A little intro

[MCDGexx]

Well my name is Robert, and I enlisted with the Navy back in June 06 and am currently leaving on May 22. I enlisted to become a SEAL but because of my asvab score being one point beyond the waiver limit I was unable to do that, so I went with HM to serve with the Marines. I did four years with Marine Corps JROTC at high school as well as the Crucible Challenge (a recruiting event- mini crucible competition). Where exactly do request to try out for Recon, in boot? a-schoo? FMSS? And what kind of physical training should I work on before I leave, being as I have a little over a month and i'll lose shape in boot camp. As of a few months ago I could pass every part of the SEAL qualifying PST minus the sit ups by a few sit ups, and Recon I guess is crunches so no problem there. I'm a certified life guard and SCUBA diver so water is no problem for me. And another question I have is if I live in California how much of a chance do I have of going to FMSS in Pendleton and getting stationed in Pendleton, my home town is about 30 minutes from there right now.

[Da-Chief]

Ok lets see if we can help you out here..

You go where the Navy Sends you..

Seriously there is very little if any negotiating going on the last few weeks. We have had people who had orders as well to different bases think they were going to said base to find out different upon receipt of orders..

READ: Thought they were going to Shore duty but got switched to FMF Unit.


If you want RECON, let them know ASAP at Boot. They will get you in the Dive Mo program. You will also have to be in it at Corps School as well. They use this tool to see 1. Your Physically in Shape, 2. you can handle your bearing and seeing that you were in JROTC with the CORPS you should understand this. (Most of our students complain if we raise our voice and want to go home to mama!) 3. you will be watched as it will be identified that you do have some training. Be careful though as some might feel like you a "KNOW IT ALL". Help without letting people know your helping.. get the drift..

Most of all be squared away and make sure you make your instructors "WANT" to recommend you for the follow on Training with RECON.

Good Luck!

HMC
T-11

[MCDGexx]

Ok lets see if we can help you out here..

You go where the Navy Sends you..

Seriously there is very little if any negotiating going on the last few weeks. We have had people who had orders as well to different bases think they were going to said base to find out different upon receipt of orders..

READ: Thought they were going to Shore duty but got switched to FMF Unit.


If you want RECON, let them know ASAP at Boot. They will get you in the Dive Mo program. You will also have to be in it at Corps School as well. They use this tool to see 1. Your Physically in Shape, 2. you can handle your bearing and seeing that you were in JROTC with the CORPS you should understand this. (Most of our students complain if we raise our voice and want to go home to mama!) 3. you will be watched as it will be identified that you do have some training. Be careful though as some might feel like you a "KNOW IT ALL". Help without letting people know your helping.. get the drift..

Most of all be squared away and make sure you make your instructors "WANT" to recommend you for the follow on Training with RECON.

Good Luck!

HMC
T-11

Thanks for all your help. And I by no means consider myself a "know it all" and don't want to appear that way. And I know its where the Navy needs me is where I am going. I was just wondering what other people have noticed and experienced as far as where they came from and where they were stationed.

[Bear Wrestler]

MCDGexx- In your post, you did not come across as a "know it all". The best advice I can offer you, as a Recon Marine (not a SARC) is to A. Keep an OPEN mind and B. Keep a closed mouth. The first means that you should not depend on your lifeguard or SCUBA training. The kind of stressors you will face doing "water aerobics" and underwater formations are not something you can really prepare for. Getting "sharked" is an altogether unique experience! :) The second means that if you know an answer KEEP it top yourself unless specifically asked!!

Last but not least, I have found that the quickest way to ignite a superiors ire is to offer excuses when corrected. I dont care how rightious you were, an "Aye, sir! I will fix it" is worth its weight in gold. Perception is everything.

Help your buddies, stay motivated,be a QUIET professional.

These are all lessons I learned the HARD way. Hopefully you can learn them with less sweat than I did!!!

Good luck to you!

[Da-Chief]

Bear,
I was not saying he was that way, I was trying to convey that a lot of the fleet returnee's or people who have been JROTC, come into NHCS and do have that "KNOW IT ALL" attitude which makes it hard on them and thier class.

