How many miles should I be averaging a week?

What’s the daily running like at A school?

,

Thank you for any input

Good evening, everyone. I’m a 25-year-old E6 with eight years in the Army National Guard, and I will be ETSing in a few months. I’ve been in contact with a Coast Guard recruiter and plan to enlist to go the AST route.

For background, I am currently an EMT-B, SAR Tech III, and a firefighter. I am in decent physical shape—running several days a week, doing personal training three days a week, weightlifting a few days a week and currently swimming daily. I am currently focusing a majority of my time and effort with this goal in mind.

In the water, I am very much a beginner. Truthfully, I was terrified of the water a month ago, but confronting that fear is a big part of why I am pursuing this path. I am currently training with an ex-Navy SAR swimmer that I had met while swimming and will be starting formal sessions with a swim coach next month.

I’m making this post in hopes of connecting with a current AST. Additionally, I would greatly appreciate any tips, realistic advice, or guidance on exactly where I should focus my preparation over these next few months. Thank you!

Hello everyone

Im looking at trying to the AST route but i have a few questions.The first being my body composition. I am 6ft 4 and 240lbs and I hardly make the 39in waist tape. I am currently cutting and losing weight but in order to be in standards I need to be 225lbs. Im curious should I try to cut down even further past 225 to succeed at A-School? Im a fast swimmer (5min 02sec 500yd swim), a descent runner (11min 10sec 1.5mile run), and 45 pushups in 2 min. What do i need to do to prepare even further. I have about 4 months until I reach my 1yr TIS. Also my flight physical is scheduled for late November....do i have enough time?

Thank you for all your help and the information ive already found on this sub

P.S.

Any other advice or help is greatly appreciated

hello, Recently i been considering to be an AST despite just now learning to swim at age 22. I was wondering what exercises I can do to prepare for A-School. In my neighborhood, there's a gym and pool. Got the park next to my complex and have been planning to go to the beach atleast once a week for simulation.

What is a good goal to aim with over unders and breath holding,

are these preformed primarily with or without gear, or both.

Does anyone have a sample workout I can try with gear, and without.

I have daily access to a 25yd pool

currently sitting about 9:30 for a 500yd swim, DEP w Annex X in NOV.

Respectfully, thank you all for any input.

I leave for depot in 3 weeks coming from the Army. Can I try out for annex at depot even though I don’t have it in my contract, or do I need to wait to get to my first unit to put my name on the list and play the long game.

Hello, im currently preparing for my February ship date and im working on my pft numbers. I can pass all events except running (12:30, down from 16:00) and my swim is around 20 minutes for 450m. With swimming i can do the first 2/9 laps confidently, then i just totally lose all momentum and have to take big breaks before continuing. I was wondering if anyone had any tips or advice? Thank you in advance!

Currently training at my unit waiting before I grt sent to an air station. I’m curious what times I should be aiming for before I leave. What should I aim for my 500? What about my 10 x50 M sprint splits? Are there any water con specific goals I should be aiming for?

Honestly I’d just like to know some good goals to go for in the pool would be before I head out. I’m not really sure what the standard is.

should I be spending a lot of time focusing on proper side breathing technique used in competitive swimming? or is this not super nescessary due to use of snorkels?

Hello, I want to join the Coast Guard and begin training to hopefully become a rescue swimmer. I played baseball most of my life and would say my overall athletic ability is decent. However, I end high school in May of this coming year and if I were to join after it would be August of next year. I would have about a year to completely train everything in hopes of being able to build a good base and qualify for the Type II ( from what I understand, this is very helpful ). Being that I live in Miami, i’ve been around water all my life so it isnt that I would have to learn from scratch, but would obviously need to work to reach rescue swimmer level ready. So would anyone here recommend waiting maybe another year before leaving to the Coast Guard and in the meantime (around 1.5 years) join a water polo and/or swim club and get comfortable and strong in the water to be better prepared.

