ISSUE SEVENTY

June 2008

A Day in the Life Preparing for SOF Conditioning

Robert Ord
page 1

CrossFit Kids Dryland Training for Young Swimmers

Kaitlin Lyons

page 6

Media Tips, #4
Tony Budding Lon Kilgore
page 9

Certifiable Knowledge
page 10

Entering the Clinch

Becca Borawski
page 12

Capacity, Standards, and Sport

Tony Budding Brian Jolda
page 14

SWAT vs. Fran

page 17

A Lighter Take on Fran

John Hovey
page 19

CrossFit Programming Part 1

Dave Castro
page 20

A Day in the Life Preparing for SOF Conditioning

Robert Ord

Working for Pins and Near Fall Points in Wrestling

Chris Spealler
page 21

Jeff Tucker page 23 For the warrior, the objective of training is to prepare for the known and the unknown. In the case of Naval Special Operations hopefuls, the first official step Race to Your Potential is passing Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL (BUD/S) training. The preparation How to Pace an Indoor required to successfully complete this, or any of the other Special Operations Forces Rowing Test Alex Dunne page 24 (SOF) training pipelines, is the subject of this article.
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Pull-Up Bar Drills, #3 Going Further

Jump Rope Basics, #3

Buddy Lee
page 28

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A picture is worth a thousand words

In the book The Only Easy Day Was Yesterday: Making Navy SEALs, photojournalist Richard Schoenberg, whose photos are featured here and in my previous Pre-SOF Training articles for the CrossFit Journal, successfully captures the magnitude of the physical and mental undertaking that is BUD/S. Those images paint the total picture that the content of this series of articles could not express in words alone. For any of you serious about preparing yourselves, or others, for such a challenge, The Only Easy Day Was Yesterday is an amazing educational, inspirational, and motivational resource. I always recommended it to my own pre-SOF trainees to help them build the brass ring vision that is an integral part of our program. Tomorrow will not be easier To get an appreciation for what it means to prepare for the known in pre-SOF training, lets look at a day in the life of a firstphase BUD/S student. Note that this is not an unusually hard day; its not a day in hell week; its simply an ordinary day at BUD/S. A look at the schedule below provides insight into the kind of fitness required to be successful at BUD/S. Work in all of CrossFits ten general physical skills is present, but its obvious that it takes an inordinate amount of cardiorespiratory endurance and general stamina to make it through not only this day, but the next one, and the next one, and the next one. This is not to say that it pays to specialize, however, because without a good deal of strength,

Time 0430 0445 0600 0715 0800 0945 1130 1230 1345 1500 1700

Event Class muster Grinder PT Chow (breakfast) Conditioning run Classroom training Surf torture Chow (lunch) Classroom training Obstacle course Water work at pool Secure from training

Notes Class musters together and runs to the BUD/S compound. Morning PT on blacktop, led by instructor(s). Class runs to and from chow together (1.5 miles round trip). Run 4-5 miles fast. Slow runners get gooned.* Academic training often includes ample amounts of remediation PT. PT and other fun games in and out of the surf zone. Class runs to and from chow together (1.5 miles round trip). Continuation of morning session. Typically includes ample amounts of remediation PT. Repeated timed runs through the O-course. Stroke development and timed intervals above and beneath the surface. After returning from the pool, class is secured for the day.

*Being gooned occurs when a group of the slower runners break from the main pack. An instructor will, at his discretion, form up a goon squad and dispense remediation for running too slow, in the form of all sorts of unpleasant PT (physical training).
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flexibility, accuracy, agility, balance, and coordination, as well as power and speed, of course, the obstacle course, among other things, could never be mastered. It is also apparent that trainees must be fit across all three metabolic pathways, particularly the glycolytic and oxidative systems. Running What may not be readily apparent from the schedule above is the true amount of running involved. Running to and from each event, coupled with running during events, on a day like this can log up toand sometimes overtwenty miles. In BUD/S youre always running. The constant pounding takes its toll on every student, especially those not accustomed to running this much. For this reason, preparing for the known means that running must be a staple of pre-SOF conditioning. There are three main categories of running in pre-SOF conditioning: Long slow distance of 10 to 15 kilometers below anaerobic threshold. Medium and short distance intervals of 100 to 5000 meters at or above anaerobic threshold. Rucksack runs with a weighted backpack (approximately 25 pounds) for 5-10 kilometers. Swimming Like running, swimming is regular element of daily life at BUD/S. Pool swims with and without fins, as well as open-water ocean and bay swims are daily evolutions. Comfort in the water comes

only from time in the water. Therefore, swimming also must be a significant element in a pre-SOF conditioning program. As with running, working across both long-slow-distance and medium- and short-distance intervals is key to proper preparation. PT The basic elements of PT (physical training) consist primarily of pull-ups, push-ups, sit-ups, squats, flutter kicks, leg levers, and presses (often of logs and boats). In our pre-SOF conditioning program, these are a big part of the CrossFit WODs, but they should also be executed throughout the day for proficiency and familiarity.

Sample BUD/S-prep workouts

The following sample workout is a great supplement to CrossFit programming, and the combination of the two makes for a superb pre-SOF conditioning program. Follow the frequency guidelines below, and ensure that you leave about six hours between your CrossFit WOD and the BUD/S prep workouts in table below. (For a more comprehensive and individualized pre-SOF program, see NavySeals.com.) Getting started The following sections provide some additional information and suggestions on integrating pre-SOF conditioning with your CrossFit training.

