Different Strokes

On days that require a long, slow distance swim, I've been working on the combat sidestroke.  It's a stroke I was never taught in my youth, and my lifeguard and swim team friends aren't familiar with it either.  It's a bizarre combination of traditional side, breast, and crawl strokes said to have been perfected by the SEALS.  Although the synchronization of its choreography takes quite a bit of getting used to, it ends up feeling extremely efficient and relaxed.  I feel less tired using the CSS than when using breaststroke, which is widely considered the best endurance stroke.  Other benefits of the CSS include:

• Efficiency and energy conservation,
• Low-profile with minimal wake or sound,
• The option to use fins,
• The ability to drag equipment or a body.

If you'd like to try the CSS next time you are in the pool, have a look at this instructional video, created by the U.S. Navy.

On Day Two of Week Two, I really didn't feel like getting in the pool, but I did my 15-minute continuous high-intensity swim anyway (825-yard crawl).  By morning, I definitely had a fully-developed chest cold.  I am sure it has something to do with intense training, intense diet, and immersion in cold water of questionable cleanliness.  I've read that officer candidates at OCS should just expect to get sick.  They can also expect to be forced to work out no matter what.  I've kept up the core and lifting portions of my plan, but I'm staying out of the pool until I'm well.

And according to my body composition scale, my 4,000 calorie-diet has been paying off -- kind of.  I gained a pound of fat this week.  The trick will be to see if I can begin gaining muscle and losing fat.