History TrainingFromHell / RealLife

** Deconstructed in recent years; with little oversight, Hell Week became so dangerous that it went beyond regular training standards, with many recruits sent to hospital, turning to illegal drugs to avoid dropping out, and even one death that resulted in the Navy having to launch a formal investigation. Graduation rates had plummeted because the hellish training was already becoming ''too'' tough for even hardened football stars to handle. The rate of failure was ''too high'' by military standards, including the rest of the special forces.

** Deconstructed in recent years; with little oversight, Hell Week became so dangerous that it went beyond regular training standards, with many recruits sent to hospital, turning to illegal drugs to avoid dropping out, and even one death that resulted in the Navy having to launch a formal investigation. Graduation rates had plummeted because the hellish training was already becoming ''too'' tough for even hardened football stars to handle.

** Deconstructed in recent years; with little oversight, Hell Week became so dangerous that it went beyond regular training standards, with many recruits sent to hospital, turning to illegal drugs to avoid dropping out, and even one death that resulted in the Navy having to launch a formal investigation.

* The [=SEALs=]. Two words. Hell Week: 132 hours of continuous physical activity. No, that is not an exaggeration. During Week 4 of SEAL training, applicants get only 3 to 4 hours of sleep. No, not 3 to 4 hours a day, but in that ''whole'' 132 hour period. In addition, they are beaten by their instructors and undergo surf torture (a full body workout after being forced to lie in 65 degree water). (Still, these ''are'' the guys who managed to take out Osama Bin Laden. You can't argue with success.)

* The sport of gymnastics is infamous for this. Perhaps the most heartbreaking story is that of 1970s-era Soviet gymnast [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ErTP5-1K9x4 Elena Mukhina,]] who came out of nowhere at the relatively advanced age of seventeen to [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wcJ4DdfBc8A completely dominate the 1978 World Championships]]. Mukhina pioneered skills so far ahead of her time that, over four decades later, her eponymous skill on floor (a full-twisting double tuck) remains a staple of women's floor exercises to this day -- and this in a sport where five years can render a routine obsolete on the world stage. In 1979, the Soviets were still reeling from Romanian phenom Nadia Comaneci's dominance in Montreal, and with the 1980 Olympic Games scheduled for Moscow, it was paramount to them that they regain their supremacy in the world of gymnastics. As a result, Mukhina, who had suffered a broken leg, was pressured back into training long before she had healed, put on a brutal diet to lose the weight she'd gained during her convalescence, and pushed to her breaking point. With the Soviets desperate to win at any cost and Mukhina hailed as their best hope for victory, she was forced to include ever more dangerous skills in her routines -- including the Thomas salto, a complicated floor skill that ends in a 3/4 forward flip into a forward roll. It was almost never performed by women, who often simply don't have the power to attain the height needed to complete the skill safely; even the smallest over- or under-rotation could mean catastrophic injury or death.[[note]]This skill and others like it would subsequently be banned for women altogether, and eventually -- though much later -- they were banned for men as well.[[/note]] Mukhina pleaded with her coaches to remove the skill from her routine, saying that she would surely break her neck attempting it, but they would not be swayed, declaring that she needed the astronomical difficulty to challenge for all-around gold. Just two weeks before the Games, however, Mukhina's prediction came true. Weak and exhausted, she under-rotated the salto. Her spine snapped, and she was rendered instantly quadriplegic less than a month after her twentieth birthday. She later said that her first thought as she lay on the floor was, "Thank God, I won't have to go to the Olympics."[[note]]In the end, Mukhina's best friend and training partner, Elena Davydova, ultimately won all-around gold in Moscow. They remained close until Mukhina's death in 2006, with Mukhina describing her as "a real friend".[[/note]]

*** When the SAS ended the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iranian_Embassy_siege Iranian Embassy siege]] in spectacular fashion, and thus became a household name in the UK, they were swamped with applications for the Selection process. As a result, the already grueling training regime was turned UpToEleven, in order to weed out those who were only there for the fame.

