Any other SEALfitter's? I'm hoping to attend their monthlong course the summer after this, and am following the "8 weeks to SEALfit" plan strictly this summer, and I do the website WOD's occasionally now. Any graduates of the program or fellow SEALfitters?
Me and some of the boys at our CF gym will do a SEALFit work out once in a while during open gym hours on Saturdays. They are like 2+ hours, which we always do after our regular Saturday WODs. Good program. But its more endurance based CF as opposed to explosive/short term CF
I did it for a few months last semester then I switched to Military Athlete. Good Program, I found after awhile I burned out though which I haven't experienced with MA.
Do you mind telling me more about military athlete? I've heard of it, but my google-fu is a little weak trying to find out more.
You tried Googling it? Or are you just saying you did? Because I just Googled it, and the very first thing that pops up is the Military Athlete website.
Poor choice of words. What I mean is that I would like to know more about it and your opinion on it in comparison to SEALfit, Crossfit, Stew Smith, etc.
Ah. Gotcha. I have done CrossFit, Stew Smith, and Military Athlete so I will offer an opinion on those. I haven't done SEALFit for the reason of not having 29 hours a day to train. Most of the SEALFit workouts look crazy long. IMO, you would not really be able to have good strength levels with that kind of volume day in and day out. CrossFit is a good program, but it does not have enough volume on its own for mil guys, IMO. If you are prepping for the military, SOF, or some other physically demanding training course then you would need more volume than what straight CF offers. If you are out of shape currently though, CF would be a great place to start before moving into the higher volume of MA or SEALFit. I did Stew Smith's 12 Weeks to BUD/S book and thought it was great at the time. After some more experience with strength and conditioning, as well as what I struggled with physically at BUD/S, I think it is severely lacking. There is no barbell, KB, DB, or any other kind of weights utilized. The durability and strength derived from training with weight is crucial for SOF Selections I think. I struggled a lot with boats and logs because I had NO upper body strength. I also developed pretty bad tendonitis in both elbows from all the rope climbs because I was weak. I was 6'2" and 165# at BUD/S. 4 years later, I have put on 25# of muscle mass, while also improving my run times. Much of that was from CF. I did CF for about two years and learned a lot as a result. Then I did about a year of CFFB and 5/3/1 and really saw my strength go up. Now, with that solid base, MA has really helped build the areas I was lacking for what I will need to do in the military. My endurance is much better, and I haven't lost any strength or work capacity. In fact, my strength has gone up while following MA. Mostly this is because I have not been training long enough to be an intermediate lifter, so gains are still fairly easy to come by. My point is that I was concerned about losing strength when switching to MA and it just hasn't happened. I think the program does a very good job of balancing their programming around building different capacities. So, to sum it all up: CF is a fantastic beginner program, particularly if you are not used to training with weights at high intensity, or training with compound movements. Once you have a solid base established, MA is a great resource to use in order to adjust your training to better meet the demands the military will place on you.
But doesn't MA require a lot of special gear that you can really only find in CF gyms? For someone with no access to weights (whether due to lack of funds or distance) wouldn't SEALfit be a good program? I ask because I've been doing CF for about 6 weeks now and while I enjoy the program and have seen an increase in my endurance it's super expensive. I've wanted to start MA but can't find a place that I can do all of the work outs. Could I do the basics of the program at a YMCA or other chain gym?
Yes, you could. DBs can be substiututed for any KB exercise. You can sub towel or rope pull-ups for rope climbs. Lunges or air squats can be subbed for the short ditsnace sprints. The only real limitation you would face is the inability to truly max out on the Olympic lifts due to not being able to drop the weights. However, the lighter weights you are forced to work at will improve your technique, and working up to the heaviest weight you can lower under control is still a helluva workout. I did CF at a chain gym for about a year and this was my only real problem. The sandbag work should still be fine as well. Most gyms have medicine balls that you could put in the bag, or if not, you can do the same movements with a barbell or DB. Not quite the same as a SB, but still very effective. One armed DB clean and squats and DB Turkish get-ups are a great sub for SB clean and squats and sandbag get-ups. For a GHD, I used to set up a bench on some plates and then hook my feet in between the bars on the squat rack (just put them both on the same side).
While DB can be substituted for KB, it's not the same. I struggle with this when I do KB workouts with DB at the gym. There's no stability required when using DB for swings and they're awkward if you're trying to do cleans or snatches. Same thing with Sand Bag Get Ups. I don't know how you got it to work for you CDG but it was a pain in the dick using DB for SBGU. I usually stuffed as much shit in my sea bag as I could and used that. Overall, I've been able to tweak or substitute things here and there and make MA work for me. I could nitpick any system to death, but if you want to make it work, you'll find a way. Someone pointed out the KISS method in another thread I think. Swim, run, do push ups, sit ups and pull ups. Throw in some moderate weight lifting and you'll be GTG. When the dust clears, you'll be relying on the little muscle that takes up the 6" between your ears more than anything else. ETA: I think MA is a great program and they have selection based options now. I never used SEAL Fit because I was too lazy to look up all the fucking exercises that I didn't recognize...usually about 75% of their WOD.
Guys in prison get pretty jacked just doing pushups pullups situps and dips lol I agree with the KISS method- that's sort of the reason I'm probably going back to the Y when crossfit is done. Cheaper, has a pool, and can do my own thing.
I agree that DB swings are easier, but not by that much. Also, I don't really find DBs awkward when doing cleans or snatches. I never used DBs as the filler for SBGUs or anything like that. I have done Turkish get-ups instead of SBGUs. Turkish get-ups are by necessity a slower and more controlled movement, and they will fatigue a localized area (shoulders) more than a SBGU will. But they are still a good exercise. I have a 40# slam ball from Muscle Driver that I put in my seabag along with (2) 20# medicine balls to make the 80# requirement. If you are not at a gym where you can get 80#, or the sometimes prescribed 60#, in a bag by using med balls, then buying mulch is a cheap way to make the weight. Bags of mulch are pretty cheap and are far less messy than trying to use sand. If you have access to a scale, you can divy up the mulch into 20# increments in duct-tape wrapped contractor grade garbage bags and then just put in however many you need for the weight asked for in the workout.
Another good resource that requires minimal equipment and doesn't even require a gym is the MA Squad PT sessions. You could get all the equipment needed for less than you would pay for a year's gym membership and you can do all the workouts in a park or yard. http://militaryathlete.com/page.php?page_ID=63
I don't know much about military athlete, but the SEALfit WOD's I've found are tricky and take some creativity without a gym. However, the little booklet they sell has a large set of SEALfit workouts with all bodyweight, and also the stew smith is all bodyweight.
I usually end up using plates for cleans because I'm able to flip them over unlike a DB. I'll look into your suggestion on the mulch/HD trash bags. I e-mailed Rob and asked about a good replacement exercise for the SBGU. He basically said, there's not one. Spend the $, it will be well worth it.
Thanks for the info man! Honestly, the NSW Prep guide from SEALSWCC.com has been my favorite thing to do so far, mixed in with some basic Oly lifts and some longer run training.
What? How do you do your DB cleans? I'm having a tough time envisioning what it is that's throwing you off with them.
