Navy Hell Week: Are You Ready?

Navy Hell Week refers to the extreme military training that recruits go through in phase one of their training. Stories of this training are legendary. Only about thirty percent of students that go through Navy Hell Week make it through. Some classes have resulted in no students making it. Those who do make it through, however, come away with new understanding, greater confidence, and deep respect for themselves and their team, knowing that their bodies can endure much more than they previously thought possible.

Navy Hell Week actually lasts about 5.5 days, officially. But those that have been there say that the entire 6 months of training can feel like Hell as they are tested and toughened by fire. The training is a continuous barrage of military training and physical exercise, 132 hours to be exact, while trying to deal with being constantly wet, cold and having your skin rubbed raw by the sand and the wind.

On top of this, the trainees only get minimum amounts of sleep through the entire ordeal. The only thing that the trainees have the luxury of enjoying, if you can call it enjoyment, is a warm meal four times a day in order to keep up with the physical demands their bodies are called to endure. Even then, some trainees are so tired that they find themselves sleeping in their food when they should be eating it. During this trying period, students can consume up to 7,000 calories per day and still lose weight. How is that for a lose weight quick strategy?

Navy Hell Week: A Little Running Can’t Hurt…Right?

The exercises that a student goes through in hell week test physical strength, mental toughness, and teamwork. Here is a sampling of what you can expect:

Push-ups
Sit ups
Scissor kicks
Swimming (with stiff fins)
Military training exercises
Running, running and did I mention…running?

In one particular running exercise, the trainees must run 4 miles in their boots through the soft sand and complete the task in less than 32 minutes. At least you don’t have to walk in the snow to school, both ways, while pushing the bus…although that wouldn’t be a bad training exercise!

Any movement from one location of a course to the next is always a race. Teams must run quickly carrying their boats on their back. It’s about teamwork. In other situations, teams carry telephone posts while doing various exercises with them. Expect to endure frigid water and wave torture exercises.

However, through all of this – you don’t want to simply “endure”. Your goal should be to thrive and mentally embrace each challenge that comes along. This is what you will face in actual missions.

Ok Tough Guy…This 3lb Muscle Could Bring You to Your Knees

Although the physical activities during Navy hell week may seem grueling, many of the trainees maintain that success is about 90% mental. In fact, most guys are physically ready for the challenges of Hell Week…otherwise they wouldn’t be there. It’s the brain muscle that tends to cause some problems.

Your brain is hard-wired to keep you safe. So, when your body hurts, you’re tired and hungry, and you just want to say “screw it”…your brain will be more than happy to help you along that path. So, you’ve got to have a plan in place to keep your brain in line.

So how can you get your brain to play along with this glorious torture? Simple. Get the right chemicals stimulated and shooting off in the right direction. Stay calm and focus on your goal while ignoring the distractions that just don’t matter – like that chaffing in your shorts.

Recognize your fear and move beyond it
Make “forward” your only option
Concentrate and focus on your primary target
Remain calm and composed no matter what is thrown your way

This last one is pretty important. When you are able to stay calm under pressure your brain actually produces nitric oxide, the same little molecule that makes a firefly glow. In humans, this neurochemical has the ability to neutralize the negative effects of stress. You can actually reduce the physiological changes that stress causes such as a rapid heart rate, increased blood pressure, tension, anger, and anxiety.

Do this, and you can focus and make better decisions, calling upon all the right faculties to handle the situation at hand.

If you have the will to succeed and keep your head in the right place, then surviving hell week is a possibility. It is estimated that only 10% of students who enter hell week simply cannot withstand the physical aspect. This reveals that most of it is mind over matter. So stay sharp. Give your body the right tools, nutrition, and dietary supplements to keep your machine humming along at optimal levels.

All through hell week, trainees are tempted by their instructors to give up. You see, the students can drop out anytime they wish. Many do drop out, but the ones that stay till the end and complete the rest of SEAL training are some of the most elite soldiers that the United States has to offer. This is Navy Hell Week…you in

Are You Ready for Peak Performance and Ultimate Fitness?

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