Customer Reviews

The United States Marine Corps Workout, Revised Edition

5 star:		(20)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I'm a former Infantry Marine myself (1990-1994), though the Daily 16 was adopted by the USMC after I left. I think the book is an excellent printed guide to material you can find on the Internet for free.

There's a lot of "rah rah" fluff in it, and information that most people probably won't find applicable to the civilian world. The obstacle course for example -- unless you live on a military installation you won't have access to it. There's the confidence course -- the only time I did that was in boot camp. The rifle PT -- good if you have access to an M16A2 Service Rifle, most people don't.

Most of the workouts in the Daily 16 remind me of the type of things that were just done in boot camp. When I got to my Infantry unit, we did more "mission specific" workouts, martial arts, and a lot of gym workouts if we weren't in the field. Even aboard ship there's always a weight room with machines and treadmills, so that always seemed like a good workout.

I hate to admit it, but a closer guide to the type of PT I did in the Marines is "Maximum Fitness" by Stewart Smith. He describes the Navy SEAL workouts, and they incorporate weight training and swimming. I was a scout/safety swimmer, and I can't begin to describe the amount of swimming that we did, and "Maximum Fitness" covers a lot of the swimming aspect with fins. It goes over "Pyramid" training, and instead of swinging a rifle around your home or apartment, it has similar exercises with dumbbells.

I use both books, but I think the SEAL one (one of the contributors is former USMC Force Recon, if you absolutely detest the Navy) is more approachable to civilians and more representative of the types of workouts I did as a grunt in the US Marines.

If you've been out of shape for awhile or you have never been in shape then this is the book to get. The workouts start you off at a low pace that increases it's cadance as the months roll on. The "Daily 16," in itself, is a great workout that you can perfrom ANYWHERE. This, along with the rest of the PT ideas, will give you a great amount of variety in your workouts - hence - no boredom. No equipment needed! Just your desire to get in the best shape of your life!

As a fromer Marine, I like to keep up with Marine Corps PT. This is a great book for anyone who wants to workout like a Marine or someone who is getting in shape for boot camp or OCS. These are the same workouts that Marines use daily and while on sea duty. The rifle PT section is excellent and you do not need an M16 to make full use of this workout. The book explains more than just workout routines. It does have other information that one may not use. Semper Fi

Bought this to get back in Marine Corps shape. Was tired of lifting weights so I returned to the basics. Follow the Daily 16 for 6 weeks and you are guaranteed to be in great shape (or at least much better than you were). Results begin to appear after two weeks. Loses a star becasue of the physical quality of the book. Pages fall out if the book is opened too wide, too often. I photcopied and laminated the workout cards for daily use.

I got this book in the hopes of finding challenging but do-able workout. There are many books that capitalise on the idea of Marine Corps training, for good reason - Marines are tough! Fair warning -- this book is not by Marines. The author Andrew Flach is a fitness expert, joined by a well-known freelance photographer (Peter Field Peck). This book is part of the Five Star Fitness Series that looks at the kinds of workouts of all the branches of the military. My father was in the military, as are many close friends, and I have always admired their fitness achievements - thus it makes sense I might opt for a military-inspired fitness programme.

This book is not simply a workout book. It is an introduction to the Marine Corps. There is more to Corps fitness than just doing push-ups and log drills. When you are in boot camp the mind is shaped as much as the body. To help with this history and mindset, the authors consulted (according to the credits) officers from the Pentagon, Parris Island, Quantico, and a corporal from San Diego. The reader is introduced to the Mission of the Marine Corps.

In addition to the workouts listed here, there are pictures and essay snapshots of what recruits actually endure in training. This book also gives some basic history of the Marines, and also walks through arrival at boot camp, either Parris Island, South Carolina or San Diego, California, the two Marine Corps Recruit Depots (boot camps). Just like recruit training, the book starts with an Initial Strength Test: for men, Pull-ups - at least 2 ; Situps - at least 35 in two minutes; 1.5 mile run - in at least 13:30 minutes. For women, Flex-arm hang - at least 17 seconds; Situps - at least 35 in two minutes; 1 mile run - in at least 10:30 minutes.