Just trying to give advice... The worst though was the "FORMER MARINE" who got out from the Corps and swtiched to us.. Ohhhh Boy.. If she wanted to be a Marine so bad, why get out?

She is now in FMSS..

;-)

HMC

[MCDGexx]

Thanks guys for all the help. One thing i'm still not clear on is how much I should push myself to work out the next month seeing as my time is limited I don't want to try and cram it all into a month and get hurt in the process. What should I work on other than the obvious cardio stuff?

[Da-Chief]

Run, if you can get up to 3 miles.. under 30 Minutes (Max time allowed @ Fmss if your realy S-hot do it in 20)

Work on Pull Ups and Push ups, then Sit ups..

Touch your toes..

Ok you do all that, your pretty much set..

;-)

Won't hurt yourself hopefully doing those things.. make "DAMN SURE" you go buy yourself a "GREAT" pair of "RUNNING SHOES"!! Go to a store where they "KNOW" how to fit you.

Good Luck.
HMC

[tngnome]

MCDGexx it is well that you can do almost all the SEAL PST, but what's with the sit ups? In any Special Program (SEAL/SWCC/DIVE/EOD/RECON) you are going to be on you back quiet a bit, with you legs in the air doing flutter kicks until you are so beat that you knees will eventually be hitting you in your head. You really need to work on your core strength. It helps in every aspect; from pull-ups to push-ups and even to running! FORGET your Life Guard training!!! You will not be trying to rescue some snot nose kid in 5 ft. of water! Remember when you feel like you can't hold your breath any longer..."If your drinking your not drowning!" Take a few sips of water and it will give you a few more seconds on breath holds. Also, always keep a Positive Mental Attitude! Remember you want this program, so keep a smile on your face even when you are about to hurl your MRE! Another thing on swimming, try swimming without your goggles on; don't use goggles when going to the bottom of the pool to retrieve various things. The aspect of not being able to see anything makes things a little harder. As always, if your not cheating your not trying! Have fun!

[Bear Wrestler]

Bear,
I was not saying he was that way

My apologies, chief! I did not mean to insinuate that you did. I should have proof-read my post.

I know exactly what you mean about prior service. Some seem to forget that my previous post applies to them as well!

an TNGNOME is dead on about the flutter kicks! (Nice tip on the breath hold, too, I will give that one a shot.)

[MCDGexx]

MCDGexx it is well that you can do almost all the SEAL PST, but what's with the sit ups? In any Special Program (SEAL/SWCC/DIVE/EOD/RECON) you are going to be on you back quiet a bit, with you legs in the air doing flutter kicks until you are so beat that you knees will eventually be hitting you in your head. You really need to work on your core strength. It helps in every aspect; from pull-ups to push-ups and even to running! FORGET your Life Guard training!!! You will not be trying to rescue some snot nose kid in 5 ft. of water! Remember when you feel like you can't hold your breath any longer..."If your drinking your not drowning!" Take a few sips of water and it will give you a few more seconds on breath holds. Also, always keep a Positive Mental Attitude! Remember you want this program, so keep a smile on your face even when you are about to hurl your MRE! Another thing on swimming, try swimming without your goggles on; don't use goggles when going to the bottom of the pool to retrieve various things. The aspect of not being able to see anything makes things a little harder. As always, if your not cheating your not trying! Have fun!

Yah I know if any area needs to be worked on its that. Whats the best way to work on that? Sit ups? flutter kicks? crunches? Is it normal that my upper leg muscles start getting pretty sore while doing sit ups?

[Da-Chief]

How are you doing your situps?? If your leg muscles are sore your not doing them right?? The point of a Situp or Crunch is to focus on your abd muscles.. You are pulling with your quads.. Focus on Slow and smooth, when you start flailing around you lose focus.

The point is not to do 100 today and if you do you have the potential to hurt yourself. Do wha you can then stop.. GIve some rest then do maybe 5 more tomorrow (Bet you don't though as you have broken down the muscle and you need to give it time to heal.)

The point of Exercise is to keep at it.. You have to start some place. When climbing a mountain, you never start at the top, you start at the bottom and work your way to the peak.!