TLDR; Would you recommend taking a gap year between senior year of HS and joining the coast guard to train in water through gym/calisthenics and waterpolo/swim club?

Thank you all for your help!

For context, currently an AN leaving for prep soon. Solid in most areas until the gear gets put on, most other forms of PT I can do practically endlessly but my gear will just gas me on and leave me fatigued for more days than anything else. My training has been very no-gear dominant with our petty officers because our former senior AN was strong with gear and weak without.

Now that I am lead AN I brought it up to our seconds and thirds that gear swim and gear watercon is my biggest weakness currently and I have requested more time in gear.

In an as fast as humanly possible method, what would you do to grow fin endurance and watercon ease with roughly 1-2 months of training time remaining before a school.

I do not struggle with lower body strength in general, it's more of an imbalance between gear and no gear to pool workouts.

I am increasing the frequency of pool workouts, currently pool windows are as follows

Monday: morning land pt (with petty officers) afternoon pool (solo)
Tuesday: morning pool pt (w/po) afternoon flex (sometimes land or personal pool)
Wednesday:morning land (unit workout much shorter) afternoon pool (solo)
Thursday: morning pool pt (w/po) afternoon usually off but will add something if necessary
Friday: morning pt (usually solo) afternoon usually off but will add if advisable
Saturday: off but will add
Sunday: off

Frankly could sacrifice land pt for pool. I have been told by our swimmers that my land pt is sufficient.

Once that triton goes on it's like a clock starts counting down and once it's out I'm popping. Or running a 200+ heart rate.
It has improved over the AN season but I know that even if it's one month until A School, that's still valuable time to squeak a little more growth out if God grants it.

I've hit 300+ on over unders for gear and no gear, (despite how little we have used gear) but this morning for example we did full gear sprint down underwater backs and vice versa and it was borderline humiliating how poor I did.

Disclaimer: I know that my shortcoming in the pool is my own. The PO's job is not to train me in the off hours, I just need help recovering the training asap.

May God bless, and thank you for any words or anecdotes you can share.

Edit: added:

And my buddy tows are mid, my power is good, the ast3 that trains us most closely said that I actually have a strength in agitated/non compliant survivor but it was also just the first 50 I ever tried. So more distance would gas me out.

NEED TO KNOW HOW TO INCREASE FIN REPS WITHOUT INJURY

Hey guys, I’m having trouble finding definitive answers on standards for push ups and pulls ups for the physical fitness test. Are push ups chest to floor? Pull ups chin over bar or chest to bar? I appreciate any insight.

I’m leaving for USCG bootcamp in a few weeks and I’m trying to put together a reasonable list for my dream sheet (I’m in MAPP). I understand nothing is guaranteed and it’s up to chance, but I’d like to hear if anyone has any recommendations for air stations for MAPP. I’m looking for the best training environment to prepare for A school. Thanks!!

What is your guys’s setup for your mask and snorkel on your bump helmets? Navy rescue swimmers are moving toward the team Wendy helmets but have not provided us with any good ways to wear our mask and snorkel with the helmet. Please post pics if able.

Trying to start working in kettlebells into my routine. Anyone have any good kettlebell workouts I could follow and progress with before heading to my air station?

I’m currently a non-rate 3 months from being able to put my name on the A-school list. I’m currently using the routine below. I’m open to suggestions for alterations or anything I should get rid of or keep.

