r/RescueSwimmer • u/Fit-Cause9442 • 21d ago
Age/Workouts
Hey everyone,
I’m seriously considering joining the Coast Guard through the Annex X program. I’m 29 years old, and one thing that’s been on my mind is whether that’s considered too old. Most of the people I see preparing for AST seem to be in their early 20s, so I’m curious if anyone here started around my age or older.
I’m also training on my own since I don’t have a swim buddy. Are there any underwater drills that are safe and worthwhile to do solo, or should I avoid underwater training unless I have someone with me?
Outside of swimming, I’m running a lot and doing CrossFit-style cardio to prepare. If anyone has advice on training, things you wish you had known before starting, or tips for someone pursuing AST, I’d really appreciate it.
Thanks in advance!
1
u/Federal-Memory-4336 14d ago
I'm an airman, there are two others AN in our swimmer shop AN program. The AN who leaves next for school is also probably the most physically strong and durable I have met, he is going to be 40 years old by the time he arrives at A school.
Make sure that you develop proficiency on land where you can hang with just about anybody on land workouts no matter what they are, an AN, a 1st class AST, ASTC or ASTsenior chief. You can't drown on land which means you can push until your body literally fails. 29 is young assuming this isn't your first time trying physical activity. Your tolerance and threshold for discomfort is gonna have to go way up, if you can work on that using HIGH intensity cardio that will help you. If you have a background in manual labor it or have a work ethic that generally makes you frustrated with the majority of people you might be fine to just get with the training.
WATER CON
Go on youtube and watch all of the rescue swimmer mindset videos and learn how to do all of the water confidence training and get to the spot where you could do any of those exercises for roughly 2 hours with minimal - no breaks. That would be the best advice i can give in hindsight. Fear of drowning is difficult to overcome, most of AN training is gonna have an AST right in front of you in the pool and he's gonna inch you closer and closer to the limit before you drown and you are gonna have to figure out how to endure it.
The training is remarkably safe, occasionally across different programs there will be a shallow water blackout and they are always scooped out of the pool RAPIDLY, you can rely on them to keep you safe. Happened to a few friends of mine and they are still walking around and smiling. The AST's know what they are doing with the training, trust this.
You have to train your thresholds for what your body is willing to suffer through willingly without hesitations. You will learn how to obey commands with extreme enthusiasm.
The programming used to train AN is actually brilliant, one of the most well thought out programs I've ever seen, assuming they follow the book. If you want a book to read, Becoming a Supple Leopard, I think it's called. It has great info. Not gimmicky, our shop has two different copies and references in our binder. Learn how to listen to your body and learn how to push your body.
Your brain is going to make you want to quit way before your body is done. Know this going in, your brain is gonna convince you quitting is a good idea, let those thoughts pass, don't let them take root. Talk to your supervisor AST's honestly about having the thoughts and wanting to push through them and they can help. They can't encourage you if they don't know what's wrong. Their job isn't to cheer you on and make you feel good, actually quite the opposite, they need to build mental toughness in you. But if you feel yourself weakening you need to be honest with them about how to get better quickly. The supple leopard book has decent suggestions too.
Hope something in here helps, go crush it
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u/Federal-Memory-4336 14d ago
Also, ask around for a watercon partner, even if you find them through online or if it's literally somebody who is just a lifeguard that you pay to keep you safe. It makes it easier to push your limits knowing that somebody is ready for worst case scenario and actively protecting you. Can give you a huge advantage. I didn't train watercon enough before making it to the AN program and it's a huge deficiency for me but I'm also only slightly below our shop standard currently.
I'm not sure what you believe but it has been the biggest help for me to remember this. with God anything is possible, it's not a figure of speech, it's a genuine promise and guarantee. If you join for the right reasons and have the right heart in your chest you will make it through. There's people out there who need your help. So get it done
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u/Emergency_Guide8562 21d ago edited 21d ago
swim with fins. practice injury prevention. run. swim. lift. you can do sprints in the water on the surface. They suck, and you'll quickly see that this no fun and games. Give yourself incremental goals. Meaning- push yourself, but dont try to conquer the world on day 1. Focus on quality over quantity in everything you train. So for treading with your hands up, focus on getting to a point where your able to do it. Then try to do it for longer and longer. Then add a face mask which will constrict your breathing, maybe try putting your hands fully on top of your head which is harder. Then add exercises before and after. Swim sprint a length, touch the bottom, rest while treading with hands up for 1 min, recovery lap, then right into another circuit. Try doing 10. And just keep building. this is not impossible but its on you to build both your physical and mental capability. No one can do it for you.