Donnerstag, 24. März 2011
Mittwoch, 16. März 2011
Donnerstag, 10. März 2011
Getting to know a Navy SEAL (2)
You and me have something in common:
Today I felt my energy levels a bit low, I knew I was not going to get all the sleep tonight either so I decided to take a day off.
Do nothing.
Watch some TV shows.
Take a nap.
That´s a nice way to keep your body balanced.
I can afford something like this because if I miss one day of training...So what?!
I will not suffer from it, quite the opposite. Same is, most likely, true for you.
But what if your job, your duty involves, requires, is constant moving, working, running, lifting, practicing, evolving?
How can the body keep up with the evolution of the mind?
Well... Who better to ask than Brad McLeod, former Navy SEAL and fitness coach? ;-)
What can be done to keep energy levels high, at the same time stay injury free, what can a person with a vast experience with pain, suffering as well as rising again after physical and mental punishment and crossing borders formerly thought "uncrossable"?
Who better to ask than a man who made it through the toughest military training in the world?
Here we go, enjoy the ride.
HH: Brad, how did you value/use/include different approaches like BWEs,
weight- training, bicylce riding, swimming, hiking, etc.?
SGPT: That is a good question, Harald.
During my times in the SEAL Team’s I valued the body weight exercises along with running and swimming as my top priority. I had to be able to do all 3 of those exercises very well to be a part of the teams. I would supplement extra workouts with bicycle riding and weight training to round out my overall general physical preparedness. I also climbed a tall houser rope outside the compound during lunch and sometimes did the small obstacle course for a few laps after work. I found that the rope climb was very beneficial to building my grip strength, upper body endurance and core strength. I would highly recommend adding the rope climb as a supplemental exercise to anyone who is thinking about Special Forces training.
HH: Did you design your own workout regime, was it provided by the
organization or a mix of both?
SGPT: I was required to do a morning PT with the SEAL Teams for general training and then from there we would do a short run (5k) or at least once a week do a longer run (15k) or a swim. I would add extra workouts depending on how my body felt such as bicycle riding, and weight training and rope climbing. Doing the basic workouts from the SEAL Team would be enough to maintain your body in shape – but I was always trying to do extra.
It paid off as I was asked to go to rock climbing school and later taught my platoon some rappelling and climbing techniques. Without the additional training I was doing I may not have been selected to go to rock climbing school. Learning to rock climb was a big turning point in my life so I was glad that I had put the extra work in to get my body ready for that event.
HH: With a such a unit and the possibility to be deployed on very short notice, was there any sort of programming of your training possible?
SGPT: I would just train hard all the time to be ready for anything at any time. I really mixed up the training but in general would always go towards muscle endurance doing long runs, long bicycle rides and long weight workouts (usually an hour at least).
The only short workouts I would do would be the obstacle course where I may do 2 or 3 laps and end up working for about 30 minutes. So to make it harder I may run or ride your bike to the obstacle course and then ride your bike home – a few miles away.
HH: Recovery: Was there any? How did you handle the workload?
SGPT: When I was in Basic Underwater Demolition SEAL training (BUD/S), there was not much recovery.
You get your butt kicked every day and there is no let up. I remember my body always being in a constant state of fatigue. So you mainly have to muster up your mental power to get you through the daily grind of workouts.
It has been said that BUD/S is 90% mental and 10% physical.
I do believe that because at a certain point most athletes, even the best, get worn down by the total workload and have to run on fuel from the mind. That is where I began my initial rudimentary mental conditioning techniques of visualization and affirmations.
Without them, my body would have crumpled and I would not have completed BUD/S.
By working on the mental side, I was able to overcome my physical weaknesses and eventually succeed and graduate BUD/S.
HH: Again considering the possibility of short- notice- deployment: how did you make sure your training would prepare you but not kill you?
SGPT: When I trained initially for BUD/S my first time I was 19 years old. I trained very hard but made a lot of mistakes in my style of training. During my second time going through BUD/S (I was 22) I trained even harder but smarter. I did long 100 mile plus bike rides and long running events. I lifted weights for long periods of time and run to and from the gym. I pushed my body really hard and mixed up the workouts. Luckily I had no major injuries or set backs. I think the key is knowing your body and being aware when you train. It is easy to overtrain if you don’t mix up the workouts. If you were to do similar exercises day after day you would overtrain and strain the body – resulting in an injury.
