I was wondering if anyone had a workout routine they'd recommend for someone who is preparing to join the USCG in the next year or so. I'm pretty fit, but I could always be better. Any workouts yall wanna share? My current is a 3 day split, it goes something like this: Day 1:

1. 4x5-7 Overhead Press
2. 3x10-15 Dumbbell Shrugs
3. 3x10-12 Dips
4. 3x10 Rope Tricep Pressdowns

Day 2:

1. 100 pullups
2. 200 pushups or 100 dips
3. 1.5 mile run 0:00 goal is sub 12 minutes

Day 3:

1. 1 mile run 0:00
2. Swim
3. Flutterkicks x500
4. 3x100 Rows

If I stayed consistent with this, would it get me very far in training? Any recommended changes?

Hey everyone , I’m currently enlisted mk3 in the coast guard and will be in MAPP program in January latering over rates , Ive been training with barbers point and was looking for help with over unders , it seems to me that everything else water con I can handle ,but over unders get me bad , I can maybe do 75-100yds , any tips with side brick too Was looking for any help with what yall did to improve it, water con in general too thanks yall.

I know you're not allowed to talk about what happens which is why I'm not asking about that so my question is are you allowed to go off base during SERE or is just straight training? Cause if I get to go to California I'd love to visit and hang around the area

I made it through the ASVAB and MEPS successfully, confirming my eligibility as an AST candidate. I talked to my recruiter about the advanced PT and the amount of training I need to get in over the course of the next 7 months before I ship. I have a crossfit gym, a pool, and the Atlantic Ocean as resources to use for my training. I've been running and weight training consistently but admittedly have not done much pool time beyond the last month. Where should I really dial in and put my focus towards while I prepare to ship 7 months from now?

Besides the obvious PT intensity, what's the other stuff like? Small engine repair? General testing etc? Does anyone fail on this stuff and do you have any tips? Thank you!

!P.S. - thank you everyone on this subreddit im looking to sign my annex X in december !<

Hey y’all! My name is David, looking for some training buddies out in the Virginia area, ideally Richmond but I’m down to drive as far as Hampton. I’ll drop my scores so I guess part 2, let me know if there’s anything yall think I should be focusing on particularly! ✌️ Max Bench: 255 Max Squat: 335 Max Dead: 425 1.5 mile: 8:10 500yd swim: 6:30 Push-ups in 2min: 51 Sit-ups in 2min: 84 I’m aiming for that February ship date to basic, feel free to comment or DM me if y’all wanna meet up to train! Let’s get after it 💪

I'm old (under 41 lol) but thinking of just flipping some things around and going COAST Guard. With it taking 2 years to get through it, wanted to see what some ages where on older ASTs yall have seen.

Sorry if this is ridiculous question.

The first thing I wanted to ask is if anyone would know roughly how common it is for a person with a college degree to go through A school to become a rescue swimmer. As a 24 yr old M with a college education I wanted to pursue a different more fulfilling path in life, and I just wanted to see if it made sense.

My next question would be, within the USCG is there any rate/job for OFFICERS that is similar, and would require the same kind of physical aptitude? I've heard about CROs/PJ's, SOAS/ Seal Officer, but I am more specifically curious within the USCG.

My final question would be how long is the pipeline backed up for A School and becoming a rescue swimmer? I've noticed that there have been many changes in the timeline of 5 years reading this sub-reddit. Realistically for someone who is in great physical shape, and having a Bachelors degree could you get some sort of priority in the pipeline?

Hey folks, I'm going to MEPS in December, but have heard quite a few folks getting booted from AST pipeline due to failing flight physical. Anyone aware of means of obtaining a flight physical (or something roughly equivalent) prior to committing to enlistment. For context, I've got kids and am hesitant to move them around, especially if I'm not capable of achieving the AST goal. Appreciate any leads on this topic!

I ship out to boot camp in february, with an annex x program contract. Been training daily and excited to peruse my dream, however I have a heart mummer, and had to go to a civilian cardiologist. They approved me at meps and I didn’t need a waiver. Was wondering further down the line if this would be a problem with a flight physical? Any thoughts would be appreciated. Thanks!

I heard rescue swimmers rarely or never get any rescues so I was wondering what they do daily,

This is gonna be a lot but I wanna give as much context as I can.

