I attended SLS last June and NASS the week after, as many candidates did. Though SLS was six days, we only had PT on three mornings. There was none on the arrival day, and the next day we took the CFA. The following two days we ran to the PT fields (less than half a mile each way), stretched and did either "grass drills" (think football up-downs with pushups, flutter-kicks, etc. mixed in) or relay races with low crawls, buddy carries, bear crawls, etc. These activities are really not bad at all if you're in decent shape (baiscally, if you can pass the CFA, you're good). The last PT day consisted of running to the PT field once again and stretching, but we also had a two mile run. We ran at a 10:00 min/mile pace and mostly everyone was able to keep in formation. How you perform physically on "military day" is largely determined by your degree of upper body strength (for the obstacle course and leadership reaction course, mainly), so work on pullups and pushups.
PT at NASS involved the same types of exercises as SLS, except you will have PT on the same day as the CFA if it's the same as last year. Again, the PT is not very strenuous. Lots of flutter-kicks and pushups, and a few sprints (Braveheart runs, anyone?), but all-in-all nothing to really concern yourself with. Mock Sea Trials, however, which take place on your last full day at NASS, can be a bit challenging, simply because it's roughly 7 hours of pretty intense physical activity. There's a pool phase- so being competent in the water (treading with weights, a couple of relay races) will definitely help your team out. If you can't swim, don't worry, they'll either give you floaties or keep you in the shallow end
. There are relay races around a track, and a shortened portion of USNA's "Endurance Course" (a run with hills and a few obstacles) that's about a mile long. If you can't physically conquer an obstacle, your squad will help you- the entire point of the squad system is to push each other and help each other out so that everyone succeeds. The "Wet and Sandy" portion is more fun than difficult- I dont want to elaborate any more on that
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I can say that I was worried about the SLS and NASS PT last year too, but it honestly was not bad. Focus on passing the CFA and striving for the max's, and you will be just fine. Just remember, even if you feel like you arent performing as well as some of your other squadmates, as long as you push yourself to the fullest extent and don't possess a defeated attitude, your squad and your cadre member will not think less of you. Help your team when they need it, and they will help you. Nobody's going to be perfect for the entire week- eventually, everyone will have a difficulty with something.
Good luck- I hope you learn tons about the academies, and be sure to note the differences between the two. I kept a little notebook with me for each week and it's helped me make my decision on which one to pick this year.
PS- don't be the kid who laughs at someone when they drop their water bottle... that will get you LOTS of negative attention from the cadre