HH: How did you deal with in injuries(if you ever had any)? Work around them or stop and heal?
SGPT: For many years (after my time in the SEAL Teams) I was plagued with injuries. I would train for rock climbing and workout in the gym many days a week climbing the plastic holds and working out on the climbing hangboard. Over a period of time I realized that this was taking a toll on my body as I developed tendonitis in my elbows and shoulder problems. I kept doing the same workouts every day with repetitive motions (all pulling down). I was not taking enough time off to rest and did not drink enough water and stretch. Now that I do CrossFit – I mix up my workouts so that I don’t do the same workout every day and mix up the motions between pulling down and pushing. I run and stretch and do yoga and really mix it up. I drink water and most importantly I have scheduled rest – so my body is nearly injury free. This is a big thing for me after training for so long with injuries –to be injury free and setting new personal records in pull-ups, deadlift and the one mile run (at the age of 48) is a big deal.
HH: Thank you Brad, for sharing all this information. I´m looking forward to part 3 of our interview- series "Getting to know a Navy SEAL".
Guys, I think if you just read the interview you can get a ton of input for your training.
Make it 87282362 tons if you visit Brad´s website http://sealgrinderpt.com/
Also tripple the amount of information if you read between the lines and discover the implied experience of a man who spent good time with the teams.
This is as "no bullshit" as it can get, so I hope to see you guys again with the next interview.
Train hard and live every moment!
All the best,
Harry
Today I felt my energy levels a bit low, I knew I was not going to get all the sleep tonight either so I decided to take a day off.
Do nothing.
Watch some TV shows.
Take a nap.
That´s a nice way to keep your body balanced.
I can afford something like this because if I miss one day of training...So what?!
I will not suffer from it, quite the opposite. Same is, most likely, true for you.
But what if your job, your duty involves, requires, is constant moving, working, running, lifting, practicing, evolving?
How can the body keep up with the evolution of the mind?
Well... Who better to ask than Brad McLeod, former Navy SEAL and fitness coach? ;-)
What can be done to keep energy levels high, at the same time stay injury free, what can a person with a vast experience with pain, suffering as well as rising again after physical and mental punishment and crossing borders formerly thought "uncrossable"?
Who better to ask than a man who made it through the toughest military training in the world?
Here we go, enjoy the ride.
HH: Brad, how did you value/use/include different approaches like BWEs,
weight- training, bicylce riding, swimming, hiking, etc.?
SGPT: That is a good question, Harald.
During my times in the SEAL Team’s I valued the body weight exercises along with running and swimming as my top priority. I had to be able to do all 3 of those exercises very well to be a part of the teams. I would supplement extra workouts with bicycle riding and weight training to round out my overall general physical preparedness. I also climbed a tall houser rope outside the compound during lunch and sometimes did the small obstacle course for a few laps after work. I found that the rope climb was very beneficial to building my grip strength, upper body endurance and core strength. I would highly recommend adding the rope climb as a supplemental exercise to anyone who is thinking about Special Forces training.
HH: Did you design your own workout regime, was it provided by the
organization or a mix of both?
SGPT: I was required to do a morning PT with the SEAL Teams for general training and then from there we would do a short run (5k) or at least once a week do a longer run (15k) or a swim. I would add extra workouts depending on how my body felt such as bicycle riding, and weight training and rope climbing. Doing the basic workouts from the SEAL Team would be enough to maintain your body in shape – but I was always trying to do extra.
It paid off as I was asked to go to rock climbing school and later taught my platoon some rappelling and climbing techniques. Without the additional training I was doing I may not have been selected to go to rock climbing school. Learning to rock climb was a big turning point in my life so I was glad that I had put the extra work in to get my body ready for that event.
HH: With a such a unit and the possibility to be deployed on very short notice, was there any sort of programming of your training possible?
SGPT: I would just train hard all the time to be ready for anything at any time. I really mixed up the training but in general would always go towards muscle endurance doing long runs, long bicycle rides and long weight workouts (usually an hour at least).
The only short workouts I would do would be the obstacle course where I may do 2 or 3 laps and end up working for about 30 minutes. So to make it harder I may run or ride your bike to the obstacle course and then ride your bike home – a few miles away.
