seal workout phase
TRANSCRIPT
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Stew Smith’s Military Fitness Workout Series
The Navy SEAL Workout:
Phases 2 and 3
Waiver of Liability
What you are about to undertake is an advanced fitness program. Injuries may occur in any workout program as with this specific program written by Stew Smith.
By using the program, you are waiving any liability to Stew Smith or StewSmith.com. This is a recommended program that has worked for many others. It may not be right for you. It is recommended that you consult a physician before undertaking
any new fitness regimen.
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Table of Contents
About the Author
Introduction
Officer and Enlisted SEALs
Requirements
A-Schools
SEAL Challenge / Points of Contacts
Stretching Program
Exercises Explained
Workouts Explained
The Six Week Workout
FREE – Weeks 7-12 / PST Training Week
Articles from StewSmith.com / Nutrition Plans
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About the Author
Former Navy Lieutenant Stew Smith graduated from the United States Naval Academy in 1991 and received orders to Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL (BUD/S) training, (Class 182). He has written workouts that prepare future BUD/S students for BUD/S since 1991, which are still in use today by SEAL recruiters - The BUD/S Warning Order and the books "The Complete Guide to Navy SEAL Fitness” and “Maximum Fitness." Stew Smith’s passion is writing about fitness and help people to ace physical fitness tests. The following list is the six published books he has written and the thirty plus eBooks to his credit as well. All books and eBooks are fitness related and are simply written accounts of his experience as a trainer and his own athletic history. These books and eBooks can take you from beginner to a combat conditioned veteran. Let these workouts assist you in becoming a better fighter or athlete. Stew Smith’s Published Books The Complete Guide to Navy SEAL Fitness Maximum Fitness – The Complete Guide to Navy SEAL Cross-training The SWAT Workout Common Sense Self Defense The Special Operations Workout The TV Watchers Workout
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The Complete List of Stew Smith’s eBooks:
The Military Physical Fitness Workouts Advanced Combat Conditioning Workout Navy SEAL Workout Phase 1 – Beginner Weeks 1-6 Navy SEAL Workout Phase 2 - Intermediate Weeks 1-6 Navy SEAL Workout Phase 3 – Advanced Weeks 7-12 Navy SEAL Workout Phase 4 – Grinder PT –4 weeks before Hell Week Navy SWCC Workout Navy OCS Workout The Service Academy Workout (West Point, Navy, Air Force Academy) The Navy, Air Force, Marine Corp Bootcamp Workout The Army PFT Workout The Army Air Assault School Workout The Army Airborne Workout The Army Special Forces / Ranger Workout – Phase 1 & 2 USMC RECON Workout Phase 1 & 2 USMC OCS / TBS Workout Air Force PJ / CCT Workout US Coast Guard Helicopter Rescue Swimmer and Navy SAR Workout
The Law Enforcement Physical Fitness Test Workouts The FBI Academy Workout The FBI SWAT Team Workout The DEA Workout The FLETC Workout – Ace the PEB - Border Patrol / ICE Workout
- ATF Agent Workout - Blackwater Security Workout
The State / Local Police Academy Workout The Public Safety Diver Workout
General Fitness and Nutritional Guides for Everyone The 45 Day Beginner Guide to Fitness The 45 Day Intermediate Guide to Fitness The 45 Day Advanced Workout Fitness The Six Week Advanced Weights and PT Program The Diabetic Prevention Workout / Diet The Teenaged Athlete Workout The Busy Executive Workout Routine
Underlined eBooks above are also NOW IN PRINT Special Order others at www.stewsmith.com
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Stew Smith’s eBooks are sold on the following sites:
www.stewsmith.com www.heroesoftomorrow.org
www.military.com www.navyseals.com www.sealstrike.com
And his published books can be found at local book retailers as well as
The NavySEAL.com – SOCOM Store www.amazon.com
www.bn.com www.getfitnow.com
Contact Stew Smith (Email, mail)
As part of the downloadable, you do have access to email me at anytime and I will answer your questions as soon as possible. Below are the different ways to contact
me for any of the products and services at www.stewsmith.com
Mail and email addresses: StewSmith.com PO Box 122 Severna Park MD 21146 Email - [email protected] Phone 410-544-0059
© All rights reserved. Any part of this book may NOT be reproduced without the permission of the author. Any unauthorized transmission electronic or printed is prohibited.
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Stew Smith’s Military Fitness Series
An S. Smith Publication / 2005
Copyright © 2006 by StewSmith.com LLC
No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying,
recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Stew Smith ISBN 978-0-9769320-4-8
SSmith Publications LLC, P.O. Box 122, Severna Park, MD 21146
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0
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Introduction
Many people ask me, “What can I do after doing The Complete Guide to Navy SEAL Fitness or Maximum Fitness books you wrote?” Here is your answer.
This book is the printed version of my e-book Phase Two and Three which includes another 12 weeks of workouts plus a Fitness Test Training Taper Week. Also included are some helpful nutritional tips to help you either lose weight, become more lean, and reach optimal physical performance.
For the SEAL pre-training pipeline, I recommend the following ebooks and books:
1 – Phase 1: Meeting the Minimum Standard of the PST
2 – The Complete Guide to Navy SEAL Fitness (book and dvd)
3 – Phase 2 and 3: This twelve week workout & CSS DVD
4 – Maximum Fitness – Navy SEAL Cross-training
5 – Phase 4: Grinder PT – The Key to Mental Toughness
The road to becoming a SEAL is long and challenging. In some cases, it may actually be harder to enter SEAL training than to graduate from SEAL training. It regularly takes an individual nearly two years of rigorous training, as in this program before you are physically ready for BUD/S. Most of the ones who fail BUD/S are those who “thought” they were in shape but really were not. If you can score the following on the BUD/S Physical Screening Test (PST) you will have an 85% chance to graduate:
500 yd Swim – under 9:00 Pushups in 2:00 – 100+ Situps in 2:00 – 100+ Pull-ups – 20+
1.5 mile run – under 9:00
These are not minimum standards to get into BUD/S. These are proven standards of a majority of the graduates when they arrive at BUD/S. It does not mean you will graduate if you can reach these
standards, in fact, many BUD/S students with scores better than these have quit. After you reach these scores, it all becomes mental toughness that will help you graduate. That is an un-measurable element of the BUDS student. However, one common denominator between most of the graduates who have this mental toughness is they were also in great shape as well.
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Officers and Enlisted
The Navy SEALs do not need officers as much as enlisted personnel, so naturally it will be tougher to become an SEAL officer. The most unusual aspect of SEAL training is that the officers and enlisted participate in the same training. This is very rare not only in the Navy, but in the entire military. Perhaps this is one reason for the closeness of the SEAL units. It creates an environment of mutual respect and you start to build your reputation for the rest of your career the first day of BUDS.
Medical Requirements
Before you can enter the SEAL program you must meet the following general requirements:
EYESIGHT: Your eyesight may be no worse than 20/40 in one eye and 20/70 in the other, and it must be correctable to 20/20 with no color blindness. You may have a waiver if vision is 20/70 in one eye and 20/100 in the other, correctable to 20/20. A waiver is also needed for people who get PRK surgery prior to enlisting.
ACADEMIC TESTS: The required ASVAB score is: VE + AR = 104, MC = 50. You may be eligible for a waiver (up to 5 points). Waivers are handled on a case-by- case basis.
PHYSICAL TESTS: The BUD/s Physical Fitness Test (PFT)
500yd CSS / breaststroke swim (10:00 rest) Max pushups in 2:00 (2:00 rest)
Max situps in 2:00 (2:00 rest)
Max pull-ups (10:00 rest)
1.5 mile run in boots and pants
US CITIZEN: The program is only open to men, and you must be a U.S. citizen for security-clearance requirements.
AGE: You can enter into the SEAL program right out of high school at the age of 18 or you can go to college or work and still enlist into the SEAL program up to the age of 28. There are age waivers, but they are few and far between and are handled on a case by case basis by the Commanding Officer of BUD/S and the SEAL Community Manager.
Many college graduates enlist instead of entering as an officer mainly due to the large number of officer candidates who apply and the small number who get accepted. The Navy needs more enlisted men than officers in the SEAL Teams – plain and simple. The last numbers of success for OCS applicants was one out of every eight apply get accepted in the officer program.
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Another reason why it is challenging to become an officer right out of college is due to the number of college graduates in the enlisted ranks who also place requests for Officer Candidate School. The Navy has a choice of selecting a SEAL veteran enlisted with a college degree or a 22 year old college kid with little experience. That is why many select to enlist right out of college instead of becoming an officer immediately. Of course, there is ROTC and US Naval Academy for officer candidates as well.
You can enlist either the conventional way or via the SEAL Challenge Contract. When you enlist in the U.S. Navy under the SEAL Challenge contract, you must sign a contract that states you are giving a certain number of years in return for guaranteed orders to BUDS – IF you pass the BUDS PFT. When you enlist under the SEAL Challenge contract, you are guaranteed orders to BUD/S as long as you are qualified and pass a PT screen test in Boot Camp. Everyone who volunteers to take the BUD/S screening test is allowed to take the test at Bootcamp - SEAL challenge enlisted or the conventional enlisted.
There are advantages to signing the SEAL Challenge Contract. By signing, you are enlisting with the intent of becoming a SEAL. This means that you don't have to worry about getting orders to BUD/S as long as you pass the PT screen test in Boot Camp. This also means that you get four chances to pass the PT screen test at Great Lakes.
If you enlist under any other contract, you are not guaranteed a billet at BUD/S and may have to go to the fleet and complete a minimum tour of duty (which is two years) before requesting an in service transfer to Naval Special Warfare - BUD/S. You can volunteer at Boot Camp and you may get orders to BUD/S, but it's not guaranteed.
See http://www.sealchallenge.navy.mil/seal/
for more information on how to become a SEAL
PACKAGE SUBMISSION PROCESS
If you are in the Navy and wish to change jobs and become a SEAL, the requirements for submitting a BUD/S training application package are as follows:
Submit through your chain of command a "Special Request Chit" requesting BUD/S training. Then see your Command Career Counselor to begin the process outlined below.
Submit to SPECWAR/Diver Assignment a "Personnel Action Request" (Form 1306/7). Include the following with your request:
-A certified copy of your ASVAB test scores -Your physical screening test results -Pressure and oxygen tolerance test results (if completed) -Your completed diving physical - (Form SF88 - SF93) -Your medical record documenting that all immunizations and HIV results are up to date -A certified copy of your last performance evaluation report
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-Make a copy of your entire package and keep the copy in a safe place.
-Mail your package to the address below.
SPECWAR/Diver Assignment BUPERS PERS401D1 5720 Integrity Drive Millington, TN 38055-0000 Phone: (901) 874-3622 DSN: 882-3622
You may be an officer or enlisted in another branch of service. There are a few inter-service transfers a year and they are handled on a case by case basis. Many times you have to serve your enlistment with the Marines or Army, get discharged from the service and reapply to the Navy. Most of the times, you do not have to do Bootcamp over again. Your best start on this process is to contact the above number of the SpecWar Detailer in Tennessee.
If you are ready to make that all-important decision and enlist, see your local recruiter. If you want to be a SEAL or Special Warfare Combatant Craft Crewmember (SWCC), make sure you enlist under the SEAL Challenge contract. Ask your recruiter about this program.
