Fitness journey to SFAS

[Juggrnaut]

I’d like to make this thread as a way to catalog my fitness journey to SFAS. This will hopefully, in turn, help others in the future with their fitness preparation for SFAS. I’ll update the thread as I move along through my regiment to start.

The first checkpoint will be prior to enlisting. Second checkpoint will be after SFRE. Third checkpoint after Basic. Fourth checkpoint after AIT. Fifth checkpoint after Airborne. Sixth checkpoint after SFPC. Seventh and final checkpoint after SFAS.

After each checkpoint I’ll update scores from tests, how I feel, what I feel I excelled at and what I could have worked on better and how I would have gone about training that to improve. Whether I’m selected or not, I hope this helps anyone with how they go about prepping for selection.

I’ll include all gear used (boots, ruck, weight lifting equipment etc), exact program outline, length of time per program, basically everything I’m doing and how.

Couple things I want to get out of the way before we start. Firstly, I’m not a strength and conditioning coach, none of this is meant to be taken as gospel, or that I’m a professional in fitness. It’s simply going to be my approach to prepping for SFAS, if you choose to follow it and something happens, I’m sorry but remember this paragraph.

Secondly, I have been working out for over a decade on and off. I’ve played sports since I was 4, I’ve also worked manual labor my whole life. Wild land firefighting, now contstruction as a ditch digger, framer, utility installer. Your starting point may be different, therefor, results may be different, don’t directly compare them. You may need a longer/shorter time period to get where you need to be.

Lastly, I was out of the gym for over a year (not even due to covid). My fitness reflects that, but just to be transparent, and this ties back into my second point, there’s a lot of muscle memory.

Now that we got that out of the way, I’ll see you in the next post for the program layout, diet and gear I’m currently using!

 

[Juggrnaut]

Strength Plan

For the last couple weeks and for the next few months I’ll be following the program template GZCLP. You can find it here gzclp - gzcl

There’s also an app, at least for iPhone, as well as excel and google sheet docs that can be downloaded from LiftVault.

My current stats are:

Bench - 200 x 3, Squat - 175 x 3, Deadlift - 200 x 3, OHP - 110 x 3

Pull ups - 10, Weighted Pull-ups - +45 x 3, Dips 15, Weighted Dips - +45 x 3, sit-ups - 30, push ups - 40

For the program itself I modified it so that:

Day 1 is Heavy squat and high rep Deadlifts.

Day 2 is heavy OHP and high rep bench.

Day 3 is heavy deadlift and high rep squat

Day 4 is heavy bench and high rep OHP

Here’s the layout of each day: *Legend* SS = superset, BB = barbell, DB = dumbbell

Day 1 -

T1 Squat SS DB calf raises. Aiming for 50-100 reps with calf raises. Each workout I add 10 reps. Once I reach 100, increase weight by 10 pounds. I use powerblock dumbbells but you can use whatever. My DB’s only go to 50 pounds so I’ll end up using a BB.

T2 Deadlift SS Farmers Carry for 200ft. I use top loading carry handles from Titan fitness. If I can make it all 3 sets with ease, I’ll up the weight 10 pounds per handle.

T3 sit-ups SS BB lunges. Aiming for 50 reps total for both exercises to start. Each subsequent workout I up the reps by 10, till I reach 100. Then I add 10 pounds.

Day 2 -

T1 OHP SS Pull ups. 50-100 reps for pull-ups is the goal. I add 10 reps each workout. Once I reach 100, I add 10 pounds. However many sets it takes to get there, doesn’t matter. I’ll start out with a few sets of 10, then go to sets of five, I always stay clear of failure. This style of training got me to 30+ pull-ups in the past.

T2 Bench SS BB Row. Row follows same set/rep scheme as bench

T3 Weighted dips SS DB curls. Weighted dips follow T1 set/rep scheme. DB curls the goal is 50-100 reps same as other T3 exercises.

Rest day -

Day 3 -

Is the exact same as day 1 except T1 is now deadlift and T2 is now Squat

Day 4 -

T1 Bench SS weighted pull-ups. Weighted pull ups follow same set/rep scheme as T1 bench.

T2 OHP SS BB Row. Row follows OHP set/rep scheme.

T3 Dips SS DB curls. Dips and curls follow same T3 50-100 rep scheme as others.

Usually takes me an hour to complete all workouts, I do have my own home gym however. Next up is cardio!

 

[Juggrnaut]

Cardio

For running, to start, I’m following C25K (couch to 5 K). There’s apps, websites and excel sheets for this. The app I use is free from iPhone, it’s called C25K. I run in the morning before work either Mon/Wed/Fri or Tue/Thur/Sat, just depends when I have to work and what’s going on.

