The biggest thing to remember is that you are not working under the same circumstances that you will when you get to selection. You don't have the pressure when you are out at the gym by yourself. If you are finishing the workouts then you are way ahead of your peers, I guarantee it. But this also means you can improve your speed on some of the events. This is where I cannot completely replicate the feeling of being at selection for you. Keep it up and finish the workouts and you will be just fine. If you can find a workout partner, healthy competition will keep you on your toes as well.

That is really just a matter of remembering your purpose and buckling up for the ride. A common phrase we use is embrace the suck, it will remind you that we will intentionally make you uncomfortable, because we can only do so much to replicate stress and deployment situations.

I drink it when I wake up in the morning, during the workout and before I go to bed. This just allows for a constant availability of electrolytes throughout the day. (You can find it on my equipment list here)

Keep on working out until 3 days out. At 3 day out you should do 75 percent of what your workout is, on the 2nd day 50 percent and the day before you should really just stretch and practice form in the mirror. Obviously, make sure you are hydrating with electrolytes as much as you can and take some amino acids to make sure you don’t cramp on test day. Lastly, make sure you are stretching and foam rolling every day and wake up with enough time to eat a full breakfast 1 hr before your test.

Indoc was really draining physically, and watching people I got to know really well quit was hard. Sadly it was such a huge accomplishment also. People who were way physically stronger than myself quit. Mentally the most difficult part of the pipeline after Indoc was Paramedic, it was like drinking from a fire hose, but also rewarding because medicine is the foundation of a PJ and I knew I would be learning how to make people survive otherwise unsurvivable wounds.

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!

The only thing you can do to avoid infection is to take care of your body by sleeping, eating properly, and maybe supplement vitamin c to boost your immunity. Technique wise I always recommend placing the tip of your tongue on the roof of your mouth to act as a kind of splashguard when you are breathing through the snorkel on buddy breathing. This will reduce the amount of water you might aspirate while breathing through the snorkel.

I would recommend rotating through a ruck, cals, stretching, and grass and guerrillas with stretching and foam rolling being the most important. I don't want you to get injured so just make sure you are really listening to your body.

Absolutely! The criteria used for SR and PJ selection are the same and all of the candidates are now in the same course. All of the workouts in my programs are pertinent to CCT as well as SR.

The biggest thing that helped me get over shin splints when I used to get them was using a roller and anytime I was sitting on the couch I would do the alphabet with my toes. Bottom line is you are going to have to stay off of them for a little bit before you jump back into all this.

Not that I know of. I highly doubt you would be accepted if you are in the pipeline already and then want to start down the CRO path.

It is still currently 4 weeks but you can expect that it will be a kick in the balls the entire time. I say that because when you do actually get a break, you wont get as much of a break as you might feel like you want… it will be just as much as you need.

It wouldn't be exactly 10 months but you will have to go through:

6wks of BMT

8 wks of SW prep

4 wks A&S

4 wks Predive

6 wks of Dive school

Then you are able to PCS to Kirtland NM where your family can move in with you. For more info about family in the pipeline/operational see my youtube video here.

There are lots of countries I have been to where French is a secondary language, but I don't think the next couple wars will always be in the middle east so I would recommend learning the language that most interests you.

I would volunteer as much as possible around the base where you are working and hopefully come home with an Airman of the quarter or something like that. Additionally, get some school knocked out and check out my reading list. All of the books recommended in there will help you become a better leader and teammate.

There is not really anything that can actually replace the pool but I usually recommend that people use either the row, jacobs ladder, or versa-climber machines as a substitute since they are low impact and full body workouts.

The new A&S is more land than water now however, you will still have all of the watercon aspects when you get to predive. So I would absolutely not stop practicing your water work.

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.

You will have access to your phone through some points in Basic and when you are at SW prep/A&S. You will also have most weekends off while you are training.

If you get hurt then the severity of your injury will determine your ability to stay in the pipeline. If you have an injury that will take over 60 days to heal then you will most likely be reclassified. If it is under then you have a good chance of being recycled given that you have earned it of course.