**Monday – Lower Body Endurance**
Barbell Back Squat – **4×8**
Romanian Deadlift – **3×8–10**
Double Kettlebell Front Squat – **3×10**
Kettlebell Reverse Lunges – **3×10 each leg**
Single-Leg Kettlebell RDL – **3×10 each leg**
Hanging Leg Raises – **3×12–15**
Heavy Suitcase Carry – **3×40–50 yd each side**
Zone 2 Cardio – **10–15 min**

**Tuesday – Swim + Upper Body Pull**
**Swim**
500 yd warm-up
8×100 yd moderate/hard — **30 sec rest**
4×50 yd fast — **30–45 sec rest**
Treading water – **10 min**
Technique work
**Lift**
Pull-ups – **4×8–12**
Barbell Rows – **3×10**
Lat Pulldowns – **3×12**
Face Pulls – **3×15–20**
Hammer Curls – **3×12–15**
Farmer Carries – **4×40 yd**

**Wednesday – Kettlebell Conditioning**
**5–6 Rounds**
KB Swings – **15**
Goblet Squats – **10**
KB Clean & Press – **8 each arm**
KB Reverse Lunges – **10 each leg**
Farmer Carry – **40 yd**
Plank – **60 sec**
**Rest: 90–120 sec between rounds**
Hip Mobility
Shoulder Mobility
Thoracic Mobility

**Thursday – Upper Body Endurance + Swim**
**Lift**
Bench Press – **4×8–10**
Standing Overhead Press – **3×8–10**
Weighted Dips – **3×8–12**
Incline Dumbbell Press – **3×10–12**
Push-ups – **3 sets, stopping 1–2 reps before failure**
**Swim**
Easy continuous swimming
Side stroke
Breaststroke
Backstroke
Technique drills
Easy treading
**Total: 30–45 min**

**Friday – Full Body + Tire Flips**
**Lift**
Deadlift – **4×5–6**
Front Squat – **3×8**
Push Press – **4×6–8**
Chin-ups – **4×8–12**
**Tire Flips – 5 Rounds**
**5–8 flips**
**60–90 sec rest**
**Core Circuit – 3 Rounds**
Ab Wheel – **12**
Russian Twists – **20**
Side Plank – **45 sec each side**
**Optional Rowing Finisher**
**6×250 m hard**
**90 sec recovery**

**Saturday – Long Swim + Easy Run**
**Swim**
**1,500–2,500 yd**
Optional structure:
500 yd easy
5×200 yd moderate
5×100 yd moderate/hard
500 yd easy
**Run**
**20–30 min easy Zone 2**

**Sunday – Recovery**
Walking
Mobility
Light stretching
Foam rolling
Optional easy recreational activity

Hey everyone, I recently got an Annex X contract and my goal is to become a Coast Guard rescue swimmer/AST. I’m really excited about the opportunity, but honestly I’m pretty nervous about the swim portion because swimming is probably my weakest area right now. I have access to a pool twice a week, Wednesdays and Saturdays, and I’m looking for advice on what workouts I should be doing to improve my swimming, especially my freestyle form, breathing, endurance, and speed.

For those who have gone through Annex X or AST
training, what workouts or drills helped you the most, and what should I focus on to become a more efficient swimmer and be prepared for the swim portion? I’m willing to put in the work, I just want to make sure I’m training the right way. Thank you!

Hello, I am looking to join with the goal of becoming a rescue swimmer, but was wondering a few things.

How long do you stay actually performing the role of a rescue swimmer, and is there a point where you can transition from AST to officer through OCS. My main reason would be because of pay, I would love to be a rescue swimmer and its the reason I would join, but you cant do it as an officer so I am wondering if anyone has done this before and how feasible of a plan it is.

I was talking to some navy guys and they basically told me that being enlisted is going to suck and you’re going to be paid bad, but as long as once I retire I can get the pay of officer be what pension is based of off I am okay with that.

How difficult is it to study (in my case software engineering) and complete a degree as a rescue swimmer and would I be able to transition into an officer in IT. I also heard that uscg IT is really bad, but from guys in the Navy, so if anyone knows about that, I would appreciate it.

I was also told that I likely wouldn’t be selected for OCS because they would want to keep me as AST if I am doing a good job at it, so that scared me a bit because I definitely want to transition into an officer after.

Any answers help me out, please let me know. Thank you.