* Finnish Army Reserve Officer Academy (''Reserviupseerikoulu'', RUK) in Hamina, Finland. Some 5%-7% of all Finnish conscripts are selected to become reserve officers, and all those selected to RUK are volunteers. The training is very harsh, and some 30% to 40% of the time is spent in the wilderness. Since almost all of the students are BadassBookworm kind of youngsters, the training is very thorough and demanding, both intellectually and physically. The culmination of the course is Kirkkojärvi March, some 25 to 30 km run in full combat gear in formation, where the various companies and platoons compete each other and perform five action tasks on the course of the run. The finish line is [[UpTOEleven traditionally on top of a slalom hill]], and it is not uncommon for officer students being hauled on ambulance to hospital due to exhaustion. Those who successfully pass Reserve Officer Academy are promoted to Officer Candidates with rank and tasks corresponding to Platoon Sergeant. Those who successfully pass the Candidate period are promoted to Second Lieutenants. The RUK training is highly esteemed in the Finnish civilian life, and almost all Finnish politicians, industrialists, businessmen and other important men are RUK alumni.

* Figure skaters may look effortlessly elegant on the ice, but they usually get to that point after undergoing Training From Hell. Skaters are at risk for a long list of injuries - fractures, ligament tears, broken bones, back/spinal injuries -, many of them [[CareerEndingInjury career-ending]]. Yuzuru Hanyu falling from an attempt at a quadruple axel is compared to being hit by a bus, and he attempted this jump [[UpToEleven twelve times in a row, falling 6 times]] at the 2021 World Team Trophy to the shock of fans, competitors, and commentators, without complaint or acknowledgment of the pain. The sport is so harsh on the body, and the training regime/work ethic so brutal in some countries (with the Russian Skating Federation notorious for pushing its skaters, especially ladies') that it's the norm for skaters to retire as young adults, at the age where most people are just starting their professional careers. The controversial push towards landing quadruple jumps and making figure skating more technical than artistic does not help matters either. Skaters are now trying to defy the laws of physics by cramming as many quadruple jumps (already difficult by themselves) into their programs as possible, and/or trying to land increasingly more difficult jumps (including the BeyondTheImpossible quintuple), and ramping up their training accordingly. Physical and mental abuse of skaters, similar to the treatment of gymnasts above, is also a pressing issue, including but not limited to: sexual harassment/assault, racial abuse, predatory grooming, eating disorders, etc.

* Air Force Pararescue is two straight years of Training From Hell, going through every course on diver training, parachuting, recovery training and survival training. The school has a drop-out rate of approximately ''90%'', this is out of a class as large as 100 Airmen. Their Motto "That Others May Live" is exemplified in that, of the 24 Air Force Cross' that have been awarded to enlisted personnel since the inception of the Air Force, 12 of them have gone to [=PJs=]. Note that this team actually rescues other special forces units occasionally and often acts as [[CombatMedic medics for those teams]].

