Thread: Endurance, performance.. SEALS

I think you have it figured out....like you said, train specifically to what you need. You have to be a cardio machine....get to it!

Trust me the best way to increase your endurance would be by doing mahler body blasters. After doing 25-30 reps i swear ur endurance is gonna go through the roof.

I would buy your boots and train with them on. Also for the push ups and pullups I would try to beat the time and amount wearing your boots plus 20lbs. To be sure that come test day you can do it with no problem. Throw a sand bag on your back when you do your pushups. Run with a backpack stuffed with your dirty laundry with a 10lb plate inside so it doesn't jab into your back. My friend is a marine. When he did his basic training he said it was mentally tough. Two people killed themselves because they did not make the cut, to much pressure. He went in at 175lbs 5' 10'' and came out 200+ with 8% body fat. He would do extra dips he said at night when everyone else was sleeping, he came out at the top off his class.
http://www.seal.navy.mil/seal/pstoverview.aspx

good luck.

This is awesome man, good luck. I've actually seriously considered doing this myself so tell me how it goes and what it's like.

Its cool u chose the SEALS they need more men.... physicaly ull be fine make sure u prep mentally its alot more demanding on ur mind than anything else... at 330 AM u will be tired hungry and cold the pushups, running, all that will come naturally u wont even think about it really. just my input good luck...

Yeah, it sounds like you're doing what you need to do pretty much. If they also want you to do some running with a loaded backpack, then you should do some of that too.

Like everyone has all ready said get on your boots, a loaded backpack, and just hump up every hill mountain and sand. The guys in the armed forces have the best cardio imaginable. The marines in my area take all the pre boot camp guys and run their asses into the ground. Its funny to see because the head guys are always smoking a cig or drinking a beer while they are running and it doesnt effect them at all.

Thanks for all the input guys...

I just started today, light. Figure I'll work myself into it, instead of diving right in and getting myself hurt. I ran today for 60 minutes with 2, 5 lb weights on my wrist.. I bought 2 10lb weights for my ankles and will strap those on in a few days, hopefully in 30 days I'll be running the 1 and 1/2 mile in under 10 minutes with those weights on, and a 30lb backpack

As for the pushups, I'm going to continue to bench and do normal chest workouts, and do pushups on my cardio days (lifting 3 days of the week, running with cardio, and doing straight hardcore cardio 3 days and pushups / situps on those days.).

I'll let you all know how I'm doing, and stay in touch throughout my progress.

Cheers!

Personally, I think that signing up for a SF MOS is one of the worst things you can do for yourself. The reason being; Lately the special forces are understaffed. Therefore the military is doing different things to boost their numbers. Like lowering their standards and letting people sign up for SF and giving them bonuses right off the bat. The guys that did it the traditional way will have contempt for you and you'll just have to work that much harder to gain their respect. Its a burden you don't need. Also, if you happen to wash out you'll end up losing your contract and your bonus. You remember that plane full of rubber dog shit that Tom Cruise got threatened with in Top Gun? You'll be loading it. And I may have overlooked but I didn't see too much swimming in your program. If you want to wear the Trident you're going to have to be able to swim like fucking Nemo.

PS. Don't take this the wrong way, I'm not trying to discourage you or put you down or anything. From what I can see you're well on your way to being a SEAL, I'm just trying to offer a little insight. Good Luck

Originally Posted by tannywild

I'm going to step up my cardio ALOT.. Towards 60 minutes a day of running or swimming (included is stretching / cooldown) - and Throw in 20 minutes on top of that of push-ups / sit-ups / pull-ups..

I understand there will be quite a few people in there that have worked their asses off already for it, but they'll live with it. I'm going for myself, to prove to myself that I can do it. If I "wash out" - all I do is change my MOS. However, my plan, is to work as hard as I can...

I do thank you for your insight, it helps. The people that tell me that I can't do it, or suggest that I'm not suited for the job, makes me try even harder. And I look forward to these people to keep me fueled to try harder.

the best advice I can give you is this . Run until you cant run anymore and then run some more until you throw up . Its a complete mind fuck more than anything . Also Think about this . There is no place for a Seal in normal everyday society unless you want to be a Mercenary. Trust me . I chose a job that got me nowhere after I got out of the military . Choose something that will pay off in the long run . IBM doesnt need anyone to snipe a competitior. Either do it for the long haul or become a ninja when you get out .

While it is no secret that SOFs need more members, they certainly aren't going to lower standards. The regular military ground forces (Army and Marines) will let you in if you have a pulse and two feet, as every conventional unit needs cannon fodder, but no elite unit would accept someone who can't cut it, especially the SEALs.

