I just returned from SFAS and you cannot bring tincture of benzoine into the course, but the medics there do have it on hand. They are very good about giving out supplies used to treat blisters. I didnt choose to use it, but I think you just have to ask for it.

thanks for pointing this out. It validates my workout regiment, primarily tons of sprints, core (bridges & planks), lunges, and the good 'ol EDT

FF,

I started running in the pool after some swimming. I am running for about 8minutes and I can alrewady tell the difference on my feet. Looking forward to my next drill rsp weekend as we are hiking.
Thanks FF for the pool tip.

SG

to bring it up again...
 

Can anyone better acquainted with the physical requirements for SFAS, and beyond, comment on the efficacy of the workout regimen prescribed by the new SORB page? I have read plenty of posts regarding the use of a sandbag, a trx system, etc, but I am curious what everyone thinks of the specific program posted on the page.

Thanks in advance for any insights.

Core Strength
 

"thanks for pointing this out. It validates my workout regiment, primarily tons of sprints, core (bridges & planks), lunges, and the good 'ol EDT "

If you can try to mix in some Olympic lifts i.e. dead lifts, squats, ect... I believe the program at www.sealfit.com is very good at developing core strength for those who are pursuing that particular area.

treadmill, treadmill, treadmill
 

Due to pollen invasion, I've been confined to running on treadmill. Itchy/watery eyes are not conducive to healing, and I'm sure the drivers/motorists/other runners won't appreciate my running half blind.

I've been noticing significant improvement. No fancy training, no fartlek, 30/60 etc. Just plain sprinting. Pick a pace that's borderline uncomfortable, then hold that pace as long as possible. Just 0.1 mile more or just one more minute: Trick the mind by dividing large goal into smaller, more managable pieces ie. "if you have to eat a sh*t sandwich, eat one slice at a time." This may seem pathetic to some, but I finally got a 6:27 pace down. Keep in mind this is from someone who used to huff and puff only after 500 yards, and thought 7:00 as unfathomable. I also recall that I used treadmill to get the shuffle-run 13min pace for rucking down back in college. By shuffling, there isn't much pounding on both the knees and the treadmill. It easily transitioned to the Matta mile terrain, so it was good training.

Tons of critiques out there against treadmill: boring, monotonous, not representative of "real" running, and so on. Well, it's just another tool, and IMHOO just like marksmanship, it's the user, then the tool. Make it work. Like this lady for example:

"Women's winner Carrie Pustilnik, of Delray Beach, is a mother of three daughters who works two jobs. She does virtually all of her training on a treadmill in her garage, waking up at 4:30 every morning to put in 8 to 10 miles before getting her kids ready for school.

Pustilnik, 33, was happy to get her breakthrough win in Fort Lauderdale because she made her marathon debut in this race three years ago on a whim. She has since channeled the same tenacity into running that made her a star in tennis at Spanish River High and the University of Tennessee as Carrie Spinner.

Considering her daily schedule of training, working in the morning as a sales representative and in the afternoon as a fitness trainer for kids at The Gymm Zone, plus tending to three daughters ages 3 to 8, winning the marathon may have been the easiest part of her week.

Pustilnik said confining her marathon training to the treadmill is easier on her body than running on roads. It's effective, as her winning time of 2:58:29 was almost 11 minutes faster than runner-up Shelby Speno of Parkland.

"When I run a marathon, I'm like an animal let out of a cage," Pustilnik said. "This is a peaceful three hours for me. It's a pleasure."
http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/201...marathon-debut

As mentioned once, I only used one kind of drug: Audio drug. Playlists like the following: youtube.com/watch?v=lOJqicM6x84 , youtube.com/watch?v=2kxJ7UjDqO4 , youtube.com/watch?v=BQMpRWuT6hk, youtube.com/watch?v=dWWPJo0vq_Q .....usw. Take your mind right off that small gym corner to your epic/colossal movie :D

Again, the critiques will say no one wears mp3 player during unit run, APFT, at SFAS etc. Well, borrowing from WM A. Robbins stuff in Get Selected and Master Gene Econ on mental conditioning: How do you achieve goals? By having assured confidence. How do you get assured confidence? By winning, and achieving goals. It has to start somewhere. When you surpass physical goal even with the aid of music, you know your body is capable of such feat. That serves as a mental anchor that you can pull from when it's starting to suck. "I can do this. I've done it before. Just another mile, just another minute...etc."

Just another tool in the toolbox
 

Not a fan of the treadmill either, but sometimes it's a necessary evil. Tough to run outside when it's single digits and you have a couple feet of snow on the roads. Saw a CPT do a figure 8 with his leg last year on a snowy ruck march, and have begrudgingly gone indoors since when Mother Nature doesn't want to cooperate.

