A few years ago, I bought a book about the Navy Seals and how they worked out. There were four main parts to the Navy Seals program: upper body training, core training, stretching, and cardio.
For some reason, the book did not talk about lower body training. Either way, the workouts presented in the book were very minimalist and 100% bodyweight exercises. I remember in particular the format of the workouts. The used a pyramid style of training.
For example, lets say that your workout consisted of pushups and pullups. Here’s what the workout would look like using the pyramid method:
- Pullups, 1-2-1 reps
- Pushups, 2-4-2 reps
You can either alternate between the two exercises, or just rest in between each set. The Navy Seal book actually features 2-3 variations of each variations for each workout. The core workouts followed a straight set approach. For example, if you were doing situps and leg raises, the workout would look like:
- Situps, 4×25
- Leg Raises, 4×25
Naturally, this is not how the Navy Seals actually train. If they did, then I’d be afraid that the strength and conditioning programs of out military were not optimal for combat. However, what this book does is open up people to the idea that they can train like the military in the comfort of their own homes.
Military Workouts for Fat Loss
People are marveled at how incredible well conditioned the military is, despite training with just their bodyweight. The truth is that the military training program has transformed over the past few years. They’ve gone from training primarily with bodyweight to incorporating a lot of different training methods.
Some military programs have full gyms were soldiers perform strength workouts similar to bodybuilding and powerlifting programs. Others focus primarily on Crossfit and Kettlebell training regimens. But, if you were to enter basic training tomorrow, you’d be exposed to 100% bodyweight training.
Hence, the base of military fitness still lies in basic bodyweight movements. The Navy Seal book focused on pushups, pullups, core training, and swimming as the four fundamentals of training. I personally feel that all you really need are pushups, pullups, bodyweight squats, and situps to develop a base level of strength and fitness.
Military Principles for Fat Loss
It’s not really the exercises that are special, but it’s the principles that the military follows that gives them such great results. They could probably achieve better results than you can, even if you had a better workout program at your disposal. The reason is that they follow two very important principles that can help achieve success with any goal you may have:
Train Early in the Morning
Training early in the morning will jump start your metabolic rate and have you burning fat all day long. The days I workout first thing in the morning, I feel incredibly hungry and energetic throughout the day. I’m alert, and ready to get things done.
Training is Mandatory
There are no excuses in the military. That’s why they’re so disciplined and they get the results they get. If you have goals to achieve, there’s no way you’ll achieve them if you don’t actually do your workouts. Start today by getting rid of all the distractions and excuses you might have.
Military Cardio for Fat Loss
We’ve discussed workouts, exercises, and principles. Now we get to the fun part – cardio. Actually, to most people cardio is not fun. Especially me. When you look at traditional military workouts they do a lot of running, and a lot of swimming. They also do a lot of circuit training and obstacle course training.
They pretty much do cardio everyday and all day. They’re always on the move. So what can you learn from them? Well, one of the biggest aspects to their is that they are in a large group. You don’t need to start some workout club, but running, swimming, or biking with a friend will help you get your extra cardio in.
When I was in Karate, I performed my best when I was fighting or competing against someone who was able to push me hard. My friend Dominic and I were of equal strengths and techniques. So when we fought, there was war. But it was fun, and we both burned off a ton of calories during the workout.
Putting it All Together: Military Style Workouts you can Do at Home
Well, if your goal is to get started with some basic military training, then you should take the following steps:
- Stick to the basics: pushups, pullups, situps, and squats.
- Get a friend to workout with. Make sure you push each other.
- Train first thing in the morning.
- Make sure you train on a consistent schedule. Don’t let yourself make any excuses.
- Find a fun activity to perform. This is the best cardio.
The last step is to actually get yourself a very basic bodyweight program you can do at home.
If you’re ready to incorporate bodyweight training as part of your fitness plan, then you should check out Bodyweight Blueprint for Fat Loss. Coaches Ryan Murdock and Adam Steer show you how to use bodyweight movements to lose fat, build muscle, increase strength, improve athletic fitness, and enhance longevity.
