for stragglers to be recovered, the army had assembled much too slowly, and, he noticed, the NCOs were having problems with discipline as well, allowing outrageous amounts of chatter within the ranks and one master sergeant even had his uniform on lopsided! This just wouldn't do.

Attennnnnnshun! he bellowed in a parade ground style, bringing a ratcheting clap as the soldiers came to attention, bringing another wince to his already pained expression.

We fought excellently at Jian Ye, he began in a normal tone, but that does NOT excuse the sheer absence of military discipline and UTTER. LACK. of RESPECT being exhibited by this rabble that stands before me! This tongue-lashing, being in a wilder, more dangerous oratory which culminated into disgust, caused a visible shifting amongst the ranks as soldiers glanced back and forth between one another in embarrassment.

"Now," he began in a calmer tone "The Vanguard Prefect Huang and I had planned on leaving the rest of the week off, but seeing as you've degenerated into such a state of disorder so quickly, I see I've no choice but to reinstate the Fitness Program today." This caused the expected low level of grumbling amongst the assembled soldiers.

"From now on, your regiment sergeant is your master; when he says jump you ask how high, and if he tells you to crap you ask how much and what color tray to present it on. Understood?" Wang could tell he wasn't endearing himself to the troops when the tone of the almost-uniform "Yes sir!" was just a little surly.

"Today, we will begin with a run. The regiment sergeants and I will each be leading a regiment out the gate into laps around the city. We will leave at a steady pace and steady intervals so that each regiment is equidistant from each other as they run their laps. Any regiment that is overlapped will be restarted back to today's routine and will not take any rest days until they have caught up.

"Every 25 minutes, you will be granted a 5 minute rest before you start running again." After issuing further orders regarding when to set out and what pace to set, The Tiger General headed to the front of the first regiment.

"Ready? On my mark, get set... go!" He yelled as he set off at a quick jog, causing the single announcement with the fitness program flutter in the breeze created by the passing company as it attempted to flutter free of it's nail. It read thus:

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Week 9 Phase Two

Day 1
• Steady run for 25-30 minutes
• 4 x press-up max
• 4 x 12 squats
• 4 x sit-up max
• 4 x 12 dorsal raises
• Rest 30-90sec between sets

Day 2
• Rest day

Day 3
• 10-15 minute warm-up
• Run hard for 1 minute, recover for 1 min, continue for 14min
• 10-minute cool-down

Day 4
• Rest day

Day 5
• 10-minute warm-up
• Circuit training: 3 x 15 of each exercise (see below for list)
• 10-minute cool-down

Day 6
• Rest day

Day 7
• Brisk walk for 30-40 minutes or go swimming for 20-25min

Week 10

Day 1
• Steady run for 25-30 minutes
• 4 x press-up max
• 4 x 14 lunges
• 4 x sit-up max
• 4 x 14 dorsal raises
• Rest 30-90sec between sets

Day 2
• Rest day

Day 3
• 10-15 minute warm-up
• Run hard for 1 minute, recover for 1 min, continue for 14min
• 10-minute cool-down

Day 4
• Rest day

Day 5
• 10-minute warm-up
• Circuit training: 3 x 15 of each exercise (see below for list)
• 10-minute cool-down

Day 6
• Rest day

Day 7
• Brisk walk for 30-40 minutes or go swimming for 25-30min
Week 11

Day 1
• Steady run for 25-30 minutes
• 4 x 20 chin-ups
• 4 x 16 squats
• 4 x sit-up max
• 4 x 16 dorsal raises
• Rest 30-90sec between sets

Day 2
• Rest day

Day 3
• 10-15 minute warm-up

• Run hard for 1 minute, recover for 1 min, continue for 16min
• 10-minute cool-down

Day 4
• Rest day

Day 5
• 10-minute warm-up
• Circuit training: 3 x 20 of each exercise (see below for list)
• 10-minute cool-down

Day 6
• Rest day

Day 7
• Brisk walk for 30-40 minutes or go swimming for 20-25min

Week 12

Day 1
• Steady run for 25-30 minutes
• 4 x press-up max
• 4 x 18 lunges
• 4 x sit-up max
• 4 x 18 dorsal raises
• 4 x 12 triceps dips
• Rest 30-90sec between sets

Day 2
• Rest day

Day 3
• 10-15 minute warm-up
• Run hard for 1 minute, recover for 1 min, continue for 16min
• 10-minute cool-down

Day 4
• Rest day

Day 5
• 10-minute warm-up
• Brisk walk/run for 30-40 minutes or go swimming for 30-40min
• 10-minute cool-down

Day 6
• Rest day

Day 7: fitness assessment
• Press-ups for 2 minutes to establish new max score
• Sit-ups for 2 minutes to establish new max score
• 1.5-mile timed run
Level 4

