Conditioning for OCS

[jander12]

BLUF (bottom line up front): Don't choose your physical fitness activities solely based on what you will or won't be doing at OCS.

Not trying to sound like a douche, but it has been bothering me a bit when people say, "stop doing x because you will not be doing that at OCS" (this isn't the first thread I've seen it on so please don't take this personally @stretch_29). It's been proven time and again that to improve at something over the course of time you don't need, nor is it ideal, to only do that one thing (when it comes to physical fitness). For example, @xltn said he has been swimming, which has improved his v02 max and breathing, which has in turn improved his run time. Most professional athletes incorporate weight training into their regimen vice only performing their sport. Even NSW fitness guides recommend NOT trying to simulate the BUD/S physical atmosphere in preparation for BUD/S on a daily basis - even though that's exactly what you'll be doing. Sure, build up your work capacity, but don't do 1000 pushups, 500 pull-ups and dips, etc. every day. Do I think it's important to practice what you will be doing? Absolutely. Do I think you should only do what you'll be doing at OCS? Absolutely not. (Start sarcasm) If that were the case, we'd all stop drinking beer, watching tv, posting on airwarriors, etc. (End sarcasm). If you have to run on a treadmill, don't feel bad because you won't be running on a treadmill at OCS. It's better for you than vegging out in front of the tv for an hour, and it is definitely helping prepare you for OCS. Should you run outside, yes, and I've said that before. But if you can't today, but you can run on a treadmill, do it.

I think, for general health and fitness, and to keep yourself from overworking certain body parts, it's important to use variety to achieve your goals. Here is what I have been doing (and have been consistently training for the past 8+ years - (read: I have developed a base level of physical fitness)):

Sunday: LED run (Long "Easy" Distance) - 3+ miles
Monday: Pace run - 1.5 miles
Tuesday: Explosive work and calisthenics routine
Wednesday: Rest
Thursday: Lower body strength/Interval runs of 1/4-1/2 mile. Later in the evening I'll do 4x30 pushups and a 2 min. max rep sit-up test
Friday: Rest
Saturday: Upper body strength

It wasn't written by a professional, but it's been working for me. I've been maintaining strength, losing weight, getting my run time down, and improving calisthenic endurance. When my OCS date approaches, I'll probably start shifting this routine to more body-weight work, but not much as it already includes a healthy dose of it for me. Should everyone do this? No. But even if you can't pass the PRT yet, a mixed routine will still help you improve.

I know I won't be lifting weights at OCS, but if I can pass the PRT with reasonable scores, why not? It won't hurt me (unless my form is terrible).

I realize I'm not quoting professionally conducted studies in this post, but in an effort to "show" that I'm not all talk, here are my latest PRT activity scores (not trying to boast):
2 min. sit-ups: 106
2 min. pushups: 78
1.5 mile run: 10:08

Keep making progress in each area of your life, the rest will follow.

 

[Dangy]

I have been taking my training steady and slowly increasing intensity over time. I was never a hard core athletic, so I cant accomplish high scores off the bat. The worse thing that can happen at this point is getting injured, which I am trying to avoid at all cost. Even though its a slow process, I'll survive, lol.

 

[stretch_29]

BLUF (bottom line up front): Don't choose your physical fitness activities solely based on what you will or won't be doing at OCS.

Not trying to sound like a douche, but it has been bothering me a bit when people say, "stop doing x because you will not be doing that at OCS" (this isn't the first thread I've seen it on so please don't take this personally @stretch_29). It's been proven time and again that to improve at something over the course of time you don't need, nor is it ideal, to only do that one thing (when it comes to physical fitness). For example, @xltn said he has been swimming, which has improved his v02 max and breathing, which has in turn improved his run time. Most professional athletes incorporate weight training into their regimen vice only performing their sport. Even NSW fitness guides recommend NOT trying to simulate the BUD/S physical atmosphere in preparation for BUD/S on a daily basis - even though that's exactly what you'll be doing. Sure, build up your work capacity, but don't do 1000 pushups, 500 pull-ups and dips, etc. every day. Do I think it's important to practice what you will be doing? Absolutely. Do I think you should only do what you'll be doing at OCS? Absolutely not. (Start sarcasm) If that were the case, we'd all stop drinking beer, watching tv, posting on airwarriors, etc. (End sarcasm). If you have to run on a treadmill, don't feel bad because you won't be running on a treadmill at OCS. It's better for you than vegging out in front of the tv for an hour, and it is definitely helping prepare you for OCS. Should you run outside, yes, and I've said that before. But if you can't today, but you can run on a treadmill, do it.

