Need Help Swimming!

Hey guys I'm going into the Air Force as some of you know and my MOS is going to be Combat Controller - which is like SEALs but some say even harder.

I sink like a rock and thus it is hard for me to swim distance. I can get about 500 meters in 20min, but that's with breaks every few laps to catch my breath. In order to get in I have to swim 500 meters in 15 minutes without ever stopping. I'm 6'3" 250+ at a low bodyfat (haven't had it tested), but I have a six pack.

Freestyle really takes the wind out of me but breast stroke seams to be the easiest - however breast stroke is a lost slower and my arms start fatiguing after a while. Any advice? I've never seen a bodybuilder swim before! lol

hey man im training to go into the SEALs right now and i bought Stew Smiths book for SEAL training...he has several other books that prepare u for watever branch ur goin into check out http://www.navyseals.com/community/s...nce_center.cfm

cool i will definitely check it out, thanks. Good luck with your training

thanks i edited that website to a better one

double post

Swimming, long distance is a lot like jogging, you have to have a constant yet on a steady pace. Finding your cruising speed. That part is bulding your cardiovasular, endurance. It just has to be built.
The other thing is technique, having the correct strokes and synchronization make a hugh difference in that you dont utilize all or expend all your energy. Timing well your arms, torso and legs as well as how you hands "dig" through the water.

Once you find that cruising speed with the right technique, youre just like a robot, I let my mind wonder, feeling the sun, fueling my body roaming like a fish through a coral reef. Thats just my mental part.

start eating lots of twinkies cookies pizza ribs cake and kit kat bars to help w/ your buoyancy :D

HAHA ask Nark. I post swim instruction for him step by step.

For distance, learn the sidestroke. That will be your best friend. SEALs use it for all their 5 mile ocean swims. Its compared to jogging on the ground. Get the technique down.

Also, get that book, what FordFan said, the"Complete Guide To Navy SEAL Fitness" by Stew Smith.

If you got that 4 month training program down, with above average scores...your good to go my man...the rest is all mental.

good luck.

Also, might wanna look into swim lessons, thats if you dont know all the proper techniques....or at least get help from someone that knows how.
I believe theres the freestyle(the crawl), the breaststoke, and sidestroke.

That book also does some Hypoxic swims..lol, those r sick.

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Originally Posted by xlxBigSexyxlx

For distance, learn the sidestroke. That will be your best friend. SEALs use it for all their 5 mile ocean swims. Its compared to jogging on the ground. Get the technique down.

Also, get that book, what FordFan said, the"Complete Guide To Navy SEAL Fitness" by Stew Smith.

If you got that 4 month training program down, with above average scores...your good to go my man...the rest is all mental.

good luck.

Also, might wanna look into swim lessons, thats if you dont know all the proper techniques....or at least get help from someone that knows how.
I believe theres the freestyle(the crawl), the breaststoke, and sidestroke.

That book also does some Hypoxic swims..lol, those r sick.

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i started doin hypoxic swims two weeks ago and OMG i can already tell my lung capasity is greater now. +1 sick as hell

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Originally Posted by Prada

Swimming, long distance is a lot like jogging, you have to have a constant yet on a steady pace. Finding your cruising speed. That part is bulding your cardiovasular, endurance. It just has to be built.
The other thing is technique, having the correct strokes and synchronization make a hugh difference in that you dont utilize all or expend all your energy. Timing well your arms, torso and legs as well as how you hands "dig" through the water.

Once you find that cruising speed with the right technique, youre just like a robot, I let my mind wonder, feeling the sun, fueling my body roaming like a fish through a coral reef. Thats just my mental part.

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good call here, practice and technique are everything, condition yoursled in the water as often as you can, be a fish!!! getting the info from fordfan will help you, years ago, i took a life guarding class. i was terrible, i sank, i couldnt swim more than 20 laps without almost puking, etc etc, so every day iwent to the pool and swam like i trained for weightlifting. i came up with a routine, and i stuck with it. by the time i took the test, iwas swimming like a pro and passed easy and got a great summer job. of course training for what you are doing will be harder, but it is the same concept. practice, practice and more practice

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Originally Posted by Doc.Sust

good call here, practice and technique are everything, condition yoursled in the water as often as you can, be a fish!!! getting the info from fordfan will help you, years ago, i took a life guarding class. i was terrible, i sank, i couldnt swim more than 20 laps without almost puking, etc etc, so every day iwent to the pool and swam like i trained for weightlifting. i came up with a routine, and i stuck with it. by the time i took the test, iwas swimming like a pro and passed easy and got a great summer job. of course training for what you are doing will be harder, but it is the same concept. practice, practice and more practice

