Diving into SEALs fitness

The U.S. Navy SEALs will be hosting the Navy SEAL Fitness Challenge at UCLA this weekend to provide students with the opportunity to test themselves both physically and mentally.

Organizers of the event serve to promote a healthier lifestyle as well as to provide a chance for students to participate in the Navy SEAL Physical Screening Test to compare their fitness with that of a Navy SEAL.

“This event is designed for people to come out and engage in fitness to promote a healthier lifestyle across America,” said Chad Convis with the Navy SEAL Fitness Challenge.

Convis said the event is not limited to top athletes but open to anyone who is interested in a healthy lifestyle. He said this event will provide students with a good opportunity to put themselves through the same process Navy SEALs must undertake.

“The people that make it through training are the ones who allow their mind to rule their body. They know that when they feel they can’t go anymore, they tell themselves they can do one more rep,” Convis said. “This translates into real life, whether for a test, exam or a certain career.”

The event consists of a 500-yard swim using sidestroke or breaststroke, a 1.5-mile run, two minutes of push-ups, two minutes of sit-ups and maximum pull-ups.

“I definitely think it will be a challenge depending on what standards I decide to go for, especially if I want to be competitive,” said Kyle Chen, a second-year undeclared student who is planning to participate.

Chen said he believes the challenge will be a good measure of his physical fitness. He said he looks forward to being able to measure his physical ability to the standard of a Navy SEAL.

“I just want to know where I stand physically,” Chen said. “It’s hard to find a competitive standard to compare yourself to see where your own physical standard is.”

Capt. Duncan Smith of the U.S. Navy and former UCLA graduate student developed the Navy SEAL Fitness Challenge in May 2006. Since then, close to 4,000 students have gone through the challenge. Los Angeles will be the fourth city to hold this challenge and will be the largest yet, Smith said.

“I saw young teens in America becoming less fit and I wanted to develop a program that would encourage students to pursue a healthy lifestyle combined with the notion of performing at your hardest level all the time,” Smith said.

He said he got the idea after noticing that people with a competitive athletic background often have a high success rate during Navy SEAL training. He said he wanted to develop a test that would be a combination of both strength and endurance.

Smith said he wanted to stress the fact that this is a fitness event, not a recruiting event, although he said that this challenge will provide students interested in becoming a Navy SEAL a better idea of what it is like to be one.

All participants in this free challenge will receive a T-shirt and prizes will be awarded to the top competitors. Navy SEAL equipment will be on display at the event. SEALs and other military personnel will be available at the event for any questions.

Smith said he would like to see everyone come out to the event, even if it’s just to observe instead of participate.

“This is not an event to exclude people. If you’re very fit, we would love to see you out, and if you’re looking to get back into a fitness program, this is a great way to get started,” Smith said. “All in all, this event will be a great opportunity for students to learn more about their level of fitness, and I hope students will also come out to cheer each other on.”

The event will be held on Saturday from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. and Sunday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Student Activities Center South Pool. Each event will be conducted in heats throughout the course of the day. Though not required, online registration is available at

sealfitnesschallenge.com, along with further information.

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