For those of you who have already been through bootcamp, what is one (or more) thing you wish you had done to be better prepared for bootcamp?

My daughter should have quit smoking!! Hopefully you don't smoke!!

Just get yourself into better physical shape. Push-ups, Sit-ups, and running should help out a lot.

Just start this routine: pushups till you cant do anymore, crunches till you cant do anymore, squats till you cant do anymore, and flutter kicks til you cant do anymore. do it every single day!

Just got back last night, India-183! The one thing I remember in my indock week was all the required knowledge they throw at you. You have about 03 days to sit in medical....so know you're general orders inside and out....know your helmsman too. Its very overwhelming at first, but it gets easier. And in the end....its so worth it.

Also, you will have a chance to write down your chain of command. Do that inside your guardian handbook, study the crap out of that too early!!!

Realize also that you can't ever be "ready" for indoc weekend either. The better shape you are in, the easier group PT and IT is however when you eventually screw up and you will, they will have just YOU to IT. Everyone around me had to do 30 pushups, well I did that no problem so I got to do 100, they push you until you break no matter what, they are good at their job. Make sure you can pass the minimums for sure, then like everyone has said, run, situps, pushups, squats and flutterkicks, good luck!

PS Congrats India-183, Hotel-183 Here!

By the end, you will be in the best physical shape of your life.....most couldn't bust out 30 push-up or 40 squats and by the end we had all doubled our numbers. Trust in your CC's and the entire staff on the Regiment.

EJ - How is your first duty station/cutter??? Leaving for Louisiana here on Friday!

I just visited the Tracen in Cape May this July as a commeroration of my 30th anniverary of entering the USCG.
If I was to add anything to the advice already given, would be two things. The future "Guardians" as we are now called (no more "Coasties") are trained also on spinning bikes. According to the information provided by our guide, most recruits will say this was the hardest part of the physical training. So be forwarned and get on a bike!

Also, get in a pool! We are a sea service so be a proficient swimmer by the time you get there. There is a mandatory swim test ou need to pass before graduation. It is not the hardest test but again you would be surprised how many have difficulty with it.

The bikes are killer for sure, again not something that will be "easy" no matter how good of shape you are in but better shape, less attention and that is a good thing! We did 18 bike workouts while at cape may, most companies do 4 or 5. We were in operation "fat ass" due to being the second most out of shape company ever seen on the regiment. Run, bike, situps, pushups and sniper! Those are the things you can do, good luck to all!