PREPARATION

How to train your body for Baycrest SEALFIT

On top of your regular training and following the 8 Weeks to SEALFIT book, you will need to build up a significant base stamina for running, rucking (running, walking, or hiking with a weighted backpack) and a few other activities to truly be ready for Baycrest SEALFIT.

For 20X participants: SEALFIT Bootcamp online training program is a great place to start.

For 20XL participants: It is recommended that you complete our SEALFIT Online Training for over 2 months prior to 20XL.

Here are a few suggestions:

Get familiar with handling sandbags and logs before April. Buy a sandbag and incorporate it to your workouts. Start with 20 pounds. Practice lifting it over your head. Runs sprints with it in your driveway. Put it in your ruck (backpack) and hike with it. Do burpees with it. Same recommendation with a log. You can purchase a 4x4 or 6x6 log at Home Depot. Same drill. Push it over your head, do burpees with it, etc.
Complete multiple ruck hikes. Hike with a weighted backpack. Put your sandbag in an internal framed backpack and go for a long walk in your neighborhood. Wear your boots. Increase the weight and speed each time.
Complete a SEALFIT Physical Standards Test - Originally created to train Special Operations Candidates, the SEALFIT Physical Standards Test (PST) remains the same. You will be tested for maximum reps and it is strongly suggested that you are able to attain the following training standards:

20XS

20X

20XL

Training Requirements:

You must complete a MURPH at the 12-hour mark, halfway through your event, to earn the opportunity to continue on to the 2nd half of the 20XL.

MURPH:

To complete your MURPH standards, rotational reps are recommended. Pull-ups, push-ups, and squats do not have to be continuous.

4. Grab a friend and do a Buddy Carry. It's exactly what you think it is. You find a friend, pick him or her up and attempt to walk as far as you possibly can with the person on your back. And when we say walk as far as possible, aim for 1 km each.

5. Get wet, stay wet and learn to be content being wet.

6. Get cold, stay cold and learn to be content being cold.

7. Combine 5 & 6.

8. Repeat.

How to train your mind for Baycrest SEALFIT as recommended by SEALFIT creator Mark Divine.

Control your breathing: Awareness of our breath, and control of it, is the best tool to bring initial control over our mind. Breath control will bring a present moment awareness absent of fear or future unknowns. We are just present when we practice breath control, and our minds begin to focus and can tap into greater energy.
Maintain a positive mind: What wolf are you feeding, right now, fear or courage? We all have the wolf of fear or courage inside our mind fighting for attention. After years of negative programming — from the news, TV, family, friends, own self-talk — fear wolf normally wins, eroding performance. Once we have control of our breath, and hence our minds, then the need is to reinforce positive self-talk. I recommend asking yourself ten times a day: “What wolf am I feeding now?” (positive or negative) and activating a positive internal dialogue to feed the courage wolf.
Envision your desired future: Envisioning is the skill of winning in your mind before you step foot onto the battlefields of your life. Envisioning involves developing your imagination and then imagining a more complete or desired future for yourself… and then practicing that daily.

Set goals aligned with your purpose: Your goals need to be connected to your ethos, or defining your purpose and stand in life. Many times we commit to new year resolutions that have no connection to our ethos, so when the newness wears off we can’t answer “why am I doing this again?” Your goals should endure the challenges to their need, so that when the going gets tough and quitting sounds like an option, we can persevere easily because our major driving aim, or purpose in life, is in the line of fire.

Committee Members

Co-Chairs
Kimberly Biback
James Cohen
Allan Levine

About Baycrest

Baycrest is a global leader in geriatric residential living, healthcare, research, innovation and education, with a special focus on brain health and aging.