The U.S. Navy SEAL Guide to Fitness and Nutrition

The U.S. Navy SEAL Guide to Fitness and Nutrition

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Editorial Reviews

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.

Customer Reviews

Not Just for Navy SEALs

Reviewed by Navin Ram, 2010-02-18

This book is in a very easy to follow format. The first part of the book focuses on physical fitness. This section not only explains the workouts, but also how to reach your goals with these workouts. The second part focuses on nutrition. Technical terms are used, but enough explanation is given. If you understood high school biology, you should have no problems following along. The nutrition section is very realistic. Most nutrition guides only tell you to eat heathy. This book gives you the nutritional value of snacks that are not the most healthy and explains how to burn it off. There are some chapters that are SEAL-specific, like mission preparation. These chapters may not apply to everyone, but they do make good reading.

Kindle Edition Formatting Great

Reviewed by G. Tillman, 2010-01-28

I just wanted to comment on the formatting of the Kindle edition of this book. It is done very well. I have purchased many Kindle books that contained charts or tables that were very hard to read.

The formatting of this book was designed specifically for the larger DX Kindle. But I'm currently using the Kindle app for the iPhone (as I gave my regular Kindle to my son to take with him to Iraq), and it looks great.

Good book but misleading

Reviewed by M. Feltman, 2009-08-14

This is a great 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 good book for beginners who have never made a fitness regimen or for people who are looking for more technical information on fitness.

Fantastic book!

Reviewed by Timothy G. Whittemore, 2009-06-23

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 easy 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 great diagram btw). The fitness portion was very informative and gave great examples of wieght lifting, running, swimming and cross training. All and all I am very happy with this purchase and will continue to reference to it for years to come!

No gimmicks, just solid, relevant information

Reviewed by Drew Ross, 2009-05-23

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 actually 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 false discoveries that you have to wade through to get a good 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 great all-in-one resource for those jumping into the fitness arena.

Some may be thinking that this is a neat peek into the world of Navy SEALS, but I don't think 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.