The Marine OCS website has it’s own suggested workout plan. Their plan combines weight training 3 days/week and running 10-17 miles/week.

Even though physical fitness is only 25% of your grade at OCS (leadership is 50% and academics is 25%), if you are not prepared physically for OCS, you will be sent home, or go home broken. A good portion of every day at OCS will be spent on PT. Some of the events are listed below (from the Marine OCS website):

UBDs: Upper Body Development Course

Run Circuit: A circular course in the immediate OCS area consisting of many exercise stations designed to build endurance and overall body strength.

Fartlek Course: A 3 to 4 mile trail, consisting of nearly 1 dozen exercise stations, designed to build endurance.

Obstacle Course: A 100 meter long series of obstacles that must be negotiated in a prescribed amount of time.

Confidence & Tarzan, Courses: A series of high obstacles created to build an individuals self-confidence while teaching military skills.

Combat Readiness Test: Consists of physical events that one could likely face in combat situations.

Conditioning Hikes: These range from 3 to 15 miles with combat gear.

Pugil Sticks: Simulates close combat fighting.

Combat Course: This is a 1.5 mile course which simulates a combat environment by stressing all around security and noise discipline while negotiating a series of obstacles.

Endurance Course: A 3.5 mile course testing a candidate’s physical endurance & ability to cross and negotiate various obstacles

Though there are longer runs at OCS, as you can see, you generally don’t run more than 4 miles at a time. Don’t think that just because you’re able to run 4 miles means you will breeze through OCS, nothing can be further from the truth. You will often be running in boots, utility uniform, carrying your M16A2, etc. As for the humps (hikes), they shouldn’t give you much of a problem, as long as you follow the advice you are given by the staff.

Training too hard it just as dangerous as not training enough. If you over train and give yourself stress fractures, you will be sent home immediately. If you’ve never run before, find a good article on running for beginners. If you’re already in shape, make sure you don’t overdue it with the weekly mileage increases. Make sure you give yourself plenty of time to train for OCS, you’ll be glad you did.

Marine Corps physical fitness centers around the following 7 exercises:

Lateral Pull downs (Latissimus Dorsi)

Squat (Quadriceps)

Bench press (Pectoralis Major)

Pull-ups (Latissimus Dorsi)

Military press (Deltoid)

Bicep curls (Biceps Brachii)

Leg curls (Hamstrings)

My routine focuses on the seven exercises but also includes other exercises that will help you at OCS. I do 6 days of weight training per week (A, B, C, A, B, C, rest), doing 3 sets of 8-10 reps for each exercise (12 reps for leg exercises).

Day A
Squat
Calf press
Leg curls
Leg extensions
Adductors/Abductors

Day B
Bench press
Bicep curls
Military press
Shoulder shrugs

Day C
Pull-ups
Tricep pushdowns
Pull downs
Dumbbell tricep extensions

BEGINNERS: All links point to the exercise on ExRx.com so you can see the actual movement I do.

As you notice, I did not include abdominals in the above workout. You should do abs (and lower back, for balance) as often as you need to max the PFT (100 crunches in 2 minutes). I use a decline bench for abs and I do back extensions for my lower back.