Well guys...We are finally starting it.
A journey into the life and mind of a man who has gone through the toughest military training there is, a man who can tell you what "being fit" really means, because where he has been trained, where he worked, what he has done, there is no place for error, no place for training which is only boosting your ego...
Who is he, what has he done, what does it take to get there?
Ladies and gentlemen, enjoy our view into a no-bullshit-world of fitness!
HH: Who are you and what are you currently doing?
SGPT: I am an average guy who is on a life long journey to improve myself. My name is Brad McLeod and I live in Atlanta, Georgia. I work in a physically demanding job as an environmental consultant so I have to hike a lot and weather the Southern heat and rain. I work part time as a CrossFit trainer and help athletes improve themselves both physically and mentally. I train athletes both on my website http://www.sealgrinderpt.com/ and at local parks in the Atlanta area.
A journey into the life and mind of a man who has gone through the toughest military training there is, a man who can tell you what "being fit" really means, because where he has been trained, where he worked, what he has done, there is no place for error, no place for training which is only boosting your ego...
Who is he, what has he done, what does it take to get there?
Ladies and gentlemen, enjoy our view into a no-bullshit-world of fitness!
HH: Who are you and what are you currently doing?
SGPT: I am an average guy who is on a life long journey to improve myself. My name is Brad McLeod and I live in Atlanta, Georgia. I work in a physically demanding job as an environmental consultant so I have to hike a lot and weather the Southern heat and rain. I work part time as a CrossFit trainer and help athletes improve themselves both physically and mentally. I train athletes both on my website http://www.sealgrinderpt.com/ and at local parks in the Atlanta area.
HH: What are the SEALs
SGPT: SEAL stands for SEa, Air, Land and are the U.S. Navy’s Special Warfare unit. These are guys that have to be ready for anything at anytime.
HH: How does one become a SEAL, what test have to be passed?
SGPT: The process to become a SEAL is very rigorous and very few guys actually make it to serve on a SEAL Team.
The first step is to be selected to Basic Underwater Demolition SEAL training (BUD/S). You have to pass a written test similar to a college entrance exam, a full body physical examinations from a Doctor with no problems and then pass a physical test (PST) of swimming 500 yards in a side stroke, max pushups in 2 minutes, max situps in 2 minutes and then max dead-hang pull-ups to failure and then a 1.5 mile run in long pants and boots. The pull-ups are what fails many athletes. When I took the test only 2 out of 10 passed in that session.
From there you go on to be classed up in BUD/S which is 6 months long of intense work load. We started our class with approximately 135 candidates. The first 8 weeks you concentrate on working together as a team and do tons of cold water swimming, running, PT, obstacle course and classroom sessions. This is all really intensified during Hell Week. Team work is key in Hell Week. During this week you go without any sleep and are driven to your outer point of failure through surf torture, boat drills, log PT, and non-stop exercise and team drills. Many athletes quit in the first few weeks but drop like flies during Hell Week.
When I went through the Diving portion was the second phase. Of course you learn all about diving with open circuit (SCUBA) and closed circuit (no bubbles) rigs. You do a ton of underwater swimming and classroom and continue hard PT. During that time I failed a math test and was disqualified and sent to a Navy ship for a year before I could return to start all over again at BUD/S.
The third phase (at the time I went through) was land warfare. You learn how to navigate long range over the land, shoot weapons, explosives and how to blow things up underwater. It was really fun but still very hard with lots of PT and rigorous work and long days. By the time we graduated from BUD/S we had only 16 guys and started with 135.
From there you go to Army jump school at Ft. Benning, Georgia and then on to a SEAL Team where you serve 6 months and have to go through another rigorous workup. At that time it was called SEAL Tactical Training (STT) and you went through with your platoon. You learn more land navigation, more demolition and you shoot weapons till your ears ring and shoulders and hands hurt. The days are very long but you learn a ton. After over a year of training you are then awarded your Navy SEAL Trident which for me was a big honor.
HH: What made you come back after the failed math test and a year in the fleet? What was your motivation to get back and do it all over again?
SGPT: It was a major goal of mine to make it through BUD/S and to the SEAL Teams. So when I was kicked out of training for failing a math test I was mentally crushed. I have never felt so low.
I remember an Instructor saying that "If you quit now, you will quit on everything hard the rest of your life". That phrase stuck with me as I did not want to be a quitter. Once i got done feeling sorry for myself i resolved to come backer stronger and smarter than ever. I started working out like a mad-man on the ship i was transferred to. I read many books and ran long distance when i got into port. I transformed myself into a new and better person. My motivation was that i don't like to lose or be second place. I wanted to win and finish the drill.
HH: When you were with the teams, what did a typical day of training look like?
SGPT: I used to ride my bike in to work in the morning so would get a few miles in to warm up. Then we would all have our morning PT workout which was all bodyweight exercises similar to that found on http://www.sealgrinderpt.com/.
After the PT we would go for at least a 3 mile run or some days we would go swim or do a nearby obstacle course. The O course where I was stationed was lower so you could really go through fast. I loved that O course. Once a week we would go on a longer 10 mile run from a park in Virginia Beach down to another destination on the beach.
During the day we would have something different every day. We could be rappelling off a building or out of a helicopter. We would shoot weapons often and learn more explosives. We would dive or work in the boats and have drills. Every day was something new and interesting so you never got bored. Always fresh.
During lunch I would go lift weights in the weight room and sometimes I would go and do laps on the tall rope climb. After work I would bike back home, so in all would have a pretty physically demanding day with both the physical workouts and skills to learn.
Well guys, that´s it for the first part.
Stay tuned for the next part when we will hear Brads´ experiences with exercise- selection, programming, recovery and how he put it all together at http://www.sealgrinderpt.com/.
Train hard and be true to yourself guys!
All the best,
Harry
HH: When you were with the teams, what did a typical day of training look like?
SGPT: I used to ride my bike in to work in the morning so would get a few miles in to warm up. Then we would all have our morning PT workout which was all bodyweight exercises similar to that found on http://www.sealgrinderpt.com/.
After the PT we would go for at least a 3 mile run or some days we would go swim or do a nearby obstacle course. The O course where I was stationed was lower so you could really go through fast. I loved that O course. Once a week we would go on a longer 10 mile run from a park in Virginia Beach down to another destination on the beach.
During the day we would have something different every day. We could be rappelling off a building or out of a helicopter. We would shoot weapons often and learn more explosives. We would dive or work in the boats and have drills. Every day was something new and interesting so you never got bored. Always fresh.
During lunch I would go lift weights in the weight room and sometimes I would go and do laps on the tall rope climb. After work I would bike back home, so in all would have a pretty physically demanding day with both the physical workouts and skills to learn.
Well guys, that´s it for the first part.
Stay tuned for the next part when we will hear Brads´ experiences with exercise- selection, programming, recovery and how he put it all together at http://www.sealgrinderpt.com/.
Train hard and be true to yourself guys!
All the best,
Harry
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