RECRUITERS:
SEAL Recruiter West Coast Naval Special Warfare 2446 Trident Way San Diego, CA 92155-5494 Com. (619) 437-2049 / (619) 437-5009 DSN 577-2049 / 5009 FAX: Com. (619) 437-2018 DSN 577-2018
SEAL Recruiter East Coast NSWC DET Little Creek 1340 Helicopter Rd. Norfolk, VA 23521-2945 Com. (757) 363-4128 DSN 864-4128
SEAL Detailer SPECWAR/Diver Assignment BUPERS PERS401D1 5720 Integrity Drive Millington, TN 38055-0000 Com. (901) 874-3622 DSN 882-3622
Dive Motivators (SEAL) BLDG 1405 Recruit Training Command Great Lakes, IL 60088 Com. (847) 688-4643 DSN 792-4643
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Points of Contact
Toll-free Info Line: 1-888-USN-SEAL
For more detailed information about the Navy SEALs contact:
Public Affairs Office Naval Special Warfare Command Naval Amphibious Base Coronado San Diego, CA 92155-5037 (619) 437-3920
www.navyseals.com
www.thesealquest.com
www.sealchallenge.com
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Conclusion
BUD/S is an intense 6 month long basic training for SEALs. You must be prepared for the course physically, but also mentally. I believe through tough physical preparation, the mid will grow strong as well. The body must be well equipped to adapt to certain stresses such as cold water, miserable discomfort from sand and being wet for days, and the instructors yelling at you having you do painful things. Some of these include fireman’s carries, bear crawls, low crawl, hundreds of pushups day after day. The stretching plan below is critical to your well-being and injury prevention at BUD/S. Not only should you learn these for your pre-BUD/S training, but you should incorporate these stretches into your weekends and after-work hours while a BUD/S student.
The Stretching Program
Increasing one’s flexibility should be the first goal before starting fitness / athletic activity. Increased flexibility has been proven to aid in blood circulation, prevention of injuries, increased speed, and range of motion. A 5-10 minute stretching program after your workout will help to break up the soreness especially if you are doing a new exercise. This is because stretching aids in significantly reducing the amount of lactic acid that remains in your muscles after working out. You will find that stretching several times a day at BUD/S will save you from nagging injuries such as knee tendonitis, lower back pain, shoulder injuries and other overuse injuries. Follow the stretching chart before and after your workout. Hold these stretches or do these movements for at least 15-20 seconds each: Neck stretch (yes/no) Neck/Shoulder Stretch. Shoulder Shrugs Arm/Shoulder Stretch Forearm Stretch Tricep/Lat Stretch (half moon) Chest / Bicep Stretch Stomach Stretch Lowerback Stretch ITB / Hip Hamstring Stretch Thigh Stretch - standing of laying on floor Calf Stretch
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Stretching and Warming Up and Cooling Down
Stretching is only part of warming up and cooling down. After working out, the best way to reduce muscle fatigue and soreness is to perform a light cool-down and stretch. The cool-down in this workout should consist of the following phases:
Brief cardiovascular activity like biking, running or swimming. Usually 5-10 minutes of this activity is a good warm-up or cool down.
Static stretching: Holding these stretches for 15-20 seconds is the best way to end your workout. Do not bounce when performing these stretches and inhale deeply for three seconds, hold for three seconds and fully exhale. Do this twice per stretch. This will take you to the 15-20 second time minimum for holding these stretches for optimal results.
Neck Stretch
Turn your head to the left, right, up and down, as if you were nodding "yes" and "no". Do this stretch slowly. Do not raise, lower, or rotate your neck too much or you may cause neck injury.
Shoulder Shrugs - Rotate your shoulders slowly up and down, keeping your arms relaxed by your side. Your shoulders should rotate in small circles and move up and down in slow distinct movements.
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Chest Stretch – Grab a vertical and stationary object with your hand. Pull your body away from your arm in order to feel the stretch of your chest and shoulder connection. Also stretches your bicep.
Forearm Stretch – With your opposite hand pull backwards on your hand while keeping your arm straight and palm pointing in an upward direction. You will feel this stretch in the forearm and bicep / elbow connection.
Arm / Shoulder Stretch - Drop your shoulder and pull your arm across your chest. With the opposite arm, gently pull your arm across your chest and hold for 15 seconds. Repeat with the other arm.
Triceps into Back Stretch - Place both arms over and behind your head. Grab your right elbow with your left hand and pull your elbow toward your opposite shoulder. Lean with the pull. Repeat with the other arm.
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This stretch not only prepares you for the dumbbell triceps exercises, pushups, and dips, but also prepares the back muscles for pull-ups! This is a very important stretch for upper body exercises and swimming.
Stomach Stretch - Lie on your stomach. Push yourself up to your elbows. Slowly lift your head and shoulders and look up at the sky or ceiling. Hold for 15 seconds and repeat two times.
As you may know, the lower back is the most commonly injured area of the body. Many lower back problems stem from inactivity, lack of flexibility, and improper lifting of heavy objects. Stretching and exercising your lower back will help prevent some of those injuries.
Thigh Stretch Standing - Standing, bend your knee and grab your foot at the ankle. Pull your heel to your butt and push your hips forward. Squeeze your butt cheeks together keep your knees close together. Hold for 10-15 seconds and repeat with the other leg.( You can hold onto something for balance if you need to OR you can lie down on your hip and perform this stretch.
Hamstring Stretch #1 - From the standing or sitting position, bend forward at the waist and touch your toes. Keep your back straight and slightly bend your knees. You should feel this stretching the back of your thighs.
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Lower back Hamstring stretch #2 – Spread your legs while standing.. Drop your chest down to your knees and place your hands on the floor. Hold for 10 seconds, then try to straighten the legs.
Hurdler Stretch - Sit on the floor with your legs straight in front of you. Bend your right knee and place the bottom of your foot on the inside of your opposite thigh. With your back straight, lean forward in order to stretch the back of your legs and your lower back. Hold the stretch for 15 seconds, switch legs, and repeat.
ITB Stretch - Sit on the ground with your legs crossed in front of you. Keeping your legs crossed bring the top leg to your chest and bend it at the knee so that your foot is placed outside of your opposite leg’s thigh. Hold your knee for 15 seconds against your chest and repeat with the other leg.
Note: Before and after running or rucking you should perform this stretch. This will help prevent very common overuse injuries in the hips and knees.
Calf Stretch into Achilles Tendon Stretch - Stand with one foot 2-3 feet in front of the other. With both feet pointing in the same direction as you are facing, put most of your body weight on your leg that is behind you - stretching the calf muscle.
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Now, bend the rear knee slightly. You should now feel the stretch in your heel. This stretch helps prevent Achilles tendonitis, a severe injury that will sideline most people for about 4-6 weeks.
Descriptions of the PT / Weight exercises
Regular Push-ups - Lie on the ground with your hands placed flat next to your chest. Your hands should be about shoulder width apart. Push yourself up by straightening your arms and keeping your back stiff. Look forward. This exercise will build and firm your shoulders, arms, and chest.
Wide Push-ups - From the same position as the previous push-up, place your hands about six to twelve inches away from your chest. Your hands should be greater than shoulder width apart. The slight change of the arm distance changes the focus of what muscle are exercised. Now, you are building the chest more than your arms and shoulders.
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Triceps Push-ups - From the same position as the regular push-up, place your hands under your chest about 1-2 inches away from each other. Spread your legs in order to help with balance. This exercise will concentrate more on the triceps of the arm than the chest.
Dive bomber Pushups
Get into the pike pushup position as in pic#1, lower yourself to the position of pic#2 as if you were a plane dive bombing, straighten your arms in order to finish as in pic #3. Repeat in reverse order to get back to pic#1.
• Note – Pushups are a great punishment exercise. Several days in a row you will be required to perform pushups. This goes against every physiology rule of good training, but that is the nature of the beast in these types of military training environments. You will also be required to remain in the leaning rest for many minutes at a time. It is smart to shake out your shoulders occasionally and stretch after a long “rest”.
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8 Count bodybuilder pushups - The all time favorite punishment exercise and pre-meal exercise in 3rd phase.
Pos 1 Pos 2 Pos 3 Pos 4
Pos 5 Pos 6 Pos 7 pos 8
Pull-ups (regular grip) - Grab the pull-up bar with your hands placed about shoulder width apart and your palms facing away from you. Pull yourself upward until your chin is over the bar and complete the exercise by slowly moving to the hanging position.
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Pull-ups (reverse grip) - Grab the pull-up bar with your hands placed about 2-3 inches apart with your palms facing you. Pull yourself upward until your chin is over the bar and complete the exercise by slowly moving to the hanging position.
Close grip-Grab the pull-up bar with your hands placed about an inch apart and your palms facing away from you. Pull yourself upward until your chin is over the bar and complete the exercise by slowly moving to the hanging position.
Wide grip - Grab the pull-up bar with your hands placed wider than shoulder width apart and your palms facing away from you. Pull yourself upward until your chin is over the bar and complete the exercise by slowly moving to the hanging position.
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Mountain climber grip- Grab the pull-up bar with your hands placed about an inch apart and one palm facing away from you and the other facing you. Pull yourself upward until your shoulder touches the bar. Repeat each side for a total of two pull-ups - one per shoulder.
Assisted Pull-ups - Using the bar that is 3-4 feet off the ground, place yourself under it and grab with the regular grip. Straighten your back, hips, and legs and pull yourself to the bar so that your chest touches the bar. Repeat as required. This is a great way to start out if you cannot do any pull-ups at all. You can also do this on a pair of parallel bars that are used for dips.
Pull-ups (negatives) - If you cannot do any pull-ups, you should try "negatives". Negatives are half pull-ups. All you have to do is get your chin over the bar by standing on something or having spotter push you over the bar. Then, you slowly lower yourself all the way down - let your arms hang grasping the bar fully stretched. Keep your feet up and fight gravity for a count of 5 seconds.
Parallel Bar dips - Grab the bars with your hands and put all of your weight on your arms and shoulders. Do not do these exercises with added weight, if you are a beginner, or if you have had a previous shoulder injury. To complete the exercise, bring yourself down so your elbows form a 90 degree angle (no less of an angle) and back to the up position.
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Lower body Exercises
Squats - Keep your feet shoulder width apart. Drop your butt back as though sitting in a chair. Concentrate on squeezing your glutes in your upward motion. Keep your heels on the ground and knee over your ankles. Your shins should be vertical at all times. Extend your buttocks backward. Do not keep your buttocks over your feet and extend your knees over your feet. Works the gluts, quads, and hams.
The 1/2 squat - Intensify your squat by doing 1/2 squats. While in the full squat position, hold the pose and push yourself up and down within a 6” range of motion....just like riding a horse.
Walking Lunge - The lunge is a great leg exercise to develop shape and flexibility. Keep your chest up high and your stomach tight. Take a long step forward and drop your back knee toward the ground. Standup on your forward leg, bringing your feet together and repeat with the other leg. Make sure your knee never extends past your foot. Keep your shin vertical in other words. Muscles used: quadriceps, hams, and gluteus.
Stationary Lunge - Take a big stride forward. Bend both knees as you lower yourself so your front thigh is near parallel to the floor. Lift yourself up so your knees are straight but your feet have remained in the same position.
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If you have bad knees either avoid the lunge exercise or only go half way down.
Lunges with weights - Only do the stationary lunges with weights. It is easier on the knees than the walking lunges. Simply hold the weight out to your side with your arms relaxed. Do at least 10 repetitions with each leg.
Heel Raise (with weights too)
Hook one foot behind the other and raise up on your toes. Make certain you use a full range of motion. It won’t take long to make this burn. Muscles used gastrocnemius and soleus. (single leg heel raise)
You can also hold a weight in your hand if you want a little more resistance and keep both feet on the floor exercising both calves at the same time with less weight distributed per calve. You can also point your toes in as if you were pigeon toes and point them out like you were walking like Charlie Chaplin to change the angle of how you work the calve muscle.
Bent Knee Heel Raise - Lift your heel off the floor, this time bend your knees slightly. This will isolate the soleus, which is responsible for jumping higher and starting your sprints. (Calve Exercises)
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Abdominals
When you exercise your stomach muscles, make sure to exercise and stretch your back also. The stomach and lower back muscles are opposing muscle groups and if one is much stronger than the other, you can injure the weaker muscle group easily.
Advanced Crunch - (Legs up) - Lie on your back with your feet straight in the air. Keep your legs straight up in the air for the advanced crunches. Cross your hands over your chest and bring your elbows to your knees by flexing your stomach. (Do not do if you have previous lower back injury – place feet on the floor)
Reverse Crunch - In the same position as the regular crunch, lift your knees and butt toward your elbows. Leave your head and upper body flat on the ground. Only move your legs and butt.