HH: Recovery: Was there any? How did you handle the workload?
SGPT: When I was in Basic Underwater Demolition SEAL training (BUD/S), there was not much recovery.
You get your butt kicked every day and there is no let up. I remember my body always being in a constant state of fatigue. So you mainly have to muster up your mental power to get you through the daily grind of workouts.
It has been said that BUD/S is 90% mental and 10% physical.
I do believe that because at a certain point most athletes, even the best, get worn down by the total workload and have to run on fuel from the mind. That is where I began my initial rudimentary mental conditioning techniques of visualization and affirmations.
Without them, my body would have crumpled and I would not have completed BUD/S.
By working on the mental side, I was able to overcome my physical weaknesses and eventually succeed and graduate BUD/S.
HH: Again considering the possibility of short- notice- deployment: how did you make sure your training would prepare you but not kill you?
SGPT: When I trained initially for BUD/S my first time I was 19 years old. I trained very hard but made a lot of mistakes in my style of training. During my second time going through BUD/S (I was 22) I trained even harder but smarter. I did long 100 mile plus bike rides and long running events. I lifted weights for long periods of time and run to and from the gym. I pushed my body really hard and mixed up the workouts. Luckily I had no major injuries or set backs. I think the key is knowing your body and being aware when you train. It is easy to overtrain if you don’t mix up the workouts. If you were to do similar exercises day after day you would overtrain and strain the body – resulting in an injury.
HH: How did you deal with in injuries(if you ever had any)? Work around them or stop and heal?
SGPT: For many years (after my time in the SEAL Teams) I was plagued with injuries. I would train for rock climbing and workout in the gym many days a week climbing the plastic holds and working out on the climbing hangboard. Over a period of time I realized that this was taking a toll on my body as I developed tendonitis in my elbows and shoulder problems. I kept doing the same workouts every day with repetitive motions (all pulling down). I was not taking enough time off to rest and did not drink enough water and stretch. Now that I do CrossFit – I mix up my workouts so that I don’t do the same workout every day and mix up the motions between pulling down and pushing. I run and stretch and do yoga and really mix it up. I drink water and most importantly I have scheduled rest – so my body is nearly injury free. This is a big thing for me after training for so long with injuries –to be injury free and setting new personal records in pull-ups, deadlift and the one mile run (at the age of 48) is a big deal.
HH: Thank you Brad, for sharing all this information. I´m looking forward to part 3 of our interview- series "Getting to know a Navy SEAL".
Guys, I think if you just read the interview you can get a ton of input for your training.
Make it 87282362 tons if you visit Brad´s website http://sealgrinderpt.com/
Also tripple the amount of information if you read between the lines and discover the implied experience of a man who spent good time with the teams.
This is as "no bullshit" as it can get, so I hope to see you guys again with the next interview.
Train hard and live every moment!
All the best,
Harry
Sonntag, 6. März 2011
3 crazy phases ahead - a view into a sick pig
It has been some time since I posted.
(And to everybody who got fooled by the title: I´ll not discuss nutrition.)
There are two reasons for that:
-I was a sick pig. Yeah, right, I had the swine flu.
:-D
-Second: I have been in the Austrian´ backcountry for some weeks, completing an internship at a psychosomatic clinic.
Which reminded me of a very important rule to a warriors life: surround yourself with likeminded people.
Fortunatly I had one guy with me, even crazier than me who constantly kept me on the thin line between clear thinking and almost kiling him for talking nonsense all the time.
On the other hand I was shown who I do not want to be surrounded by.
I´ll have to evaluate my future under those new points of view.
But some really interesting things will happen over the next few months.
Right now I´m back to being a pig. But this time eating like one.
I was in the mood for some bulking again and the best results of my training career so far came from the one lift a day- approach by Dan John. ( http://danjohn.net/ )
So I´m back to the program for approx. 5 weeks.
But there is no growth without building blocks, energy and time to do the building.
About the building blocks:
I started eating as much as my daily work at the university allows me. Usually this means I´m able to get 2 square meals a day.
Since this would be way to little food to grow anything I added several milk shakes with a whey protein. That way I can add around 30 gram of protein 2-3 times a day.
So far it feels pretty good.
About the energy:
I´m also ingesting a good amount of carbs on my training days, mostly rice, bread and potatoes.