Week 13

Day 1
• Steady run for 30-40 minutes
• 2 x press-ups for 45sec
• 4 x 15 squats
• 2 x sit-ups for 45sec
• 4 x 15 dorsal raises
• Rest 30-90sec between sets

Day 2
•Rest day

Day 3
• 10-15 minute warm-up
• Alternate running hard, then recovering, for intervals of 1,2 and 3 minutes (12min in total)
• 10-minute cool-down

Day 4
• Rest day

Day 5
• 10-minute warm-up
• Circuit training: 4 x 15-20 of each exercise (see below for list)
• 10-minute cool-down

Day 6
• Rest day

Day 7
• Brisk walk for 30-40 minutes or go swimming for 25-35min

Week 14

Day 1
• Steady run for 30-40 minutes
• 2 x press-ups for 45sec
• 4 x 15 lunges
• 2 x sit-ups for 45sec
• 4 x 15 dorsal raises
• Rest 30-90sec between sets

Day 2
• Rest day

Day 3
• 10-15 minute warm-up
• Alternate running hard, then recovering, for intervals of 1,2 and 3 minutes
• 10-minute cool-down

Day 4
• Rest day

Day 5
• 10-minute warm-up
• Circuit training: 4 x 15-20 of each exercise (see below for list)
• 10-minute cool-down

Day 6
• Rest day

Day 7
• Brisk walk for 30-40 minutes or go swimming for 30-35min

Week 15

Day 1
• Steady run for 30-40 minutes
• 2 x press-ups for 1min
• 4 x 20 squats
• 2 x sit-ups for 1min
• 4 x 20 dorsal raises
• 4 x 12 triceps dips
• Rest 30-90sec between sets

Day 2
• Rest day

Day 3
• 10-15 minute warm-up
• Alternate running hard, then recovering, for intervals of 1,2,3,2 and 1 minute (18min in total)
• 10-minute cool-down

Day 4
• Rest day

Day 5
• 10-minute warm-up
• Circuit training: 4 x 15-20 of each exercise (see below for list)
• 10-minute cool-down

Day 6
• Rest day

Day 7
• Brisk walk for 30-40 minutes or go swimming for 30-40min

Week 16

Day 1
• Steady run for 30-40 minutes
• 2 x press-ups for 1min
• 4 x 20 squats
• 2 x sit-ups for 1min
• 4 x 20 dorsal raises
• 4 x 12 chin-ups
• Rest 30-90sec between sets

Day 2
• Rest day

Day 3
• 10-15 minute warm-up
• Alternate running hard, then recovering, for intervals of 1,2,3,2 and 1 minute
• 10-minute cool-down

Day 4
• Rest day

Day 5
• 10-minute warm-up
• Brisk walk/run for 30-40 minutes or go swimming for 30-40min
• 10-minute cool-down

Day 6
• Rest day

Day 7: fitness assessment
• Press-ups for 2 minutes to establish new max score
• Sit-ups for 2min to establish new max score
• 1.5-mile timed run


Circuit training exercises

Do the number of repetitions of each exercise advised by the 16-week planner, without a break and in order. Once you've completed one circuit, rest for 2-3 minutes before starting the next.

1 Press-up
2 Twist sit-up
3 Step-up with knee raise
4 Triceps dip
5 Walking lunge
6 Sit-up
7 One-legged squat
8 Dorsal raise

Note: If "level 1, week 1" of the programme seems too easy for you, feel free to skip a week or even a level. Equally, if a week ever feels too challenging, simply do what you can and repeat the week, rather than moving on to the next one.

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By the end of the day, each and every soldier was exhausted, and one whole regiment would spend the rest day tomorrow making up for today's substandard performance. The soldiers were sore to a man, particularly in the areas of the abdomen, though many also complained of cramps of the legs. A few were noxious, but only one soldier had actually heaved his bowels during the course of the day, and after forty-five minutes in the infirmary he had returned to his regiment and completed the day.

The Tiger General was impressed with the exactness his sergeants had carried out his orders, and resolved that while officers might participate, only Lu Fei and Huang Gai would be allowed to take any sort of command during training exercises; that would be left to the sergeants.

Dissent was widespread as the army complained about the exacting General Li, but the veterans understood the need that drove Li as well as the rest of the Sun clan, and this understanding was spread from the veterans to the rest of the army; the land was in chaos, and the Sun clan stood the best chance of keeping Jiangdong safe, and this safety must be spread to the rest of the land.

[Li Wang]

Week 12, Day 7

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It was just before noon, enough time to allow most the cities population to wake up before the army started drilling. At this point, the soldiers were lined up in their ten battalions, awaiting their fitness assessment.

The Tiger General had previously delegated his aide, Major Huangfu Liang, to oversee the implementation and operation of the Fitness Program. The man was quite capable for the job; besides being Li Wang's most valued officer, he was also a capable taskmaster, judging by the extra muscle and the sense of pride each soldier seemed to exhibit. It truly was a magnificent transformation from the surly soldiers of 3 weeks ago. He could tell these men really were proud to be members of Sun Ce's army; each would gladly die before allowing aggressors to put foot on the soil of Jiangdong. He was proud to be numbered amongst them.

