In December, we put out a call for fitness resolutions. But what we got from Army Sgt. Corey Bell, 26, was a success story.
Get fit 2013: Your fitness resolutions — plus ours — and tips to help you be successful
Bell writes:
I wasn’t out of shape to begin with, but in the summer of 2012 I began an intense long-distance swimming program. Every day during lunch I would go to the on-post pool with a soldier of mine and we would swim the slotted training regimen and eat lunch on the way back to work. The swim plan was designed to take [an] average swimmer on a 6-week trip that culminated in a mile-long swim. Before I knew it, I had lost nearly 15 pounds, dropping down to 163, from 178.
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In August, I ran the Fort Bliss “10-miler in the Heat.” Later in September, I had the opportunity to participate in the German Armed Forces Military Proficiency Badge competition on Fort Bliss. During the swim portion, I broke the Fort Bliss records for the men’s 100-meter and 200-meter freestyle. At the end of the series of events, I ended up placing first out of the 250 participants. I nearly maxed my APFT in October, scoring a 298 — which was 24 points up from my previous one in June. I dropped close to 90 seconds off my run time. Early in November I ran a half marathon and placed 8th in my age group on the post. All in all, by the time December came around, I was down to 154lbs — down 25 pounds in 6 months.
My chain of command begin to see how much of an impact swimming … was making on my personal fitness as well as the soldiers under me. Every Tuesday and Thursday we meet at the pool and undergo 60 to 90 minutes of water-based cardio training. I’m a firm believer in the benefits of swimming in addition to a solid “Army running game” especially at the altitude of Fort Bliss (3,800 ft).
Everything said and done, my current training plan is as follows: Monday, Wednesday, Friday: 1 hour plyometric training at the gym in the morning. Tuesday, Thursday: 60 to 90 minutes endurance/sprint swim training. Everyday at lunch: 1 hour bouldering.
Normal PT consists of: Monday: 4 miles @ 7min pace; Tuesday: 60/120’s or equivalent speed training; Wednesday: 5-mile platoon run, Thursday: 4- to 6-mile ruckmarch at 12-minutes-per-mile pace with 50 pounds; Friday: 4-mile company run (8- to 9-minute-per-mile pace)
I’m a huge advocate of eating healthy and natural — I try to impress that as much as possible to my men. My typical diet is a protein bar, banana and greek yogurt in the morning; whole wheat bread lunch sandwich with fruit and protein shake at lunch; protein shake after PT (we do PT in the afternoons right now for the weather) and a very balanced dinner consisting of grilled protein, fresh steamed veggies and fresh prepared carbs.
Another big tip I can give to someone trying to lose weight is something my platoon sergeant told me: DO NOT eat after 6 pm (or within 4 hours of your normal bedtime). I really noticed the pounds flying off and staying off once I embraced that.
Bell’s email made me curious about a couple things. As a former competitive swimmer, I can understand how intimidating — not to mention inaccessible and boring — swimming can seem to people not used to waking up and jumping in a pool at 0400.
(Truth? I still find it boring.)
Here’s a piece of the Q&A email volley Bell and I bounced back and forth:
So what are some tips to introduce dry-landers to swim workouts?
“If you want to introduce swimming to a group of people unfamiliar with the sport,” he wrote, “Conduct relay exercises.
“I’ll sprint down to the 25-meter point and get two people per lane. Have each lane decide who is 1 & 2. On my mark, all the 1’s sprint to me. As soon as they get there, I signal for #2 to come down. We usually do 5 minutes of this, followed by some sort of calisthenics exercises and then back to the relays. The main objective for me is keeping the training engaging and fun. It’s a given that the workout will improve you.”
What do you do in addition to your swim workouts?
“When I’m not in the water, I like to do sort of a circuit-type training in the gym,” he said. “Constant exercise to keep the heart rate up, with medium to high reps with low to medium weight. Free weights — in particular dumbbells — are amazing for swim improvement. They help strengthen your stabilizer muscles and core, which inherently make swimming easier.”
How much of your improved PT score do you think is from the swim workouts, and how much from weight loss?
“I would have to credit my PT score increase as 75 percent weight loss and 25 percent swim cardio improvement,” he wrote. “I won’t say I didn’t intensively work on my run to improve my run time — because I did — but overall, the 25 pounds I lost over five months was the main culprit. I wasn’t out of shape prior to the weight loss, so it was just like taking 25 pounds off my back and saying, ‘sprint!’ Once I lost the weight, everything PT-related got easy — rucking, running, abs, upper body. Undoubtedly though, the swimming really helped with my cardio. It’s an extremely low impact exercise with what experts consider the best way to improve your cardio. On an average day for me, I burn close to 900 calories at the pool for an hour versus the 300 to 600 [calories] during normal PT.
Any last advice?
“The biggest piece of advice I can give someone is that you must exercise self discipline if you want to lose weight. You will get hungry and want to eat more. That doesn’t necessarily mean you’re starving yourself, it just means you need to eat more wholesome food when you do eat. Protein, fiber and water do wonders to control cravings.”
Oh, and his actual fitness resolution?
“Long story short, my main goal for 2013 is to maintain!” Bell wrote. “I would also like to participate in my first Ironman [triathlon] if the opportunity arises. I don’t exactly have a plan as far as training for the Ironman, but I am completely open to suggestions. I guess getting a bike would be a good first step!”
Bell’s training plan:
Week 1 (3 Days)
4 x 100 meters. Rest for 12 breaths between 100s
4 x 50 meters. Rest for 8 breaths between 50s
2 x 50 meters. Rest for 4 breaths between 50s
Total: 700 meters
Total for week: 2,100 meters (1500 meters in a mile)
Week 2: (3 Days)
200 meters. Rest for 12 breaths
4 x 100 meters. Rest for 10 breaths between 100s
4 x 50 meters. Rest for 6 breaths between 50s
2 x 50 meters. Rest for 4 breaths between 50s
Total: 900 meters
Total for week: 2,700 meters
Week 3: (3 Days)
400 meters. Rest for 12 breaths
200 meters. Rest for 10 breaths
4 x 100 meters. Rest for 8 breaths between 100s
4 x 50 meters. Rest for 4 breaths between 50s
Total: 1,200 meters
Total for week: 3,600 meters
Week 4: (3 Days)
600 meters. Rest for 10 breaths
300 meters. Rest for 8 breaths
4 x 100 meters. Rest for 6 breaths between 100s
4 x 50 meters. Rest for 4 breaths between 50s
Total: 1,500 meters
Total for week: 4,500 meters
Week 5: (3 Days)
1000 meters. Rest for 8 breaths
4 x 100 meters. Rest for 4 breaths between 100s
4 x 50 meters. Rest for 4 breaths between 50s
Total: 1,600 meters
Total for week: 4,800 meters
Week six (Days 1 and 2):
1200 meters. Rest for 6 breaths
2 x 100 meters. Rest for 4 breaths between 100s
2 x 50 meters. Rest for 4 breaths between 50s
(Day 3) 1,500 meters straight
Total for week: 4,500 meters
All laps are done at own pace and either breaststroke or freestyle.
Do you have a success story to share? Let us know at pt365@militarytimes.com.