** In more recent examples, several USA Gymnastics coaches have been accused of physically and/or mentally abusing their gymnasts, most notably Olympic coaches [[https://www.ocregister.com/2018/01/23/out-of-balance-a-look-inside-usa-gymnastics-culture-of-abuse/ Mary Lee Tracy]], [[https://www.wilx.com/content/news/Survivors-accuse-Geddert-of-abuse-470779703.html John Geddert]][[note]]who eventually committed suicide while facing an investigation into his coaching practices[[/note]], [[https://www.ocregister.com/2018/11/05/all-olympia-former-training-center-for-mckalya-maroney-shutting-down-amid-gymnastics-scandals-lawsuits/ Artur Akopyan]], and [[https://www.ocregister.com/2020/02/03/maggie-haney-suspended-by-usa-gymnastics/ Maggie Haney]] -- and of this group, all but Haney had been coaching at the elite level for ''decades'' before the abuse was revealed. This was so pervasive that even some well-meaning and supportive coaches have admitted to [[https://thegymter.net/2020/05/14/how-do-we-stop-abuse-in-our-sport/ struggling with the larger environment]] surrounding the sport. Bela and Marta Karolyi, who managed the program from the late 1990s through 2016, have come under scrutiny as well for the environment they created at the Ranch (national team training center), which included encouraging the girls to eat less and shaming them for taking time off for injuries. And then there's the fact that the US national team doctor turned out to be a predator who operated unimpeded for over a decade, molesting dozens of gymnasts under the guise that it was a medical treatment[[labelnote:*]]The treatment in question is a kind of pelvic floor manipulation wherein a nerve cluster near the tailbone is massaged or pressed to relieve pressure. It is an uncommon treatment, but can be used for pain relief on patients with certain kinds of lower spinal repetitive stress injuries. The catch is that it is most often used on much much ''older'' patients that would be expected to have these kinds of injuries, and while long-term gymnasts could develop this disorder, they tend to be more minor in severity and much younger and fitter patients would have a long list of more conventional, not to mention effective, treatments available. The main crux of the issues comes when you know that the treatment involves inserting fingers or a similar instrument into the vagina and pressing the tissue in a particular place fairly deeply inside. The doctor, one Larry Nassar, kept on retainer by the USA Gymnastics, prescribed the procedure to literally hundreds of teenage female gymnasts across nearly two decades without consulting with other doctors for second opinions or other alternatives and then performing said procedure himself without nurses or staff, nor the girls' parents or coaches, in the room, and often even without wearing gloves, and often for injuries other than the very specific and narrow category that this treatment is actually indicated for. This does not even get into many other examples of molestation disguised as treatment done under the guise of "physical therapy" or "medical examinations"[[/labelnote]].

* Culinary training is both physically and mentally stressful, especially in traditional fine dining restaurants. Apprentice chefs have to be able to handle floods of orders while handling delicate and expensive ingredients in an environment where flames and sharp objects are flying everywhere. And they have to do this for incredibly long and odd hours while being disciplined and berated by everyone senior to them. For example, just ask Creator/GordonRamsay. He is a tough dictator in the professional kitchen and as exemplified in series like ''Boiling Point'' and ''Series/HellsKitchen'', but in the Michelin Star World, and after reading his biography, you realise that Ramsay is actually quite ''soft, meek and humble,'' nothing compared to his brutal mentor Marco Pierre White. Because of the stress that comes with the culinary industry, it has some of the highest rates of alcohol and substance abuse in the world, though Ramsay opened ''Series/KitchenNightmares'' and ''24 Hours To Hell and Back'' to help these plighted restaurants.

** The above is without even getting into the fact that there isn't just a danger to the staff if something goes wrong, but to the customers. Broken equipment, strands of hair, mixing in ingredients that ''a customer may be allergic to,'' cross contamination, and even improper storage of food aren't just mentally stressful, but '''deadly''' under a lot of circumstances.

** The above is without even getting into the fact that there isn't just a danger to the staff if something goes wrong, but to the customers. Broken equipment, strands of hair, mixing in ingredients that 'a customer may be allergic to,' cross contamination, and even improper storage of food aren't just mentally stressful, but '''deadly''' under a lot of circumstances.

* Medical and law schools have this reputation, with older professors often treating students harshly, including using SocialDarwinist tactics (many people apply, only a few graduate) and verbal humiliation (makes sense in law school, since heated debates are part of the profession), as well as having to memorise everything verbatim. This is justified that in both professions, you have to have NervesOfSteel in drastic situations like surgery or CourtroomDrama, and the tiniest mistake can ruin a person's life permanently.

* Culinary training is both physically and mentally stressful, especially in traditional fine dining restaurants. Apprentice chefs have to be able to handle floods of orders while handling delicate and expensive ingredients in an environment where flames and sharp objects are flying everywhere. And they have to do this for incredibly long and odd hours while being disciplined and berated by everyone senior to them[[note]]Consider how tough Creator/GordonRamsay is in series like ''Boiling Point'' and ''Series/HellsKitchen'' and realize that he's considered ''soft'' compared to his mentor Marco Pierre White[[/note]]. Because of this, the culinary industry has some of the highest rates of alcohol and substance abuse in the world.

** China and Japan have some of the highest youth suicide rates in the world with their education system considered the most likely reason.

