Sleeping arrangements during Basic Training may differ depending on where you're at. Generally, you'll either bunk in a bay containing about 40 people or in a small room with three to six others. You can expect to get between seven and eight hours of sleep.
"On average, military personnel sleep approximately six hours" a day, said Dr. Tom Balkin, a senior scientist at the CMPN's Behavioral Biology Branch. An average of six hours of sleep isn't enough – at least seven hours is recommended, Williams said. Running short on sleep could lead to poor health or poor performance.
All Marines require seven to nine hours of sleep each night—period.
The first night of Navy boot camp, you don't sleep. They say this is to reset your natural sleep schedule (in case your schedule doesn't fit from sleeping at 10pm to waking up at 5am–6am). You will then be allowed to sleep the next day.
You will not be getting any sleep for the first night, and you will probably lie in bed the next wondering what in the world you are doing here. You'll spend more time polishing the floors and cleaning the bathroom than you ever have before. Then you will be given your first physical fitness test.
If you enroll in boot camp, expect to be on duty seven days a week, though you might get several hours of personal time on Sunday since it's a day with lighter responsibilities.
Crying during USMC boot camp is not uncommon and may occur due to the stress of training. However, recruits are expected to quickly regain composure and continue with their training, as showing prolonged emotional vulnerability may result in disciplinary action or dismissal from the program.
Boot camp is a great way to quick start weight loss and fitness, but there are some things that you need to know before you enlist: It's intense. It will work all your major muscle groups, including your core, and give you a great cardio workout to boot. It's not for you if you don't like to sweat.
The military is smart enough to know that human beings have the need to use the toilet throughout the day, not just at predetermined times. So they make bathrooms available for recruits at all times, day or night. If you've got to go, just ask and you'll be allowed to go. What can't you bring to military boot camp?
Body Changes
If you are adding a resistance program (calisthenics, weighted exercise), there will be tearing down and building up of muscle. At first, this micro-tearing of the muscle fiber causes water retention during the healing process, which can result in some weight gain.
Mail call is usually every evening, Monday through Saturday. At the end of the duty day, the drill instructor will enter the barracks, call out names and pass out mail. You're then usually granted about one hour of free time to read your mail.
The most elite special operations forces in the U.S. are known as the Green Berets, and while that alone is enough to spark debate, there's great reasoning behind it. Training includes harsh mental and physical undertakings, including the school that's widely regarded as the hardest: Combat Diving.
In all the branches' basic training programs, bedtime is usually 2100, or 9 p.m., except during times of special events, such as night exercises. In basic training, lights out means go to sleep.
One of the most common techniques that drill sergeants use to wake up their soldiers is shouting. They may bellow in their faces, bark out commands, or simply yell at the top of their lungs to get their attention.
A power nap (the Navy SEAL version with your legs elevated, or a more typical lying-down-flat version) can definitely be beneficial if you find yourself drowsy during the day, but don't use it as a substitute for getting the nighttime sleep you need on a regular basis.
In basic training, you take group showers. There's no way out of communal showers. They're required. Everyone in your barracks will enter the shower room assigned to your barracks when commanded.
Often, drill commanders assign when and how long a unit has to shower. For example, you may have 1-2 minutes to squeeze in a quick shower in the morning after PT. Then, more time is generally provided in the evening right before or after “lights out”.
Drill Instructors/Drill Sergeants don't physically touch recruits. They don't hit or physically assault recruits, ever. They come close, but they never physically hurt or even touch recruits. Another thing that is important is that everything they do is for a purpose, a rehearsed, manufactured, and engineered purpose.
2. Both require rest in between workouts. In contrast to yoga or pilates, bootcamp and HIIT classes will really work your body. For that reason, trainers recommend that you don't do bootcamps or HIIT workouts every day.
The myth that nothing will get a person into shape faster than boot camp is just that – a myth. The truth is, the hard work of getting fit starts long before basic training begins. Preparing for initial military training is a recruit's responsibility, but friends and family play an important role.
Recruits spend a lot of time running during boot camp. In the first week, expect a 1.5-mile formation run and several rounds of an 880-meter combat conditioning course. This is just where it begins. In Marine Boot Camp running is foundational to combat fitness.
Yelling is, by far, the most common corrective action in military basic training. If you perform some boneheaded stunt, your training instructor is going to let you know about it ... loudly. Don't discount being yelled at as a punishment.
Yes, it is possible to fail basic training. You could go through the trouble of leaving your home, job, family and friends and come back a failure. In fact, this happens to about 15% of recruits who join the military every year. Too many recruits I speak to think that it is impossible to fail basic training.
Most mental health professionals aren't ready to say that boot camp causes PTSD, but some do. Research shows some psychologists and mental health professionals feel it is possible for recruits to have the “PTSD seed” before they enter the military.