As for music, I too use the audio drug sometimes during training. I've found it works well for those with trouble pacing themselves, and comes in handy when you finally have to take the headphones off and do an APFT or ruck. I would sing (to myself, of course) the songs whose beat I know would keep me on a certain pace. Just make sure to diversify what sticks in your head. Four hours straight of "SexyBack" can border on insanity. :eek:

I actually came across something new (To me at least) called "Horsemen Training Program", It looks pretty interesting so i might give it a try in the near future.

http://www.scribd.com/doc/55818603/H...ng-Program-i-1

After hitting a wall about 10 years ago, I started jogging again. Started jogging as a kid around 11 or 12 years old. Been doin it all my life. Even out at sea I would run 3 miles a day on the steel decks just to stay in shape. On land 8-10 miles a day, 5-6 days a week. Then around 30 years old I hit the wall.

I just stopped. There were a few times I'd be motivated and go out and do 1.5 miles, feel good and all ready to start again, but the next day would come around and nada.

Well, it's been two weeks now and I have jogged a couple days a week now, and feeling good about it. It has always been something that I missed, because I used to enjoy it so much.

I'm just taking it light an easy, a couple days a week now. I am enjoying it just fine, and it is the most consistent jogging I have done in 10 years.

Burn out, and hitting the wall are some real bummers. It's not the same runners high that I used to get, but it's a great feeling to be re-exploring something that I used to love doing so much.

Also, I have kept up a physically active lifestyle w/o the running, doing other activities and exercise. But for now at least, it seems that jogging is back on my plate.

Well being 63 YO and retired I concentrate on exercises that helps my two hobbies which are: hunting and then some more hunting. :D

I jog slowly about 3 miles of up hill and downhill some few days of the week and if my knees or the weather gets bad I will just hike around for an hour or so on other days. I do some upper body exercises so I can pull my 70# bow and hold it for three or four minutes. I have an old bow that I use for exercises some times but I find an old bicycle inner tube cut for a stretchy device to be a good substitute for it. It is also good exercises for IPSCA or IDPA.

I must say that's very good, better than me actually, I would hate to run hills.

Posting this so that it may help others get ideas for their own training.

Decided to return to the gym, and also needed a program for my 14 year-old.
Considered the various training programs done in the past, their efficacy, and researched why/hows of various results before making a plan.

Goals/considerations/restrictions/principles/etc.:

-Simplicity
-Improves general health/ joint stability, etc.
-Low risk of injury
-Maximum results for training time invested (Pareto principle)
-Self-adjusting to changing fatigue levels, etc.
-Doesn't cause undue stress or fatigue which might interfere with work or other activities.
-Increases strength and speed (always finish strength goals before moving on to endurance)
-Validated by results in others

What I came up with is basically what I did while in the best shape of my life 14-15 years ago.
It's based on techniques and research used for athletes in the former Soviet Union (they measured/tracked EVERYTHING).

Workouts consist of 2 compound exercises designed to hit everything in the body.
I chose power snatches and flat bench.

Other combinations which would work might be: clean and press/weighted pull-up or deadlift/flat bench.
It's more difficult to combine something with a squat program, and would likely require 2 other exercises to avoid imbalances in the internal/external rotators of the shoulder.

The way I run mine they're really just 2 programs run in parallel, they are normally done on alternate days for a 6 day per week workout schedule.
Each exercise is done 3 times per week with a day rest before hitting the same exercise again.

Raw 1RM was determined/estimated (no belts, wraps, etc.)
Workouts should be done without belts, wraps, etc.

If you can't do it without aids, use a lighter weight.

"Core" workout weight intensity (% of RM) was chosen to maximize power output in the lift.
For these lifts, I chose 80% for the core workout weight intensity, it could vary by person and movement, but shouldn't be over 85% and generally isn't less than 70% except for maybe deadlifts.

The weight should be light enough that you can move it quickly, but heavy enough that you're not "throwing" it.
<edit> Technically, you are "throwing" the weight in power snatch /power clean, but these are fairly self-adjusting because of the large amplitudes.

Training cycle runs 6 weeks then a rest week is taken.
New 1RM is determined somewhere during rest week.

Cycle is repeated using new 1RM to determine workout weight intensity.
After 2-3 cycles, a two-week rest break is taken.

The same exercises can be used from cycle to cycle.
They can also be changed, particularly if plateaus are reached or if different effects are desired.

