What is Reddit's opinion of All It Takes: Become A Recon Marine?

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Look into a Masters Swim program and start swimming 5x a week.

Read this book: https://www.amazon.com/All-Takes-Become-Recon-Marine/dp/1987678583

Enlist with an infantry contract and take the recon screener in ITB to ensure you don't get reclassified as a cook if/when you don't pass the screener, MART, or BRC.

Couple things ... as others noted, you should begin the Recon Ron or Armstrong pull up program. Also you should begin an intermediate 5k run training program (google it, Hal Higdon has a good one but there are dozens). Both of these will improve your PFT fitness.

That said, for Recon, you may want to read this:

https://www.amazon.com/All-Takes-Become-Recon-Marine/dp/1987678583

Firstly read this book.

https://www.amazon.com/All-Takes-Become-Recon-Marine/dp/1987678583

Secondly, find a free, internet based 5k training program and begin that at the beginner or intermediate level depending on your fitness. I like Hal Higdons but the others are fine too. Once you do that, run a local competitive 5k race and see what your time is. If it's under 21:30 find a 10k training program and do that at the intermediate level. If it's above 21:30, repeat the 5k training program and the next level up.

Google Recon Ron and/or Armstrong pull up programs and do one or the other until you can get 25 pull ups.

Join your HS or local YMCA or other youth swim programs. One of the biggest factors in recon attrition is swim training. Nothing you can do on your own will prepare you better than a swim team. When swim season ends, join the water polo team. If you do this for the next 2 years you will have a good degree of comfort in the water.

Regarding rucking, I would simply do some 3-5 mile hikes with a very light pack of some food and water at a 3 mph pace. Do this 2x a month and add 5-10% to the distance each month until you are comfortably hiking 10 miles at a 3.5-4 mph pace. Adding weight or trying to run this is a great way too fuck up your knees and back. Simply getting comfortable moving fairly fast over a sustained course is more important IMHO.

I'd also add some strength tranining in here somewhere, but this is mainly for injury prevention and overall fitness. Crossfit sounds ideal but also has a high potential for injury so I'd avoid that unless you are super disciplined about not being competitive with the other people in your box and constantly trying to out-do one another (trying too much too quickly = injury).

Lastly do not expect boot camp or any of your training once you enter the Corps to get you in better shape. If you are in the right shape for recon going in, you will actually lose fitness during boot camp. Fortunately, the body has a memory for fitness and it comes back more quickly than it took to build the first time around.

https://www.amazon.com/All-Takes-Become-Recon-Marine/dp/1987678583

https://www.amazon.com/All-Takes-Become-Recon-Marine/dp/1987678583

Do a metric shit ton of running and swimming. Do the MCIWS course if you can, passing it is a good indicator of your ability in the water.

 

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https://www.amazon.com/All-Takes-Become-Recon-Marine/dp/1987678583

Read this. If you don't already swim really really well it will be a tough slog.

https://www.amazon.com/All-Takes-Become-Recon-Marine/dp/1987678583

You're welcome.