Where to start your fitness journey for Special Warfare ( or your life)

 

Do you want to get in shape? Do you want to start a proven exercise that will produce results, build your confidence, and improve your overall well being?  You don't know how to start?

A big trend now is to say running is a waste of time and there are faster and better ways to get into shape. For those interested in Special Warfare, you have no choice, you have to do the proven exercise that can change everything.

Where to begin

There are so many ways to get into shape.  There's so much information available now on how to get into shape for training, or just for your overall fitness.  When someone looks at the standards for Combat Control, for example, there is a lot of things to work on and accomplish before attempting an intense program like that.

For others, they want to get there bodies into shape after years of inactivity . They want practical fitness that can translate over to their lives.  They want cardiovascular fitness and strength to enhance their lives with their children and family.  You may fall into these categories.

Whether you want to attempt some of the toughest military training out there, or you want to have the fitness of an elite warrior to improve your energy levels and feel younger, you have to start somewhere. Maybe you just want to improve your fitness to the point you're no longer out of shape and sedentary; this article still applies to you.

Start running

If you want to get started and want to immediately enjoy the elevated endorphins and better quality of life that exercise can offer you, then I encourage you to begin running. Only run at first. Begin a plan that gets you running three times per week and eventually five times per week once you've adjusted your body to running consistently.  Don't worry about doing much of anything else and just focus on starting to run.  

But wait. You may be wondering why just running.  You don't want to look like a skinny marathon runner.  You want big muscles and strength!

I promise that unless you are already super skinny, with tiny arms and are genetically engineered to look like a marathon runner, then running will nothing but help drop some unwanted body fat, give a better overall sense of well being, improve cardiovascular fitness, strengthen lower extremities, and overall improve fitness.  Those body types do rise to the top with the ability to run 26.2 miles in two hours, but you won't turn into that.

The other things like improving strength, swimming ( if interested) and building muscle can come later.  Not much later, but starting out running can help build motivation and get your body moving, while building confidence. Focusing one thing can help ease your body into a fitness plan.

Most people don't run.  To many people, running is a dreaded exercise that is avoided at all costs.  People would rather use some machine and stare at a TV for 45 minutes, rather than get outside and run.

I know it shouldn't matter how you compare to the average population when you compare how you workout, but if you are a runner and you talk about running with someone who doesn't run, there are always people who state that they don't run for various reasons.  Either they have bad knees, flat feet, bow legs, or they don't wanna burn muscle.  The truth about running is that many believe it's hard and running takes a lot of mental fortitude. When you do it correctly, anyone can run.  You may be super slow, but you can run!

 When you become a runner, it builds your confidence in a world where the lines are now blurry about who is really in shape.

 When you tell someone you ran 30 miles the week before at a party, where you are mingling with a personal trainer, they will notice.  They may do a few hours of fancy planks or CrossFit exercises, but when you explain that you run 30 miles in a week at your training pace, which was actually quite easy for you, there's no need to mention how serious you are about fitness or your dedication to complete something on that level.  You don't really have anything to prove.  You are no doubt in shape and you have exceptional fitness.  Functional fitness.  I'm not knocking personal trainers, but most people think running is a waste of time or most people are not suited to run.Most people think it's too hard.  They have memories of their side burning on the play ground.

While you did your mileage,you also had time to sort out your thoughts while you moved your body at a slow pace.  You had time to think about problems, figure out your next moves with a clear head, and have 30 to 45 minutes of alone time each day to see life for what it is while improving your fitness. You didn't have to waste time planning your workout or how to accomplish it.  You just went out the door and hit it. 

So, if you are joining the military, or you want to build up your weekly mileage to have the huge mental and physical benefits from one of the simplest exercises out there, I have no doubt it can become so routine, that you'll miss it if you ever stop. 

Back in the day

 That is what running did for me before I joined the military. It built my confidence and I knew I was gaining fitness that was well above average.  While I built up my running, I planned out what I wanted to do with my life and envisioned my future as a Combat Controller as I ran farther every week.  

I wasn't sure if I wanted to attempt special ops training before I started running.  I tried the BUD/s warning order running program, which I highly recommend. Once I finished it, I was a different person and that was just doing the running program.

