Morgan - Hero Workouts: Hardcore Functional Workouts Dedicated to the Heroes of U.S. Special Warfare Units

Copyright 2015 William E. Morgan

All rights reserved.

Edited by Clare P. Morgan

Cover design by Emz Wright

Illustrations by Rahul Arora

Cover Photo by DVID

Book design by William Morgan

No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the author. The only exceptions are by a reviewer (who may quote short excerpts in a review) and the official government citations.

Visit our website: SpecialWarrior.com

Printed in the United States of America

First Printing: July 2015

Published by William E Morgan, LLC

The publisher would like to acknowledge and thank the Defense Video and Imagery Distribution System for providing some of the images in this book. We would also like to acknowledge and thank the USSOCOM Public Affairs Office for providing access to information and content that is found in this book.

Disclaimer

The views expressed in this book are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the Department of the Navy, Department of the Army, Department of Defense, nor the U.S. Government.

Nothing in the presentation implies any Federal/DOD/DON endorsement.

The information within this guide represents the views of the author at the date of publication. Due to the rapid increase in knowledge, the author reserves the right to update and modernize his views as science uncovers more information. While every attempt has been made to verify the information, the author cannot accept responsibility for inaccuracies or oversights. Any perceived disrespect against organizations or individual persons is unintentional. The author makes no guarantee or warranty pertaining to the success of the reader using this material.

The exercises and workouts presented in this book are inherently dangerous. These workouts are intended to be an example of the type of exercise routines in which special operational units may partake. To anyone not in a special warfare unit, these are intended to be read for entertainment purposes only.

Anyone wishing to partake in an exercise program should obtain a detailed examination by their physician prior to beginning the exercise program. Your physician should approve of any fitness program before you begin the program.

Navy SEAL Endorsement :

"This much needed book on training for warriors provides deep insights into training principles, practical application via specific workouts, and examples of men who embody the ethos of our profession. There are two kinds of knowledge: theoretical/academic and kinesthetic/experiential. Dr. William Morgan is rare in that he possesses both. He is himself an operator, a fitness enthusiast and, most importantly for this book, a lifelong student of human health and performance, as well as a healer.

I do not base this on his biography alone. It has been my pleasure to serve with Dr. Morgan, to train with him and now to learn from him. I wish this material was available when I was 20. It would have spared me years of sub-optimal training and many injuries. I suggest you take advantage of the opportunity before you."

Patrick S. Mahaffey

Class 118,

SEAL Team One

Kindle Preview:

Hero Workouts

Hero Workouts breaks through the cross-fitness confusion and noise to help the reader understand how to reach elite levels of fitness without injury. Special operational forces train to complete missions, but for a civilian cross-fitness devotee, the workout is the mission. Special operational troops cannot afford to be injured because their workout is ill-contrived. Likewise, civilians do not wish to be sidelined from their pursuits.

This book contains hardcore functional exercises and workouts. I have excluded exercises which have little real-world applicable function or merit or are more apt to cause injury. This book is intended to provide instruction in maintaining combat readiness with minimal training injuries.

The first portion of this book is instructional. It provides the reader with principles for preventing injury and maintaining elite levels of fitness. It also introduces the reader to some very specific exercise instruction. This includes the cross-fitness exercises with the greatest training benefit while leaving out those exercises which have little applicable benefit or have a high risk-to-benefit ratio.

I write this just a day after visiting a military unit as a consultant. Of the twenty troops whom I interviewed, five had chronic injuries which occurred during a cross-fitness workout and adversely affected their day to-day activities. How ironic that these men, in an attempt to improve their combat readiness through exercise, are now less capable than if they had never attempted a cross-fitness program.

This book will take the very real and positive benefits of a diverse multi-modal fitness program and temper it with science that will maximize benefits while minimizing the risk of injury.

Special operational frogmen cannot use the butterfly or kipping pull-ups taught in cross-fitness gyms to pull themselves, their weapons, and their heavy dive gear from the sea as they board a ship. They need the true strength afforded to them through the variety of pull-up, chin-up, rope climbing, and sled pulling workouts found in this book.

Designing a program of fitness to suit the real-world requirements of a special operator is difficult. Imagine the training requirements for someone who may be required to compass swim three miles underwater, climb up the anchor chain of a ship with forty kilograms of equipment, then climb the ship's bulkheads, jump over railings, engage in combat operations, and finally swim three miles to rendezvous with a submarine; or on another mission the operator may be required to jump from helicopters into a fortified compound, sprint, breach doors, jump over walls, engage in close combat, and then carry prisoners, wounded, or captured intelligence material for long distances.

Hero Workouts is dedicated to those who are willing to go anywhere and do anything. They are warrior athletes who know how to fight when hurt, but their fitness program should not cause them harm.

Highlights of this book:

This book clearly defines the unique fitness needs of the special warfare community and how they diverge from popular cross-fitness programs.

Hero Workouts clearly explains the most common training risks and how to correct technique to avoid injury.

It contains high impact images and exercise instruction.

It has several dozen specific physical training workouts which are named after the heroes of the special warfare community.

After each hero workout, the reader will be introduced to the hero through the official U.S. Government Medal of Honor citations and photos.

The hero workouts are named after heroes from Navy SEALs, Green Berets, Marine Recon, Air Force Pararescue, Combat Controllers, Special Boat Units, and Army Rangers.

It includes background information about the Medal of Honor and about America's elite military units.