"General Li!"

The Tiger General turned; it was none other than Huangfu Liang, come to ascertain the reason for the Tiger General's visit and to assist if necessary.

"You seem to have done an amazing job, Major. Or should I say, colonel. The General pinned the insignia on the man's lapel himself. After the officers protestations and the Tiger General's assurances, he presented a challenge. Within a ten minutes, the fittest three soldiers from each battalion had been mustered.

"I've been told that you thirty are the fittest soldiers in this army. Would you care to put Colonel Huangu and I to the test? He grinned encouragingly at each soldier in turn; he wished to assess the officer's fitness along the same standards as the troops.

After the soldiers agreed, an aide was summoned to officiate in the fitness assessment; the army would be assessed first in quarter-companies of 125, with Li, Huangfu, and the thirty soldiers being assessed at the end. Li settled down to watch; it would be about an hour and a half to two hours, ample time for officers to gather to watch or even participate should they so choose.

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In the midst of the formation stood a flagstaff, and on the ground around this flagstaff were marks denoting time. The Tiger General, Colonel Huangfu and their thirty soldiers were stretching when the staff's shadow denoted noon.

"Alright boys, it looks like it's our turn!" The Tiger General exclaimed enthusiastically as he stepped up to the starting line. The course would take them out of the city via the main road, and once they were a mile away they would make three full circuits of the city. To pass this first part, they would be required to return to the barracks within the prescribed time. Accomplishing that, they would then perform 10 minutes of vigorous sparring, passing if they could keep their weapons raised and effective during that time.

The General looked to his left as the gongs sounded; Huangfu Liang and a young soldier stood there, each performing imperceptible breathing exercises. The drums began to roll; Li Wang looked right. The remainder of his soldiers stood there, ranging in age from lads barely old enough to fight all the way to veterans Huang Gai's age (though the majority were closer to Li Wang's end of the scale). Li Wang smiled; he was confident he would hold up better than any of these men, except maybe the colonel.

The drums gave three taps, and the men assembled shot off on the third. They took off at a quick jog, breaking into a sprint once they cleared the gates. They maintained this pace until they reached the mile mark, slowing to a regular jog as they turned onto a circular path. Li looked around; of all the soldiers, only Huangfu had kept pace with him neck to neck, and only the two soldiers on either side of the pair had even managed to stay close. The rest were clustered into a pack about 50 feet back, the leader changing every moment as they churned the earth in an attempt to catch up.

Li Wang's three companions grinned as each met the others eye; on clearing the one mile mark, they had formed into a flying V. An hour later, as they finished their second circuit, that formation remained unbroken (though the same couldn't be said of the rest of the men; they'd spread out over a distance of 150 feet, with the leader being a full 100 feet behind General Li).

Li and the others stretched into a straight line again as they rounded the last corner and broke into a sprint; the first into the city would claim the bragging rights today!

Amazingly, all four entered the city (and subsequently the barracks) at the exact same instant, and began to spar in pairs, Li and Huangfu pairing as the two soldiers did likewise. While Li and Huangfu were already stronger, quicker, and more sophisticated in their forms, the soldiers kept up blow for blow along their own standard, proving that they at least were just as fit as their officers.

The rest of the men began to straggle into the barracks 5 minutes later, though they all reached it before the first-comers had finished sparring. All in all, the men had proved themselves to be as fit as needed, and even taking pride in their fitness as evidenced by the fierce competition exerted in their sparring. After congratulations to the two soldiers who kept pace with him and announcing promotions for the whole group, he assembled the men and gave a heartening pep talk, leaving the barracks to return to his residence to nurse the ankle he'd twisted during the run. It had been a good day for the Wu army.
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The final day of the fitness program came and went uneventfully; it was merely announced that the soldiers would be given a week's rest from the requirements before they received march orders, but during that rest they were expected to pour some more effort into their other training. The Tiger General was proud of his men; they were ready to wage war in the name of the Sun clan once again.

[Gong]

Though only one Wu member took part, unlike the previous Fitness Program, I still enjoyed reading it. I do find it fascinating how it was even thought up and most congratulate you all, very creative and will no doubt have taken much time to formulate the excersises.


Side Note: These rewards shall take immediate effect, with apologies for such tardiness on Task Rewarding.


Rewards



Wu Military:

Taking effect within this Action Phase only [Wu invasion of Wu] the Wu soldiers that are advancing from Jian An will have a decreased fatigue penalty when calculating troop losses.


Li Wang:

+ 65 Reputation Points.

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After Note:
- If deemed unreasonable by the Admin, they can edit the Rewards to what they believe should be deserved.
~ These can take 'immediate effect' because the forces from Jian An are yet to enter the battle field.