(Do not do if you have previous lower back injury)
Double Crunch – Add the regular and reverse crunch together in one motion…You will feel this one twice as fast…
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Right Elbow to Left Knee - Cross your left leg over your right leg. Flex your stomach and twist to bring your right elbow to your left knee.
Left Elbow to Right Knee - Cross your right leg over your leg. Flex your stomach and twist to bring your left elbow to your right knee.
Lower Back Exercise - Lie on your stomach with your arms extended over your head. Lift your right arm and your left leg off the ground at the same time and repeat for specified number of repetitions. Switch arms/legs and repeat.
Lower Back Exercise - Swimmers - Lie on your stomach and lift your feet and knees off the floor by flutter kicking repeatedly as if you were swimming freestyle.
Upperback exercise #1 (Arm Haulers) - Lie on your belly with your feet on the floor. Lift your chest slightly off the floor and wave your arms from your sides to over your head for 30 seconds.
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Upperback exercise #2 - (reverse pushups) - Lie on your stomach in the down pushup position. Lift your hands off the floor instead of pushing the floor. This will strengthen your upperback muscles that oppose the chest muscles. Rear deltoids and rhomboids are the muscles used
Upperback exercise #3 – (Birds) Lie on your stomach with your arms spread to the height of your shoulders. Lift both arms off the floor until your shoulder blades “pinch” and place them slowly in the down position. Repeat for 10-15 repetitions mimicking a bird flying.
Advanced Abdominal Exercises: Do not do if you are a beginner! These exercises are not healthy for weak or injured backs. If you cannot do the lower back exercise / swimmer exercises for 1:00 – do not attempt these exercises. Tips to reduce strain on the lower back WITH LEG LEVERS, FLUTTERKICKS ETC.. 1) Lift your butt off the ground about an inch and place your hands underneath your butt bone. 2) Lay one hand on top of the other to get a higher lift of the butt, thus taking some of the strain off the lower back. 3) Keep your knees straight and do these exercises at a full range of motion of your hips (legs 6 inches of the floor to vertical)
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Situps - Lie on your back with your arms crossed over your chest, keeping your knees slightly bent. Raise your upper body off the floor by contracting your abdominal muscles. Touch your elbows to your thighs and repeat.
Cross situps – (or L/R Situps) Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor. Raise your upperbody off the floor but add a slight twist and touch your left elbow to your right knee and return your back to the floor. Alternate and touch your right elbow to your left knee and repeat the sequence. Flutterkicks - Place your hands under your hips. Lift your legs 6 inches off the floor and begin walking, raising each leg approximately 36 inches off the ground. Keep your legs straight and moving. This is a four count exercise.
Leg levers - Lift your feet 6 inches off the floor. Raising both legs approximately 36 inches off the ground, keep your legs straight and off the floor until specified number of repetitions are complete.
Scissors – Lay on your back. Lift your feet 6 inches off the floor. Open and close both legs approximately 36 inches apart, keep your legs straight and off the floor until specified number of repetitions are complete.
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Atomic situps - Lift your feet 6 inches off the floor as if you were doing a leg lever. Pull your knees toward your chest while simultaneously lifting your upper body off the floor. This is a mix between the situp and the leg lever.
The Light Weight Shoulder Workout
This is one of the safest and best shoulder workouts I have ever learned. This should routine is for post rotator cuff shoulder surgery physical therapy patients. You will find it to be one of the toughest shoulder workouts ever – until you get used to it.
LATERAL RAISE - Over 5 pound dumbbells is not recommended for this exercise. Keep your knees slightly bent, shoulders back, and your chest high. Lift weights parallel to ground in a smooth controlled motion, keep your palms facing the ground. Follow the next 6 exercises without stopping.
THUMBS UP - After performing 10 regular lateral raises, do 10 lateral raises with your thumbs up, touching your hips with your palms facing away from you and raising your arms no higher than shoulder height.
THUMBS UP / DOWN - Continue with side lateral raises. As you lift your arms upward, keep your thumbs up. Once your arms are shoulder height, turn your hands and make your thumbs point toward the floor. Repeat for 10 times, always leading in the up and down direction with your thumbs.
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FRONT RAISE (THUMBS UP) - Now, for 10 more repetitions, time to work your front deltoids. Lift the dumbbells from your waist to shoulder height keeping your thumbs up.
CROSS OVERS - With your palms facing away from you and arms relaxed in front of your hips, bring your arms up and over your head as if you were doing a jumping jack (without jumping). Cross your arms IN FRONT of your head and bring them back to your hips for 10 repetitions.
MILITARY PRESS
Place one foot ahead of the other as shown and knees slightly bent to reduce strain on your lower back. Exhale as you push the weights over your head for 10 final repetitions in the mega-shoulder pump workout.. Slowly lower them to shoulder height and repeat. Muscles used are shoulders and triceps (back of arm).
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Weight Lifting Exercises Explained: Weight training exercises: Build muscle, joint and tendon strength needed for any contact sport. Never begin lifting weights IF not warmed-up properly. You could tear and/or strain the muscles you are trying to develop.
Bench Press – Lie on your back on a bench, placing the legs bent with feet flat on the floor on both sides of the bench. Extend your arms upward, grab the bar or dumbbells just greater than shoulder width and lower the bar to your chest slowly. The bar should hit just below the nipples on your sternum. Extend your arms again to a locked position and repeat several times. Muscles worked: Chest, Triceps, Shoulders, and forearm muscles.
Squats w/weight – This you can do with dumbbells in your hands or a barbell across your shoulders. Place weight balanced in either your hands or across your rear shoulders. Look up with your back straight and bend your knees. Your butt should extend to the rear as if you were sitting on a chair a foot behind you. Do not bend your knees and have your knees move foreward. Try to keep your knees directly over your feet at all times in order to safely do this exercise. Muscles worked: Thighs, Hamstrings, Butt, Lower back muscles Lunges w/weight – This is best to be done with dumbbells held in your hand along the side of your waist. Step forward with one leg, bend the knee keeping the knee over the foot as in the squat. This is the same exercise as in the Leg PT exercises but done with dumbbells Muscles worked: Thighs, Hamstrings, Butt muscles. Pulldowns –Using a pulldown machine, grab the bar, sit down and pull the bar to your collar bones. Keep the bar in front of you. Behind the neck pulldowns are potentially dangerous to your neck and shoulders. Change grips as you can on the pull-up bar (wide, regular, close and reverse). Muscles worked: Back (latissimus dorsi), Biceps, forearm grip, rear Shoulder muscles
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Dumbbell rows – Bend over and support your lower back by placing your hand and knee on the bench as shown. Pull the dumbbell to your chest area as if you were starting a lawn mower. Muscles worked: Back, forearm grip, Bicep muscles
Leg Extension machine - Sit on the machine. Place the leg machine cushions over your ankles and lift to straighten your legs slowly. Hold for 1 second and return the weight to the down position.
Leg Curl machine - Lie on your stomach or stand (depending on the machine). Place the leg machine cushion over your Achilles tendon area. Pull your legs so your heels almost touch your buttocks and lower weight back to starting position.
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Weights with dumbbells
Biceps Curls
Place dumbbells or bar in hands with your palms facing upward. Use a complete range of motion and keep it smooth. Do not swing the weights. Nothing moves but your elbows. Muscles used: biceps (arms).
Hammer Curls
This is the same as a bicep curls except your palms are facing your hips. Alternate lifting each dumbbells like you were running - "hip to lip". Use a complete range of motion and keep it smooth. Do not swing the weights.
Tricep Extensions- (Back of the arm)
With weights in hands, bring your hands overhead and lower the weight toward the back of your neck. Make certain your elbows remain in one place through movement – next to your ears!. Repeat!
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PT Workouts Explained
Rest Day / Stretch
In this workouts plan there are days to relax and stretch. Your body needs rest from rigorous exercise. In fact, it is the only way you will grow and get stronger. You should exercise 5 to 6 times per week and rest 1- 2 days per week depending upon your energy level.
The Pyramid Workouts:
If you take a look at one of the pyramids, you will notice that it is numbered on both sides. It goes from 1-5 on one side, with the number 6 on the top, and then 5-1 on the other side. Each number represents a step in the pyramid. Your goal is to climb the pyramid all the way up, and all the way back down. So you can consider each step a "set" of your workout. At the bottom, you will find "pull-ups x 1, pushups x 2, situps x 3". What this means is that at each "set" or step of the pyramid, you perform 1 pull-up for every step you are on, 2 pushups for each step, and 3 situps for each step. You start at the bottom of the pyramid, at number one. For each set, you times that set number by 1 and that tells you how many pull-ups to do. You multiply it by 2 to get your pushups, and multiply by 3 for situps. So you keep progressing until you get to the top of the pyramid, or your MAX At step ten you perform 10 pull-ups/ 20 pushups/30 situps. Now you start working your way back down the other side. So the next set you do will be at step 9 on the way back down. So, you'll do 9 pull-ups/18 pushups/27 situps. Keep going until you worked all the way back down to one. So here is a number summary of the pyramid: Go up the pyramid: (or half pyramid workout)
Set/Step 1: 1 pull-ups/2 pushups/3 situps Set/Step 2: 2 pull-ups/4 pushups/6 situps Set/Step 3: 3 pull-ups/6 pushups/9 situps Set/Step 4: 4 pull-ups/8 pushups/12 situps Set/Step 5: 5 pull-ups/10 pushups/15 situps (Your first set sets are basically a warmup) Set/Step 6: 6 pull-ups/12 pushups/18 situps Set/Step 7: 7 pull-ups/14 pushups/21 situps Set/Step 8: 8 pull-ups/16 pushups/24 situps Set/Step 9: 9 pull-ups/18 pushups/27 situps Set/Step 10: 10 pull-ups/20 pushups/30 situps (Here is where you should fail / max out)
Go down the pyramid: (or reverse order pyramid = toughest to easiest number of reps)
1
2
4
8
3
56
7
910
9876
543211
Pullups x 1 / Pushups x 2
Situps x 3
The Pull-up Workouts:
The Pull-up Pyramid: You will want to rest in between pull-up sets for no longer than one minute. Continue the pull-ups until you cannot perform any more - THEN resort to negatives for the remainder of the workout. In between sets, instead of resting and doing nothing, try to do at least 25 abdominal exercises of your choice.
50 Pull-up Workout - The object of the 50 or 100 pull-up workout is to do as many pull-ups in as few sets as possible. Make your own goals, but shoot for 2-3 sets for the 50 pull-ups workout and maybe 6-8 for the 100 pull-up workout. In certain weeks you may have to repeat 50 pull-ups again. Take a break in between these sets by doing stomach exercises or run 100yds or bike for two-three minutes. Assisted Pull-ups - This is the first step to being able to perform pull-ups. Do pull-ups on a lower bar that is about 3-4 feet high off the ground or a pull-up and dip machine using the dip bars as pull-up bars. Your feet remain on the floor allowing for less weight to be on your arms, so you can get the needed repetitions. These are also great to do after you can no longer perform anymore dead-hang pull-ups. This is a good replacement for the Lat Pull-down machine as well.
Negatives - Negatives should be done if you cannot do pull-ups. Many men and women cannot perform any pull-ups. So, for the majority of you who have not done pull-ups in years or have never done pull-ups, this workout will challenge you. This is step two to doing pull-ups. After you can easily do the required reps with the assisted pull-up routines, try a negative. A negative
simply takes you through half of a pull-up. Get yourself over the bar, either by standing on something or having someone lift you. Once your chin is above the bar, slowly let yourself down counting for 5 seconds. This will get your arms used to supporting your weight.
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You can build up your strength and within a few months of this workout, you will have your first pull-up in years - maybe ever!! Most people have a goal of achieving a pull-up when they start working out again with this type of program.
You will see there are several different grips to use while doing pull-ups. This is to equally exercise every angle of the back, arms and forearms.
