The Official United States Air Force Elite Workout [Paperback]

Andrew Flach (Author), Peter Field Peck (Photographer)

Book Description

Series: Military Fitness | Publication Date: July 30, 1999

Known as the PJ's and the CCT's, the pararescuemen and combat control technicians are the elite forces of the United States Air Force. PJ's, whose motto is "that others may live", routinely go in harm's way to bring back downed pilots and crewmembers. CCT's, "first to fight", are responsible to enter hostile territory ahead of the rest and establish safe landing sites for arriving forces. Their self-sacrificing efforts are heroic. Their training is intense, exciting, and before this book, little known. Now for the very first time, their powerful training techniques are brought to light in this profusely illustrated and documented presentation. You've heard of the SEALs. . . . now meet their blood brothers! Includes sections on: stretching, weight training, calisthenics, running, swimming, rope climbing, entrance requirements, plus special dramatic coverage of water survival training, from both above and below the water line!

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Andrew Flach has written extensively on the subject of fitness. His series on military fitness, documenting the workouts of the Navy SEALs, the US Naval Academy, and US Marines, received praise from both civilian and military audiences alike. Peter Field Peck is one of the leading sports/fitness photojournalists in the United States. His photos have appeared in numerous books, magazines, and newspapers.

Product Details

• Paperback: 180 pages
• Publisher: Hatherleigh Press (July 30, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1578260299
• ISBN-13: 978-1578260294
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,002,234 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

32 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Baffled by other reviews, March 7, 2000

By 

John C. Frazer (Virginia USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Official United States Air Force Elite Workout (Paperback)

I'm confused by the other reviews. One complains that the book doesn't give the numbers of sets & reps to do. Sure it does, starting on pp. 176 -- both repetition sets and timed sets, week by week as actually done in the Indoc course.

Another reviewer complains that the review only gives the basic guidelines that the Air Force sends you when you apply to the school. Well, no, the book gives you that (identical to the Navy's BUD/S Warning Order for SEAL candidates, BTW) *and* it gives you not only the PT sets & reps for the course week-by-week, but also the weight training circuit (pretty easy to follow with equipment in a normal gym, though you may have to do some substitutions for different machines). It also has a calendar showing the running times and types (intervals, etc.) and swimming distances used for each day of the 9 weeks.

What could prepare you better for a course than actually doing the workouts that you'll do in the course?

24 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Where's the Workout?, September 22, 1999

By 

[e-mail] (Montgomery, AL (where the Air Force has me now)) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Official United States Air Force Elite Workout (Paperback)

Having patiently waited for several months after its scheduled release, it finally hits the shelves, and I find myself very disappointed. Don't get me wrong; the book does an excellent job in covering the INDOC course that the Pararescue and Combat Control candidates have to go through. This type of information is gold for those of us who are planning to attend. Before now, you had to know someone who had gone through the course to get this kind of insight, since there is little to no information to be found on these career fields, unlike that of the world renowned Navy SEALs. This book breaks the INDOC course down and explains nearly everything you'll need to know to mentally and physically prepare yourself for "one of the most vigorous and demanding training regimens known to man." So what's the problem? Before this book, the best thing out there for preparing to attend INDOC was, and still is, THE COMPLETE GUIDE TO NAVY SEAL FITNESS, also published by Five Star. This book does an excellent job of explaining the Navy SEAL's BUD/S course, but also gives a "12 Weeks to to BUD/S workout." The workout is broken down day-by-day and tells you exactly what you need to be doing each day. My buddies who have used this workout and gone on to the INDOC course said they had no problems doing the workouts there. My disappointment is that I was expecting the same type of specific guidance as is given in the Navy SEAL book; instead, they just republished the standard general guidelines that I had already received from the Air Force for free. For anyone interested in becoming a PJ or CCT, I recommend both books; use THE OFFICIAL UNITED STATES AIR FORCE ELITE WORKOUT for becoming familiar with the program and what it entails, but use THE COMPLETE GUIDE TO NAVY SEAL FITNESS to physically prepare for the many "smoke sessions" you'll endure while your there. With an 85% washout rate, you can't be too prepared.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars About time!, August 23, 2001

By 

"[e-mail]" (Staten Island, New York United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Official United States Air Force Elite Workout (Paperback)

It is about time AF Special Forces gets some recognition. While primarily intended for someone planning on entering AF Special Operations and wishes to prepare for the grueling indoctronation course, it offers an excellent regimine for keeping fit. All too often the public assumes that only Army, Marine and SEAL special forces demand a lot physically and the Air Force is "Soft". With a higher wash-out rate and longer, more intensive training required than any other Special Forces group, CCT's and PJ's often get applicants who fail within the first few days as they are not in condition. A great book for the fitness nut.