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Swim 6x50 Warm up Day 1 200 300 400 2x100 Tech Drills 3:19 5:15 7:42 Cool down Push Ups Regular Diamond Wide Triceps Stretch 100 40 60 20 Sit-ups Leg Levers Pyramid to: Stretch Sit-ups (4 sets) Sit-ups (2 sets) Sit-ups (4 sets) Stretch 6x50 Warm up Intervals 4x100 Day 3 Intervals 4x50 Intervals 10x25 2x100 Tech Drills 1:55 0:57 0:28 Cool down Regular (4 sets) Triceps (2 sets) Regular (4 sets) Wide (2 sets) Stretch 32 32 32 32 Sit-ups (4 sets) Flutter kicks (2 sets) Sit-ups (4 sets) Flutter kicks (2 sets) Stretch Flutter kicks Sit-ups Day 4 Leg Levers Pyramid to: Stretch 6x50 Warm up 200 Day 5 400 600 2x100 Tech Drills 3:30 7:00 10:30 Cool down Flutter kicks (1 set) Sit-ups (1 set) Flutter kicks (2 sets) Sit-ups (2 sets) Stretch 80 80 60 60 2 sets 2 sets 2 sets 25 24 22 Warm up 4x400 on: 4x800 on: 4x1200 on: Cool down 15:00 1:36 3:38 6:33 5:00 Regular (4 sets) Regular (2 sets) Regular (2 sets) Stretch 27 40 27 Sit-ups (4 sets) Sit-ups (2 sets) Sit-ups (2 sets) Stretch 27 40 27 (1x) (1x) (1x) 11 Strict form Rapid fire Pyramid to: 13 Warm up 8x200 on: 10x400 on: 4x200 on: Cool down 15:00 1:05 2:11 1:05 5:00 32 40 32 40 27 40 27 4 Sets 2 Sets 4 Sets Stretch 10 20 10 Warm up 1200 (.75 mi) 2400 (1.5 mi) 4800 (3 mi) Cool down 15:00 3:56 8:45 18:48 5:00 Sit Ups Flutter kicks (1x) (1x) (1x) 11 Pull Ups Run

Day 6

Day 2

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Our scheme of weight, reps, and additional work, is designed for a hypothetical very fit mid-size (i.e. about 175 pounds) male who has been trained in CrossFit exercises. If this does not describe you, then your weight, reps, and additional work may need to be scaled down (or up) to a level that is both safe and effective for you. The rule on this is to go down a little lower than you think you need to at first; if its too easy, you can come back up in small progressive steps. Conclusion When preparing for any event or undertaking, its important to have a detailed understanding of how to train to best succeed. Pre-SOF conditioning is no exception. Preparing for the known elements encountered in BUD/S or any other SOF pipeline requires that additional running, swimming, and PT be a part of the training regimen. And also implementing more varied, broader CrossFit programming is an important part of preparing for the unknown as well. Define your objective In short, when you put together your training program or evaluate one created by someone else for your use, you must define your objective, train for it, and be smart about it. If youre training for BUD/S or another SOF pipeline with the expectation of making it through, there are a few things that are important to have under your belt before you actually begin: The ability to run fastfor a long time. The ability to swim fast, with and without finsfor a long time. The strength to move your body and some additional weight aroundfor a long time. The experience of pushing your body and mind to their limits often enough that it is not a new feeling. It has been said that he who has no goal will certainly achieve it. Set your sights high, learn everything you can, and then, like a tactician, train with intelligence to achieve your goal by preparing for all the known challenges and obstacles and the ability to face and conquer the unknown ones as well.

Frequency NavySEALs.com posts workouts six days a week, Monday through Saturday. This is not because we want everyone to train six days a week, but because we know that there are so many individuals out there with different training schedules that no one size fits all approach will work. Offering workouts six days a week ensures that training can fit into most peoples busy schedules. In addition to the day off on Sunday, I recommend you take another day off during the week, but not the same day every week. In week one, take off Sunday and Monday, in week two, take off Sunday and Tuesday, in week three, Sunday and Wednesday, week four, Sunday and Thursday, and so on. Then go through one full six-day training week where you only take off Sunday. Then start the process over. Programming In a pre-SOF conditioning program, the choice of WODs should not be arbitrary. When I select or create a workout for NavySEALs. com, I focus on the skills necessary for optimal performance and train accordingly. It may seem that some weeks are hard on the legs with lots of running, squats, thrusters, plyometrics, etc., while other weeks focus more on swimming and other PT. This is by design, in order to develop performance to a far higher level, over time, than any repetitive program ever could. CrossFit is world-class training. If youre an athlete who competes or has competed at a high level,you are likely familiar with many of the exercises prescribed in theWODs because they are what are used in good top-tier strength and conditioning athletic training programs. Scaling Most WODs generally prescribe the weight that should be lifted, the number of reps, and with the case of a NavySEALs.com pre-SOF conditioning program, any additional work for a second workout.

Robert Ord is the Director of Training at the U.S. Tactical CrossFit Training Center in Encinitas, California, where he oversees all CrossFit training at the center as well as the online training and mentoring provided by NavySEALs. com. He has worked as a consultant and contractor with the Navy in its efforts to find and effectively prepare future SEALs, Special Warfare combat crewmen, explosive ordnance disposal technicians, and Navy divers before devoting his full time to the U.S. Tactical CrossFit Training Center. Photo credits Richard Schoenberg
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