I added other workouts once I had a solid running plan in place and was eventually  running 30 miles per week almost effortlessly.  If you train correctly, running that mileage will take nothing but time ( that you will learn to look forward to) using a plan like the bud/s warning order, or information that I developed using information I learned marathon training .  Make sure you follow a plan that builds mileage and run at a comfortable pace!

  One of the most amazing benefits of running is that you can get your body into the kind of shape of individuals ready for elite special ops training from anything like the Navy SEALs to Air Force CCT or Air Force PJs, in relatively short amount of time.  I know there are other exercises you most perform for these types of training, but running is the core and the most challenging for most people to accomplish.  If you can get your body into the correct running shape, you can swim FAR with the correct technique.

 After doing all the workout preparation for Combat Control, I realized certain aspects about the training.  Running was the most important exercise to prepare for the demands of training.  I could have slacked off on some of the exercises ( I did ) but running was vital for preparation.  I took it serious and you should too.

If your legs can withstand the lower extremity abuse that any elite unit goes through in training, you can withstand most anything life has to through at you physically. And that is where the majority of individuals fail at the elite training level. Run times were too slow, or they had lower extremity injuries, or they couldn't endure moving their body any more.

Also, being in that kind of running shape puts you ahead of almost everyone in the general population. Imagine someone that knows a few fighting moves, but isn't nearly as trained in cardiovascular fitness, and they are trying to engage with you.  If you don't get away initially, you have the endurance to disengage without fatigue while you try to escape. If you can run away initially, then they'll likely never catch you.

 If you've ever sparred, boxed, or wrestled, you know you can get winded quickly.  You'll be amazed how much you aren't out of breath when you run consistently.  You won't be impacted by physical exertion nearly as much and your body is used to long periods of sustained energy output.

You add that to calisthenic endurance, strength training, and minimal self defense training, then you can handle a diverse range of intense situations.  Your mind has been hardened from the endurance training your body is used to. You are at a huge advantage. There are many positive benefits from the enormous cardiovascular endurance that comes from miles of running,  and it is the easiest workout you should ever do.  You'll appreciate it when you are carrying a heavy load up six flights of stairs.

How running changed my life 

It may seem a little ridiculous, but running can seriously change your life.  

After a failed attempt at joining the Navy and attempting the SEAL contract out of high school, I fell into a depression.  I wasn't diagnosed with it, but it was a low period that lasted about three years. I was going to college and my grades were terrible. After I decided the Navy wasn't the path for me, I really wanted to join the Air Force and attempt Combat Control. But I didn't know how to get started.  I was hesitant to even try again because when I tried the Navy, I walked out the door when I was at the last step in the MEPS station.  I wanted to do it, but I knew I wasn't physically prepared.  At the time I didn't think I'd ever feel prepared for anything like SEAL training.

I remember seeing the running portion of the bud/a warning order scattered all over my desk with other college papers.  I remember seeing the simple plan that builds people up to 30 miles per week, even if they've never been on a regular fitness plan, in just weeks.

I jumped right into category 2, which looking back I should have started in category 1 because I really didn't do much running since I'd gotten a stress fracture running in high school on the cross country team.  Category 2 is for people recently on a running program including football, wrestling, or other high intensity sports.

I followed the running plan religiously while I went to school and worked part time at night.  I didn't do much of anything else, I just ran.   

Doing that running program was magical.  I know it may seem ridiculous, but just starting the running program changed my life.  With each week that passed, my confidence grew.  If I told people what I was doing, they seemed impressed.  Most people said they hated running and that running that much sounded miserable.

The crazy thing was, I actually enjoyed running.  As I ran more and more I envisioned myself running with others in some sort of elite military training.  I started planning and thinking of what branch and unit to try.  Options I never really thought of before appeared in my mind as the morning sun hit my face at the end of a 5 mile run.  The Air Force, more specifically CCT came across my mind.  Before, I only focused on the SEAL program as my only option.  But, I'd spent hours running finding new options. I found new motivation.  I felt like I could do anything.  I really didn't know or realize at the time, but running changed my life.  But why?

One of the biggest reasons why I think starting a running program changed my life is the fact that it looked so daunting on paper.  Starting at 15 or so miles in a week seemed like a huge distance to me.  When I thought of how far that was in a car, I saw it as a big distance.  When I saw the upcoming weeks, it seemed almost impossible.  Running 19, 23, and up to 30 miles seemed like only something those marathon runners did that I saw on TV.  I was something I never saw someone like me doing.