So I am 23m I swam in college and have surfed body surfed all throughout my life and have always been very comfortable in the ocean especially during those El Niño and east coast hurricane swells. YEW! Now I am a non rate at small boat station and I have gotten orders to an AIRSTA for the MAPP program and will be leaving next month. I have been training since I have gotten out of basic. And thanks to this subreddit I found many workouts to factor into my water con since I have mainly seen on here that is what people struggle with or have questions about. So I want to list some of the work outs that I have done to see what y’all think.

All workouts start with varying stretches depending on the day which parts of the body get the most work. Water con is full body. Water con is done with boardies and T-shirt

Swim Warm-up 500 yd free (goggles) 2x200 side kick (mask) 8x25 underwater @60 (mask) Main 2x50 Buddy brick w/ :10 pause to sim partner(mask) 2x200 over under(mask) 2x100 sprint down underwater back (mask) 4x50s gear recover into side brick(mask) ^ Sometimes interchanged with 10x50 sprints with 20 flutter kicks and 10 push ups with a :30 rest.

when I’m on duty I’ll normally have an upper body and a lower body day

Upper body 4x8-10 bench 4 rounds 12 lat raises 15 cable swimmer pull down (single) 5 rounds 30 push ups 8-10 weighted and non weight pull ups w/ dead hangs rest of :60

4 rounds of core work that always has 1:30 timed flutter kicks and other varying core exercises (3 in circuit) on :60 rest then into rows sprints as listed in the AST MAPP workouts.

Lower body 5 rounds 12 hex bar dead lift or close split stance weighted squats (knee ankle strengthening) 20 body weight squats 2x15 Single leg glute bridges :60 rest

6x 1/4mile sprints on 2min rest AFAP or 5k. pace starts at 9 then try to descend by each mile

Then first day off duty is recovery day and the following day is the swim as listed above

Each workout isn’t set in stone sometimes they vary depending on feeling out weakness in parts in my abilities but for the most part that’s what I do on weekly basis. I apologize for the long post I just want to see what rs may say needs improvement or how im doing in terms of being on track or ahead of the curve for where I’m at in the pipeline. Thank you reading!

Hello, I am a 21yr old female! I’m late to the game with no military family/ background and I feel like I’m starting from no where. I am essentially asking if its possible and what I need to do to make it happen:

21yr F, Mile- 12min, EMT-b, Currently enrolled in a paramedic program, Associates of science, multiple rescue certifications (thanks to my local volunteer fire department), and on a low dose of antidepressants. Is this a realistic goal? How do I make sure I am able to hold my own?

Thank you for your time, I just need guidance. I want to help people and water in one of the things I love most in this world.

Hello AST Reddit, About 2 weeks ago, I got the advice on here that I should add bucket tows to my training. Over the past two weeks, I have been able to tow for longer and faster. I did a timed 1000y tow today in 28 minutes.

How far away is this from what I need to be for A-school?

If you’re in the Orange County area and want to train together pre boot camp let me know! Need someone to train buddy brick and do some buddy tows. Let’s get after it before we ship off.

I’m likely going to pursue AST with an asvab waiver as I scored just under the 65 and recruiter said I should just stick with what I got . Curious what the process looks like getting the waiver and if there’s any additional testing I’ll be doing due to be allowed to attend a school? Thanks!

Just wondering what a typical day is looking like while in the Annex X program and stationed at an air station. Is training prioritized or is it more of an afterthought with other various duties being prioritized? Or somewhere in between? Thanks

I’ve been training for a while now and I’m at the point where I feel like I’m not doing enough

Everything I do while training is, 200 yard warm up, 500, lap tracers, sprints, treading, over under/ under overs, and running.

What do I add to my training schedule?

How often is it that injury will bar someone from becoming an ast? I imagine with the amount of training required and the intensity of actual a school, chances of your body breaking down before you graduate are pretty high?

Took the asvab for the first time a little while back scoring just under the required 65 to be an ast. My recruiter says I should just stick with my score as I can get an asvab waiver long as I do my job and don’t do anything stupid. Is my recruiter lying or is this something that’s actually possible? Don’t want to join and be screwed over not being allowed to attend rescue swimmer school due to asvab. I seem to trust him as he’s been in for a while but wanted to hear what others have to say about this. Thanks!

Does anyone have a good workout plan including swimming and gym sessions to prepare for A school?

