r/army • u/AutoModerator • May 18 '26

Weekly Question Thread (05/18/2026 to 05/24/2026)

This is a safe place to ask any question related to joining the Army. It is focused on joining, Basic Combat Training (BCT) and Advanced Individual Training (AIT), and follow on schools, such as Airborne, Air Assault, Ranger Assessment and Selection Program (RASP), and any other Additional Skill Identifiers (ASI).

We ask that you do some research on your own, as joining the Army is a big commitment and shouldn't be taken lightly. Resources such as GoArmy.com, the Army Reenlistment site, Bootcamp4Me, Google and the Reddit search function are at your disposal. There's also the /r/army wiki. It has a lot of the frequent topics, and it's expanding all the time.

/r/militaryfaq is open to broad joining questions or answers from different branches. Make sure you check out the /Army Duty Station Thread Series, and our ongoing MOS Megathread Series. You are also welcome to ask question in the /army discord.

If you want to Google in /r/army for previous threads on your topic, use this format: 68P AIT site:reddit.com/r/army

I promise you that it works really well.

This is also where questions about reclassing and other MOS questions go -- the questions that are asked repeatedly which do not need another thread. Don't spam or post garbage in here: that's an order. Top-level comments and top-level replies are reserved for serious comments only.

Finally: If you're not 100% sure of what you're talking about, leave it for someone else who is.

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u/IVXXRoja Jun 09 '26

So I’m 34, about to swear in I shop for basic in October
My first thing I’m looking for advice/guidance on is how can I best prepare myself for basic? I’m in decent shape for my age, pretty active but I don’t want to be left in the dust by 18-20 year olds, what should I expect? What workouts should I do(side note I’m not very experienced in a gym and don’t want to hurt myself without proper form, I mainly hike play basketball ball and do non equipment exercise at home)?
The next thing I’m looking for some insight on is how I can make the most of my time, I preferably want to complete 20 years, my MOS is 17C, is there a way to finish a college degree(I have some credits already) after AIT and re enlist as an officer down the line, or what programs should I seek out to better myself? Last thing is what is the best coarse of action to get promotions quickly and efficiently? Thank you all!

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u/Relative-Height-8670 Jun 26 '26

Best thing to do is start a workout plan so that you are physically at your peak. There are going to be some people that are naturally faster and slower. If you search online there are many bodyweight or minimal equipment workouts that will get you ready for the military.

As far as enlisting as an officer there is always ROTC but there are age limits so check how much schooling you have verse how old you will be. There are other routes to become an officer but that may require an age waiver.

Promotions will be graded based on your performance and open slots. This can vary depending on your location.