But I could do it.  I did do it.  And the weird thing was, it wasn't even that hard.  Doing something that seemed so hard to myself and to everyone I knew didn't seem like a hard thing to do. Sure, it was hard to motivate myself some days when I had to wake up early because it was the only time I had to do it. I certainly had days where the 5 mile run seemed longer or took more energy that it normally did, but I was able to finish. I had some aches and pains here and there, but it was never enough for me to say I couldn't do it.

Another reason I think running consistently helped me was that I realized a huge reason many people never attempt, or fail elite military training is because of running.  Something that I was able to motivate myself to do consistently was a big obstacle to many who go through elite military training.

So many got injured like I did training the wrong way when I decided to run with the cross country team, or they slacked off trying to run before they signed up.  Many failed required run times.  I knew there were many other reasons that people don't make it, but I didn't care.  I was so high on running 5 days a week.

Many people avoid running all together

Running is a simple exercise.  You need a pair of shoes and can run almost anywhere.  No fancy watches, gear, or specialty knowledge is required. The only things to figure out are a comfortable running pace and a measured distance, which can be known or measured with a vehicle. A plan to build up running gradually can be found here, online, or by following the simple bud/s warning order.

 Running's an exercise that is more commonly avoided in favor of fancy exercise machines or techniques.  But, it will always be one of the best ways to get your body, mind, and spirit in shape.  In training programs where endurance and resilience are a priority, running is the main exercise to prepare a body from the harsh training of elite units.

If running does that for special ops hopefuls, think of what it could do for other people who want to increase fitness and quality of life.

What I've noticed about running recently

I've never really stopped running since I left the military.  I always kept consistent, although I've gone as long as a month without doing it.  That is until about two weeks ago.  For some reason, well I know what happened, I realized I had not been running at all.  It had been over two months and I abandoned my running longer than I'd ever have since I had intestinal surgery about five years ago.

I got busy.  I had two vehicles with A/C problems and summer is just around the corner.  In Florida, not having it is annoying, especially driving around my kids.  Anyway, I researched and fixed the issue in both vehicles and the air is ice cold .But I also am getting the house updated, two kids are in baseball and on and on.  You get the idea.

I began to notice I had developed a negative view of my life and toward other people in general.  I had was easily annoyed and felt overwhelmed.  Then it hit me.  I'm not working out.  I even paused on the weights!  

For the first time in a long while, basic fitness, especially running didn't happen.  I began to ponder why my life seemed to be getting too fast and I felt like I was treading water.  

When I realized I needed a run , I went out one beautiful spring afternoon and I took in the scenery and enjoyed the feeling of my body moving.  I ran four miles and on the last mile, I told myself something I've said a thousand times before.  There's no reason not run and I'll never regret running, ever.  I felt so good after the run, that I was back in the routine. I'm back now, and wouldn't you have guessed , life seems better.

I can sort out to do lists, analyze problems, and enjoy the present moments and simple things like my heart pumping and breathing in the fresh air.  My mind is more clear during and after the runs.  It's what happened when I began all those years ago before I joined the Air Force.  It changed my life.

I know I mention 30 miles in a week and I think it is a great goal to work towards, especially if you want to accelerate you body into exceptional fitness .  For those not interested in military training, building a running foundation, a certain mileage that you build up to, and consistently reach that mileage, you can benefit from any amount of running.  I hover around 15 to 20 miles per week and do some speed training mixed in and that works for me.  I don't need a larger base, but I can easily build to higher mileage by doing the same thing I did to get where I am.  The hardest part is beginning the running program.  Once you reach a point, it's easy and enjoyable to stay there.

If you want to get into shape, or challenge yourself to get into great shape, you get an opportunity to change your mindset and build the confidence needed by starting to run, eventually building up to a mileage that works for your fitness goals.  

30 miles per week for elite military training, 15 for foundational and mental benefits, and up to 50 to 60 for marathon training.  It's up to you.

  Running requires mental fortitude that will transfer over to any other exercise routines almost seamlessly.  Start with the exercise that most people avoid and stick with it.  Running can be an enjoyable part of your life that you'll miss if you ever stop.