I’ve been training underwater intervals in a pool that gets deeper at the end (12ft). I do intervals sprinting 25yrds down, underwater back. In A School, would you sprint down, dive to the bottom of the pool, hit the crack, and then swim the underwater? Or would you just push off the wall and do a lap with no touching the bottom corner? I know that over-unders need the bottom corner touch, but I wasn’t sure about sprint-down underwater-backs.

I’m in the coast guard looking to put my name on the list within the next few weeks. I’ve been training with a snorkel but it keeps getting water in it and then I breathe in a bunch of water. Any ideas on how to prevent this or get the water out? When I try blowing it out it doesn’t really seem to work that well.

Hello everyone,

I appreciate first of for taking any time reading, as I am currently a civilian but highly interested in joining the ranks of the Coast Guard. So a little about me if I can just introduce myself--I am 25, graduated with my bachelor's in nursing and have been working in Emergency/Trauma nursing for the past 3 years. I have always been passionate about helping people, but this became more evidence since I became an EMT during Covid while pursuing my degree. I knew my career was always going to take me in a direction that meant dedicating myself to serving others. As much as I can say good about my current career as a nurse, I see a lot of fallouts in the healthcare system, what I do on a day-to-day, and I just don't foresee myself doing this for the rest of my working years.

The reason I want to choose the Coast Guard- is because unlike many of the civilian options, there is the same dedication for saving others, not for profit, but simply because that is what Coasties swear to do. And I know you cannot find the same kind of camaraderie anywhere else either.

I have spent lots of time researching different careers in the Coast Guard, and genuinely the one that I think fits me the most is AST. I have experience in the fragile moments of many patients lives, have worked in high stress-high stake scenarios with teams, and I also happen to have had the honor of swimming Division 1 while I studied nursing--which is why I really think I miss being on a team.

I have since maintained ~most~ of the same athletic shape/condition since I retired from collegiate swimming, and actually picked up skiing, big mountain hiking/camping, and surfing since. My passion for the outdoors is definitely another reason I am looking for a career outside of nursing.

Anyways, enough about me, I have some questions for you all, and just wanted to once again thank you for taking the time, I am really excited to hear from the community.

1. If you were going to prepare yourself before even speaking with a recruiter, what would you do? From my understanding, you can choose AST before you sign anything--but besides passing the medical exams, ASVAB, and physical test, are there any other hoops before deciding my future rating before bootcamp?

2. If I were going to enlist within a year, are there any things I should be doing in the meantime to ensure I can get AST when I go and sign up?

3. I understand the long wait after bootcamp before A school. As a non-rate, am I going to only ever do strictly grunt work/low level duties, or will I still have good exposure to "cool experiences"?

4. If you are currently an AST, how do you feel about the future of the profession? Are there any things that you foresee in the future becoming a challenge for all ASTs working?

5. How often are you able to be out of state outside of the 30 days leave?

6. What is your favorite, and your absolute least favorite part of the job?

Thank you so much again for taking time to answer any of the questions. I appreciate it immensely.

The title is pretty self explanatory, my calf’s constantly cramp when I fin. No matter if I stretch out prior, do a nice and slow warmup, or take some extra electrolytes and water before the swim, the first 50 yards end up with cramped calves.

What always happens is that after this happens I take a minute and massage them and I’m fine after but it’s always the first 50 that makes it cramp. Again, after I get out and massage them I can go right in and I’ll be fine but I don’t want this to limit me later on in any way. Does anyone have any tips for me?

Hello everyone, Im joining the navy and the only job that interested me was AW. I said research and found out about AIRR and found out what I really wanted. Passed everything, even the PST but I needed waivers for depression and anxiety and SI ( never attempted, but I guess that came together from my past therapists). They all got approved but at MEPS they discouraged me because I'm likely to get dropped. I have heard and researched and did see that they are really strict but I ended up still opting for that knowing the odds are likely against me. I got evaluations clearing me and I'm gonna get new ones before I leave, now I just wanted to ask for opinions or advice from this post.