# Preparing for A&S without a pool



## BigMoney (Jul 9, 2019)

Good afternoon all, I'm currently training for A&S and have all the necessities for a training program (ruck, weight, rifle substitute) except for one...

I don't have a pool.

I'm on ship for deployment right now so time is not an issue, but I was wondering if anyone here had or knows of a similar experience, and what some good substitute workouts are to prepare for pool evolutions without having access to water. 

Finally, I want to point out that 1) I did use the search function and could not find what I was looking for, and 2) I'll be back in the states during my last month before the A&S, and will have daily pool access, so it's more about strengthening the required muscles before in the meantime. Appeciate the responses in advance.


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## ctree (Jul 9, 2019)

Do you have access to a stretchy rubber band with handles? If so, wrap it around a pole and bend at the hips with your upper body parallel to the ground. Simulate your swim stroke. Reps of 100 so the band doesn’t have to have high resistance. Google dry land swim training. Good luck!


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## BigMoney (Jul 9, 2019)

ctree said:


> Do you have access to a stretchy rubber band with handles? If so, wrap it around a pole and bend at the hips with your upper body parallel to the ground. Simulate your swim stroke. Reps of 100 so the band doesn’t have to have high resistance. Google dry land swim training. Good luck!



Thanks for the info. Any ideas for working the muscles for treading water? I'm assuming flutter kicks, but that's where my knowledge ends.


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## Ooh-Rah (Jul 9, 2019)

ctree said:


> Do you have access to a stretchy rubber band with handles? If so, wrap it around a pole and bend at the hips with your upper body parallel to the ground. Simulate your swim stroke. Reps of 100 so the band doesn’t have to have high resistance. Google dry land swim training. Good luck!


What experience are you basing this advice on?


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## ctree (Jul 9, 2019)

Never been to A & S but I routinely swim in the pool and open water. You are very limited on the ability to work specific swimming muscles while on dry land so I figured I would offer the OP some insight. Using resistance bands also helps train the neuromuscular system to learn proper technique for freestyle swimming. Focus on a 90 degree bend at the elbow. This will help engage your lats more than using a straight arm technique which puts more strain on your shoulder. No insight into dry land treading water training.


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## Hillclimb (Jul 9, 2019)

Keep your cardio up. Read Total Immersion: the revolutionary way to swim better/faster etc. And hope that a shit ton of form work that last month will carry over(like at minimum 20 of those 30 days should be in the pool). 

Kind of a shit sandwich. Thats like saying im going to a wrestling tournament, but have no one to wrestle with until the month prior when i get back.

Do you even know what your evaluated swim times are right now?


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## BigMoney (Jul 10, 2019)

Hillclimb said:


> Keep your cardio up. Read Total Immersion: the revolutionary way to swim better/faster etc. And hope that a shit ton of form work that last month will carry over(like at minimum 20 of those 30 days should be in the pool).
> 
> Kind of a shit sandwich. Thats like saying im going to a wrestling tournament, but have no one to wrestle with until the month prior when i get back.
> 
> Do you even know what your evaluated swim times are right now?



It is a shit sandwich. I don't know my swim times. The only benefits I have is competitive swimming experience and an intermediate swim qual, but that means dick-all when cammies, swim bricks, and treading water are added. When the ship pulls into K-Bay, I'm planning on doing a timed swim after a PFT to see where I'm at and use it to see how far off the mark I am. 

But a shitty situation doesn't mean I can't train, I appreciate the insight and already bought the book. I'll continue to improve my cardio, possibly adding some rowing machine as I've read it's great for general cardio. And I have no doubts about the pool time that last month...


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## LibraryLady (Jul 10, 2019)

BigMoney said:


> ... I have is competitive swimming experience...


I'm a former competitive swimmer also - my coach had us in the weight room, did yours? That kind of work would help.

LL


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## BigMoney (Jul 11, 2019)

LibraryLady said:


> I'm a former competitive swimmer also - my coach had us in the weight room, did yours? That kind of work would help.
> 
> LL


We did absolutely no weight room training... maybe not the best funded program, but we got ours.


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## LibraryLady (Jul 12, 2019)

Shoulder, tricep, quad, and core, basically. Pick your poison as to how you develop them.

LL


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## BloodStripe (Jul 12, 2019)

Don't miss two a days in the pool. Put football two a days to shame.


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## Kaldak (Jul 13, 2019)

BloodStripe said:


> Don't miss two a days in the pool. Put football two a days to shame.



Such a truth.


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## BigMoney (Jul 15, 2019)

BloodStripe said:


> Don't miss two a days in the pool. Put football two a days to shame.


What would you recommend as an example?


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## BloodStripe (Jul 15, 2019)

BigMoney said:


> What would you recommend as an example?



I concur with LL. Without having a pool, I'd do a bunch of core workout (flutter kicks, hello dolly's, planks, situps (add a medicine ball or dumbbell if a regular situp seems too easy), pushups, squats, burpees. Swimming uses almost your entire body but I'd focus on the major muscle groups in your upper body, as combat swimming focuses more on pulling yourself through the water, which are your pecs, tris, and lats. I can't speak to A&S though, just MCWIS. In think @Salt USMC can also chime in as he was an instructor if I remember correctly. I just went through as a student. The SOF pipelines use finning, which we never did. So do some searching on here for finding finning workouts as they have previously been discussed.