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Yup, gotta agree. The mental strength that "endurance athletes" have is mesmerizing. I know for a fact that many of us BB look like we are in shape, as in our exterior shape, but many are not actually in shape, as in our interior conditioning, cardiovasular. I recall a few years ago I went to the pool, struting around like a pro, abs popping out but hell did some 50 year olds kick my ass. I did maybe 5 lengths of the pool and was exhausted. Then I remember seeing these old guys just doing laps non-stop. I was like:'when the hell are they going to quit?" Thats when I started focusing on technique, getting a cruising speed and was increasing my laps on a daily basis, so as long as I didnt slack off. Worked for me.

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Originally Posted by Superhuman

I'm 6'3" 250+ at a low bodyfat (haven't had it tested), but I have a six pack.

Freestyle really takes the wind out of me but breast stroke seams to be the easiest - however breast stroke is a lost slower and my arms start fatiguing after a while. Any advice? I've never seen a bodybuilder swim before! lol

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You're waaaaaay too muscular for the type of training you'll undergo. I've seen your pics (very impressive and no, I'm not gay) and know your bodyfat is low, but should get it up to around 10-12%. You might need to go into catabolic mode and get down to around 225-ish. I don't know when you'll class up, but I sure hope it's a few months away. I'd stop lifting and make cardiovascular training and stretching my priority. I'm thinking you should be in the pool swimming 4 days a week and doing PT/running on the other 2 days (take the other day off). As I'm sure you're aware, muscle eats up oxygen. Lose some of it and forget about being massive for the time being - you can always put it back on after you've made the cut.

Check out the Laughlin method for sidestrokes. Learn to use other strokes like the butterfly - you won't use it for timed evolutions or actual missions, but you'll have to do it during training. How many laps can you swim before taking a break? That is your baseline. Each time you swim for laps, you should swim one more lap than you did before. You should be doing sprints, underwater swims followed by sprints, hypoxics, and crossovers to build your lung capacity. Some of the other information I've seen posted here, like get into a groove, etc., AIN'T gonna happen in CCT school 'cause those guys are gonna fvck w/ you to get you outta your comfort zone. My point? You need to identify your comfort zone and push yourself beyond it a little bit each time you enter the water.

Oh, and everyone compares their training to BUD/S. You'll never hear someone going to BUD/S saying "It's supposed to be harder than CCT school." There ISN'T any school harder than BUD/S - that's why former Recon, Force Recon, Rangers, Green Berets, CCT's, PJ's complete their enlistments and join the Navy. They want to see if they've got what it takes and experience THE most difficult school in the US Military.

I'm glad to see that you and Fordfan are volunteering for your respective schools. Best luck to both of you!

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Originally Posted by CSAR

You're waaaaaay too muscular for the type of training you'll undergo. I've seen your pics (very impressive and no, I'm not gay) and know your bodyfat is low, but should get it up to around 10-12%. You might need to go into catabolic mode and get down to around 225-ish. I don't know when you'll class up, but I sure hope it's a few months away. I'd stop lifting and make cardiovascular training and stretching my priority. I'm thinking you should be in the pool swimming 4 days a week and doing PT/running on the other 2 days (take the other day off). As I'm sure you're aware, muscle eats up oxygen. Lose some of it and forget about being massive for the time being - you can always put it back on after you've made the cut.

Check out the Laughlin method for sidestrokes. Learn to use other strokes like the butterfly - you won't use it for timed evolutions or actual missions, but you'll have to do it during training. How many laps can you swim before taking a break? That is your baseline. Each time you swim for laps, you should swim one more lap than you did before. You should be doing sprints, underwater swims followed by sprints, hypoxics, and crossovers to build your lung capacity. Some of the other information I've seen posted here, like get into a groove, etc., AIN'T gonna happen in CCT school 'cause those guys are gonna fvck w/ you to get you outta your comfort zone. My point? You need to identify your comfort zone and push yourself beyond it a little bit each time you enter the water.

Oh, and everyone compares their training to BUD/S. You'll never hear someone going to BUD/S saying "It's supposed to be harder than CCT school." There ISN'T any school harder than BUD/S - that's why former Recon, Force Recon, Rangers, Green Berets, CCT's, PJ's complete their enlistments and join the Navy. They want to see if they've got what it takes and experience THE most difficult school in the US Military.