Core workout should have a workout "volume" of around "1000%".
Workout volume is determined by total workout reps x intensity, warmup doesn't count (In my case the core workout is 80% x 12 reps = 960%).

The number of reps done in a set is up to the individual, but sets should NOT be done to failure.
Decent form and good bar speed (going up) should be maintained every rep, reps in a set should be few enough to serve this purpose.

Rest between sets should be until you feel subjectively "ready".
You don't have to push it, but you can so long as performance doesn't significantly degrade.

I never do more than 6 reps in a set, and found that more than 2 isn't really necessary, except for saving time in the gym.
Generally have seen better results using fewer reps and more sets, especially with the core workout.

Every rep should be a 100% "effort", moving the bar/weight up as fast as possible (allowing for safety...).
Fred Hatfield calls this "compensetory acceleration".

18 workouts in the cycle.
The intensity (% 1RM) doesn't change for the first half of the cycle.

It looks complicated, but it isn't.
Just get out the pocket calculator.

Workout schedule:
1- Core (around 1000% volume)
2- Core x 1.5 volume
3- Core
4- Core x 2 volume
5- Core
6- Core x 2.5 volume
7- Core
8- Core x 3 volume
9- Core
10- Raise intensity to core + 5%, volume should be around 2100%.
11- Core
12- Raise intensity to core + 10%, volume should be around 1500%.
13- Core
14- Raise intensity to core + 15%, volume should be around 900%.
15- Core
16- Raise intensity to core + 20%, volume should be around 400%.
17- Core
18- Raise intensity to core + 25%, volume should be around 200%.

The core workouts start to become very easy towards the end of the cycle, and you might be tempted to do more or skip ahead in the schedule.
DON'T.

Just like with medications, there is a therapeutic dose.
The easy days are there by design.

I'm in my second cycle right now, and have found the program to be highly compatible with the variable and unpredictable workloads associated with my manual labor job.
My son is in his first cycle, and things are working well for him.

Strength levels went up by about 20% after the first cycle, and this cycle is looking to get similar gains.
Much of these rapid gains are just a function of "retaking old ground" and will soon diminish.

Haven't had much soreness, though I did notice some CNS fatigue symptoms while volume was peaking.
Joints are feeling better, except for the wrists, but they aren't any worse.

Body fat is slowly dropping, and there is visible general hypertrophy (though that isn't a goal).
Practical day-to-day strength is much higher, and there's a new "spring" in my step.

General energy levels/ fatigue resistance/ recovery/ mood are much better.
Healing a little more quickly from minor wounds, too.

Back when I did this (and a few other minor things) at age 29, I could bench 325lbs for 2 reps, standing broad jump almost 10 ft, run a sub-6 minute mile at high altitude, and crush some decently long road bike rides without any specific training.
Never trained push-ups, but tested it and got 93 reps, so training muscular endurance proved to be unnecessary.

The point of the program is to improve general strength and fitness while leaving enough in the gas tank to pursue other things or more specific training.
It worked for me.

YMMV.

Been at this program 7 months now.
Getting ready to start another cycle.

Status on goals:
-It has been simple to implement and sustain.
-Joints are all doing fantastic, general health is doing fine.
-No injuries.
-I'm satisfied with the results relative to training time.
-It has been very effective in terms of self-adjustment.
-Has been completely compatible with long work weeks and a manual labor job, fatigue and soreness haven't been excessive.
-Strength has steadily increased, haven't tested speed.
-Proving effective with my son as well.


Starting out, I hadn't done any serious weight training for more than a decade.

At the time: just shy of 43 years old, not quite 6'2" barefoot, weighed about 170 lbs.
-Would've been lucky to put up 190lbs for a single on flat bench then, and did 95 lbs for the core weight in high-catch power snatches.

At the end of this cycle: weigh about 175 lbs, body fat is a little lower now.
-Put up 280 lbs on flat bench (with room to spare) for 4 singles last week, barely missed 295 lbs.
-Used 135 lbs for the core weight on power snatches.

Recently, I haven't been trying to make the catch on the heavier power snatch workouts within a cycle (too hard on the rotator cuff muscles) and just did high pulls instead.
There's some technique/skill issues to address, but I'm still getting the bar 5 1/2 - 6' off the ground for the 150-160 lb pulls, probably enough for a high catch.
In terms of powerlifting, the deadlift is normally about 3x your high-catch power snatch.

Back strength and grip strength have come along well (I don't use the "hook grip" on power snatches, but may need to if the weight keeps climbing).
Hands-only rope climbs are easy, haven't tried pull-ups, but there's probably similar transfer.

