I just wanted to say that my faith in SOPWOD as preparation for the Pipeline is reconfirmed today. SOPWOD is based on CrossFit but tailored to meet the needs of anyone getting ready to do the PJ or CCT Pipeline. It focuses more on endurance and water work than CrossFit does but is based on the same fundamental principles.
I've been doing CrossFit for a couple of years now. This year I decided to continue with CrossFit training and not do any additional training at all. My only concession to the PT Eval was doing regular (not kipping) pull ups in the warm up and to do push ups in the warm up (usually 2-3 sets of 30-50 reps).
I did my eval today and got about the same score I've been getting for the last 5 years (670 out of 685 if you care) but spent half the time training and enjoyed it a heck of a lot more. I didn't max the run (got a 20:50 3 mile-max is 20:00) or push ups (did 72-max is 85). I also didn't rest for 3 days before the eval as I usually do. This time I crushed my legs doing Squats on a WOD then took one day off prior to the eval. I was so sore I could barely walk when I woke up today but once the eval started, I was fine.
Last year, I added two days of speed work a week and 50 push ups every day for "ins" and 10 pull ups for "outs" over the course of 6 weeks. I was about a minute faster on the run and did 10 more push ups. Missed maxing the test by 3 push ups.
My point is that SOPWOD is better prep than CrossFit because it is specifically designed to hit all these events and improve all aspects of fitness. If I can get these scores at 40 years of age using only CrossFit, anybody prepping for the Pipeline using SOPWOD should CRUSH the PAST and any other work out the Cadre bring on.
If you are not using SOPWOD as Pipeline Prep, I urge you to consider it over all other methods, including the Guard MC PJ/CCT Train Up I wrote several years ago. The Guard MC Train Up is very effective at getting you ready for the PAST and improving your endurance but SOPWOD is better. I think SOPWOD will get you the same PAST Test results (maybe in a couple more weeks of training) but is better over all prep, is much more mentally challenging, gets you out of your comfort zone a lot, is more sustainable in the long term, and is a heck of a lot more fun.

I am just a wannabe, so I hope my posting here is OK.

I have tried a variety of ways to prepare for Pararescue, and can reconfirm Guard MC's assertion that the SOPWOD is the best way to prepare for Pararescue. I think 3 of the main reasons it is so beneficial are as follows:

1) Rather than attacking the various physical disciplines of Pararescue piecemeal, it attacks them as an integrated whole. When I trained individual components, I felt like I was struggling with a one step forward, two steps back phenomenon. I trained to where I could run a marathon, but lost too much muscle to preform well of the cals. So I gained a bunch of weight, but this made me slow on the runs... Alternatively, swimming long distances meant that I was smoked by the time I was lifting weights, so I wasn't getting the strength gain that I wanted to. Conversely, the SOPWOD staggers activities, and is written by people with enough fitness knowledge that they know how to stack Workouts so that they are not counter-productive to each other.
2) The SOPWOD is unconventional. For a while I was focused on passing the evals, but kept reading that the evals are not what people drop on. This worried me. While my PFT scores are higher than they ever have been, I don't think this tells the complete story of the gains I have made, as Cals are only one strength element that it trains you for. I think it makes you an adaptive athlete, so high cal scores are merely a reflection of your body performing that particular task.
3) It forces you into the unknown. I think people are hesitant to do crossfit, or in this case the SOPWOD, because it takes you outside your comfort zone. Some of the exercises are not instinctive, and take a little while to learn. Sometimes you have to drag equipment around the gym. You get strange looks from other gym goers. A lot of times, you don't know what your goal for time is until you finish the workout. When you start, you might have to scale a lot of the Workouts. I think all of this has been really good for me, as it has functioned as training for performing tasks even when you are mentally and physically uncomfortable. It has also taught me to train independently, and look to myself to finish a task. Getting smoked by guys like AST2 and 3 teaches me remain humble, and always have progressive goals.