I'm glad to see that you and Fordfan are volunteering for your respective schools. Best luck to both of you!

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Hmm, the thought of losing muscle really scares me but I guess I could gain it back after I'm in. Right now I can do 100yards without stopping, but then I have to catch my breath and rest for a minute or two. My buoyancy level is about 3ft under the water, so if I want to do something like breast stroke or sidestroke on the surface, I'm spending a lot of energy just keeping myself up - whereas if I do breast stroke under water all my energy will be spent propelling me.

I was told by a bunch of people that CCTs are the most elite commandos besides Delta Force and that a lot of SEALs actually become CCTs, but maybe those guys were wrong?? I want to be the best of the best, unfortunately the Air Force is the ONLY branch with its own college and that's important to me. I'll have about 70 transferrable college credit-hours after I finish my training

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Originally Posted by Superhuman

Hmm, the thought of losing muscle really scares me but I guess I could gain it back after I'm in. Right now I can do 100yards without stopping, but then I have to catch my breath and rest for a minute or two. My buoyancy level is about 3ft under the water, so if I want to do something like breast stroke or sidestroke on the surface, I'm spending a lot of energy just keeping myself up - whereas if I do breast stroke under water all my energy will be spent propelling me.

I was told by a bunch of people that CCTs are the most elite commandos besides Delta Force and that a lot of SEALs actually become CCTs, but maybe those guys were wrong?? I want to be the best of the best, unfortunately the Air Force is the ONLY branch with its own college and that's important to me. I'll have about 70 transferrable college credit-hours after I finish my training

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the navy will let u transfer u credits and pay for you to go to college while u are in....well thats wat my recruiter told me u got a pm ur way SH

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Originally Posted by Superhuman

Right now I can do 100yards without stopping, but then I have to catch my breath and rest for a minute or two. My buoyancy level is about 3ft under the water, so if I want to do something like breast stroke or sidestroke on the surface, I'm spending a lot of energy just keeping myself up - whereas if I do breast stroke under water all my energy will be spent propelling me.

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I can't see your technique or form, but from what I'm reading it doesn't sound right. Try this and let me know the results. Get into the deep end of the pool about a yard away from the edge. Take a deep breath and lay down face-first into the water. Relax your arms/hands at your side, let your legs relax/hang down, BUT keep your head/torso parallel with the surface of the water. You should be bent over at the waist so that your legs are at a 90 degree angle to your torso. Most importantly HOLD YOUR BREATH. You should sink down a few feet, but if you relax and hold that body position you should start to rise back up to the surface. Once your back/neck/head break the surface you should feel the air. If you don't rise up all the way, how many feet are you below the surface? Try that and get back to me.

What college are you referring to? The Air Force Academy? Well, the Navy/Marines have Annapolis and the Army has West Point, so all the services have their own colleges. On most bases and even naval vessels, there are college courses through a provider. The Navy uses Maryland University and the University of Phoenix. Not sure about the Army or A.F. But yes, you can take university courses and finish your degree during your enlistment -- BUT good luck finding the time with your MOS. Command Master Chief Dennis Chaulker at BUD/S didn't finish his bachelor's until near his retirement when he was based at the NAVSPECWARCEN in a non-deployable position. That should tell you something about the difficulty of getting your bachelor's in the special operations community.

CCTs, PJs, SEALs, Force Recon/Recon, Green Berets, Rangers, Delta are all elite and have proud traditions, not to mention their specialties. But believe me, SEALs don't become CCTs and CCTs don't become SEALs. I've seen lots of former Rangers and Recon join the Navy for BUD/S, one or two former Green Berets, but no former CCTs, PJs, or Delta. But it's all good.

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Originally Posted by CSAR

If you don't rise up all the way, how many feet are you below the surface? Try that and get back to me.

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I've tried that and yes it's always at least 2 feet under

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Originally Posted by CSAR

What college are you referring to? The Air Force Academy? Well, the Navy/Marines have Annapolis and the Army has West Point, so all the services have their own colleges.

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Go look it up it's pretty cool, I'm not talking about the Academies, but the Air Force has it's own college... this tells you a little about it http://www.maxwell.af.mil/au/ccaf/pu.../new_stats.asp

I was told that I would earn 50-70 college credits for my tech school alone

OK, now I understand. It's the AF community college. That IS cool. AF is totally pro-active when it comes to education opportunities.

Check out your PMs, I just sent some info.