Good Luck!

HMC

[MCDGexx]

How are you doing your situps?? If your leg muscles are sore your not doing them right?? The point of a Situp or Crunch is to focus on your abd muscles.. You are pulling with your quads.. Focus on Slow and smooth, when you start flailing around you lose focus.

The point is not to do 100 today and if you do you have the potential to hurt yourself. Do wha you can then stop.. GIve some rest then do maybe 5 more tomorrow (Bet you don't though as you have broken down the muscle and you need to give it time to heal.)

The point of Exercise is to keep at it.. You have to start some place. When climbing a mountain, you never start at the top, you start at the bottom and work your way to the peak.!

Good Luck!

HMC

how do I stop from using my quads so much? I"m having somebody sit on my feet and i'm doing them just like everybody else it seems.

[tngnome]

Ok, so you are pulling with your quads to do SIT-UPS! You must have a very weak core. It's ok I had one to when I was 6! HAHAHA! I'm just kidding with you. Look, you need to concentrate on your abs when you do sit-ups. It is a very easy exercise. You should start with the simple crunch. Really focus on you top abs. You should crunch and hold for 3 seconds and the back down. Don't hold your head when you crunch, because you will strain you neck muscles. I try to hold my ears, you will notice that a little pull of the ear will help you to focus more on your abs. After crunches do the alternating crunch, right elbow to left knee, then left elbow to right knee. Remember to focus on your abs. After that through some flutter kicks and hello dollies in there. You should alternate the exercises and end up with 3 sets each. Try it with no breaks between exercise. You really do not want you quads to be tight after sit-ups when you have to get in the water and Fin for 10000m. Do not worry about the weight room when you train. The only weights you need is for Military press' and LIGHT squats. It is an endurance game. Good luck with your sit-ups!

[Da-Chief]

The crunch, often mistaken for a curl-up, is one of the most common exercises (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exercise) for the abdominal (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_abdomen) muscles, primarily the rectus abdominis (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rectus_abdominis_muscle). It is performed while lying face up on the floor with knees (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knee) bent, by curling the shoulders (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shoulder) up towards the pelvis (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pelvis). The hands may be placed behind the head, but care should be taken not to pull on the neck, as this can cause injury. Alternatively, the hands may be placed on the shoulders, with the forearms crossed over the chest, or by the sides resting on the floor.
Crunch exercises may be performed on swiss balls (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swiss_ball). Weights may be used, typically held under the chin, to increase resistance. Holding a medicine ball behind the head exercises the triceps, as well as the abs.
Unlike the sit-up (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sit-up_%28exercise%29), the lower back (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lower_back) should not leave the floor. This is said to eliminate any involvement by the hip flexors (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hip_flexors), and make the crunch an effective isolation exercise for the abdominals. The difficulty of the crunch can be increased by lying on a decline bench and/or holding a weight on the chest. Alternatively, a crunch machine (http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Crunch_machine&action=edit) may be used.
Critics of the crunch have pointed out that the hip flexors are not in fact eliminated from the movement by the lower back being kept on the ground. Tension spreads from the abdominals to the hip flexors, and the tension of the hip flexors reduces the workload on the rectus abdominis.
Variants include:

The reverse crunch is performed by curling the legs and pelvis towards the shoulders. More emphasis is placed on the lower abdominals.
The twisting crunch is performed by lifting one shoulder at a time. More emphasis is placed on the obliques (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Obliquus_externus_abdominis_muscle).
The cable crunch is performed while kneeling upright by curling the body to pull down on a cable machine (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cable_machine). The hips should be kept motionless, so that the individual's bodyweight does not assist the movement.
The bicycle crunch (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bicycle_crunch) is performed by bringing together alternating elbows and knees, resulting in a leg motion similar to pedaling a bicycle.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/cf/FloorCrunch.JPG

[Da-Chief]

Steps


Lie down on the floor with your upper knees bent, the balls of your feet and heels on the ground.
Place your hands behind the lobes of your ears, or even hold your ears.(Grabbing the back of head or neck may cause injury down the road.)
Tighten your abdominal muscles by drawing in your belly button to your spine.
Keeping your heels on the ground, slowly lift your head and shoulder blades off the floor with a contraction of the abdominal muscles. Get up off the floor as high as you are comfortable with. Try to keep your back straight, like you were practicing proper posture.
Hold the position for a second then slowly bring the torso back to the floor but try to keep it slightly off the ground (i.e. try not to "lie" on the floor).
Repeat steps 3-5 for the remainder of the exercise.