* Medical and law schools have this reputation, with older professors often treating students harshly, including using SocialDarwinist tactics and verbal humiliation, as well as having to memorise everything verbatim. This is justified that in both professions, you have to have NervesOfSteel in drastic situations like surgery or CourtroomDrama, and the tiniest mistake can ruin a person's life permanently.

* Medical school has this reputation, with older doctors often treating medical students harshly, including using verbal humiliation. As with drill sergeants, they rationalize it as necessary because a doctor's mistakes can kill people.

* Russian Spetsnaz deserve mention here, known for such things as swimming through blood to toughen soldiers and brutal close combat regimen. The passing rate is said to cap out at 5% percent. And yes, some recruits die during the training. This is considered to be normal. Spetznaz only wants the best; if you died in training, then you would have just weakened the team and died in combat anyway. And their final test [[SarcasmMode is]] [[TheSpartanWay just]] [[ThisIsGonnaSuck lovely]]:

* The Royal Navy's Submarine Command School is also known as "Perisher" for its 30% dropout rate. The mental strain is incredibly demanding as students are placed in actual command of a submarine and must complete drills involving multiple surface vessels and complex mental calculations while making sure they don't accidentally kill everyone on board the boat. And this is all done under the intense gaze of the instructor, who can and will end a career at his discretion. Those who fail are booted off the boat as soon as possible and never allowed to serve on another submarine, ever[[note]]those who choose to stay in the navy are allowed to continue to wear their dolphin badges and [[{{Irony}} many become anti-submarine warfare officers]][[/note]].

* Figure skaters may look effortlessly elegant on the ice, but they usually get to that point after undergoing Training From Hell. Skaters are at risk for a long list of injuries - fractures, ligament tears, broken bones, back/spinal injuries -, many of them [[CareerEndingInjury career-ending]]. Yuzuru Hanyu falling from an attempt at a quadruple axel is compared to being hit by a bus, and he attempted this jump [[UpToEleven twelve times in a row, falling 6 times]] at the 2021 World Team Trophy to the shock of fans, competitors, and commentators, without complaint or acknowledgment of the pain. The sport is so harsh on the body, and the training regime/work ethic so brutal in some countries (with the Russian Skating Federation notorious for pushing its skaters, especially ladies') that it's the norm for skaters to retire as young adults, at the age where most people are just starting their professional careers. The controversial push towards landing quadruple jumps and making figure skating more technical than artistic does not help matters either. Skaters are now trying to defy the laws of physics by cramming as many quadruple jumps (already difficult by themselves) into their programs as possible, and/or trying to land increasingly more difficult jumps (including the BeyondTheImpossible quintuple), and ramping up their training accordingly. Physical and mental abuse of skaters, similar to the treatment of gymnasts above, is also a pressing issue, including but not limited to: sexual harassment/assault, racial abuse, predatory grooming, fatphobia, etc.

* Figure skaters may look effortlessly elegant on the ice, but they usually get to that point after undergoing Training From Hell. Skaters are at risk for a long list of injuries - fractures, ligament tears, broken bones, back/spinal injuries -, many of them [[CareerEndingInjury career-ending]]. Creator/YuzuruHanyu falling from an attempt at a quadruple axel is compared to being hit by a bus, and he attempted this jump [[UpToEleven twelve times in a row, falling 6 times]] at the 2021 World Team Trophy to the shock of fans, competitors, and commentators, without complaint or acknowledgment of the pain. The sport is so harsh on the body, and the training regime/work ethic so brutal in some countries (with the Russian Skating Federation notorious for pushing its skaters, especially ladies') that it's the norm for skaters to retire as young adults, at the age where most people are just starting their professional careers. The controversial push towards landing quadruple jumps and making figure skating more technical than artistic does not help matters either. Skaters are now trying to defy the laws of physics by cramming as many quadruple jumps (already difficult by themselves) into their programs as possible, and/or trying to land increasingly more difficult jumps (including the BeyondTheImpossible quintuple), and ramping up their training accordingly. Physical and mental abuse of skaters, similar to the treatment of gymnasts above, is also a pressing issue, including but not limited to: sexual harassment/assault, racial abuse, predatory grooming, fatphobia, etc.

