For the workouts, is it all supposed to be accomplished all at once in the same setting, or is it okay to break it up?
You can break it up if you need to. That's not a big deal, just make sure you get it all in. I have many clients who work full time or work 18 hours a day, or 24hr shifts and they break up their workouts too. You have to find a way to make it work with your schedule.
I work 24 hours on, 48 hours off, there’s no access to a pool and only limited running opportunity, no treadmill, just some free weights and a barbell. Is it doable?
The biggest thing you will need is a pull-up bar of some sort to use at your station. Most of the workouts can be done with limited equipment. Also with the pool situation, I would recommend just doing the swim right before your shift and again after your shift, and a land workout in the middle of your shift. As long as you space it out like that and do all the reps/miles you will be good to go!
How should I start my training so it's not too hard on my body?
No matter what you do, it will be hard on your body, but there are things you can do to make yourself more resilient. First off, I would start a phased workout plan that involves different focuses over time. So I would start with running then go to swimming, then Cals, then rucking, and so on. Increase the weight you are able to carry and make your body used to it in order to reduce injury chances later on.
When you exercise with your plate carrier and the two dumbbell weights how far do you usually walk or run?
Anywhere from 400m to 1 mile depending on the workout.
I was wondering if you have any info on water confidence courses you can take?
There is water confidence included in all of my workout programs. But if you want a pure breath holding course, you might be able to do a performance free diving course.
Advice on how to prepare for Selection? What should I do now to set myself up for success later?
In the business of saving lives no one in the world can compare to a PJ. A corpsman and a combat medic also save lives but aren’t involved in such a way as a PJ. In order to graduate you need to be 100% dedicated to it, there is no half assing. In order to prepare there are a couple things I would recommend. First, challenge yourself, find a group of people who are going to go hike up a mountain or swim in the ocean whatever it is to push yourself outside of your comfort zone. It is also important to train with like minded people who will push you to be better. Check out my Cone Connect page to see if there are any like minded people near you to train with. Next of course I have to recommend checking out my website/youtube channel and Workout programs, I am dedicated to ensuring people who have a true desire to be a PJ realize their goals and have put my knowledge as the lead instructor of Indoc into these workouts.
What is a good pool substitute workout?
You can’t really replicate pool workouts, but I would use a row machine or the versa climber/Jacobs ladder. Just something that is low impact and uses upper and lower body.
I was wondering what physical benchmarks I should be at before starting training, as well as what gear I should be buying?
In order to start the past program there are not specific benchmarks but I usually tell people as long as they can pass the AF PT test then they will be just fine. Also, you can repeat the workout as many times as you want for up to a year from your purchase date. Equipment recommendations can be found on my website here or on my amazon page here.