Pushup/Crunch Superset:
This is a great way to achieve extraordinary repetitions of pushups and crunches! Each set of six exercises should be completed within a two minute period. For example,
Set #1: 10 regular pushups
10 regular crunches
10 wide pushups
10 reverse crunches
10 triceps pushups
10 -1/2 sit-ups
Do the above circuit within a two minute time period. You should finish this with at least 30-45 seconds remaining. Use this time to stretch, drink some water etc... You will repeat this particular workout 5 times. Total time should only be 10 minutes, BUT you will achieve 150 pushups and 150 abdominal exercises in that time!!
Rest: There is no rest time while on the 2 minute clock. Do your set as quickly as possible, but watch your form. Do not jeopardize your form for a faster superset time. This is a great time saver workout if you are too busy to take 30-45 minutes to exercise. Take 10-20 minutes and be amazed at yourself performing 100-200 pushups and crunches in that time.
Say you finish your superset in 1 minute and 30 seconds, you get 30 seconds rest before you have to begin the next set.
Circuit Workouts - You will see several different circuit routines in this workout program. Basically, a circuit workout is designed to move you as quickly through a workout as possible. There are no rest periods in a circuit until the end. Moving from one exercise to the other is the only rest you will get, but you will rarely be using the same muscle group two times in a row. So there is actually rest built into the workout
1
PT with the clock - This type of workout is designed to help students ace a physical fitness test of pull-ups, pushups, and sit-ups. By performing as many reps as you can of each exercise in a certain time limit, you will be learning the pace required to achieve 100 pushups and 100 sit-ups in two minutes. By using the clock as your training guide, you will become accustomed to doing maximum reps in a time period which will further increase your scores as you continue to practice this type of training.
10,10,10 - When you see 2 or 3 sets of reps after an exercises such as 10,10,10 – repeat 10 reps of that exercise with usually three different grips. For instance, pulldowns – 10 regular grips, 10 reverse grip, 10 wide grip are to be done without stopping. Lifecycle Pyramid – This is a challenging cardio / leg workout that is to be done on a Lifecycle style stationary bike that you can manipulate the intensity levels. Try riding the levels as you would a pull-up pyramid - each level for 1:00 each. Start off at level 1 for 1:00 then to 2,3,4,5….up to max level you can handle, then repeat in reverse order. It is easy at first, but the middle minutes of this pyramid will create a puddle under you.
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Swimming Workouts Explained
DO NOT DO THESE WORKOUTS BY YOURSELF. IN FACT, NEVER SWIM UNDERWATER ALONE OR WITHOUT A LIFEGUARD. Hypoxic pyramids (stroke per breath) This workout makes ordinary swimming seem easy and actually will help make swimming, running, and your overall endurance stronger. This particular workout gets increasingly more difficult after each 100m you swim. By adding 2 strokes to your breathing pattern every 100m, you will find the need to breathe more demanding. Simply climb the pyramid making each set of 100m a step. Each step you will add two more strokes per breath. You will be breathing less per length on every step up the pyramid until you reach the maximum of 10 strokes per breath. A stroke is each arm pull, so the count would be this for a 4 strokes per breath step on the pyramid: 1,2,3,4, breathe - this translates to Left, right, left, right arm pull, breathe. I find that if I hold my breath for at least half of the stroke count and then start exhaling slowly that I can make it through the pyramid with little difficulty. It does take time before you can do this workout with no rest at all. So, when you do this workout for the first few times, take about 20-30 seconds rest if you need to in between steps of the pyramid. Strokes per Length hypoxic - Another hypoxic workout requires you to swim a known distance with a certain number of breaths. For instance, you will swim 50 meters only breathing 4 times, then 3 times, then 2 times, then only 1 time, for a total of 200 meters. Try this workout several more times for a total of 1000 meters. Over / Unders (25 yards) - The over/under is a term used to describe the way you swim to the other side of the pool. "Over" means to swim on top of the water either using the freestyle or COMBAT SWIMMER STROKE. "Under" means swimming either underwater or freestyle but taking no breaths. This is extremely challenging and potentially dangerous. You can blackout very easily when you do not breathe regularly while exerting yourself. DO NOT DO ALONE!
1
Swim Drills for SEAL and PJ’s: - These drills are for you to practice prior to getting to PJ and SEAL training. Do NOT practice tying your hands behind your back and your feet together and getting into the pool as in the drown-proofing test. Tread water – using arms and legs relax and tread water. Try it without your hands, lifting your hands out of the pool for 5 minutes Bottom bounce – with hands behind you and feet together – bounce off the bottom 20 times Float – Keep hands and feet in same position and bend 90 degrees at the waist and float for 10-20 breaths. Swim 50-100 yards with feet and hands in the same position as above. Use the dolphin kick. Front and back wards flips in the water with hands and feet as above. Pick up goggles or face mask with your teeth at the bottom of the pool Snorkel buddy breathe – practice taking a snorkel in and out of your mouth while breathing near the surface. This is a challenging test at PJ school. Sequence of events for Swim Drills – 10:00 of time - Tread water – 5:00 - Bottom bounce 1:00 Swim PT - is a great way to squeeze in swimming and upperbody PT into the same workout. Simply swim the specified distances (usually 100 yards or meters), get out of the pool and do pushups, abdominal exercises and pullouts. Repeat this sequence for at least 10 times.
Side Stroke with Fins This is one of the best leg workouts available. Your hamstrings, hip flexors, and ankles will become strong and ripped after a few months of swimming with fins. It is similar to the side stroke without fins with only the following differences: 1) Constant flutterkicks - With fins on your feet, your biggest source of power will naturally be your legs, so kick constantly in order to be propelled through the water.
1) 2)
1) Constant flutter-kicks and glide position. Breathe as the bottom arm pulls toward your body.
2) Recover both arms over your head together with a forceful kick and hold for 2-3 seconds as you glide in the streamlined position.
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2) Open water - Swimming in straight line - Every five or so strokes, it is important to look forward in order to check if you are swimming in a straight line or not. This does not need to be done in the swimming pool, however, it is important in the open ocean to have a visual reference when surface swimming to check accuracy. Sample workout with fins: Swim with fins - 500 yards with fins and 500 without fins using the stroke of your choice.
Combat Swimmer Stroke (CSS) The CSS is a relaxing and super efficient swim stroke that is an updated version of the traditional sidestroke. Whether you are a beginning swimmer or an aspiring Navy SEAL, this stroke can really help you efficiently move through the water.
When you find yourself in deep water with a lot of distance to cover, the CSS will serve you well especially when you are wearing fins. You will tire less quickly if you learn to perform this stroke properly.
The object to the CSS and side stroke is efficiency - you should try to get across a 25m pool in as few strokes as possible. If you are doing more than 10 strokes per length you are working too hard. In fact, the fastest and best swimmers get across a 25m pool in 3-5 strokes.
The Start: In a big squat position against the wall - push off and stay as streamlined as possible as you glide at least 5-10 yards off the wall. Place your hands on top of each other, place your bicep on your ears, and lock out your arms - streamlined positioning like a rocket.
The Glide: With a big double arm pull, add the other 3-5 yards to your glide by pulling with your back, biceps and pushing water with your arms using your triceps.
Kick off the Wall
The Glide
1
The Arm Movement: After the arm pull, it is time to breathe - twist and breath then start using the top arm pull as shown. Notice both arms recover together forward, but the top arm pulls from overhead all the way to your hips (similar to freestyle stroke). Then the bottom arm pulls a half stroke (similar to breast stroke) and both arms recover together. Breathe as the top arm completes its pull and the bottom arm begins its pull.
The Kick: Use the scissor kick and time your kicks so your top leg always goes forward (no matter what side you are on). You should kick just after both arms have pulled and are recovering - adding more glide to each stroke.
Swim Sprints When the workout says sprints under a swimming headline, this means swim as fast as you can for the specified distance for the specified number of times. Try to limit your rest to no greater than 20-30 seconds. For instance: 200m x 3 means swim a 200m sprint, rest for 20-30 seconds and do it again two more times for a total of three times. Freestyle is the preferred stroke but you are free to choose the stroke you the wish to use. Swim Sprints with leg PT and upper body PT can also be incorporated into a hardcore swim/PT workout. If you mix leg PT with swimming try doing more flutter-kicks and breast stroke kick swimming just to work the legs a little more as in the workout.
Run - Swim - Run The run-swim-run is a Navy SEAL favorite. This one is as simple as the title on paper, but you will find the second run is a little more challenging, especially if you are swimming in fins. Try to do the run –swim –run in one workout period. It is not meant to be broken into 2 or 3 workouts. If that is your only way to do this workout then it is naturally OK to break up the workout to fit it in your schedule 1) Run - 4 miles 2) Swim-3000m w/fins 3) Run -4 miles
Arm Motion
Scissor Kick
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Run - Swim / PT – Run Here is a mix of two old favorites. Swim PT and run-swim-run. This one promises to be one of the most demanding upperbody workouts and cardiovascular workouts in the Workout, especially if you choose to add a hypoxic pyramid in with each set of 100m swim. Add some hypoxic series in there for even more fun… 1) Run 3 miles (18-24 minutes) 2) Repeat 10 times Swim 100m (add hypoxics here per every 100m) 20 abs of choice 20 pushups 5 pullouts 3) Run 3 miles (20-24 minutes) There are many other workouts in the charts below. Enjoy and do as much of them as you can. If you have to rest longer in between sets, that is fine, but eventually attempt to do these workouts as fast as you can without much rest. If you have any questions about the workouts below, feel free to email the author – Stew Smith at [email protected].