I think, for general health and fitness, and to keep yourself from overworking certain body parts, it's important to use variety to achieve your goals. Here is what I have been doing (and have been consistently training for the past 8+ years - (read: I have developed a base level of physical fitness)):

Sunday: LED run (Long "Easy" Distance) - 3+ miles
Monday: Pace run - 1.5 miles
Tuesday: Explosive work and calisthenics routine
Wednesday: Rest
Thursday: Lower body strength/Interval runs of 1/4-1/2 mile. Later in the evening I'll do 4x30 pushups and a 2 min. max rep sit-up test
Friday: Rest
Saturday: Upper body strength

It wasn't written by a professional, but it's been working for me. I've been maintaining strength, losing weight, getting my run time down, and improving calisthenic endurance. When my OCS date approaches, I'll probably start shifting this routine to more body-weight work, but not much as it already includes a healthy dose of it for me. Should everyone do this? No. But even if you can't pass the PRT yet, a mixed routine will still help you improve.

I know I won't be lifting weights at OCS, but if I can pass the PRT with reasonable scores, why not? It won't hurt me (unless my form is terrible).

I realize I'm not quoting professionally conducted studies in this post, but in an effort to "show" that I'm not all talk, here are my latest PRT activity scores (not trying to boast):
2 min. sit-ups: 106
2 min. pushups: 78
1.5 mile run: 10:08

Keep making progress in each area of your life, the rest will follow.

Agreed!!! Definitely didn't mean to start an argument! In know way was I saying "stop lifting weights" or "stop swimming." I had know idea that's how I came across, so thanks for pointing that out @jander12! It seemed like people were just swimming or just running on the treadmill or just lifting weights. My point was if you aren't doing any push ups or running out doors (if available of course), that I would recommend incorporating that into your workout. That is all I was trying to get across! Sorry for any confusing on my part

 

[jander12]

Agreed!!! Definitely didn't mean to start an argument! In know way was I saying "stop lifting weights" or "stop swimming." I had know idea that's how I came across, so thanks for pointing that out @jander12! It seemed like people were just swimming or just running on the treadmill or just lifting weights. My point was if you aren't doing any push ups or running out doors (if available of course), that I would recommend incorporating that into your workout. That is all I was trying to get across! Sorry for any confusing on my part

No, you didn't come across negatively at all... I was just saying based on many comments of the aforementioned tune. Not specifically yours. Yours just reminded me

 

[Spekkio]

BLUF (bottom line up front): Don't choose your physical fitness activities solely based on what you will or won't be doing at OCS.

Exactly.

The PT at OCS isn't particularly rigorous. The lack of sleep and screaming at the top of your lungs will magnify it, but if you have a good fitness routine you'll probably think that it's pretty easy. If you are in good shape you probably will come out the other end with a performance decrease because doing the same 3-4 exercises ad nauseum and carb loading for 3 months isn't particularly good for your overall fitness.

Come Candi-O phase, you'll be saying 'hurr, they have it so easy compared to what we did!' but that won't be true. It just felt a lot worse when you were the one screaming your lungs out on 4 hours of sleep.

FWIW, I max pushups and don't do a single pushup inbetween PRTs. The most important thing is having a strong enough core to hold yourself up for the entire 2 minutes. You bang out 60ish in 30 seconds, then do mini-sets of 10, 5, 5, 5, 5 until you hit the max.

 

[stretch_29]

Exactly.

The PT at OCS isn't particularly rigorous. The lack of sleep and screaming at the top of your lungs will magnify it, but if you have a good fitness routine you'll probably think that it's pretty easy. If you are in good shape you probably will come out the other end with a performance decrease because doing the same 3-4 exercises ad nauseum and carb loading for 3 months isn't particularly good for your overall fitness.

Come Candi-O phase, you'll be saying 'hurr, they have it so easy compared to what we did!' but that won't be true. It just felt a lot worse when you were the one screaming your lungs out on 4 hours of sleep.

FWIW, I max pushups and don't do a single pushup inbetween PRTs. The most important thing is having a strong enough core to hold yourself up for the entire 2 minutes. You bang out 60ish in 30 seconds, then do mini-sets of 10, 5, 5, 5, 5 until you hit the max.

Sir, I don't know many people who would say that PT was "pretty easy." OCS has definitely changed from '08 to '13 even significant changes have been made since I graduated so maybe the DI's have found more exercises to do because we did way more than 3-4 exercises. I was a college athlete and came out in better shape than I went in. Also, the PRT is nothing like OCS. Sure you can maintain the physical fitness level needed for PRT's by weight lifting, but a "Navy-standard" push up and what you will be expected to do at OCS are not the same, especially if you aren't regularly doing push ups. That being said: you've given your advice, I've given mine. I was sharing my advice on how to succeed as someone who went through less than a year ago. It's just advice, I don't care if people listen to me or not, that's on them. Just my suggestion. I know that you are probably going to follow up and tell me that I'm wrong, but I'm done arguing with you on this forum where we are entitled to our opinions and free to give different advice. Those going to OCS can choose what they want to do with both these different opinions, maybe someone else can chime in with their opinion as well. v/r ENS Stretch

 

[mitrokhin]

Excellent suggestions in this thread. Thank you all for the advice.