I’m a 20 year old female. Current college waterpolo player/swimmer/ ocean lifeguard. What are my chances of making it as an AST? I swim 1000 in 13:00 in a pool (no fins), and 14:00 in ocean (no fins). 5’10 and 150lbs. 500 in pool of 6:07 (no fins), 500 in ocean (no fins) roughly 7-8 mins. I bodysurf consistently

This was my workout today. I would appreciate any advice or tips from any current or former ASTs.

1. 500y swim at 85% effort, 6:30
2. 20 mask and snorkel clears
3. 4x25 underwaters with donning fins, mask and snorkel before resurfacing.
4. 10 minute tread with hands out of the water.
5. 2 tread with 10lb brick and fins.
6. 8x15 side finning sprints. I was aiming to focus on optimal power output.
7. 800y gear swim. Completed in 12 mins.

To any ASTs out there, how does this workout compare to pool workouts in A-school?

PS. I am four months out from attending AST PREP in Petaluma.

As title states, I am wondering what the family life looks like while at swim school? Do married guys have their wives move to Petaluma with them? While in Swim School am I mandated to stay in the barracks or can I stay with the wife? What about kids? My understanding has been that most weekends you have personal time, do guys stay in town? Travel back to be with the family?

I am just trying to plan out best time for the Mrs and I to start our family and what that could look like while I attend swim school. Any advice is really appreciated!

Hey guys! I plan on joining the CG by April, hopefully with an annex x contract. I just had a couple questions about training and preparing for the Coast Guard and AST school.

What dry land exercises will help me prepare for school? What are some materials that I should study before getting there? What underwater drills should I practice? How long should I be able to hold my breath?

I am 6ft 4, 235lbs I know I need to loose some weight, would being around 200lbs be good enough?

and my last question is how does the timeliness to get into the school look like?

Thanks in advance. I appreciate it. (Any other advice you got for me would be awesome as well)

Hello everyone,

I’m currently trying to decide between two career paths: USAF Pararescue (PJ) and USCG Aviation Survival Technician (AST). Both roles are centered around Search and Rescue (SAR), which aligns with my long-term career goals, especially if I transition to civilian SAR roles in the future. I’m considering several factors: financial impacts (both short- and long-term), work-life balance, career prospects in the civilian world, and overall job satisfaction.

Financial Considerations:

In terms of finances, both paths offer competitive salaries and benefits while serving. However, Pararescue PJs may have slightly higher bonuses due to the specialized nature and demanding training of the role. Both offer great educational benefits (like the GI Bill) that would be valuable for pursuing further SAR-related certifications post-service. Long-term, I’m weighing the financial advantages each could bring when transitioning to civilian SAR roles, as I know that specialized military SAR experience is often highly valued.

Work-Life Balance:

For work-life balance, I understand that both careers can be challenging. However, from what I’ve researched, ASTs in the Coast Guard might have slightly more predictable schedules since their missions are primarily domestic. PJs may face more deployments, including combat and overseas assignments, which could impact personal time and relationships. I value work-life balance, but I’m also willing to make sacrifices for a fulfilling job, so I’m trying to understand the demands of each role better.

Civilian Career Opportunities:

When it comes to transitioning to civilian roles, both paths seem to offer solid opportunities, particularly in SAR. Skills gained as a PJ are highly transferable to high-stakes rescue and emergency response jobs, and AST experience is valuable for maritime and aerial SAR positions. I’m considering how each would set me up for roles in organizations like FEMA, local SAR teams, or even private SAR companies. Networking and job placement assistance through veteran programs might also differ between branches, so I’m exploring these resources as well.

Overall Job Satisfaction:

Lastly, I’m trying to gauge the overall satisfaction of each role. Both seem incredibly rewarding but in different ways. PJs are known for their intense missions and high-pressure scenarios, which can be thrilling and fulfilling. ASTs, while still high-stress, may offer a bit more routine, which could lead to steadier satisfaction over time. I’d love to hear from anyone with experience in either field about what brings them the most pride and joy in their roles.

Any insights or experiences you could share would be greatly appreciated as I make this decision. Thanks in advance!

I'm currently thinking of going AST or PJ and have some questions about the AST pipeline. I'm planning on seeing a recruiter this week but could use some first hand advice on this matter.

How physically/mentally prepared should I be upon the moment of enlisting? Will there be enough time while waiting for A-School to train if I'm coming in with competitive (swim/run/calisthenics) numbers? Should I just aim to get into the mentorship program and trust that it will prepare me for A-School?