I'm 17 and I'm planning on joining the Navy (a SEAL Contract hopeful), and I have a few questions. I'm a complete noobie to working out on my own, so I don't really know what I'm doing.

First off, I love running. It's great. But I have a really hard time running hills. They just tire the crap out of me and I have to stop and rest my muscles for a bit after a good hill, and then I just have a hard time with the rest of the run. I wouldn't ask if the whole area around my home where I can run is littered with freakin' hills Is there something I can do to train up my leg muscles to make those pesky hills a little easier?

I also have a really hard time running or working out in the cold. By the time I finish a run in the cold, my lungs ache and I'm coughing like crazy. I want to work that up because I know that SEALs run in the coldest of the cold, and I want to be ready for that. Will just toughing it out make it any better, or will that just wear down on my lungs? Or should I just go with the tried-and-true method of breathing into my sleeve?

Lastly, the workout plan I'm starting is VERY push-up, pull-up, and dip heavy. It has no crunches or anything of that sort -- just running, swimming, and upper-body exercises. It's one of the Stew Smith plans, so I trust it, but I've read that doing too much upper-body work can create an imbalance in your musculature... is this true? If so, how should I go about adding in abdominal exercises without overexerting myself?

Sorry to throw out so many questions, but, like I said, I'm a bit new to the working out on my own business.

Thank you for your time.

i'm not a SEAL, but common sense would state that:

the only way to get used to running is to run...

the only way to get used to running in the cold is to run in the cold...

you should probably introduce some ab work into your PT. flutter kicks, leg lifts, etc.

other than that, you sound like you're on the right path. good luck to you.

Here's a link to a pre-conditioning guide for SEAL candidates: http://www.sealswcc.com/Assets/docs/training/Physical_Training_Guide.pdf

If you don't already know this, per the Navy Military Personnel Manual you will need to do the run in long pants and either combat boots or high-top boondocker shoes. I would strongly recommend paying a visit to your Army-Navy store and getting a pair of BDU trousers. I also recommend you do an internet search for Bates footwear and get a pair of Bates Durashocks. Also get a pair of good insoles from a sporting goods/running shoe store for the boots to help lessen the stress to your lower extremities.

Sadly, we don't have an Army-Navy store, but I can get BDU's on the internet. I absolutely loved PTing in trousers and boots, so I'll enjoy that. There's also a local shoe store that surprisingly carries a lot of Bates stuff, so I'll see if they have what you're suggesting. Thanks for the info guys. I'll just push on through that cold and up that hill and get used to it ^^


Edit: That's an absolutely awesome training guide! I just finished reading it, and I'm thoroughly impressed Thank you for showing me this, it's a great help and it colors in a lot of those gray areas for me since I'm not experienced with fitness programs. Thanks a lot for that!

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