Plz help w/ Gymnastic strength vs special warfare enduranc

Hey everybody,

This is my first post. This past year I've been learning and implementing a great deal of nutritional and physical conditioning knowledge with the goal of getting a 6 pack.

Through hours of research for the most effective conditioning methods I came to Crossfit, which eventually led me to gymnastic bodies.

I now revere gymnasts not only for their amazing physique and remarkable strength, but because no other athlete can do what gymnasts do.

I developed a fitness regimen which emphasized Olympic lifts and gymnastic strength holds with HIIT for cardio.

But now I want to join the military special operations community which mostly emphasizes endurance through bodyweight conditioning with a LOT of running.

My question is how do I train to meet these extremely high physical endurance standards while continuing to train to develop the strength required for planche pushups, HSPUs, bowers, and levers (these are my top priorities for my gymnastic skillset).

Here is an excerpt of my current training regimen from a 10 week program:

Weeks 7-8

Running: 4 / 4 / 5 / 3 miles, Mo/Tu/We/Fr

Pushups: 6 sets of 30 pushups, Mon/Wed/Fri

Situps: 6 sets of 30 situps, Mon/Wed/Fri

Ab-twists: 3 sets of 25

Pullups: 2 sets of 12 pullups, Mon/Wed/Fri

Swimming: Swim continuously for 30 min. 4-5 days/week

Weeks 9-10

Running: 4 / 4 / 5 / 3 miles, Mo/Tu/We/Fr

Pushups: 6 sets of 30 pushups, Mon/Wed/Fri

Situps: 6 sets of 30 situps, Mon/Wed/Fri

Ab-twists: 2 sets of 50

Pullups: 3 sets of 12 pullups, Mon/Wed/Fri

Swimming: Swim continuously for 35 min. 4-5 days/week

*Everyday do planche, lever, straddle, L-sit, and handstand holds

*on wed cut reps by half and perform planche pushups instead of pushups

*on wed do chinups instead of pullups and add 1 rep per set

*on wed do V-ups instead of sit-ups and drop 5 reps per set

Weeks 11 and beyond refer to Category 2 workout in BUD/S Warning Order

Tuesdays

Olympic squat

highpulls

military press

oblique ups

front/side planks

Hanging leg lifts

Superman raises

Hamstring

Tabata sprints

Thursdays

HSPU

Deadlift

Hi jumps

Trap raises

windshield wipers

Scissor kicks

Superman raise

Hamstring

Tabata sprints

Saturday

5 gallon water exercises

To failure per set for 3 sets

Overhead swings

Overhead shoulder presses

One arm lifts

Squat/highpulls

Dips

35lbs ruck hump 5miles

Sundays-No gymnastics holds

Short calisthenic workout: Max reps on all exercises for one set each

Pushup

Y-squat

Pullup

Superman raise

V-ups

Handstand push-ups

Hamstring

Dips

Inverted rows

Tabata sprints

My goals in order of priority are:

-reaching the SPECWAR physical fitness requirements

-developing the strength necessary to perform several reps of HSPUs and bowers with ease

-aesthetically pleasing physique with a 6 or 8 pack. =)

Thank you very very much in advance for any help anyone may be able to offer.

Thanks,

Steven~

P.S. I searched the forum for a similar topic with no luck.

P.P.S. I forgot to mention this, but I'd also like to incorporate some sort of training to be able to perform no leg rope climbing without overtraining due to pullups?

What do you mean Military Special Operations community? Are you currently in the military? Which branch do you plan on joining and what job is it you want?

No I'm not in the military. My primary goal is to join the Navy SEAL teams.

However, I have yet to get a dive physical and vision test to confirm I meet the minimum requirements.

My fallbacks are Army Rangers or USMC Force Recon.

Honestly, if you are training for Spec Ops, do an assload of running, pushups, and pullups. CrossFit is probably right up your alley.

Rings and BW exercising would be something more for fun. You could probably do rings/bw instead of pullup and pushups, but still train the running.

It would probably be good to do grease the groove pullup or pushup sets to build up both numbers to high enough capacity.

Definitely, check into your eyes. If you have male color blindness, they may promise so you some BS or neat sounding MOS, but you'll end up being logistics. I don't even think you can be a grunt or front liner with male color blindness unless they have lowered the standards due to lack of numbers.

Funny, after being diagnosed with color blindness when I was 18 I lost my spot in one of the IDF elite special ops unit. It is a problematic flaw that can cost in human life, they do not take any chances.

Ido.

My friend in ReserveOfficerTrainingCorps was diagnosed with this during college and the negated his dream of becoming an Air Force pilot. For some reason, he thought when he enlisted he would scoot on by and was regulated towards non front of line positions, basically logistics and support positions.

So, before your hopes get up, make sure your eyesight is not going to kill this goal. You may be able to get into law enforcement, but I'm not sure what they're regulations are regarding eyesight.

Sorry to hear that Ido, I've heard many stories like that.

I understand the consequences of enlisting without meeting the requirements which is why I'm going to make sure I meet all the necessary requirements before getting my SEAL contract which will guarantee me a spot at BUD/S.

Bob, I fully understand that which is why my top priority is to increase my endurance in pushups, pullups, and running. However, I would also very much like to be able to concurrently develop my HSPUs, bowers, and planche pushups without overtraining.

Thanks again~

I would reccomend and realize that the max strength stuff is merely for fun.

Buds is basically about heart, guts, and being able to function on little to no rest/sleep.

Special Warfare Physical Prep Tidbits to Consider

There is no question that endurance is the cornerstone of surviving BUDs; both mental and physical. Plan on running 8-10 miles per day. For those who are unprepared for such a large volume of running, stress fractures will be the guaranteed result. In fact stress fractures are one of the major reasons for medical failures during BUDs.