For pool work, if you aren't a good swimmer, I'd focus on technique first. Having proper technique will help you out more than just swimming for speed. If you are already a good swimmer and just need pool workouts, the fly will work your body more than any other stroke. For speed, I'd do a combo of freestyle and breaststroke. Side stroke may also be useful once you are exhausted and looking for a rest stroke.


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## CupCake (Nov 16, 2019)

This is maybe the opposite of the OP but does anybody have any experience swimming side stroke in cammies faster? For whatever reason in cammies its my weakest stroke. I've been able to modify my freestyle and breast stroke a tad so I can hit times for say a timed 500 meter swim but I dont know what I can do for side stroke in cammies vs just slick.


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## Arf (Nov 16, 2019)

BigMoney said:


> Any ideas for working the muscles for treading water? I'm assuming flutter kicks, but that's where my knowledge ends.




Google “egg beatering” and lay on your back and get the motion down. This should be as familiar as breathing. If the motion isn’t that familiar, you won’t be able to do it. Egg beatering feel like the most awkward thing in the world until you get it down, and then it works. Don’t flutter kick to tread unless you are wearing fins.




CupCake said:


> This is maybe the opposite of the OP but does anybody have any experience swimming side stroke in cammies faster? For whatever reason in cammies its my weakest stroke. I've been able to modify my freestyle and breast stroke a tad so I can hit times for say a timed 500 meter swim but I dont know what I can do for side stroke in cammies vs just slick.



I was a waterpolo player when I was younger, so the water was my safe space when I was in Selection. That being said, treading in cammies and cammie/full kit swims raped me while I was in Selection. Just do more of it.
What program are you trying for?


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## Kaldak (Nov 16, 2019)

Arf said:


> What program are you trying for?



I believe he is going for MARSOC.


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## CupCake (Nov 16, 2019)

Arf said:


> Google “egg beatering” and lay on your back and get the motion down. Do this ALOT. The motion so be as familiar as breathing. If the motion isn’t that familiar, you won’t be able to do it. Egg beatering feel like the most awkward thing in the world until you get it down, and then it works. Don’t flutter kick to tread unless you are wearing fins.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


I am going to A&S in april of 2020, I'm using a combination of the TrainHeroic app they give you plus some more MCIWS workouts and finning since I dont want to lose the "fitness" I gained from going to Scout Swimmers. I can breast stroke say 100 meters in about 2:30 with cammies but my average 100 meter side stroke is about a minute slower and I'm not sure what I can do to increase my speed besides doing the stroke faster since you dont have glide in cammies anyway. I've been told by other people who've gone that you should be pretty confident with some sidestroke brick tows and I can do those pretty well but it's not really translating to my normal side stroke? Maybe I'm just over thinking it since I plan on doing the swim assessment breast stroke anyway.


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## Arf (Nov 16, 2019)

CupCake said:


> doing the stroke faster




I agree with this.

I don’t know how your selection wants you to do things but check out my post here.

Army denied the hand tattoos. Looks like navy it is. Just looking for some ideas. (23m)


Hopefully this helps.


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## CupCake (Nov 16, 2019)

Arf said:


> I agree with this.
> 
> I don’t know how your selection wants you to do things but check out my post here.
> 
> ...


Awesome, lots of info I didnt really consider. I probably need to flutter kick between the scissors since theres no glide in cammies, I've never rotated during the stroke though, I always stayed on my side, even during the streamline. Itll probably take a hot minute to unlearn that. Do you feel like a top arm over hand recovery is beneficial to this stroke? Nobodys been able to give me a concrete answer if that's allowed or not so if i can i was going to use that.


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## Arf (Nov 16, 2019)

CupCake said:


> I probably need to flutter kick between the scissors



100 percent yes. Whether you are in cammies or not, if you aren’t kicking you are not doing it right. Once you wear fins this will help also because you can only flutter kick with fins. Do not scissor kick with fins.



CupCake said:


> I've never rotated during the stroke though, I always stayed on my side, even during the streamline



Some people don’t like the corkscrew. When swimming, consider the concept of “swimming down hill”. It important to always try and swim downhill and tuck your chin so that your body stays horizontal and your hips stay on top of the water. I prefer the corkscrew because feel like it helps me keep my hips up and swim “downhill.”



CupCake said:


> Do you feel like a top arm over hand recovery is beneficial to this stroke?



I don’t know if your instructors will care, but we had to focus staying splashless and stealthy in the water. I do think the over top recovery stroke is the best thing to do. It’s better when your hand comes all the way out of the water, however we would get scolded if we let our hand come out of the water because it splashes and is more obvious to the enemy.


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## Arf (Nov 17, 2019)

CupCake said:


> Do you feel like a top arm over hand recovery is beneficial to this stroke?




When I looked at my answer to this today, I think I was confusing.

Yes, overhand recovery stroke is best. They may or may not want you to do your overhand recovery stroke while leaving your hand under the surface of the water. Get comfortable with both.


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## CupCake (Nov 17, 2019)

Arf said:


> When I looked at my answer to this today, I think I was confusing.
> 
> Yes, overhand recovery stroke is best. They may or may not want you to do your overhand recovery stroke while leaving your hand under the surface of the water. Get comfortable with both.



Understood. I got what you're saying but I'll definitely work on both ways just in case I'm told I'm not allowed to.


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