Navy Seal Strength Workout

Scott Helvenston
Year Released: 1999

Categories: Total Body Workouts


Info about the instructor: Scott is obviously very physically fit which always gives you something to strive for when doing a workout. Although he's clearly intelligent and is knowledgeable about the exercises he's doing, his instructor skills are only middle-of-the-road. Several times in the video he doesn't count properly - either during an exercise or on the number of reps, and a his explanations or descriptions of an exercise are sometimes too brief or non-existent, like he's done the workout too many times. It's a little tough to keep track of the reps for advanced, intermediate and beginner when he says what they're going to be and then does something different. However, these are truly minor problems and not a hindrance at all to doing the video. Keep in mind that he mostly counts out loud the number of reps for advanced, so you have to know when to stop if you're doing a lower level of reps. The intermediate and beginner people are counting their reps, but they aren't miked, so you only hear the Scott's form and style are both excellent, as is his personality. If you are looking for a no-nonsense workout, this one is great. The moves are fairly simple with slight variations and number of reps is increased for intensity. Though simple, even the beginner level exercises will be tough for someone who is in relatively good shape, especially the upper body exercises. He does different types of sets (pyramid, drop sets) which vary intensity and number or reps and explains why this is done. Minor stretching between reps or groups of muscles are also incoporated.

Information about the workout: Other reviews on this site list the exact workouts in detail, so I will just talk generally about the workout. I recommend you do a stretching warm-up and cool-down before and after the video. There is essentially no cool-down and the warm-up section is minor. He does point out you should do this on your own. What results, thankfully, is a full hour of military-style calisthenics, including work for your abs, legs, back and arms/upper body. After each muscle group is warmed up and you do some generic warm-up exercises like jumping jacks, you move into the concentrated work on each muscle group. The moves are quite simple and it's mostly by varying the number of repetitions that the level of difficulty is advanced.

One specific problem I noticed is during the ab section, there is a short exercise to work the lower abs which looks basically like one is swinging your legs from bent-at-the-knees and on the ground, to your chest, and back down.

This video is terrific if you are not the best with complex choreography, don't have any equipment, and want a good strength training workout. You use your body's own resistance for all the exercises except for a very small section at the end where they use a chin-up bar. Those exercises are also demonstrated with hand weights, but that section is small and is the only equipment used. I have had the video for a month and am in very good shape but the arms section STILL kicks my butt pretty good, and I am just now moving towards incorporating the intermediate arm stuff with the beginner, while I am doing advanced on leg and abs.

In general, despite it's minor problems I think it's a terrific strengthening video with a lot of room to advance; the tape won't become "stale" for a long time.

Nina

11/30/-0001