It should be noted that some of the items on this page should be taken with large quantities of salt, as this is an area that notoriously tempts people to exaggerate for propaganda reasons. ("Look how tough we are!" or "Look how psychopathic our enemies are!") Also, bear in mind that at the end of the day, militaries are NotSoDifferent, especially in this day and age where information can travel frequently and spies can better observe what rivals (and allies) are up to. If a country discovers a harsh training method that produces results, there is no reason for a country not to adopt it in order to better stand up to its enemies. In fact, alliances can make it a point to adopt similar rigorous training to better coordinate their soldiers. Hence, do not be surprised if things sound similar here.

* The [=GIGN=] (French tactical police force of the Gendarmerie; basically military SWAT) has a harsh selection process. Very harsh. In average, between ''7 and 8%'' of the candidates make it through the fourteen-months training, which includes paradropping, combat diving, bomb disposal and survival in various hard environments such as deserts or arctic regions.

* [[LegionOfLostSouls The French Foreign Legion]] has an extremely tough training regime with real life Legionnaires saying that while a lot of stories and rumors are exaggerrated, they aren't that far from the actual truth. The need for tough training and harsh discipline is because the Legion recruits come from over a hundred different countries and the French discovered that the best way to encourage unit cohesion is to ensure that everyone goes through extreme hardship. Punishments for failing to meet training standards and other mistakes include having to dig a hole and then getting in it to be buried up to the neck as well as marching for hours on end carrying a rucksack full of rocks and the straps replaced with wires while wearing boots with no laces. The harshness extends to language lessons. While understanding at first (few join the Legion already knowing French), instructors will "kick your head in", in the words of one former Legionnaire, if they believe a recruit's language skills aren't advancing quickly enough.

* Figure skaters may look effortlessly elegant on the ice, but they usually get to that point after undergoing Training From Hell. Skaters are at risk for a long list of injuries - fractures, ligament tears, broken bones, back/spinal injuries -, many of them [[CareerEndingInjury career-ending]]. Creator/YuzuruHanyu falling from an attempt at a quadruple axel is compared to being hit by a bus, and he did this [[UpToEleven twelve times in a row]] at the 2021 World Team Trophy to the shock of fans, competitors, and commentators, without complaint or acknowledgment of the pain. The sport is so harsh on the body, and the training regime/work ethic so brutal in some countries (with the Russian Skating Federation notorious for pushing its skaters, especially ladies') that it's the norm for skaters to retire as young adults, at the age where most people are just starting their professional careers. The controversial push towards landing quadruple jumps and making figure skating more technical than artistic does not help matters either. Skaters are now trying to defy the laws of physics by cramming as many quadruple jumps (already difficult by themselves) into their programs as possible, and/or trying to land increasingly more difficult jumps (including the BeyondTheImpossible quintuple), and ramping up their training accordingly. Physical and mental abuse of skaters, similar to the treatment of gymnasts above, is also a pressing issue, including but not limited to: sexual harassment/assault, racial abuse, predatory grooming, fatphobia, etc.

* Figure skaters may look effortlessly elegant on the ice, but they usually get to that point after undergoing Training From Hell. Skaters are at risk for a long list of injuries - fractures, ligament tears, broken bones, back/spinal injuries -, many of them [[CareerEndingInjury career-ending]]. Creator/YuzuruHanyu falling from an attempt at a quadruple axel is compared to being hit by a truck, and he did this [[UpToEleven twelve times in a row]] at the 2021 World Team Trophy to the shock of fans, competitors, and commentators, without complaint or acknowledgment of the pain. The sport is so harsh on the body, and the training regime/work ethic so brutal in some countries (with the Russian Skating Federation notorious for pushing its skaters, especially ladies') that it's the norm for skaters to retire as young adults, at the age where most people are just starting their professional careers. The controversial push towards landing quadruple jumps and making figure skating more technical than artistic does not help matters either. Skaters are now trying to defy the laws of physics by cramming as many quadruple jumps (already difficult by themselves) into their programs as possible, and/or trying to land increasingly more difficult jumps (including the BeyondTheImpossible quintuple), and ramping up their training accordingly. Physical and mental abuse of skaters, similar to the treatment of gymnasts above, is also a pressing issue, including but not limited to: sexual harassment/assault, racial abuse, predatory grooming, fatphobia, etc.

