The Para Fitness Flick Book

Maj. Sam McGrath, the former head of the British Army's elite Paratrooper Qualification and Selection Course, has assembled 150 workout moves to get you "Para Fit." The Paras are a Special Forces unit of the British Army. Like the US Army Rangers and the US Navy Seals, the Paras are known worldwide for the difficulty of their qualifying trials--a grueling 7-day process comprised of 8 tests of physical and mental endurance. The test is given at the end of a 20-week training program.

By following the six steps outlined in McGrath's new?flip book, a person of average fitness will raise his or her endurance level to tackle five tests that have been adapted to civilian life from real-life Para selection course challenges.

Speaking about the connection between military and civilian fitness regimes, McGrath says, "Paras train for war, not exercise, and that translates brilliantly to life outside the army. Stress isn't something that's restricted to the battlefield; it is something that everybody has to deal with. If you're fit, both in your mind and your body, you're able to cope with that stress much better and that is exactly what the Para training course--and this book--is all about."

Sam McGrath is the youngest British soldier to achieve the rank of major since World War II. He ran the selection course for the Parachute Regiment from 2008 until his retirement earlier this year. In his spare time he organizes the 'Para 10'--a charity 10 mile race which anyone can enter as long as they are prepared to run in combat boots and carrying a loaded backpack. This year he also completed the Bob Graham Round to help raise money for Help for Heroes, a British charity that provides services to wounded warriors. The author lives in Singapore.