Tips


If you're having a hard time keeping the balls of your feet or heels on the ground ask a partner to hold them down for you or stabilize them yourself, by sticking your feet under the couch for example.
Moderation is the key to any abdominal exercise since the abs are literally the center of the body. If you think about it, in everything you do in daily life (walk, run, sit, stand, reach up for something, etc.) you have movement at or through your abs. With that in mind, be aware that if you overdo the sit-ups (or any ab exercise) you run the risk of ruining your next day with pain in the abs. If you are a beginner, start out slow and gradually do more. Don't expect to become Rocky by tomorrow morning.


Warnings


Keep in mind that the only way to build muscle is to push the muscle beyond it's endurance limits. But if you do so many sit-ups to the point that you start to feel a stinging sensation on your abs, you have done too much. Your form will start to deteriorate and you won't be performing a proper sit-up.
Always stretch out your stomach muscles by 1) lying down on your stomach with your elbows bent and hands under your shoulders. 2) Keeping your legs and feet on the floor, staighten your arms so your back is arched. 3) Look up at the ceiling and hold for a count of 10. 4) Release.
Do not commit the common mistakes of sit-ups, which are provided below. These are things that you'll hear on many ab product commercials as "damaging" or "harmful" about the classic sit-up. I must admit they are harmful but they can be easily avoided and there is no need to spend a large sum on a machine that avoids it for you.
If you choose to get your hands out of the way by putting them behind your head, make sure you don't push your head forward while lifting your torso. There is a natural tendency to do this since it helps you up and the tendancy will increase as your abs get tired. However, the push on your head will strain the muscles in the neck. If you deal with your arms in another way, still try to keep your head out of the exercise.
Don't try to put your forehead on your knees. The higher you come off the ground the better, but only to a certain extent. If your back is starting to curl (i.e. you could be considered in a humpback position if you were standing) you will be putting strain on your lower back.
If you can't keep your feet on the ground and haven't secured them properly, you will be spending extra effort to do so during the sit-up. Unfortunately, this effort will originate in the thighs, which isn't the target of a sit-up. In some people the thighs might give up before the abs, rendering the whole exercise completely useless.
Avoid doing sit-ups if you have been diagnosed with osteoporosis. Bending your spine in the sit-up position places increased stress on your bones and can put you at risk for a stress fracture.

[Da-Chief]

Believe it or not this fat ol' beat up CPO used to be the model of fitness. I used to run 10 K's all the time, PT like a madman etc.. The point we are trying to make, you cannot get in shape in a month. What you can do is get rid of the initial soreness that everyone gets when they start a new plan. Your body has to adjust to the "LACTATE ACID" which is what makes you sore in the first place in your muscles.. Plus your giving your body a "WAKE UP" call right now.

Just keep it up.. even when in Boot, They don't PT hardly at all Navy side, at night before bed, get on the floor and do at least 3 sets of Crunch/Situps, Pushups, Hello Dollys. Sweat the bulkheads.. You will be better for it once you get to us.

I promise you the day you report to NHCS, HMC Boner PT's you. You will be much better off then your Classmates if you heed my warning. Trust me.. The Man is a PT "FIEND"!!!!!
;-) Which is a good thing..

"PAIN IS WEAKNESS LEAVING THE BODY"....
But it is also a sign.. listen to it..
HMC

[tngnome]

Da-Chief has spelled it out to you on how to do a sit up. If that doesn't work, there is always chilling on the couch watching movies with a Big Gulp and 10 Big Mac's and a Extra Large Pizza. I heard that works wonders.

[Da-Chief]

Gawd the entire office here at NHCS laughed our asses off at the last post..
Too Fricken Funny..

;-)

HMC