Would you advise the use of free weights?

[Jeff75]

Hello Everyone,
I guess that I have been a Navy SEAL fan since sixth grade, but now as a freshman in college for the first time I am seriously thinking of joining The Teams. Since high school I have been very involved with football and track which have lead me to live a good portion of my life in the weight room. My question is this: 'Do you believe that weight-lifting is a major prerequisite for proper SEAL training or do you emphasize more with calisthenics?' Several years ago, I purchased 'The United States Navy SEALS Workout Guide' and it seems to be mostly weight-oriented, but by reading a description of Stewart Smith's book, it seems that he stresses more pushups and crunches than weight lifting.
Also, I am kinda big... I am 6'0" and 240 lbs. I have lost almost 30 lbs since my ispiration to become a SEAL came about, but I feel that I can only lose maybe another twenty pounds before I'm pretty much out of fat to lose. Are there many SEALS that weigh 220+ lbs. I think with all of the swimming and running that being bigger is not always better. I am 18 now and don't plan on enlisting until after college (age 22 or 23).
Thank you for your time and energy. Have a happy, and safe, holiday season. Yours Truly, ~Jeff75

[jaredtitan]

Jeff,

I'm not a SEAL.

Most of the workouts in preperation for the SEALs stress endurance above all things. If you have looked at the PRT, the emphasis is again on physical endurance: pushups to failure, situps to failure, pullups to failure, your fastest 1.5 mile run, your fastest 500 yd. swim. And the PRT is nothing close to BUD/S. So as you train, your goal should be overall endurance. I personally don't use weights, but it's a choice I made. There's no reason weights cannot be used to increase endurance - professional swimmers are in the weightrooms on a regular basis. Just look at your workouts and determine what you're developing - is it muscle mass or is it long-lasting muscle endurance? A good workout to use is the Navy SEAL Workout found on this site.

As for your weight - don't go by the scale, go by the mirror. If you're eating a balanced diet, exercising on a regular basis, and not drinking too much beer, your scale weight isn't going to make or break you. If your endurance gets better, your body will determine what your weight should be.

I hope some real deal SEALs get back with you on this.

JT

[Phalynx]

Jeff,
Congrats on your decision to become a SEAL. I'm not a BTDT (and I hope I don't offend any by this comment), but I was just at the local recruiting station and the Navy has strict weight standards. For someone 6 feet tall the maximum weight requirment is 205lbs. So setting a goal of just losing 20 lbs. is not going to get you in the Navy if you are 240lbs.

To paraphrase Stew Smith: Why start weight lifting when in BUD/S the students don't lift free weights. IHMO it would be best to concentrate on running, swimming, pushup, situps, and pullups.

Good luck to you.

[Swimmer2004]

isn't there an "or body fat percentage" option?

[Jeff75]

Thanks for your input. For football in college, a lot of emphasis is put on raw power and sprinting speed, with not too much focus on endurance as in long distance running. I will have to change.
~Jeff75