The rest- days are fat and protein only.
I have accepted that I will gain a little fat along with the muscle mass, that´s why the 4 weeks after the program are gonna be sweeeeet!
About the time to build:
Well, I have to sleep. Period.
After the program...
Well, since I will be a pudgy piggy after the 5 weeks I´ll give the velocity diet a chance:
http://velocity.t-nation.com/free_online_program/sports_body_training_diet_velocity/velocity_diet_30
You got the link, so please, read it up.
I´m expecting the fat loss but along with it some huge mental barriers to break. Simply because only living on milk shakes won´t be a walk in tha park.
The training regimen will be slightly different than in the original version because I have to tailor it to my possibilities of my home gym.
After that I´m gonna be a sharp piggy, both physically and mentally.
My body will be in a state of optimal absorption capeabilities which leads to the phase three: another bulking phase.
Back to eating like a fat pig while working like a mule. Plus I´m as stubborn as one so it will be a walk in the park.
Well...kinda...you know...
I´ll keep you posted, especially while on the velocity diet and we will see how messed up I´m gonna get. ;-)
By the way, the next interview with Brad McLeod, our former Navy SEAL will soon be posted so keep checking the blog, I´m really looking forward to it and hopefully so do you!
Train hard and enjoy every moment!
All the best,
Harry
BTW: No piggies were hurt due to the usage of their name in this Blog. Every pig who was emotionally crushed due to my violent abuse of his proud name was given a cuddle- therapy to recuperate.
(And to everybody who got fooled by the title: I´ll not discuss nutrition.)
There are two reasons for that:
-I was a sick pig. Yeah, right, I had the swine flu.
:-D
-Second: I have been in the Austrian´ backcountry for some weeks, completing an internship at a psychosomatic clinic.
Which reminded me of a very important rule to a warriors life: surround yourself with likeminded people.
Fortunatly I had one guy with me, even crazier than me who constantly kept me on the thin line between clear thinking and almost kiling him for talking nonsense all the time.
On the other hand I was shown who I do not want to be surrounded by.
I´ll have to evaluate my future under those new points of view.
But some really interesting things will happen over the next few months.
Right now I´m back to being a pig. But this time eating like one.
I was in the mood for some bulking again and the best results of my training career so far came from the one lift a day- approach by Dan John. ( http://danjohn.net/ )
So I´m back to the program for approx. 5 weeks.
But there is no growth without building blocks, energy and time to do the building.
About the building blocks:
I started eating as much as my daily work at the university allows me. Usually this means I´m able to get 2 square meals a day.
Since this would be way to little food to grow anything I added several milk shakes with a whey protein. That way I can add around 30 gram of protein 2-3 times a day.
So far it feels pretty good.
About the energy:
I´m also ingesting a good amount of carbs on my training days, mostly rice, bread and potatoes.
The rest- days are fat and protein only.
I have accepted that I will gain a little fat along with the muscle mass, that´s why the 4 weeks after the program are gonna be sweeeeet!
About the time to build:
Well, I have to sleep. Period.
After the program...
Well, since I will be a pudgy piggy after the 5 weeks I´ll give the velocity diet a chance:
http://velocity.t-nation.com/free_online_program/sports_body_training_diet_velocity/velocity_diet_30
You got the link, so please, read it up.
I´m expecting the fat loss but along with it some huge mental barriers to break. Simply because only living on milk shakes won´t be a walk in tha park.
The training regimen will be slightly different than in the original version because I have to tailor it to my possibilities of my home gym.
After that I´m gonna be a sharp piggy, both physically and mentally.
My body will be in a state of optimal absorption capeabilities which leads to the phase three: another bulking phase.
Back to eating like a fat pig while working like a mule. Plus I´m as stubborn as one so it will be a walk in the park.
Well...kinda...you know...
I´ll keep you posted, especially while on the velocity diet and we will see how messed up I´m gonna get. ;-)
By the way, the next interview with Brad McLeod, our former Navy SEAL will soon be posted so keep checking the blog, I´m really looking forward to it and hopefully so do you!
Train hard and enjoy every moment!
All the best,
Harry
BTW: No piggies were hurt due to the usage of their name in this Blog. Every pig who was emotionally crushed due to my violent abuse of his proud name was given a cuddle- therapy to recuperate.
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