I’ll usually replace the middle running day with a ruck. This also depends on my day and how much time I have, sometimes I’ll replace different days if I have to. I mostly have to ruck later In the evening, sometimes even night.

I use the Grey Ghost Gear Bar 5200 ruck, currently I’m using my work boots which are Work Zone 8in leather boots from Work World. I did just order some Garmont T8 Bifida boots though so I’ll update how that goes.

As for the programming, I’m going to follow this:


I have a steel bar to simulate the rifle weight, as I can’t use the rubber one around where I live.

Starting stats for cardio are:

1 mile run - 8 minutes

Everything else I haven’t tested yet, I’ll update the starting point on those when I do.

Nutrition

I use myfitnesspal to track calories. I’m 5’11” and currently weight 185lb. My goal is to drop to 175-180 at ~15% bf and then maintain and max out my fitness at that weight.

Calorie and macro intake is different for everyone, I wouldn’t follow anyone’s diet specifically. Mine, however, is 2400 cal. 208g protein, 180g carb, 95g fat. This is a 600 cal deficit.

That’s everything to start. I’m gonna run this for a few months and I’ll update where I’m at. See you then.

 

[sean"buck"rogers]

Strength Plan

For the last couple weeks and for the next few months I’ll be following the program template GZCLP. You can find it here gzclp - gzcl

There’s also an app, at least for iPhone, as well as excel and google sheet docs that can be downloaded from LiftVault.

My current stats are:

Bench - 200 x 3, Squat - 175 x 3, Deadlift - 200 x 3, OHP - 110 x 3

Pull ups - 10, Weighted Pull-ups - +45 x 3, Dips 15, Weighted Dips - +45 x 3, sit-ups - 30, push ups - 40

For the program itself I modified it so that:

Day 1 is Heavy squat and high rep Deadlifts.

Day 2 is heavy OHP and high rep bench.

Day 3 is heavy deadlift and high rep squat

Day 4 is heavy bench and high rep OHP

Here’s the layout of each day: *Legend* SS = superset, BB = barbell, DB = dumbbell

Day 1 -

T1 Squat SS DB calf raises. Aiming for 50-100 reps with calf raises. Each workout I add 10 reps. Once I reach 100, increase weight by 10 pounds. I use powerblock dumbbells but you can use whatever. My DB’s only go to 50 pounds so I’ll end up using a BB.

T2 Deadlift SS Farmers Carry for 200ft. I use top loading carry handles from Titan fitness. If I can make it all 3 sets with ease, I’ll up the weight 10 pounds per handle.

T3 sit-ups SS BB lunges. Aiming for 50 reps total for both exercises to start. Each subsequent workout I up the reps by 10, till I reach 100. Then I add 10 pounds.

Day 2 -

T1 OHP SS Pull ups. 50-100 reps for pull-ups is the goal. I add 10 reps each workout. Once I reach 100, I add 10 pounds. However many sets it takes to get there, doesn’t matter. I’ll start out with a few sets of 10, then go to sets of five, I always stay clear of failure. This style of training got me to 30+ pull-ups in the past.

T2 Bench SS BB Row. Row follows same set/rep scheme as bench

T3 Weighted dips SS DB curls. Weighted dips follow T1 set/rep scheme. DB curls the goal is 50-100 reps same as other T3 exercises.

Rest day -

Day 3 -

Is the exact same as day 1 except T1 is now deadlift and T2 is now Squat

Day 4 -

T1 Bench SS weighted pull-ups. Weighted pull ups follow same set/rep scheme as T1 bench.

T2 OHP SS BB Row. Row follows OHP set/rep scheme.

T3 Dips SS DB curls. Dips and curls follow same T3 50-100 rep scheme as others.

Usually takes me an hour to complete all workouts, I do have my own home gym however. Next up is cardio!

go check out my channel i cover all this fomer Green Beret

Mod edit: Channel name

 

[Juggrnaut]

go check out my channel i cover all this fomer Green Beret

I just found your channel maybe a week ago and have been watching through the info. The workout tips is definitely where I’m headed after this strength block. Mainly cause of work, I lift a lot of heavy shit all day and winters coming so, framing is prime time. The SFAS handbook is in my plan, run through that a couple times after some heavy conditioning/ruck and calisthenics based programming.

Don’t know if you’ve read or seen “Tactical Barbell”, but that’s my plan after this strength portion.

Thank you for the time you out into the channel, guys like me definitely appreciate it.