Rick Briere is a 34-year old Master Instructor with Deep End Fitness (DEF) and a former Marine Special Operations Raider with combat experience in Afghanistan. He served 8 years.
Marine Raiders are a special operations force originally established by the US Marine Corps during WWII to conduct amphibious light infantry warfare. Rick has been trained to be essentially ready for anything.
During our recent training sessions, many of the local swimmers were starstruck both times Rick showed up. He’s a kind, humble beast that wanted to just share every ounce of knowledge he had. Not only was I impressed with his physical abilities and coaching abilities, but his openness to help anyone and everyone that popped over to ask a quick one.
Read on for more below from our initial chat, and check out what we learned and experienced from our 2 days of training with Rick Briere and Deep End Fitness.
Also, please be sure to follow Rick Briere (@rick.briere) and Deep End Fitness (@deependfitness).
How did you get involved in Deep End Fitness?
I had some of my biggest breakthroughs in water training, once DEF came to life, I just had to be a part of it.
Why did you choose to get involved?
I wanted to make a positive shift in water confidence and resilience for all athletes no matter the skill level.
What does fitness mean to you?
Fitness is a way life for me, I always feel recharged after a workout both in and out of the water.
How about mental resilience?
Mental resilience is crucial to maintaining a growth and development mindset. The more resilient the individual the more they can endure.
How do you help people build mental resilience?
We coach people on creating and developing a process on how to handle situations that are daunting. For example, open water swimmers or surfer getting trapped under waves for an extended period of time. We excel at teaching people to overcome the anxieties that come with the aforementioned situation. That level of confidence and resilience can be applied in all parts of their lives not just in the water.
How would you describe the Deep End Fitness philosophy?
DEF is the practice of movement, breath work and strengthening one’s mind towards optimizing human performance both in and out of the water.
How is it different from other forms of fitness?
In a one-hour block, an individual can achieve the highest mental and physical benefits possible for them.
What is your advice for people who are intimidated by the water?
The only way to break through that barrier is to go through it. Start small, create small goals and then work with an instructor or a buddy to support you in achieving those goals. Another option is to take the leap and join the Deep End Fitness community. We will set you up for success.
What is your advice for staying calm in tough situations?
Focus on your breathing. If it’s sporadic, bring it under control. Once that’s accomplished, break down the situation into manageable pieces and go through it one part at a time.
What is the workout we’ll do together?
Master Instructor Rick Briere leading a group session for Deep End Fitness
Opening Circle
Breathing
Warm up (upper regulation)
Box Breathing (Recovery breathing)
Breath hold push ladder
Recovery breathing
Warm up
10 min tread (BSAFE & FREE)
Breath hold
25 yard Under water Swim
Mask retrieval
Brick Tow
Skill Development
Bobs
Dumbbell Walks
Under water swim
Workout (3 rounds)
5 Burpee bottom outs
25 yards Under water swim
25 yard Over-under
5 recovery breaths
25 yard Dumbbell walk
Rest 3 min
Recovery breathing
Mental Focus (Challenge)
2 min Bobs
Max DB walk
Max Breath hold
Recovery
Recovery breathing
Closing Circle
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