Working Out Like The Navy Seals
For military professionals like the SEALs, the most elite military force of the U.S, physical training has a completely different meaning than for most of us. The objective of physical training for SEALs is not health fitness or even to have the body sculpture that would seduce the opposite sex.
For SEALs, physical training is done in preparation for the extreme situations that they might face on the front. Their training builds the endurance that is required to perform at the best of their ability during each mission. For them, training is in fact a life or death issue.
A poorly trained guy is likely to last a day in combat, particularly in extreme situations that the SEALs are brought to face. In their surprisingly short training period (six months), a man is turned into a SEAL through some of the most arduous physical training programs on the planet. The following gives an idea of the workouts that SEALs are required to perform.
Running
Running forms the major part of the training schedule of a SEAL. A SEAL trainee begins by running six miles a week in the first two weeks. This can go on to about 16 miles a week by the end of week 9. Intense running as this can lead to stress injuries in the feet, especially if one is unprepared. The aim of such intense running is to build up endurance rapidly in order to be able to reach the standards set by the SEALs. Running also provides the endurance needed to carry out the remaining parts of the physical training program.
Swimming
This is also a crucial part of the SEAL physical training schedule. The swimming style mostly used is the sidestroke without the use of fins. A trainee at the beginning of the program is expected to swim for 15 minutes continuously every day. The objective is to swim 50 m in under one minute. The length of each swimming session is gradually increased to 35 minutes by the end of week 9. By the end of the program, SEALs swim continuously for 75 minutes 4-5 days per week. Swimming is an excellent way to build stamina and burns calories effectively as it requires oxygen uptake in order to be practicable continuously. Although it is quite hard to maintain this pace, the results produced will be extraordinary.
Physical Exercises
This consists of pull-ups, push-ups, sit-ups and dips. Like running and swimming, the first week begins with a few exercises everyday but this is gradually increased over the weeks to reach 20 sets of 20 push-ups, 20 sets of 25 sit-ups and 5 sets of 12 pull-ups thrice a week.
As it can be seen, the Navy SEAL workout program does not involve any complicated training methods nor is there any special equipment involved. The exercises are fairly simple, yet very effective. The intensity of program ensures that each and every person that goes through it develops the general physical adaptations of cardiovascular and respiratory endurance, stamina, strength, power, coordination, agility, balance and accuracy.
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