Book Summary - Navy Seal Fitness Guide

creation date: 2020-08-13, latest update: 2020-08-15

Original link to guide in PDF here.

My Minimal Exercise Program

Switch between strength and cardio daily. If really tired, do a long flexibility routine instead.

Strength and Calisthenics

[07 min] Warm-ups
[15 min] MARSOC short card [PDF] - Start with 10 reps, then add 5 each time after adapting
[09 min] Warm-downs

Cardio (Choose One)

[40+10 min] Running - See program below in Chapter 4
[37 min] Fitness Blender Cardio

Flexibility

[20 min] Full body flexibility routine

Navy SEAL Physical Screening Test

Swim 500 yards (457 m) in 12.5 minutes or less
Rest 10 minutes
Do 42 push-ups in under 2 minutes
Rest 2 minutes
Do 50 sit-ups in under 2 minutes
Rest 2 minutes
Do 6 pull-ups in under 2 minutes
Rest 10 minutes
Run 1.5 miles (2.4 km) in boots and long pants in less than 11.5 minutes

Chapter 1: Overview of Physical Fitness

Fitness Components

Skill-related: Agility, Balance, Coordination, Speed, Power, Reaction time

Health-related: Cardiorespiratory endurance, Muscular endurance, Muscular strength, Body composition, Flexibility

Muscle Types

Of the three muscle types (cardiac, skeletal, smooth), we focus on skeletal muscle.

The proportion of muscle types depends on genetics at birth. However, all can be improved by endurance and power training.

Slow Twitch Oxidative (Type I): Aerobic. Slow but long. For endurance.

Fast Twitch Oxidative-Glycolytic (Type IIa): Semi-aerobic. Middle ground.

Fast Twitch Glycolytic (Type IIb): Anaerobic. Fast but short-lived. Uses glycogen as fuel, so fatigues easily.

Principles of Physical Training

Overload: Train at a higher level than usual until your body adapts to the new level. Aerobic training: 70%-90% of Max Heart Rate or 130-170 HR for age 35.

Specificity: Training that focuses on achieving a certain task. Swimming versus running, etc.

Individual differences: Same program produces different responses per person.

Detraining: You need regular exercise to maintain fitness. FITT: Frequency, Intensity, Time, and Type.

Active recovery: Continue exercises at moderate pace (30-50% Max HR) during warm-up and warm-down. This drives lactic acid out faster than inactivity.

Not Relevant to me.

Chapter 3: Cardiorespiratory Conditioning

ACSM recommendation: “Every US adult should accumulate 30 minutes or more of moderate intensity physical activity on most, preferably all, days of the week”

Basically, we want to train the body/heart to get oxygen from lung into blood, then pumps it to muscle to be used. do it faster, and also sustain it for a longer time.
Maximal Oxygen Uptake (VO2max) is best predictor for sustained work performance. typical values are from 30 ml [unfit] to 80 ml [very fit] (of oxygen)/(body weight)kg/min.
Anaerobic threshold: Usually at around 60-100% of VO2Max. Most people can only sustain non-oxygen working stage for no more than a few minutes.
Work rate: the rate of amount of work we can do in an exercise. for example, In cycling the unit is miles per hour. Other exercise can be kcal or watts per hour.

Chapter 4: Running for Fitness

Navy SEALs should run 20 to 40 miles (32 to 64 km) per week. That’s 6 to 12 km, 5 days per week.

Running shoes: See terminology and buying guide in the PDF.

Building Up Mileage

Increasing too quickly causes injuries. Follow these guidelines:

Run at least 3 to 4 times per week or every other day, with 1-2 rest days per week
Run at an even pace where you can talk comfortably
When you can run continuously for 40 minutes, start thinking about increasing distance
Increase mileage by no more than 20% per week. Do not increase speed and distance simultaneously

**Example of Program to run 40 km per week**
Week	Mon	Tues	Wed	Thur	Fri	Sat	Sun	Total
One	4	CT*	5	3	CT	3	5	20
Three	5	CT	5	5	CT	5	5	24
Five	5	CT	6	6	CT	6	6	29
Seven	7	CT	7	8	CT	5	8	35
Nine	6	CT	8	8	CT	8	10	40

Interval Training

For anaerobic systems: Rest periods between reps should be equal or slightly less than time to cover distance.

For aerobic systems: Rest periods between reps should be equal or slightly less than one-half time to cover distance.

Three Principles to Prevent Running Injuries

Run tall
Run relaxed
Run naturally

Chapter 5: Swimming for Fitness

This is skipped, since we have no suitable pool nearby.

Chapter 6: Strength Training

Core Principles

Routines should be well balanced and work all muscle groups
Free weights, although they take more skill, are probably better than gym equipment
Exhale when moving weight against gravity

FITT Principles

Frequency: More is better, but don’t overtrain. Aim for 2-3 times per week.

Intensity: Most critical for strength training. Use 60-90% of Repetition Maximum (RM) to build muscle, no more than 12 reps per set. For endurance, use 30-50% of RM or 20-60 reps per set.

Time: 30-60 minutes is good.

Type: Vary your routines.

Warm-Up and Warm-Down

Necessary to prevent injuries.

Warm-ups: Jumping jacks or light weights

Warm-downs: Walking or stretching

Common Problems

Injuries: Lack of warm-up and using improper form

Overuse: Too much repetitive exercise, especially on knee, elbow, and shoulder

Delayed muscle soreness: Occurs 24-48 hours after activity

Chapter 7: Flexibility

Two Types of Flexibility

Dynamic (or active): Speed attained within a range of motion at the joint during physical performance. Examples: throwing a ball, neck rolls, leg swings.

Static: Maximal range of motion of a joint during passive movement induced by an external source. This is normal stretching.

Effective Stretching

The most effective stretches are performed slowly and held for 15-30 seconds. This activates GTO and avoids excessive activation of muscle spindles.

Stretching vs Warm-Up

Stretching is not the same as a warm-up. Do stretching after a warm-up, not before.

Warm-up: Light running, jumping jacks, other calisthenics to raise body temperature and prepare muscles for heavier usage. Slight sweating is a good indicator of sufficient warm-up.

Recommended Sequence

Warm-up → Stretch (Dynamic) → Workout session → Warm-down → Stretch (Static)

Chapter 8: Calisthenics

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