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Monday 5:00 warmup
stretch
Back / Biceps
Repeat 3 times
max pull-ups +3
negatives
10 wide pulldowns
10 regular pulldowns
10 rev pulldowns
bicep curls –
10,15,20
(pulldowns are
options
Abs of choice - 100
swim sprints
500m timed CSS
(stroke of choice)
200m x 3 = 600
100m x 5 =500
50m x 10 = 500
25m x 10 = 250
= 2350 total yards
Tuesday 5:00 warmup
stretch
New track workout
¼ mile run x 8
slow jog 1/8 mile in
between each ¼ mile
pace is your goal:
for instance: 9:00
1.5 mile = 1:30 ¼
mile pace x 6 laps
Repeat 3-4 times
Max Situps - 2:00
L/R situps - 25 each
side
Flutterkicks -.50
Leg levers - 50
Atomic situps - 20
Wednesday 5:00 warmup
stretch
MAX Pull-ups
(try to get 100 pull-
ups in as few sets as
possible)
rest with 50 abs of
choice in btwn each
set of pull-ups
run - swim /pt - run
1) run 1.5 miles
(max)
2) repeat 10 times
swim 100m
(hypoxic 2,4,6,8,10,
10,8,6,4,2)
20 abs
20 pushups
5 pullouts
3) run 3 miles
(18-24 minutes)
Thursday 5:00 warmup
stretch
Light swim
1000m hypoxic
freestyle x 100m
each stroke per
breath count
2,4,6,8,10,10,8,6,4,2
Light run
3 mile easy pace
Friday 5:00 warmup
stretch
Bike / leg PT /
repeat 4 times
bike or run 5:00
(sprint ½ mile if
you run- 2:30-
3:30)
squats - 1:00
lunges - 1:00
calves - 1:00
Stretch
Saturday 5:00 warmup / stretch
PT with clock
alternate each set
with:
max situps in 2:00
rest 2:00
max pushups in 2:00
max pull-ups
Repeat 2 times
situps 50-60 in 1:00
pushups - max in 1:00
max pull-ups
Repeat 4 times
situps 25-30 in ::30
pushups - max in ::30
max pull-ups
Pull-ups – do 100 total
pull-ups in this
workout
Swim - 500yd CSS
500 yd freestyle
sprints
run 1.5 miles – sprint
2
Monday 5:00 warmup
stretch
Run - 20:00
Swim 1000m
timed
Flutterkicks – 50-
100
Leg levers – 50-100
Scissors – 50-100
½ situps – 50-100
(do on pool beck or
at home - your
choice)
LW shoulder
workout with 5 lb
dumbbells..2 x’s
stretch - hang on
pull-up bars to
stretch shoulders
Tuesday Warmup -run 5:00
stretch
Repeat 10 ‘s
10- Jumping Jacks
20 - squats
10-12 pull-ups
Run - 20:00 -
Repeat 5 times Pulldowns -
10,10,10
(reg / reverse/wide
grip)
squats - 30
lunges - 30
Abs (2x’s)
atomic crunches - 25
v- ups - 25
flutterkicks - 100
scissors - 100
leg levers - 100
Swim (over /unders)
20:00
CSS – 500yds
Wednesday 5:00 warmuprun
stretch
4 mile timed run
Repeat 10 times pushup - 20
situps - 40
tricep pushups - 20
rev. crunches -40
LW shoulder routine
(5 lbs dumbbells)
repeat 2 times
lateral raises 10
lat raise(th up) 10
Lat raise(up/dn) 10
front raise (th up) 10
cross over jacks - 10
military press - 10
Thursday 5:00 warmup
stretch
Swim with fins -
1000m-2000m
Back / legs (repeat 3 times)
squats - 30
pull-ups
regular - 10
reverse - 10
mile sprints - 6:00-
7:00 pace
Repeat 2 times
Run 1 mile
squats - 40
run 1 mile
lunges - 40
Swim CSS – 500 yd
Flutterkicks 50-100
Leg levers – 50-100
Scissors – 50-100
½ situps – 50-100
Friday 5:00 warmup
stretch
Run – Swim – Run
Run 1.5 miles hard
Swim 1000m any
stroke
Run 1.5 mile easy
Saturday Situps - 300
Pushups - 200
Pull-ups – 75 in as
few sets as possible
– alternating max
sets
Repeat 5 times
sprint ¼ mile
jog quarter mile
sprint 1/8 mile
jog 1/8 mile
Swim
Repeat 10x’s
CSS – 50yds at ::50
Alternate with 50
yds Hypoxic
freestyle pyramid
2,4,6,8,10,10,8,6,4,2
strokes per breath
Flutterkicks 50-100
Leg levers – 50-100
Scissors – 50-100
½ situps – 50-100
1
Monday
Repeat 10 times jumping jacks - 10
pushups 10
STRETCH
Mega Shoulder
workout x 2
lateral raises 10
lat raises (thb up) 10
lat raise #3 10
(thumbs up/dn)
front raise 10
cross over jacks 10
military press 10
pyramid: 1-max -1 pull-ups x 1
pushups x 3
abs x 5
dips x 3
run - 4 miles timed
Flutterkicks – 50-
100
Leg levers – 50-100
Scissors – 50-100
½ situps – 50-100
Tuesday
5:00 warmup
stretch
sprint all
run - 1.5 miles
swim - 500 yds
run - 1.5 miles
repeat 2 times flutterkicks - 100
leg levers - 100
atomic situps - 50
V- ups - 50
bicycles - 50 each
CSS / Hypoxic swim 1000m
2,4,6,8,10,
12,14,12,10,8 x
100m alternating
50m CSS in between
each set
total swimming –
1500m
Wednesday
Repeat 10-15 times jumping jacks - 20
PULL-UPS - 5-10
Swim sprints
Repeat 10 times
100m sprint
50m slow (catch
breath) any stroke
Bike / Biceps Legs
& abs
Repeat 3 times bike or run - 5:00
squats - 1:00
lunges - 1:00
calves - 1:00
situps - max in 2:00
or crunches
pull-ups -max
Bicep curls - 15
Hammer curls - 15
Stretch
Cool down / Stretch
Thursday 5:00 warmup
stretch
Swim Day
400m warmup/
stretch
SPRINTS
100m flutter kicks
100m breast kick
CSS
100m x 4 =400m
50m x 10 = 500m
25m x 12 = 300m
= 1800m total
repeat 2 times flutterkicks - 100
leg levers - 100
atomic situps - 50
½ situps – 100
*L/R bicycles - 50
each
Friday REST or
Run 4 miles timed
max pull-ups 5x’s
how many pull-ups
can you get in 5 sets
with 2:00 rest
swim 500 yd timed
and
Run 1.5 mile timed
Saturday
Repeat 10 times jumping jacks - 10
pushups 10
Run - swim /pt -
run 1) run 4 miles
2) repeat 10 times
swim 100m
Hypoxics every
100m
20 abs of
choice
10-20 pushups
5 pullouts
3) run 3 miles
4
Monday 5:00 warmup
stretch
Pull-ups
2,4,6,8,10,8,6,4,2
1) regular grip
2) reverse grip
3) close grip
4) wide grip
total - 200 any way
you can.
Hypoxic
swimming
freestyle
hypoxic pyramids
(stroke per breath)
10 sets of 200m:
4,6,8,10,12,10,8,6,4,
2
total 2000m
Also - in between
each set:
20 pushups
20 abs of choice
3 mile timed run
Tuesday 5:00 warmup
stretch
6 - ¼ miles = 1.5
mile run
Repeat 6 times run ¼ mile at goal
pace
squats - 50
lunges - 25 / leg
Hypoxic swimming
freestyle
hypoxic - *(breaths
/ length of pool)
Repeat 2 times
100m of 10,8,6,4,2,0
(breaths per length
of pool- 25m)
alternate with 100m
of CSS in 1:40
Timed swim
500 yds CSS
1000yd with fins
Wednesday 5:00 warmup
stretch
Hypoxic swimming
500yds CSS
500 yds of over /
unders (25 yards)
DO NOT DO
ALONE
NO RUN
NO PT
Thursday 5:00 warmup
stretch
Pull-ups
100 pull-ups in as
few sets as possible
50 abs in between
each set for rest...
Lifecycle workout
manual mode
increasing levels
every two minute
2 minutes at level 5
“ “ level 10
level 12
level 15
level 18
Repeat in reverse
order = 20:00
Run 3 mile easy run
Friday 5:00 warmup
stretch
1.5 mile easy run
Super sets:
Repeat 25 times
20- pushups
30 abs of choice
10 dips
20 squats
Choice of abs: flutterkicks
leg levers
atomic situps
scissors
crunches
reverse crunches
L/R crunches
Saturday 5:00 warmup
stretch
Tadpole triathlon
sprint
Run - 1.5 mile
swim - 1500 yd CSS
with fins
bike - 20 miles
Pull-ups – 100
Max pull-ups 2:00
Max situps 2:00
1
Monday 5:00 warmup
Full-body
Push / Pull
Day
Repeat 10 x’s
Pushups - 40
Squats - 40
OR leg ext - 10)
Dips - 20
Lunges - 10 /leg
OR (leg curls -10)
Pull-ups - 10-15
Calves - 40
Repeat abs 5x’s
Abs / lowerback Reg crunches - 50
Reverse crunch-50
Left crunches - 50
Right crunches -50
Swimmers – 20 sec
R arm / L leg lifts-
20 L arm / R leg
lifts- 20
Run 4 miles
Tuesday 5:00 warmup
stretch
Run - swim - run
Run 3 miles
or bike - 20:00
Swim - 20:00 sprint
(try to get at least
1000m)
Run 1.5 miles
or bike - 10:00
Wednesday 5:00 warmup
stretch
Upperbody Pull
Repeat 3 times max pull-ups + 3
negatives
wide pulldowns
10,15,20
reg. pulldowns
10,15,20
rev. pulldowns
10,15,20
Choose heavy
weight first,
decrease weight with
each change of grip -
no rest
Swim after pull-ups:
1000m hypoxic
pyramid - your
choice 10 x 100yd or
5 x 200yd alternate
with CSS 100m x 5
or 10 sets
Thursday 5:00 warmup
stretch
Upperbody Push
ABS
Repeat 5x’s
Dips - 20
Situps - 50
Pushups - 50
Crunches - 50
Rev Crunches -50
L/R Crunches - 50
Bike or Run 30:00
Dumbbells 3x’s
Military Press 15
tricep ext - 15
Light weight
shoulder workout -
5 lbs
Friday 5:00 warmup
stretch
Run - swim - run
run 4 miles or
bike 30:00
swim 2000m
Hypoxic -
200m x 2,4,6,8,10,
10,8,6,4,2
Run 1.5 miles
(timed)
or bike 15:00
Saturday 5:00 warmup
Running / Leg PT
Jog - 1 mile
Repeat 4 times
Sprint-1/4 mile
Squats - 40
Lunges - 20 /leg
Jog - 1/4 mile in
2:00
Repeat 5 times Sprint - 1/8 mile
Squats - 40
Lunges - 20 /leg
Jog - 1/8 mile in
1:00
swim PT - 10 times
hypoxic 100m swim
4,6,8,10,12,14,12,10,
8,6
20 pushups
25 flutterkicks
50m CSS at 50
seconds
200m cool down
6
Monday 5:00 warmup
stretch
Easy jog 20:00
easy swim 30:00
Long stretch
*before run
tomorrow: jog ¼
to ½ mile slowly
during 10:00 break
- shake out
arms/stretch to get
blood from
upperbody down to
legs...this will make
big difference in
first ½ mile of test...
Eat pasta tonight
and fruit in the AM
before the test and
drink water and
Gatorade during
the test – keep your
blood sugar up
high for the test…
Tuesday Warmup -swim 5:00
stretch
Navy BUD/S PST
swim 500yd
CSS
10:00 break
pushups in 2:00
2:00 break
situps in 2:00
2:00 break
pull-ups - max
*10:00 break
1.5 mile run in boots
and pants...
Wednesday 5:00 warmup run
stretch
run for 30:00
swim - 2 x 500 yds
(timed)
bike - 30:00
STRETCH
Thursday 5:00 warmup
stretch
Swim - 1100m
hypoxic pyramid
2,4,6,8,10,12,10,8,6,
4,2 strokes per
breath x 100m
run 30:00 - shoot for
over 4 miles / 5
miles is above
average
Back / Biceps
repeat 3 times
max pull-ups - TEST
10 wide pull-downs
10 reg pulldowns
10 rev pull-downs
Friday 5:00 warmup
stretch
Spartan Run
run - 1.5 miles
MAX - pushups
2:00
MAX - situps IN
2:00
run - 1.5 miles
100 - pushups
100 - situps
run - 1.5 miles
100 pushups
100 - situps
Try to get same run
time every time 9-
10:00 is the slowest
you want to go. One
day...