Overall functional strength is doing well.
Helped a bar back change out a full keg (half-barrel) last month.
Could pick it up, put it on my shoulder, duck through doorways, and handle it like it was a toy.
Similar stunt was quite difficult 2 years ago.


My son is 15 years old, about 6' 3" barefoot, around 145lbs, hardly any body fat.
He has a 6' 6" wingspan, with most of it coming from arms rather than shoulder width or hand length.
He's been doing this about 6 months.
Starting out, he couldn't quite get 95 lbs on flat bench, and could just barely catch 65lbs on power snatch.
He put up 140 lbs on flat bench last week, and catches 100 lbs (way up there...) on power snatch with room to spare.
Subjectively, he's observed dramatically improved quickness/explosiveness on the basketball court as well as significant improvements in everyday functional strength.


Gonna keep on the program for a few more cycles, and see how much the progress continues.
Seems to be working.


Some things learned:
-Taking a long, hot shower just before working out (especially in winter) has made a HUGE difference in preventing soreness, particularly with joints/tendons.
-Erring on the side of picking lighter weights/shorter sets for/within a training cycle is better than picking heavier weights/longer sets.
-When doing 2 workouts the same day (different exercises) it's better to separate them into 2 sessions than doing them in one long workout session.
-Tend to get better progress when the workouts are kept under 45 minutes.
-Resist the urge to change the programmed lifts during a cycle. Just see it through to the end and adjust weight levels in the subsequent cycle (recycling the same weight if necessary).
-Don't worry about how you "feel", follow the programming.
-Don't do extra stuff in the gym, follow the programming.

My return to weight training has been going for a little over a year now.
Happy with results thus far.

My father got back into pretty good shape several times after age 40.
He said it takes about 2 years when you're older, and pushing too hard to get it back faster than that just results in injury or burnout.

Tried substituting heavy snatch-grip high pulls off the blocks (using straps) in place of power snatches last August/September.
Along with the heavy flat bench, it turned out to be too much.

Was hitting all my lifts that cycle through the first month.
Had a workout near the end programmed for 9 singles at 285lbs on bench, and could only get the first 3.

The burnout was obvious.
Took a month off from the gym, and reassessed goals.

Decided to look for weaknesses and found them in leg strength, core strength and mobility.
Got a proper pair of weighlifting shoes and addressed them by working on ATG high-bar squats and standing strict barbell presses.

Had to do all sorts of mobility work, especially with the ankles, and started going to a massage therapist regularly.
Squatted (form work, not much weight) 4-6 days per week most weeks from some time in late November until mid February.

Strict presses came along well.
Used the programming described in an earlier post, hit 175lbs easily on New Year's Eve (was pretty happy with that, as it was within a few pounds of my body weight).

Did one more training cycle after that with a mix of strict presses and later push presses for the heavier loading.
Hit 205lbs on push press in mid February.

With the newly won mobility, exploring the benefits of the Olympic lifts had some appeal.
Checked my ratios (power snatch/full snatch/squat/press) and made a plan.

Squat strength was way behind explosive power and pressing strength, and technique was seriously lacking.
On the good side, that explosive power normally falls behind strength as you age, so it's not a bad place to be.

Programming now is similar to the previous method, but 3 exercises are done in one workout now.
Programming is based on full snatch, adding clean and push press at 125% of the workout's snatch weight and squats at 150% of snatch weight.

Normally go to the gym 3 times per week now (not counting scheduled rest weeks).
Been making sure to get the workouts done in under 60 minutes, including warmup.

Very happy with current training results.

Consistently weighing about 180lbs (at a little under 6'2" barefoot).
Not sure about body fat %, but waist is small.
All of my joints joints have plenty of mobility and never suffer any aches/pains, other than thumbs (still conditioning to hook grip).
Never feel fatigued or challenged physically at my manual labor job.
Have plenty of strength to do pretty much anything I want outside the weight room.
Usually get marvelous sleep.

On the down side, it's actually difficult to eat enough calories to maintain or gain weight (should still be slowly gaining, given the stage of training).
The good side, beer consumption is only limited by alcohol processing abilities.
:D

Two things learned in the past 6 months:
Mental intensity -relax, save the "psycho strength" for the last few heavy workouts of a training cycle.
Food -supporting this training takes calories. Lots of calories.

Probably have another 9-10 months before being fully "in shape".
Definitely going to keep this as a lifelong habit.

Expanded my bicycle racing from cyclocross to doing an every other week critireum on Tuesday nights. They are alot of fun. The good thing about this course is that it's in the state fairground parking lot, so, no curbs. If you have to leave the course to avoid something there's room.