The book talks about basic Recruit Physical Training, detailing formation runs, squad ability runs, rifle PT, log drills and like activities. The Circuit Course is shown here including steps with boxes, ropes, chin-ups, weight training. It isn't until half-way through the book that the reader actually gets to some exercises you can do. This section begins with the Daily 16, a combination of stretches and exercises. These are organized by cards, that are actual laminated cards the Drill Instructors carry around for leading. There is one warmup card, two stretching cards, and three exercise cards. These should be rotated over time for use. The exercises on the cards are described in words and pictures for the next 40 pages, and then there is an additional section on rifle PT. Readers without a rifle can use any longish bar or object.

One of the points of interest in this book are the highlights of individual Marines. Marines work as a team, but rarely shy from the limelight as individuals. Sergeants Joseph Simpson, Baldemar Benavidez, and Charles Rollins, Warrant Officer Andrew Burns of the British Royal Marines, Lieutenant Commander Dennis Rocheford of the US Navy (a Navy chaplain serving with the Marines), and Captain Gary Gonthier are all held up as examples of leadership, fitness and training.

The book has a section on nutrition (as every fitness book seems incomplete without at least a gloss of this topic), but this is rather thin here. The book even includes principles of leadership and a glossary of terms, some of the letter abbreviations Marines need to know, and also the sea-based language (windows are portholes, etc.).

Near the conclusion of the book is a specific plan for those the Delayed Entry Program, to get people ready to pass these tests - they have crash courses or more reasonable courses of up to 6-months. These, of course, are just the beginning level of fitness.

The authors include the list of a 64-Day Boot Camp Workout, with each training day laid out. These are not all things that you can do at home (combat skills and obstacle courses are hard to come by).

The photographs are utilitarian and useful - black and white, not glossy and colourful; the point here is the exercise, not the subject exercising. According to the authors, part of the proceeds from this book goes to the Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society.

I expected much more from this book. The Daily 16 is an excellent workout which really pushes me to the limit and builds strength quickly, and the book is a decent guide for that. I give the workout itself five stars, but you can research the workout on the Internet without spending money on a weak book.

The title of this book is "The Marine Corps Workout", but of its 200-plus pages, only about 80 pages (the majority of which are oversized photos) are dedicated to the workout itself. The sections on recruit and officer training do not count, because no attempt is made in those sections to show the reader how to do those exercises. They are merely pictures of recruits in training for entertainment's sake. The rest of the book is fluff.

The sections on recruit training and OCS are mostly photographs with and filler text. The recruit and OCS sections do not give a comprehensive overview that you would expect out of a full-size book.

The nutrition section was a major disappointment. Anyone who took a health or physiology class in high school will be disappointed, as the book quotes only common knowledge such as "drink a lot of water" and "not all fats are bad". If this section had included sample meals and diets high in protein, it may have been worth including. Instead, it's more filler.

Flach writes this book as an insider. And that is what you feel like. I started the "16" program a month ago, and I feel better about myself and my body. It is really a "what you make of it" book. There is a lot of self discipline, but the hard work pays off. I think this is the best book out for the self-motivated.

I read (and try) a lot of books and magazines about phisical fitness...always the same things... run, weight-lift a.s.o....
this one was a real surprise for me!
Easy training, no special machines needed, just your body and your willness to be fit (..as a marine!)
after just 2 weeks of daily 16 (3 to 4 times per week) my body is really in a better shape and first of all I FILL BETTER;
I always tried to keep my body in shape running, swimming or weight-lifting for hours but with the daily 16 i really fill my body trained and only with no more than 30 mins. of running and 30 mins of easy streching/training exercises.
A must for everyone that cares about his/her health...and NO EXCUSES for not having the time to go to a gymnasium!

If you are thinking about the Corps, going back into the Corps, or are in the Corps, this book is a good guide for the physical fitness that one must achieve and sustain. As a prior Marine attempting to get into the Officer Corps, I am finding this book indispensable in my daily routine of trying to get back into shape. I do however suggest that you photocopy the workout pages and laminate them for ease of reference and in the name of keeping the book together in one piece. Good luck in all your endeavors.

I liked this book. To complement what other reviewers wrote, the book has actual day by day schedule of Marine boot camp pt exersices. It highlights the difference between OCS at Quantico and Parris Island/San Diego recruit training. In addition to daily 16 it has workout schemes for different time schedules. The photos were useful, as many would concentrate on a particular machine or exersice and show it from various viewpoints.

David