Saturday 5:00 warmup
stretch
Pull-up workout
2,4,6,8,10,8,6,4,2
each grip
1) regular
2) reverse
3) wide
4) close
5) mountain
climbers
total 250 pull-ups
swim 1000yds
(hypoxic pyramid)
4,6,8,10,12,14,12,10,
8,6 strokes per
breath x 100yds
run 1.5 miles
1
Monday Warmup/Stretch
Jog 10:00 / stretch
Circuit Routine
Repeat 2 times
max pull-ups
pulldowns - 10,10,10
crunches - 100
bench press- 15,10,5
increasing weight on
machine non-stop
run or bike 5:00
military – 15,10,5
reps
flutterkicks - 50
leg levers – 50
scissors - 50
Swim 500m CSS
without fins
Swim 1000m with
fins non-stop
DO in as few sets as
possible:
pull-ups – 50
Pushups – 200
Tuesday Warmup/Stretch
Repeat ten times Jumping Jacks - 10
Squats - 10
Repeat 3 times Squats - 1:00 Lunges - 1:00 calves - 1:00 bike 3:00
Sprints - 10yd - 5 20yd – 5 40 yd – 5 100yd – 2 400yd – 2 1 mile timed – 1
(start off slow - not full speed until 3rd one of each 10,20,40yd)
Swim 500m CSS
without fins
Swim 1000m with
fins non-stop
Wednesday Warmup/Stretch
Weight-PT Circuit repeat 2 times
Pull-ups - max
dips - max
situps - max in 2:00
bench press – max
reps with 135 lbs
pushups- max in
1:00
pulldowns - 50%
bodyweight (max)
abs - max in 2:00
bicep curls - max
reps
tri ext - max reps
military pres - max
flutterkicks - 50
leg levers – 50
scissors - 50
LW-Shoulder wo run – 20 - 30:00
(every ½ mile pick
up pace 30 seconds /
mile)
Thursday Warmup/Stretch
Run - 4 miles on
beach
Every mile:
Stop and do:
Squats – 30
Lunges – 15/leg
Heel raises - 25
Cool down / Stretch
Friday Warmup/Stretch
Swim 2000yd total
- 500yd CSS
- 1000m
hypoxic: 10
x 100m
- 5 x 100m
CSS timed
rest – 30
seconds in
between
each
Shoot for 140-150
seconds per 100m
Run 2 miles timed in
boots
flutterkicks - 50
leg levers – 50
scissors - 50
Saturday Warmup/Stretch
Run 2 miles in boots
Repeat 10 times Jumping jacks - 10
Pushups - 10
Complete in as few
sets as possible
Pull-ups – 100
Pushups – 200 in
2:00 limit each set
Abs of choice – 300
in 2:00 limit each set
Pool drills
bounce, float, travel,
flips, mask pick up
fill mask with water
do:
flutterkicks - 50
leg levers – 50
scissors – 50
8
Monday 5:00 warmup
stretch
repeat 10 times
jumping jacks - 10
pushups - 10
run 1.5 miles
50 pushups
200 crunches
run 1.5 miles
50 pushups
200 crunches
run 1.5 miles
(run fast)
50 pushups
200 crunches
Swim CSS /
Hypoxic
Repeat 5 times
Swim 100m CSS
Swim 100 hypoxic
4,6,8,10,12 x 100m
Tuesday 5:00 warmup
stretch
Pull ups/downs
repeat 2 times
max pullups
10 wide pulldowns
max pullups
10 regular pulldowns
max pullups
10 rev pulldowns
Bicep Curls curls 10,15,20 reps
decrease weight
( I like to use
25,20,15,10 lbs for
this non stop
workout)
Run 1.5 mile
Flutterkicks –100
Leg levers – 100
Scissors – 100
½ situps – 100
Wednesday 5:00 warmup
stretch
**20 Supersets**
Situps - 10
Pushups - 10
rev crunches - 10
Triceps pushups - 10
Leg levers - 10
wide pushups - 10
(Try to do each cycle
of all exercises in
2:00)
total 600 abs
600 pushups in
40:00
4 mile timed run
Swim
CSS / Hypoxic
Repeat 5 times Swim 100m CSS
Swim 100 hypoxic
4,6,8,10,12 x 100m
Thursday 5:00 warmup
stretch
Stretch Day
Friday 5:00 warmup
stretch
Testing day
Repeat 2 times
max pushups 2:00
max situps 2:00
max pullups
run 1.5 miles
swim 500yd last
Swim CSS /
Hypoxic
Repeat 5 times
Swim 100m CSS
Swim 100 hypoxic
free
4,6,8,10,12 x 100m
Flutterkicks –100
Leg levers – 100
Scissors – 100
½ situps – 100
Saturday 5:00 warmup
stretch
Stretch recovery Day
- rest / stretch
Sunday – REST
Or swim 500yd
timed CSS
1
Monday 5:00 warmup
stretch
Run -
½ mile repeat 2x’s
¼ mile repeat 4 x’s
pushups - 2:00 max
rest 2:00
situps 2:00 max
rest 2:00
pushups 1:00
situps 1:00
rest 2:00
rope climbs 3x’s
Swim: Repeat 10x’s
100m– freestyle
hypoxic
4,6,8,10,12,14,16,
14,12,10
50m – CSS at ::50
(alternate 50m of
CSS in between
hypoxic freestyle)
Tuesday Warmup -run 5:00
stretch
Repeat 10 ‘s
10- Jumping Jacks
20 - squats
10 pullups
Repeat 4 times
Run - 1/2 mile
repeats at 3:00-3:30
Repeat 5 times Pullups – max
(reg/reverse/towel
grip)
squats - 30
lunges - 30
Swim 500yd CSS
100 flutterkicks
Swim 500yd CSS
100 Scissors
Swim 500yd CSS
100 leg levers
Wednesday 5:00 warmup run
stretch
3 mile timed run
(3 - 1 mile repeats)
walk ¼ mile in
between
Repeat 10 times
pushup – 30.40
situps – 50 in 1:00
tricep pushups - 20
rev. crunches -20
Swim: Repeat 10x’s
100m – freestyle
hypoxic
4,6,8,10,12,14,16,
14,12,10
50m– CSS at ::50
(alternate 100’s of
CSS of hypoxic
freestyle)
Thursday 5:00 warmup
stretch
Back / legs (repeat 5 times)
squats - 30
pullups
regular – max or 10
reverse – max or 10
Run 1 mile (6:00
pace)
squats - 40
run 1 mile 6:00 pace
lunges - 40
run 1 mile 6:00 pace
squats 40
Do your best to keep
it at 6:00 pace
Swim 500yd CSS
100 flutterkicks
Swim 500yd CSS
100 Scissors
Swim 500yd CSS
100 leg levers
Friday 5:00 warmup
stretch
Swim: Repeat 10x’s
100m – freestyle
hypoxic
4,6,8,10,12,14,16,
14,12,10
50m– CSS at ::50
(alternate 100’s of
CSS of hypoxic
freestyle)
Flutterkicks –100
Leg levers – 100
Scissors – 100
½ situps – 100
Saturday 5:00 warmup jog
stretch
Repeat 2 times
½ mile sprint 3:00
¼ mile jog slow –
catch your breath
Repeat 4 times
sprint ¼ mile
jog 1/8 mile
Repeat 8 times
sprint 1/8 mile
jog 1/8 mile
PT pyramids1-10-1
pullups x 1
pushups x 3
situps x 5
Repeat 5 times
jumping jacks -20
pushups – 20
Sunday - rest
10
Monday 5:00 warmup
stretch
Navy SEAL PFT
500 yd swim -_____
Rest 10:00
Pushups-max in 2:00
Rest 2:00
Situps-max in 2:00
Rest 2:00
Pullups - ______
Rest 10:00
1.5 mile run -______
(3 or 5 lb dumbbells)
Light weight
shoulder workout
Lateral raise – 10
Lateral raise #2 – 10
Lateral raise #3 – 10
Front Raise – 10
Cross overs – 10
Military press - 10
(do all 6 exercises
non-stop)
Tuesday 5:00 warmup
stretch
Lowerbody Day Repeat 4 x’s
Run ¼ mile at sub
6:00 mile pace
Max squats in 1:00
Lunges- 15 / leg
Max situps -1:00
(goal = 55-60)
Time self on ¼ mile
each time
Repeat 4 times
Run ¼ mile ::90
Max Pullups or
pulldowns – 10-15
Situps – 25-30 in 30
seconds
Flutterkicks –100
Leg levers – 100
Scissors – 100
½ situps – 100
Stretch Head to toe
Wednesday 5:00 warmup
Swim PT
Repeat 10 times swim 100 yds
(or run 90 seconds
1/4 mile)
20 - pushups
20 situps
*If no pool – run
Flutterkicks – 100
Leg levers – 100
Scissors - 100
crunches – 50
rev crunches -50
double crunches-50
L crunches – 50
R crunches – 50
Stomach stretch
Lower back
exercises
swimmers - ::30
Upperback exercises
arm haulers – 30
birds – 30
rev. pushups - 30
Thursday
Big Pullup Day
2,4,6,8,10,12
Grips:
Regular
Reverse
Close
Wide
Towel
Rest with 20
abs of choice in
between each
set = 600 abs
Pull-ups = 210
Friday 5:00 warmup
stretch
Run
1.5 mile timed run
1.5 mile jog
Swim
500yd swim
OR
15:00 bike or elliptical
trainer at high level of
resistance
(3 or 5 lb dumbbells)
Light weight
shoulder workout
Lateral raise – 10
Lateral raise #2 – 10
Lateral raise #3 – 10
Front Raise – 10
Cross overs – 10
Military press - 10
(do all 6 exercises
non-stop)
Saturday 5:00 warmup
stretch
Few sets as possible
100 pullups
¼ run in between sets
200 pushups
¼ run in between sets
300 situps
¼ run in between sets
work on ¼ mile
speed this
week…try to get
each one at 90
seconds pace or
faster…
Do not go to the
next exercise
until you finish
100 pulls, 200
pushups
etc…running ¼
in between each
set
1
Monday 5:00 warmup
stretch
Cardio Option: Swim – Repeat 7x’s
Swim 100m hypoxic
And 100m CSS at
100-110 seconds
OR
Run – 30:00 fast
Max PT:
100 pullups in as few
sets as possible(fsap)
run 1/8 mile in
between each set
200 pushups (fsap)
run 1/8 mile btn sets
300 situps (fsap)
run 1/8 btn sets
Cool down stretch
Tuesday
5:00 warmup
stretch
Long run or swim
1-2 mile swim with
fins
OR
Repeat 3 times:
½ mile in 3:00
rest 1:00
Repeat 4 times
¼ mile in ::90
Rest 1:00
or 45-60 minutes
elliptical glide at
levels 15-18
Abs:
Flutterkicks –100
Leg levers – 100
Scissors – 100
½ situps – 100
Wednesday 5:00 warmup
stretch
½ mile warmup run
stretch
max pullups– 1:00
max pushups-1:00
max situps – 1:00
max dips – 1:00
max squats – 1:00
lunges 1:00 / leg
DB deadlifts -1:00
Max situps – 1:00
Max pushups -1:00
Max pull-ups-1:00
No rest in between
exercises maybe 30-
45 seconds MAX in
between – goal is to
go to failure and you
may use knee
pushups or assisted
pullup or
pulldowns…etc..
Thursday
Rest day
warmup /
Stretch
Friday 5:00 warmup
stretch
Repeat 3 times Max pull-ups
Max pushups 1:00
Max situps 1:00
Run ¼ mile at ::90
Repeat 3 times
Squats – 50
Lunges 20 / leg
Run ¼ mile in ::90
Stretch
Saturday
Long run and swim
4 mile timed run
1 mile swim with
fins
1.5 mile timed run
Abs:
Flutterkicks –100
Leg levers – 100
Scissors – 100
½ situps – 100
12
Monday Run 1.5 mile
Jumping jacks – 50
Stretch
pushups – 40
leaning rest 1:00
Flutterkicks - 100
Leg levers - 100
Scissors - 100
½ situps – 100
wide pushups 30
reg pushups – 30
tricep pushups -20
situps – 100
Pullups – 100 reps
In as few sets as
possible
In between sets of
pull-ups do :
Dips – 5 sets x 20
reps
run 3 miles timed
Tuesday
Obstacle course
simulation
Climb rope 5 times
or do 10 towel pull-
ups 5 times with 50
jumping jacks in
between
Log PT – simulate
with military press
weight of 50lbs for
100 reps in as few
sets as possible
(25lb dumbbells)
Squat w/weight 50
Lunges – 40/leg
Run 1.5 mile timed
run
Wednesday
Swim 1500m
hypoxic freestyle
Going as high as
you can in strokes
per breath
Thursday Swim with fins
1000m
Pool or ocean
Jumping jacks– 100
Stretch
Neck exercises- 50
Pullup pyramid to
10..back down to 1.
Dips – 5 x 20 reps
(1:00 rest)
Pushups / Abs
pushups – 50
Flutterkicks -100
wide pushups – 50
Leg levers – 100
tricep pushup – 30
Scissors – 100
Pushups – max 1:00
V-ups – 25
Pushups max 1:00
Atomic situps - 25
Run 1.5 mile timed
Friday
Pre-breakfast
Four mile timed run
on the beach if
available
Pushups – 200 reps
as sets of 50 at each
mile of the four mile
timed run
Saturday
100 pullups in as
few sets as possible
-run 1/4 mile in ::90
100 pushups in as
few sets as possible
-run1/4 mile in ::90
100 situps nonstop
-run ¼ mile in ::90
100 squats nonstop
-run ¼ mile in ::90
total time completed
-____
Sunday
Easy day today
stretch and rest
1
Monday
5:00 warmup
stretch
Repeat 5 times
Jumping jacks - 20
Pushups – 10
Crunches – 20
Pullups – max or 10
stretch
Jog 2 miles
Swim 500yds CSS
Tuesday
run - 15:00 easy
swim 500 yds easy
fullbody stretch
Wednesday – Day
off
stretch
Weekday prep work:
All week drink at least a gallon of water
everyday
Eat low fat foods / no junk
Tuesday night – pasta, lean proteins,
complex carbs like green leafy salads,
spinach etc…water
Wednesday AM – small breakfast of fruit /
little protein like yogurt. I personally like to
eat an apple, carrot (raw), and a banana prior
to testing..1 hour prior..