* What German driver Nico Rosberg described he had to do beat his teammate, [[WeUsedToBeFriends former friend]], and [[TheRival rival]], Lewis Hamilton, to win the UsefulNotes/FormulaOne World Championship in 2016. While the exact details are not known, what ''is'' known is the amount of physical and mental stress Rosberg had put himself in order to achieve his dream of becoming a Formula One champion. It was enough that, when he succeeded and became champion in 2016, he immediately retired from the sport.

** In more recent examples, several USA Gymnastics coaches have been accused of physically and/or mentally abusing their gymnasts, most notably Olympic coaches [[https://www.ocregister.com/2018/01/23/out-of-balance-a-look-inside-usa-gymnastics-culture-of-abuse/ Mary Lee Tracy]], [[https://www.wilx.com/content/news/Survivors-accuse-Geddert-of-abuse-470779703.html John Geddert]], [[https://www.ocregister.com/2018/11/05/all-olympia-former-training-center-for-mckalya-maroney-shutting-down-amid-gymnastics-scandals-lawsuits/ Artur Akopyan]], and [[https://www.ocregister.com/2020/02/03/maggie-haney-suspended-by-usa-gymnastics/ Maggie Haney]][[note]]and of this group, all but Haney had been coaching at the elite level for ''decades'' before the abuse was revealed[[/note]], and even some well-meaning and supportive coaches have admitted to [[https://thegymter.net/2020/05/14/how-do-we-stop-abuse-in-our-sport/ struggling with the larger environment]] surrounding the sport. Bela and Marta Karolyi, who managed the program from the late 1990s through 2016, have come under scrutiny as well for the environment they created at the Ranch (national team training center), which included encouraging the girls to eat less and shaming them for taking time off for injuries. And then there's the fact that the US national team doctor turned out to be a predator who operated unimpeded for over a decade, molesting dozens of gymnasts under the guise that it was a medical treatment[[labelnote:*]]The treatment in question is a kind of pelvic floor manipulation wherein a nerve cluster near the tailbone is massaged or pressed to relieve pressure. It is an uncommon treatment, but can be used for pain relief on patients with certain kinds of lower spinal repetitive stress injuries. The catch is that it is most often used on much much ''older'' patients that would be expected to have these kinds of injuries, and while long-term gymnasts could develop this disorder, they tend to be more minor in severity and much younger and fitter patients would have a long list of more conventional, not to mention effective, treatments available. The main crux of the issues comes when you know that the treatment involves inserting fingers or a similar instrument into the vagina and pressing the tissue in a particular place fairly deeply inside. The doctor, one Larry Nassar, kept on retainer by the USA Gymnastics, prescribed the procedure to literally hundreds of teenage female gymnasts across nearly two decades without consulting with other doctors for second opinions or other alternatives and then performing said procedure himself without nurses or staff, nor the girls' parents or coaches, in the room, and often even without wearing gloves, and often for injuries other than the very specific and narrow category that this treatment is actually indicated for. This does not even get into many other examples of molestation disguised as treatment done under the guise of "physical therapy" or "medical examinations"[[/labelnote]].

** For an example, let us talk about [[http://ednewschina.com/?cat=451 Hengshui High School]], Hengshui, Hebei, who has become memetic in this regard:

* Wrestling/KenShamrock's gym, the Lion's Den, was legendary for it's insane training regimen. Being beaten and choked into unconsciousness was a daily norm and, that was if you got in. To get in you had to to make it through an eight hour tryout that made the most 'badass' fighters cry home to their mommas. The Lion's Den made you into a monster, but the training destroyed your body and consequently the fighters had much shorter fighting careers than the average mixed martial artist. Most of the fighters still have injures that never healed properly because of their extreme training.