Remember that the minimum physical testing scores to enter BUDs are just that, minimums. They are designed to thin out the pack to those who might have a reasonable chance at survival. However remember that survival is not the same as excelling. To excel, substantially more work will need to be done to lay the correct foundation.

Actually maximum strength plays an enormous role in preparing for BUDs. Track stars who excel at running and high-rep bodyweight calesthenics only will quickly find themselves physically unraveling during training. During phase 3 (land warfare), conditioning runs are performed with everyone in the group carrying their share of a 300lb log. The inflatable boats that are most often carried overhead in phase 1 weigh several hundred pounds. Add into to this log PT and PT while wearing 60lbs of diving gear and you begin to get the picture. Also, one of the final tests that you will need to pass during SQT (BUDs to airborne to SQT) will be a 13 mile run in 4 hours carrying a 90lb Pack. FYI, the record for this weighted 13 mile run is 2 hours and twenty something minutes :shock:.

In essence, preparing for special operations is in fact working to turn yourself into a strong enduring pack mule that is also capable of sudden explosive physical responses.

I would recommend checking out Kory Knowles site, the Seal Quest. He is a former SEAL and BUDs instructor who now specializes in preparing young men for the rigors of BUDs. It bears mentioning as well that Mr Knowles has found my gymnastics training protocols to be a valuable addition to BUDs preparation.

You will also find US Tactical CrossFit to be another invaluable resource for BUDs preparation. Robert Orr, the primary trainer there, is an outstanding individual with a wealth of training knowledge.

Yours in Fitness,

Coach Sommer

Thank you so much for your response Coach. I can't even begin to imagine how busy you are so thank you again for taking time to share your knowledge with us.

I'm actually aware of the requirements and demands of BUD/S as I've researched countless websites and I've read at least 5 books from authors such as Dick Couch, Chuck Pfarrer, and Marcus Luttrell in order to get as many perspectives as possible into the life of a SEAL as well as training requirements. I actually didn't know about that final SQT test though! Sounds like a real doozy.

I actually also have those websites on my favorites list.

The reason I came here specifically is to ask your advice on how to build those endurance levels while at the same time building the strength required to perform bowers and planche pushups without overtraining my muscles.

How do I incorporate HSPUs and planche pushups into the MWF pushup and pullup regimen?

I'm pretty blown away by how much you know about BUD/S though Coach; another testament to your wisdom and experience.

Thanks very much again for your time Coach, it is enormously appreciated.

Steven~

Just my .02 cents bro.

I have been to BUD/S and was in HELL WEEK before I blew two discs in my lumber spine and was Med dropped. If you want the best shot at making it through the program look at Stew Smiths 12 weeks to BUD\S. It is hands down the best training program for SEALS.

Play sports in High School/College and learn to be competative, the SEALS want people with the drive to win at all costs.

PM if you want some more info.

TheGear

On 9/5/2008 at 8:23 AM, Coach Sommer said:

Special Warfare Physical Prep Tidbits to Consider

There is no question that endurance is the cornerstone of surviving BUDs; both mental and physical. Plan on running 8-10 miles per day. For those who are unprepared for such a large volume of running, stress fractures will be the guaranteed result. In fact stress fractures are one of the major reasons for medical failures during BUDs.

Remember that the minimum physical testing scores to enter BUDs are just that, minimums. They are designed to thin out the pack to those who might have a reasonable chance at survival. However remember that survival is not the same as excelling. To excel, substantially more work will need to be done to lay the correct foundation.

Actually maximum strength plays an enormous role in preparing for BUDs. Track stars who excel at running and high-rep bodyweight calesthenics only will quickly find themselves physically unraveling during training. During phase 3 (land warfare), conditioning runs are performed with everyone in the group carrying their share of a 300lb log. The inflatable boats that are most often carried overhead in phase 1 weigh several hundred pounds. Add into to this log PT and PT while wearing 60lbs of diving gear and you begin to get the picture. Also, one of the final tests that you will need to pass during SQT (BUDs to airborne to SQT) will be a 13 mile run in 4 hours carrying a 90lb Pack. FYI, the record for this weighted 13 mile run is 2 hours and twenty something minutes :shock:.

In essence, preparing for special operations is in fact working to turn yourself into a strong enduring pack mule that is also capable of sudden explosive physical responses.

I would recommend checking out Kory Knowles site, the Seal Quest. He is a former SEAL and BUDs instructor who now specializes in preparing young men for the rigors of BUDs. It bears mentioning as well that Mr Knowles has found my gymnastics training protocols to be a valuable addition to BUDs preparation.

You will also find US Tactical CrossFit to be another invaluable resource for BUDs preparation. Robert Orr, the primary trainer there, is an outstanding individual with a wealth of training knowledge.

Yours in Fitness,

Coach Sommer

Hi Coach Sommer, 

Reiterating the OP's question: How to build max endurance levels (e.g., pushups, pullups, log pt) while at the same time building maximum strength, specifically in the context of BUD/S or SFAS through your protocols? 

V/r, 

Attalla

2 hours ago, Attalla said:

Hi Coach Sommer, 

Reiterating the OP's question: How to build max endurance levels (e.g., pushups, pullups, log pt) while at the same time building maximum strength, specifically in the context of BUD/S or SFAS through your protocols? 

V/r, 

Attalla

Building maximum endurance while improving the maximal strength is not possible. you can increase the maximalendurancee WHILE holding (but more realistic is losing a bit) your maximal strength level. they are different capacities, they cannot be maximized at the same time because the cost in terms of energy, nervous system recovery etc is too high. if there is someone saying that you can maximize both...is not honest.