Lay off water last hour..
Relax!! Breathe deep use the adrenalin to
your advantage…
Read Articles below for Tips on the PST
Thursday– SEAL PFT
Swim 500 yd
Rest 10 minutes
Pushups – 2:00
Rest 2:00
Situps 2:00
Rest 2:00
Pullups – max
Rest 10 minutes
1.5 miles timed
Friday
5:00 warmup
stretch
Day off - stretch
Saturday
Run 3 miles
Swim 1 mile
Run 3 miles
All events timed
Saturday
Swim 1000m
hypoxic
100 pullups
200 pushups
300 situps
in as few sets as
possible no resting –
alternate exercises
after max sets
run 3 miles
1
Frequently asked questions
What should I do the week before my SEAL Screening Test?
1. Four days away from the PFT, your workouts should start tapering. This means you should take it easy and do not push yourself to failure. Easier runs at 7-8:00 mile pace if your goal is 14:00 run, pushups and situps should be limited to 30-60 seconds of timed events so you do not hit muscle failure. Do knee pushups or crunches just to keep the joints lose and stretch well to remain limber.
2. Three days away from the PFT should be a day off of exercise. Eat foods that are low in fat, higher in protein, and high in complex carbohydrates. Personally, green leafy salad or spinach with lean chicken or tuna fish are great examples of the types of food to help you have more energy. Of course, these foods should be part of your normal weekly diet anyway for best physical results. Consult my diet plan at for more ideas. Drinking water to stay super-hydrated will help you regulate your body temperature during the PFT as well as other muscular-skeletal benefits.
3. Two days from the PFT should be a light 1-2 mile run. This should be followed by twenty minutes of stretching from head to toe. Pushups and situps should be performed at goal pace for 1-2 sets of 30-60 seconds. Learn your pace and know it for the test. Knowing your pace will help you get rid of the anxiety prior to PFT. (See PFT Anxiety Article for other ideas).
4. One day prior to the PFT should be a day off. Take a light walk, run or bike for 15-20 minutes with an equal amount of time spent of stretching. The night prior to the test should be spent relaxing and eating foods high in protein and carbohydrates such as pastas, green leafy lettuce, spinach, fish, chicken, lean meats. Lay off high fat foods. Drink water all day long.
5. Have a breakfast of normal foods such as water, cereals, yogurt, fruit, and juice. Foods higher in carbohydrates like apples, bananas, and carrots are great snacks to add glycogen to your muscles and give you that extra kick in the PST. When you push yourself to muscle failure and maximum effort you will expend the glucose you consumed, so make sure you eat these one hour prior to the PFT.
2
PFT Anxiety - Channel the Nervous Energy Prior to Physical Fitness Tests
Anxiety is prevalent in our world. It occurs at home, work, social situations, playing sports, and test-taking. Academic testing anxiety is very similar to physical test-taking anxiety. I know before taking a chemistry test at the Naval Academy, I felt the same when I took the Navy SEAL PST. Those symptoms were: headaches, nausea, feeling too hot or too cold, etc. The adrenaline flows through your body prior to any of these events and can adversely affect your performance. In regards to the physical fitness test, the ways to combat anxiety are similar to those of academic testing-taking anxiety. The PST anxiety-removing techniques are as follows: Be well prepared for the test. Do not start "studying" (exercising) for the PFT a week or two before the test. Fitness is a daily habit that needs to be developed 4-6 times a week.
1. Test yourself. Take the PFT once a week. It is the stopwatch that causes most of your anxiety, so train with the stopwatch when doing pushups, situps, running etc...
2. Maintain healthy lifestyle. Eat more fruits and vegetables than fast foods, sleep regular hours, drink more water, and exercise 4-6 times per week.
3. PFT taking meals. On the evening prior to the PFT, drink water, eat more fruits and vegetables as in salad, and lean forms of protein like fish and chicken. Pasta is a pre-race favorite among runners and swimmers also. On the morning of the test, eat fruits like apples, bananas, or baby carrots - all high on the glycemic index and provide blood sugar for immediate energy.
4. Test the way you train. Do not do something for the first time on test taking day like eat a protein bar or energy drink. Find out what works for you during your practice tests.
5. Relax. Take deep breaths before the stop watch starts and think positively.
6. Treat yourself. Give yourself a reward IF you reach your training goals.
7. Once you arrive to your test well prepared, the PFT becomes "just another workout" and the only anxiety you will get is a healthy dose of adrenaline that enables you to compete with your counterparts. This healthy dose is similar to competing in a 10K race.
These tips will help you but they will not be fully beneficial if you do not practice these pre-workout methods during the weeks prior to your PFT. You will be better off however if you were unable to prepare for the PFT if you follow the above tips. Good luck in your next PFT! Let me know if I can help you at [email protected].
1
Want to Run Faster?
A few requested workouts for their two or three mile PFT runs (Army / Marine Corps respectively) and several were runners who compete in 5K and 10K races on the weekends. These distances use relatively the same training philosophy - short distance, faster pace. The Four mile track workout has worked for many military and short distance runners for years. This workout is basically interval training. Interval training means you run at a certain pace for a particular distance then increase the pace for a certain distance. The Four mile track workout is broken into 1/4 mile sprints and jogs and 1/8 mile sprints and jogs for a total of four miles. The workout goes as follows:
4 Mile Track Work Jog - 1 mile in 7:00 - 8:00
Three sets of: Sprint-1/4 mile in
Jog - 1/4 mile in 1:45 Six sets of:
Sprint-1/8 mile Jog - 1/8 mile 1:00
Do this workout without walking to rest. The only rest you will receive is during your slower jogging pace. Try to catch your breath while you jog. Have fun with this one - it is tough. Another good speed workout is called REPEATS. Simply run a certain distance as fast as you can a specified number of times. This time you get to walk to recover and catch your breath before the next sprint. You can try one of the following distances for a challenging workout:
MILE REPEATS - 1 mile x 4
1/2 MILE REPEATS - 1/2 mile x 6
1/4 MILE REPEATS - 1/4 mile repeats x 12
1/8 MILE REPEATS - 1/8 mile repeat x 16
(Walk half the distance you run as rest)
Finally, if you have not had enough, you can try mixing shorter jogs and sprints together for a longer period of time. This type of training is great for building the speed and endurance needed for any of the PSTs or 5 or 10K races. I call them SPRINT / JOGS. Simply run about 50 yards as fast as you can then jog 50 yards fairly slow in order to catch your breath. I like doing this one where telephone poles line the road so I can just sprint form one telephone pole then jog to the next.
4
Sprint / Jogs 50 yd sprint / 50 yd jog for 10, 20 , 30 minutes All of these workouts are fantastic ways to get faster but build the needed endurance which most sprinters lack.
I want to ace my next PFT - can you help me?
Every six months military personnel line up to take their physical fitness tests (PFT). Though each service differs in testing exercises and measuring criteria, most military personnel labor over this event for several weeks prior. But for those who properly prepare themselves, the PFT can be just another workout.
Here are the exercises of all the service's PFTs and helpful tips to increase your overall score on test day: Test yourself - The anxiety felt by most service members is largely due to performing within a time limit. The more your workouts are timed the better you are at "pacing" yourself, thus eliminating most anxiety. Pull-ups - During the pull-up and pushup test, you want to perform these as fast as possible while adhering to the proper form and technique. Also, look straight up at the sky in order to use your back muscles more for pull-ups. Recommended workout - pyramid workout. Start off with just one pull-up for the first set, two pull-ups for the second set and continue up the pyramid by adding one pull-upfor every set possible. When you can no longer continue, repeat in reverse order until you are back to just one pull-up. (ex. 1,2,3,4,5,6,5,4,3,2,1) Pushups - Placing your hands in the wrong position can seriously effect your maximum score. A perfect location for your hands is just outside shoulder width. This position enables the chest, shoulders and triceps to be equally taxed. Keep hands at shoulder height when in the up position. Your pushups will be weakened if your hands are too low, wide, close or high.. Recommended workout - Try 5 sets of maximum pushups in five 1:00 periods. Curl-ups (situps) - This is an exercise you need to pace. Most people burn out in the first 30 seconds with 30 curl-ups accomplished, only able to perform another 20 or so curlups within the next 1:30. By setting a pace at, for instance, 20 situps every 30 seconds, you can turn your score of 50-60 to 80 with very little effort. Recommended workout - Try timing yourself with 5 sets of 30 seconds, setting your pace to your goal. A good pace is 20 situps in 30 seconds - totalling 80 in two minutes. Timed run - PACE - The most important thing is to not start off too fast. Learn your pace and set your goal by pacing yourself to the finish. For instance, if
1
your goal is to run the 2 mile run in 14:00, you must run a 7:00 mile or a 1:45 - 1/4 mile.. Recommended workout - You can decrease your run time by simply running 1/4 mile runs at your desired goal pace. Run 1/4 mile repeats with 30-45 seconds rest periods for the distance of your PFT. Remember to take big deep breaths, relax your upperbody and slightly bend your arms. Do not run flat footed. Run with your heel contacting the ground first then roll across your foot to your toe. (heel -toe contact)
Top Ten Things You Should Know
Before Attempting BUDS
I thought it was time to answer the several emails with my top ten things you need to know before going to BUD/S - SEAL Training. 1. Arrive fit! Not just able to do the minimum scores but the above average recommended PFT scores: 500 yds swim - under 9:00 Pushups - 100 in 2:00 Situps - 100 in 2:00 Pull-ups - 20+ 1.5 mile run - under 9:00 in boots and pants If you need letters of recommendation from SEALs, most SEALs will not endorse you unless you can achieve the above numbers. Sometimes it takes a solid year of training before you are physically capable of reaching these scores. You WILL have to take this PFT before going to BUD/S and on the first day at BUD/S. 2. Run in boots and swim with fins! At least 3-4 months prior to arriving at BUD/s get the legs used to swimming with fins and running in boots. They issue Bates 924s and UDT or Rocket Fins at BUD/S. The fins are difficult to find, so any stiff fin that requires you to wear booties will do. 3. Officers at BUD/s: Go there ready to lead and get to know your men. Start the team building necessary to complete BUD/s. You can't do everything by yourself, so learn to delegate but do not be too good to scrub the floors either. Be motivated and push the guys to succeed. Always lead from the front.
4. Enlisted at BUD/S: Be motivated and ready to work as a team. Follow
orders but provide feedback so your team can be better at overcoming obstacles that you will face. Never be late!
5. BUD/S is six months long! Prepare for the long term, not the short term. Too many people lose focus early on their training and quit. It would be similar to training for a 10K race and running a Marathon by accident. You have to be mentally focused on running the Marathon - in this case a six month "marathon."
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6. Weekly physical tests: The four mile timed runs are weekly and occur on the beach - hard packed sand next to the water line. They are tough, but not bad if you prepare properly. The 2 mile ocean swims are not bad either if you are used to swimming with fins when you arrive. The obstacle course will get you too if you are not used to climbing ropes and doing pull-ups. Upperbody strength is tested to the max with this test. 7. Eating at BUD/S: You get three great meals a day at BUD/S, usually more than you can eat. During Hellweek, you get four meals a day - every six hours! The trick to making it through Hellweek is just make it to the next meal. Break up the week into several six hour blocks of time. In a couple of days you will be on "auto-pilot" and it will be all down hill from there. And if you need any help with dieting before you go to BUD/S, I developed a new dieting aid that may help you: www.stewsmith.com/linkpages/dietplan.htm
8. Flutterkicks: This seems to be a tough exercise for many. Practice 4 count flutterkicks with your abdominal workouts and shoot for sets of at least 100. There maybe a day you have to do 1000 flutterkicks. By the way - that takes 45 minutes! 9. Wet and Sandy: Jumping into the ocean then rolling around in the sand is a standard form of punishment / motivation for the class at BUD/S. It is cold and not comfortable, so you just have to prepare yourself for getting wet and sandy everyday at BUD/S. On days that you do not get wet and sandy, it will be the same feeling as getting off early at work on a three day weekend! 10. Did I mention running? You should be able to run at least 4 miles in 28 minutes in boots with ease. If not, you will so learn to hate the "goon-squad". The goon squad is to motivate you never to be last again or fail a run again. You only get three chances to with most events. If you fail three of anything - you will be back in the Fleet.