Threadstarter, I would stay away from ankle/wrist weights..... you're only going to injure yourself due to impromper weight distribution. If you want to run with weights, for reasons beyond me (since you won't be doing that in BUD/S aside from log PT) then you are best served to use body armor or a very VERY snug fitting weighted vest. Also, work youself into running with boots and when you do, order yourself a pair of the Bates boots you will be issued upon arrival at INDOC. Try to do a couple of soft sand runs a week to build up your ankles and focus solely on bodyweight calisthenics like pullups, pushups (multiple variations, dips, squats, 8 counts, etc). Start eating clean right now and realize that you will need to be eating in excess of 6000 calories a day (at least 600 grams of carbs) to make it past week 1, much less the entire 6 months.

Good luck and try to be the invisible man. It may pay to be a winner, but don't bring attention to yourself because you will be singled out and you and your boat crew will pay.

Originally Posted by tannywild

I've gone and done it..

After much thought and consideration I've joined the Navy, and even better I've chosen SEALs as my MOS..

In 60 days I go in for PAT (Physical Assessment Testing)..

I'll need to do a shit load of push-ups, shit load of swimming, shit load of sit-ups and a hell of a lot of running (with boots and pants on, mind you.)

Any kind of input here would be great on the best way to increase my endurance..

I'm going to step up my cardio ALOT.. Towards 60 minutes a day of running or swimming (included is stretching / cooldown) - and Throw in 20 minutes on top of that of push-ups / sit-ups / pull-ups..

I found a nice nature trail in my area that I'm basically going to turn into my training course, found a good tree to do pull-ups on, a nice quarter mile track, and a dock to hit up the push-ups and sit-ups...

I'm currently 6"2, weighing in around 205 lbs.. I got the caliper today and I'm around 15% bodyfat (looking to drop that 7% or so, if possible).. My diet will be in order just fine, I'm taking Melting Point + Lean Xtreme, a Mens Multi-vitamin, CLA, fish oils, and of course whey protein for supplements.


So, any input, throw it out to me please, because I'll take any advice I can get. Thanks guys..

Tell us what happens if you pass the PAT. Do you advance directly to SEAL training? Or do you have time off, as it most likely is a process after testing numerous applicants. If it is only a PAT, train directly for the PAT. Every 3 days of so do "mock" PAT's, to get the most direct workout and to test your progress. I looked over the link posted that broke down the PAT, but I did not see flutter kicks. I recall reading that a counted 2-minute session of flutter kicks is tested, but I am not too sure on that one.
PAT training is vastly different than the SEAL training, and I'd bet your PAT score would be considerably higher if you train solely for the PAT at the moment. SEAL training afterwards could be super long runs, staying in the water for a long duration of time, sleep deprivation, and things of that sort. All good to train ASAP, but if you are going to just PAT then train for just the PAT.

Oh yeah, watch your diet. I'm a Marine Officer Candidate, and when I started my training (which was incredibly different than what I was doing before), I made a huge mistake.
Do not change your diet drastically, and keep your calories and protein UP. I dropped from 218 to around 190 at the moment over the course of a few months, dropping so much strength. On the USMC PFT, one of the tests is pullups/chinups. At 218 I was able to do 10 chinups. After dropping all that weight from cutting so much calories, I was expecting to be in phenominal shape. At around 190 I did 11 chinups.... lost a lot of strength everywhere. Stupid mistake that slowed me down big time. Got it back on track with good eating.

Don't get real picky with your diet, in terms of calories. Eat how much you feel you need. Otherwise all this conditioning may go to waste. Your training for physical strength and endurance, not body composition or looks.

BAH, forgot something.... good luck.

Originally Posted by GoLdeN M 07

Trust me the best way to increase your endurance would be by doing mahler body blasters. After doing 25-30 reps i swear ur endurance is gonna go through the roof.

I've never seen these before, but they look to be interesting.
I'd like to mention the difficulty of burpees, AKA 8-count-bodybuilders. If you fire up strong at the end of the movement with a strong squat jump, that will work you good.
Ross Enamit claims it to be the best overall bodyweight exercise.

Everyone here is right, the basic principle behind preparing yourself for a specific task to focus on the fact that your body works via SAID. The specific adaptation to imposed demands. Training for a task is best done by practicing that very task religiously so your body can adapt to it. If you're going to have to run with boots and a pack on... run with boots and a pack on to train. Etc.

I won't repeat everything that's already been said. Good luck.

Good luck. Stay safe. Remember always that your mind is the most important tool you can have. You should be proud.

I wish I were a teen again!

I played some b-ball with a few active Seals years ago. Nice builds... but all of them had "beer guts". Watch that! LOL

I have a friend in the Recon Marines so he had to train with the SEALs once. He was telling me how part of the training was a 12 mile run with a 60 pound backpack on. I tried running with a 40 pound backpack on and couldn't even make it 1 mile... good luck to you man.

Is there a "paid, but reputable" program... say, a month in duration - for people looking for that kind of challenge that don't want to join the military?