Since retiring as a professional cyclist, Michelle Khare has thrown herself into a staggeringly diverse array of physical challenges, from training with NASA astronauts to NFL players. In a new video on her YouTube channel, Khare meets up with Navy veteran-turned-fitness vlogger Austen Alexander to take on the Navy SEAL physical screening test, the fitness evaluation which all recruits must pass in order to commence training. And she’s doing it with no prior preparation whatsoever.
The test consists of five separate events:
- 500-yard swim
- 2 minutes of pushups
- 2 minutes of situps
- max pullups
- 1.5-mile run
Khare starts off with the swim, which she must complete in 12:30 or under in order to pass. She finishes the 500 yards with a time of 11:10, passing the first round. “I didn’t think I was going to pass anything today, especially the swimming,” she says, recalling a lifeguarding academy challenge which she famously failed on her channel.
“I was very impressed about your swim,” says Alexander. “But as you progress through the test, these taxing evolutions build up on you.”
After 10 minutes of rest, it’s time for the pushups. In 2 minutes, Khare is able to execute 52 reps with good technique, just about surpassing the minimum requirement of 50. She performs much better in the situps, churning out 73 reps in the same amount of time.
The next round is the pullups. There is no time limit on this event, but a minimum of 10 consecutive reps is needed for a passing score—with absolutely no kipping. Khare reaches failure and drops from the bar after just 4 pullups, making this the first test she has failed so far. “It’s not like you’re doing this fresh,” says Alexander. “You just did the swim, you expired your lats in the pool, and strict pullups are another beast.”
The fifth and final event is the 1.5-mile run. Khare hits the finish line with a time of 11:20, which would be considered good in many circles, but unfortunately falls short of the 10:30 time that she’d need to achieve for a passing grade, meaning she has failed the overall screening test.
“I’m a little frustrated, because I feel like I could have done it,” she says. “I can’t believe I ran a marathon at a faster pace than what I just ran a mile and a half!”
Determined to improve on her performance, Khare decides to spend 15 weeks dedicating her training to the exercises in the screening test, and then attempts it again. On her second try, she passes each and every event.
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