I hope that this doesn't come across as preaching, but I wanted to explain to the PJ's that write the Workouts, especially Ninja, how much I have benefited from and appreciate the Workouts, and explain why and where I see that benefit coming from. Maybe a wannabe or two will read what Guard wrote and start posting in the SOPWOD as well, which would be great. So, thanks again to everyone involved with these Workouts.

Where can I find the SOPWOD workout plan? It sounds like great preparation for indoc. Thanks.

Royboy, its actually the postings right above this forum called "Special Ops workout of the Day (SOPWOD)".

I have a question though with regards to the SOPWOD. Is it supposed to "be" my workout for the day, or something that is tacked on during the day as well as doing a daily gym workout?

If you see the day has a lot of evolutions than that is it. But if it is a day where it just says run 5k and you wanna work on your weakness after then you can. This is more or less what Ninja (the sopwod moderator) says. After a bunch of the sopwod regulars asked the same question you did, we started getting double Workouts and longer days.

The sopwod is amazing. I was an average joe when I started. I just kept at it and I'm almost where I want to be. I have a little over-use injury right now (my fault), but its not going to set me back that much. I used Guard's program to get a baseline fitness and the SOPWOD to get squared away and I can't think of anything better.

Fla, can you give me a quick link, or a PM to Guards fitness that you were talking about? or is that the one the main page under the fitness sections.

The Guard MC PJ and CCT Train Up is on the home page under "Workouts". I think doing one cylcle of the train up is OK prep for SOPWOD for those who don't have a high level of aerobic and cal fitness. But I'd switch to SOPWOD after a cycle of my old workout plan.

Since I'm here I'll also point out another benefit of SOPWOD and CrossFit. My blood pressure dropped from 140/80 to 120/68 after one year of CrossFit. The second year it dropped from to 100/60. Resting heart rate went from 60 bpm, to 55 bpm to 48 bpm. And I'm still posting the same PT Eval numbers as I did 10 years ago, but I am faster and more explosive than I've ever been. No signes of over use injuries, no mental burn out, no complaints at all. If CrossFit/SOPWOD is doing me this much good at 40, imagine what it can do for you young guys!

ok. I'm gonna look into that page MC. I'm at an "ok" physical fitness shape, so I'm not sure SOPWOD will do me any good if my form is junk just trying to get the reps out.

I understand that those who contribute the SOPWOD are very busy people and take time out of their schedule to post these, so I don't want to add additional work for them, but for those of us who aren't very experienced with Crossfit, can anyone recommend some scaling options?

What I've been doing for the past month or so has been to use the regular Crossfit WOD scaled by BrandX until I'm able to complete the SOPWOD with regularity, at which point I'll switch over. Does this seem like a good plan assuming ample time to prepare, or would it be in my best interest to scale the SOPWOD?

Scale the SOPWOD. I'm the king of scaling. I'm also the prince of subbing because I don't have that much gear. If you need help figuring out scales and substitutions, go a day behind (do the 10ths workout on the 11th) and see how others scaled it. If you have been doing the brandX, you should have an idea of how to scale so just try it, go with your gut. If it is too easy then add weight/distance/reps. If it is too hard remove them. You can always ask us for ideas as well if you are truly stuck. Everyone is there to help. Good luck dude.

Don't mean to pull up an old post, But I've been rummaging through the forums trying to find a good answer. Starting next week I'm moving on to month two at my crossfit affiliate. I can say I already love it. Only problem is its great as an overall base for fitness and I love the WOD's, but they aren't "sport specific" I need to be swimming running and doing more cals than what I have been doing. I was thinking about doing CF in the mornings and The GuardMC Train-up at night. I'm just thinking this might lead to over training fast. I don't know much about crossfit endurance, but it doesn't seem like it would help me in the long runs i.e. 6mile eval. Any input would be greatly appreciated.

It wont let me edit my post

Edit: Regarding CFE
It looks like the initial Workouts are more sprints than anything. Should one build up initial mileage than start this? Or jump right into it, more concerned about injuring myself than anything.

Funkmasterjay,

http://www.gotrimax.com/TriMaxBmac.htm




Read this article. He is the founder of CFE.