Adding Running or more weights to this workout plan:
I was recently at your camp for a weekend. The CSS DVD worked great. My strokes are down to a strong 6 now in a 25m pool. I need to ask you about the running though. I feel I need to improve on my running more. I just started your Maximum Fitness book last week. I noticed there's not a lot of long distance running in it like your 12 weeks to Navy Seal Fitness book had. What would you suggest that I do? How many miles should I be running a day to have a good running base for BUD/s? Do this workout in conjunction with Max Fitness: Week 1 - 1 mile a day 5 times as fast as you can Week 2 - 2 miles a day x 5 as fast as you can Week Three - take off from running - swim extra this week doing the CSS/hypoxics workout we did at my swim camp 100m CSS / 100m Hypoxics pyramid x 10 (see CSS video article for more details in theStewSmith.com archives)
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Week 4 - same as week 2 Week 5 - 3 miles a day 5 days a week fast as you can Week 6 - four miles a day x 5 fast as you can Weeks 7 - maintain 5 days a week of running totaling 15-20 miles a week The goal of these short distances is do them fast as you can maintaining a good 6-7:00 per mile pace.
No Weights at BUD/S –
Learn to PT, Run & Swim
Being a former weightlifting football player myself, I stepped back into time some eighteen years and saw many of the same things I did to prepare for Plebe Summer at the Naval Academy as well as BUDS. The only bad thing about the plan and the way I prepared for USNA is that it was the wrong way to train for the military style fitness. I soon realized when I took my first physical fitness test (PFT) that one maximum set of pushups was not the same as bench press and no matter what weight machines you use there is no substitute for pull-ups. Sure pull-downs, bicep curls, bent over rows all work the same muscles groups as the pull-ups, just as bench press is the same motion as the pushup -- BUT nothing prepares you for pushup and pull-up tests quite like doing pushups and pull-ups to failure during your workouts. Check out my articles on pushups and pull-ups for workout ideas at www.StewSmith.com. Situps and running: The two other events of many physical fitness tests seemed easy enough. Anyone can do situps and run right? Sure most young people can do 50 - 60 situps in two minutes, but I realized to be competitive with other scores and to make a high grade in the situps test, you needed to be able to do 80-100 in 2:00. The only way to reach numbers like that is to practice situps several times a week with timed intervals and pacing yourself. Once I saw people hitting 100 situps in 2:00, I increased my pace (situps per second) and reached 30 situps in 30 seconds. I was moving fast -- felt strong until about 40 seconds into the two minutes test where the lack of training caught up with me and I was only able to do another 30 situps in the remaining 1:30 for a total of only 60 situps. I barely passed the minimum standard. When it was time to run, I was a bit worried when half the guys in my group all ran track and cross-country. I tried to hang with them on the first lap of a quarter mile track as they ran it in 80 seconds. After the first lap, I could not hang at a 5:20 mile pace and was spent for the remaining five laps struggling to breathe and run at my comfortable 7:00 mile pace. I just passed the run with only seconds remaining. How could this be? I was a very fit guy who lifted weights for three hours a day prior to coming to the Naval Academy's version of Bootcamp. See interval training article for more info on workouts to run faster.
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Now, even at the age 36, I can nearly double my PT scores at my age of 18 and run sub-6:00 miles for a few miles. The moral of this story is "There are no weights at BUD/S or Bootcamp -- start doing the events you will be tested in immediately!" If you want to be in the following branches of the service, here is what you need to be able to do to be competitive and remove the added stresses of physical discomfort and failure:
The hardest thing about failing a physical fitness test or not performing as well as your fellow soldiers is you have to play catch up. The good news is that at the age of 18-20, it is easy to get into shape and become competitive with your comrades, however, it is tough to do while in the attending BUDS or other military training. My recommendation is to get in the competitive range PRIOR to attending these military programs. I promise you it will save you from becoming discouraged, reduce the pain of muscle soreness, and enable you to focus on your job at hand -- becoming a Soldier, Marine, Sailor, Airman, and Hero of Tomorrow.
Articles from StewSmith.com / Nutrition Plans
Here are a few eating tips and some ideas on quick exercises routines to try when time is limited:
1) Lay off the fast food – Before you go on a trip or a long day at work, try to eat before you leave and pack a lunch. Foods high in protein mixed with a natural carbohydrate are great energy meals. Try a lean turkey or chicken sandwich with vegetables like lettuce and tomato. Watch out for the mayo – too many calories and fat grams. Try mustard instead. Fruits are great quick snacks too. Try apples, oranges, bananas for natural sources of energy. For more ideas see www.stewsmith.com/linkpages/dietplan.htm
2) Wake up and burn some calories – As busy days pile up with more and more obligations, the scheduled 5:00pm workout can easily get bumped! Make thirty minutes of exercise fit into your mornings and do some type of workout.
- Try biking, walking, or running for 30 minutes
- Go to your gym for a quick circuit routine
- Try calisthenics like jumping jacks / pushups / crunch routine and jumping jacks / squats / lunges / crunches
- Try using dumbbells for arms and shoulders
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- Another Tip – if you do not schedule a workout – it does not exist!!
3) Don’t wait – Start NOW! – Why wait? When you can, you should try to eat at regularly scheduled times during the day. Healthy snacks and meals will carry you through your stressful days much better than skipping meals or binge eating. You will find that if you keep a good schedule, you will lose weight and inches. Add exercise to the plan and you will also get fit and feel better than you have in years. Try an eating schedule of the following recommended times:
0630 – breakfast
0930 – morning snack
1230 – lunch
1530 – afternoon snack
1830 – dinner
If your days are longer than 15-18 hours you should try another light snack at 2100
of foods like yogurt, grapes, milk. Other snacks during the day can be salads, fruits,
lean meats, small sandwiches, boiled eggs and others. See chart on next page for
better ideas on what to eat during the day and before and after exercise sessions.
Walk more – When safety is not an issue, try to walk farther than normal when
going about your normal day. Burning a few more calories by walking is one of the
easiest ways to walk off that extra weight. Just twenty minutes of brisk walking can
burn over 100-150 calories.
Keep working the abdominal region – Not with food but with exercises like crunches, situps, and lower back stretches. Check out the articles on Washboard Abs and Lose those Love Handles for ideas. When you do these exercises for just 5-10 minutes daily, it is easier to remember to watch your food intake and stop yourself from gorging. Overall, it is important to keep up the habit of moving more and eating better foods for you. These tips can help you prevent unneeded weight gain. See Fundamentals of Nutrition Chart below:
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The Fundamentals of Nutrition
Morning Meal
(Serving = fist size)
Eat 2-3 servings of any
*minimal fat - 1 qt water
Proteins – boiled egg whites, yogurt, milk, lean meats, protein shake, vege beef stew…
Carb/Protein mix – some fruits like grapes, bananas, blueberries – cereal with milk…
Mid Morning Meal
Eat 1 serving
Slimfast meal bar, boiled egg, Go-Gurt, Tuna…
Fruit salad, apple, orange, banana etc…
Lunch
1 qt water
Chicken, tuna, fish, lean meat sandwich on wheat bread, no mayo –
mix meat with
salad →
Mixed salads with variety of vegetables – green leafy lettuce, broccoli, carrots, tomatoes, onion
Mid Afternoon Meal
1 qt water
Optional – peanuts, almonds = high calories
Optional – juice, fruit, vegetable – small salad
Evening Meal
1 qt water
Lean chicken, fish, meat, broiled NOT FRIED
Large Salad – above
eggplant
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Pre – Post Workout Meals
Before Your Cardio Workout
Before Your Lifting or PT Workout
Carbohydrates – 75 – 100%
Carbohydrates 75% & Protein 25%
Prior to running, swimming, biking etc…at medium to high intensity levels for 30-40 minutes, it is best to eat a small snack to boost sugar levels in your body especially if your workout is before your morning meal. After a night of sleeping and not eating for over 10-12 hours, you need a boost to help you get through the workout. Fruit or fruit juice is fine 20 minutes prior to workout and during is fine. Foods with small amounts of protein can be eaten pre-workout and will help post workout requirements of protein too. Sample Ideas for pre-workout snack are:
Bananas, apples, oranges, carrots, juice, Gatorade, (any fruit of choice really).
Before workouts longer than 30-40 minute, add some protein to stabilize absorption rates so you can last longer:
Eat the any of the following about 1-2 hours prior to exercise: Yogurt, protein drink*, milk, boiled egg, slice of meat or cheese, Slimfast meal replacement bar
1-2 hours prior to lifting eat protein foods and carbohydrates so the protein is there for you after the workout. Lifting weights and doing high repetition calisthenics will break down your muscles and require protein immediately after your workout – within 30 minutes. Foods high in carbohydrates to replace the loss of glycogen stores are needed within this time too.
For a great rule of thumb – after you workout eat protein, carbohydrates and minimize fatty foods. Foods that should be considered are:
Pre-workout ideas for lifters / PTers:
Bananas, berries, boiled eggs, tuna fish, Met-rx Drink / bar.
Protein or carb replacement drinks are great if post workout occurs mid-day or early morning. See meal options for protein and carbohydrates below:
Tuna, chicken, boiled eggs, and green leafy salads with tomatoes, broccoli, cucumber, carrots, onions, and light dressing or oil.
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Post Workout Meals
The key is to replace carbohydrates and electrolytes lost during the workout – drink Powerade / Gatorade immediately after workout
Another important factor is to add protein to help rebuild muscles – see above meal / snack ideas within 30 minutes
of workouts
Below is an eating chart to enable you to have more energy for workouts without packing on additional weight. If you are seeking to gain weight, you can still use this program, just double the portions.
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630am Meal
Options
930am meal
Options
1230 Meal
Options
330pm Meal
Options
630pm Meal
Options
Evening Snack
Options
egg whites, or hard boiled egg whites , whole wheat bread, jam or peanut butter
Slimfast meal bar or post workout protein shake
Green leafy lettuce Salad with roasted chicken or tuna fish,
Fruit Salad- variety
Chicken, tuna, or fish, lean meat sandwich on wheat bread, no mayo –
Water - make up for missing glasses at end of the day to be better hydrated tomorrow
Yogurt, milk, cereal (whole wheat grain cereals – multi grains s the best option)
Yogurt Smoothie or yogurt with granola / fruit
SubWay Sandwich Two Ham and cheese rolls
Mixed salads with variety of veges – green leafy lettuce, broccoli, carrots, tomatoes, onion
Whole wheat bagel
Lean Meat on whole wheat bagel or bread / toast
Celery sticks with ranch dressing (low or no fat)
Vegetable beef stew Can of tuna with water
Chicken/asparagus or broccoli, brown rice, wheat bread – fruit dessert
Whole wheat toast
Banana, apple, small carrots, pears or orange
Fruit options – 1-2 cups of honeydew / watermelon
Spinach Salad with almonds, strawberries
Yogurt smoothie with myoplex protein powder
Broiled Fish, steamed brown rice, salad
Water – ½ - 1 qt Water – 1 qt Water – 1 qt Water ½ - 1 qt Water – 1 qt
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More Information
For more information on Military and Law Enforcement Fitness programs, visit www.stewsmith.com. There are plenty of tips and programs for people seeking weight loss or higher level of fitness as well.
Check out the Combat Swimmer Stroke DVD at the website above and click the CSS link.
Also, check the site for ebook deals and new products and fitness articles updated regularly.
Stew