The U.S. Navy SEAL Guide to Fitness and
November 2, 2009 by Jim Made
Filed under General Fitness
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Developed for Navy SEAL trainees to help them meet the rigorous demands of the Naval Special Warfare (NSW) community, this comprehensive guide covers all the basics of physical well being as well as advice for the specific challenges encountered in extreme conditions and mission-related activities. Topics covered include calculating energy expenditure; definitions, functions, and daily allowances of carbohydrates, fats, and protein; nutritional considerations for endurance and strength training activities; active recovery from injury; cardio-respiratory conditioning; appropriate gear for running and swimming for fitness; exercising in extreme and adverse weather; and more. Compiled by physicians and physiologists chosen for their knowledge of the NSW and SEAL community, this manual is a unique resource for anyone wanting to improve his or her health, strength, and endurance.
No gimmicks, just solid, relevant information
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
Anyone with military experience knows what to expect from a field manual: relevant information, clear descriptions and a complete lack of fluff. This book is literally a field manual (or really two in one). There are a few places where I noticed they translated it into civilian language. For instance they call the side straddle hop, “jumping jacks”. But for the most part it is executed in military fashion. If you are tired of all the hype and fake discoveries that you have to wade through to get a excellent fitness book, this volume is highly recommended.
It covers the basics on how your body builds muscle, dealing with or avoiding injuries, buying proper running shoes, stretching, warm-up, repetition maximum, target heart rate, strength training, calisthenics, endurance training, mission specific training, supplements, nutrition etc. If you are an experienced personal trainer, you probably won’t get much out of this book. But, it is a fantastic all-in-one resource for those jumping into the fitness arena.
Some may be thinking that this is a clean peek into the world of Navy SEALS, but I don’t reckon this book is really designed for that. There are a few cool tid-bits in reference to the SEALS, but overall, it is really about fitness and nutrition from a SEAL perspective. There is some stuff on the swimming techniques used by the SEALS, but it isn’t worth buying the book for just that.
Also, if you are looking for secret techniques to turn you into a SEAL, you’ll be disappointed to find that for the most part, the SEALS use the same techniques that require sweat and hard work to see results.
The best part of this manual is that it gives you the understanding necessary to take charge of your own fitness program. As a teacher, I have always found that explaining the “why” gives the student a better grasp of the “how”. This book gives you the information you need to stay motivated and work toward a healthier lifestyle.
Psssst!
Rating:1 out of 5 stars
Fascinating program to ensure getting seriously overtrained in a very small period of time. No wonder those military guys are so grumpy and quarrelsome. If you have internet access and google (shhhhh!) you can find this book for free online… For normal people who aren’t genetic superstars or on steroids I would highly suggest checking out Stuart McRobert’s “Beyond Brawn” instead.
Fantastic book!
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
Fantastic book! If you’re out just looking for the basics of nutrition or looking to be in top notch shape like a Navy Seal this book is for you. This book has zero hype and all facts in a moderately simple to read format. It really set me straight on how different foods effect my energy levels and a very simple explanation of how to loose/gain wieght (a fantastic diagram btw). The fitness part was very informative and gave fantastic examples of wieght lifting, running, swimming and cross training. All and all I am very pleased with this buy and will continue to reference to it for years to come!
An Brilliant Fitness Resource
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
This is a pair of military guidebooks (physical fitness and nutrition) bound as a single book for commercial sale.
Pros:
-Expert authors make this an authoritative source.
-The material is very recent with broad coverage.
-The text is written in plain language.
-The text follows a truly educational format, with much explanation of terms before advice is given.
-Illustrations are clear and used effectively
-Even at full retail price, this book is a steal, and is a much better source than many “celebrity” fitness books.
Cons:
-Material should have been slightly modified for commercial sale. For instance, much of the data, formulas, etc. are specifically for men. Including corresponding material for readers outside the original intended audience would not have been hard.
All the information, none of the hype
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
This is a fantastic fitness book. It was written by Navy doctors working for Special Warfare teams (SEALS). The book is thick because it is really two books in one: the SEAL fitness book + the nutrition book. What I found in the book was fantastic scientific information that a layperson can know, without all the hype and fluff and self-promotion you find in most fitness books. If you want to know how to lift weights, for example, what the % or RMI is, oxygen uptake, and heart rate and aerobic guidelines, as well as BMI inforamation, and information on biking, swimming, lifting, plyometrics, etc., get this book. This book is better than nearly all the other fitness books I have seen in that it is nearly 100% science, and 0 % hype. Don’t let the “SEAL” thing scare you off, either: this book is for everyone.
Fantastic gift for a fitness enthusiast
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
I got this as a gift for my boyfriend who likes fitness and thinks that the Navy Seals are cool. He really had a prior edition of this book, but was very pleased that this one included a discussion of nutrition. Fantastic gift!
Excellent overall reference!
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
I got the book quick and in perfect condition. It’s filled with tons of information on, yep, you guessed it, “fitness and nutrition!” It’s a excellent and solid overall reference book, but not quite ‘authoritative.’ But, that shouldn’t stop you from acquiring it for your library. For the price of about 10 bucks and the huge quantity of info at your fingertips it’s unbeatable.
Useful if you don’t already know much
Rating:3 out of 5 stars
I found that a lot of the information in this book was stuff that I already knew, even though I don’t have any real formal education in sports and fitness. The stuff on nutrition is basically what you probably already know from your high school biology class, although there are a few excellent tips that I hadn’t heard before. As for the weightlifting and calisthenics, most of it I already knew, although there were one or two exercises I hadn’t seen before. If you already work out and eat right on a regular basis you probably don’t need this book, but if you’re really clueless when it comes to exercise and nutrition then this book is a excellent value for you.
Fantastic for fitness classes
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
This book is packed with useful info: explanations of fats, protein, vitamins, minerals, supplements, and includes a lot of fantastic exercises and diagrams of the body. This book could serve as the core curriculum for virtually any fitness or nutrition class.
Excellent book but misleading
Rating:3 out of 5 stars
This is a fantastic book with a lot of information but I would say that this is more of a textbook and not a workout book. This would be a excellent book for beginners who have never made a fitness regimen or for people who are looking for more technical information on fitness.
Don’t bother.
Rating:1 out of 5 stars
As a personal trainer looking for ways to challenge my clients I thought this book would be helpful but I was incorrect. It’s a ‘dumb-down’ tutorial – I found more fascinating things online.
Stellar
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I built a spreadsheet around this for comp cycling. I boosted power and dropped weight simultaneously. For the seriously committed this is by far the most scientifically validated (if not valid) work on nutrition. Companion it with the N.SEAL fitness guide and you’ll be amazed at your nitro-charged energy levels, libido and charm. Well, the last is more your option but the first two aren’t. Well worth a read and you’ll not only live longer, you’ll have more fun whilst you do! The key is to keep at it!
(isn’t it always?)