SGPT interviews Jeff Kubik Kokoro grad

SGPT: Tell us about yourself?

Jeff Kubik: I grew up on a farm in southern Alberta, Canada. I’m 26, currently enrolled in a degree in Athletic Therapy. I coach and compete in Crossfit, and have been involved with Sealfit for the past four years. I continue use the practices I learned from the coaches and athletes here almost daily.

SGPT: Did you have an athletic background growing up?

Jeff: I played volleyball, basketball, and soccer through middle and high school. After high school I stopped competing in sport, until shortly after completing Kokoro, where I started to compete in Crossfit.

SGPT: How did you train for the Kokoro event?

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Jeff: I started with 8 Weeks to SEALFIT: A Navy SEAL’s Guide to Unconventional Training for Physical and Mental Toughness. I used this as a jumping off point, before picking and choosing the daily wods from sealgrinderpt.com, sealfit.com, and sofwods.com. I trained on my own, which was a mistake. I was not accustomed to the movement standards, which was a big shock to the system at the start of the event.

SGPT: Tell us a little about the event? Where was it?

Jeff: I completed Kokoro 26 in Encinitas. I had an application with the UK Royal Marine Corps, this was a test for myself. If I couldn’t get through three days of training, nine months would be impossible. While that ship sailed (stopped taking Canadians near the completion of my application), completing Kokoro was one of the most worthwhile things I’ve ever done.

SGPT: What was hardest part of the event?

Jeff: The second night we did a 13 mile ruck up Mt. Palomar (and back down). This was psychologically hard for me as I met my physical breaking point here as well. Dealing with being tired, hungry, thirsty (I’m a sweaty unit), chaffed, and hallucinating. The one thing I remember, as every fibre of my being wanted to quit, was to break it into small goals like the coaches told us. Make it to the next water station, thats all I kept telling myself.

SGPT: What is one thing you wish you would have done to get ready for Kokoro?

Jeff: Trained with a crew, and taken it more seriously. I went in a bit willy nilly. I was 22, full of piss and vinegar, however I didn’t respect the challenge like I should have. This made the event much harder for me than it might have been if I’d respected it a bit more.

SGPT: Any tips for up and coming athletes that want to do Kokoro?

Jeff: Seek out help from those who have done it, aspiring SEALFIT coaches, Kokoro or 20x graduates, and pick their brains.

SGPT: What kind of boots did you use for the event?

Jeff: To be honest..I’m not sure. There was a shipping error on mine from navyseals.com, and by the time we figured it out it was a week before the event. They said they’d send them, hopefully they’d get to me in time, however they didn’t. A fellow from US Crossfit (SEALFIT HQ), was nice enough to lend me his for the weekend. They did the trick though! At least they were broken in.

SGPT: Did you use double socks/compression socks or body glide on your feet to prevent blisters?

Jeff: Absolutely, I didn’t get a chance to break in my boots due to a shipping error, I got my hands on my boots 12 hours before Kokoro kicked off. I made sure to have extra wool socks and body glide for my feet. They’re going to get beat up, but you can control just how much, the last thing you want is to be missing skin with the amount of moving you’re doing.

SGPT: What kind of ruck did you use for training and the event?

Jeff: Got my hands on an old British army ruck, way too big, but lots of room for weight. Comfortable straps as well.

SGPT: What book are you reading now?

Jeff: Legacy by James Kerr, as per Coach Lance and Coach Brad’s recommendations.

SGPT: Many thanks for the interview

Jeff: Thanks for the opportunity Coach Brad!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Brad McLeod went through Navy SEAL training Hell Week twice after training all the wrong ways. A year later he went back and finished the drill.

Are you interested in training for an endurance event like SEALFIT 20X, GORUCK or a Spartan Race? Do you want to increase your human potential so that you can move faster to your goals?

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Looking to get out of a rut and push forward to beat yesterday now?

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