I want to improve on the West Point PAE, 5 events Pullups, standing
long jump, basketball throw, and 300 yard run, pushups? A detailed 6-8
week workout for pullups, standing long jump, basketball throw and 300
yard run? I can do about 1-2 pullups right now have 60 days to get it
to atleast 8.

Dear akhilbond-ga,

I applied for West Point in 1999, and I got in.  I did not attend, but
nonetheless, I was in a similar boat as you at the time I first
applied.  The most difficult tests to improve at are the basketball
throw and the pullups, since both rely on upper body strength as
opposed to general fitness level.  My advice?  Install a pull-up bar
in your garage or near your home, and do these exercises:

1.  Practice pull-ups at least twice a day.  Each time, simply do
enough pull-ups to where it becomes difficult.  At this stage, that
may only be 1-2 pullups for you.  However, without any additional
work, I improved from 2 pullups to 8 pullups in a matter of about 3
months.  I was not vigilant about the practice, I simply did pullups
whenever it occurred to me, usually when I got home (as I had this
installed in the garage).  If you are focused, you can improve this
trait very quickly, as these muscles seem to grow quickly.  If you can
do 2 right now, 8 is not very far away.

2.  Practice both situps and pushups.  This is the surest exercise
combo to increase the basketball throw ability.  The basketball throw
relies on your abdominal muscles, for balance and stability, and your
pecs, for velocity.  Throw the ball as close to a 45 degree angle as
you can, as this is the optimal angle to maximze horizontal distance. 
Simply set a schedule where you practice situps and pushups daily. 
Try doing 20 of each during each commercial as you watch TV. Your
ability to do these exercises regenerates quite quickly, and they will
also burn calories and develop muscle tone, which can't hurt you in
any other aspect of the PAE.

I know this is not a detailed answer to your question, but let me know
if this helps or if you have any other questions about the admissions
process I might help address.

Brent

Hi,

I didn't go to West Point, but I'm very familiar with their PAE.  I
trained hard for those 5 events, but decided to go to a regular
college (mandatory service is not for me).

To be honest with you, 60 days is not a lot of time to improve these
scores. The 5 events stress all-around body fitness and it is very
hard to achieve that in 2 months.

But there are a few key things you can do. Lift weights 2-3 times a
week.  Focus on squats.  I'd advise you to do deadlifts too, but
there's no time for that in your case, and they won't help that much
for the PAE.  If you can, talk to a physician about using Creatine
Monophosphate.  It's a cheap supplement that will make you put some
muscle quickly.  I went from 280lb bench press to 360lb in 3 months,
and increased my squat by 95lbs.  In total, I put on about 15lbs of
muscle.  An improved squat will greatly imcrease your standing long
jump, and your 300 yard dash.  Make sure you get a partner to watch
your form and to provide motivation.

The other important exercise are lat pulldowns, which what you are
using when you do pullups.

Practicing pull-ups is hard, and strenous.  You won't see gains very
fast by practicing pull-ups.  Use the pull-up machine at the gym.  It
has adjustable weights so you can try pulling 80% of your weight, and
then increase from there.

Don't waste your time donig stuff like bicep curls. Focus on a few key
compound exercises that work your entire body, like squats, bench
press, pullups, weighted dips, lat pulldowns.

Of couse, the weight training is meant to compliment practicing the
actual events. Practice like hell, and you can make it.  You may not
be in the top quintile, but even being in the lower quintile should be
enough if you have good dgrades, SATs, and references.

Good luck with your endeavor. It's going to be tough. It took me about
8 months to get into shape for the PAE.  Did weight training for 4
months, used creatine and whey protein, spent 2 months doing cardio to
lose the fat that I gained while weight training, and then spent a
sold 2 months practicing all the events.  In the end, I was in the
best shape I've ever been in. I was in the top quintile for all the
events except the 300 yard dash and the basketball throw.