 

[Spekkio]

stuff...

You're entitled to an opinion if it has some basis in fact. The PT metrics which one is held to at OCS are not particularly high by any objective standard. The people who showed up in proper shape universally lost performance. They had their running cut from ~20 miles a week or more/running everyday to about 6-8 miles a week running every other day. They couldn't strength train with anything other than pushups or some form of being in that position, and on rare occasions pull-ups. SEAL wannabes weren't allowed in the pool for at least 2 months. Diet is forced to be low protein/fat and high carb. The list goes on. I'm happy you were a college athlete but if you found yourself gaining performance at OCS then you didn't show up in very good shape. Go hit a baseball or throw a football, you will be surprised that your new-found ability to do 84 pushups with knife-hands doesn't translate to actually being stronger.

I take issue with the fact that you (and plenty of others before you) paint a picture of the PT at OCS of being more than it actually is and that you have to specialize your exercise routine for it. It pays to show up in as good as shape as possible, but the program is designed to take a guy who shows up with 10-20 lbs of fat to shed and can score a 'satisfactory' or 'good' on the PFA, and churn out a lean guy who can do a lot of pushups, situps, and run a couple of miles in a respectable time. That's pretty much it. The rest is designed to suck as much as it is to get people into shape, i.e. holding awkward positions for several minutes multiple times a day, screaming your lungs out on 4 hours of sleep, sometimes less if you have watch overnight. There's nothing one can do to simulate that before you get there. If someone has an effective whole-body workout routine and is making an honest assessment of his fitness level, there's really no reason to change that for OCS. High PRT scores -- and yes, I was talking about maxing with doing proper pushups, not stupid half-reps -- are fairly easily achieved without having to cater your workout to doing dozens and dozens of pushups and situps. It can be done that way, but it's not the most efficient, healthiest, or enjoyable way to do it.

 

[Fronch]

I probably shouldn't be wading into this discussion, but I just want to chime in as a representative of people who aren't going to get anywhere close to maxing on the PRT. We are all coming from different places when it comes to fitness. Personally I have lost 85 pounds and am continually working on improving my fitness level. I'm sure that many people are going to show up to OCS in better shape than I am, and others will be worse. It seems like the best thing to do in preparation for OCS is to be the best shape you can, but be prepared for it to suck (as you say, that's largely by design).

 

[mitrokhin]

Yeah, I guess if we're talking about SEALs here, it pays to be a winner. But from what I've read on here, it doesn't really pay that much to be a try hard at OCS.

 

[Dangy]

So I am having extreme difficulties on the underwater swim. I get decent speed when I am near the ground, but I am desperate to breath after 5 yards. I am using a breast stroke and frog kicks. Any tips to help me improve?

Are we expected to swim the full 25 yard swim, without surfacing?

 

[xltn]

Third Class Swim Test consists of the following:

• Abandon Ship Jump: Jump from a 10 foot tower to simulate abandoning ship.
• 5 minute Prone Float: Remain afloat face down, utilizing survival floating skills, for five minutes.
• Shirt and Trouser inflation: Fill a shirt and pair of trousers with air to remain afloat.
• 50 yd Swim: Using any single following stroke or combination of the crawl, breaststroke, sidestroke, and elementary backstroke

 

[Dangy]

Third Class Swim Test consists of the following:

• Abandon Ship Jump: Jump from a 10 foot tower to simulate abandoning ship.
• 5 minute Prone Float: Remain afloat face down, utilizing survival floating skills, for five minutes.
• Shirt and Trouser inflation: Fill a shirt and pair of trousers with air to remain afloat.
• 50 yd Swim: Using any single following stroke or combination of the crawl, breaststroke, sidestroke, and elementary backstroke

I thought we were expected to swim underwater after the 10 foot jump at OCS?

 

[xltn]

I don't know. Someone please help!

 

[MGoBrew11]

I thought we were expected to swim underwater after the 10 foot jump at OCS?

Pretty sure you're confusing OCS swim with API swim. Don't worry about it now; you've got a ways to go yet before that event. I was worried about the underwater swim in API too. It ended up being cake. You just gotta tell yourself you're going to do it and just go. You'll be wearing boots and a flight suit when you do it.