I will preface this article by echoing Louie Simmons’ quote on strength training that the information given is “A way and not necessarily THE way.” This is a brief overview of what one can expect and how to prepare for Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL (BUD/S) training. If you follow my advice to a tee, I cannot guarantee you will make it through training. However, you will be much better prepared. I have seen bad advice from individuals that have not walked the ground, nor fought in the arena, yet still preach their routines as the gold standard. I will be giving insights and thoughts here, and in follow-on articles, to help prepare anyone interested in the program. I will share improved ways of training that are much more optimal than the methods I used to prepare for BUD/S.

Let’s get to it.

Understanding Navy SEAL Training Requirements 

When learning to understand how to prepare for Navy SEAL Training, you have to realize it is not just BUD/S. There is a long road just to get there. First you must make the decision to sign up, then, optimally spend two years training not only with a recruiter, but also by yourself.  Before arriving at Basic Training Command in Coronado, CA, you must:

The first physical requirement is the Navy SEAL fitness test or Physical Screening Test (PST) which includes a 500 yd swim with breast or side stroke, max push-ups in two minutes, max curl-ups in two minutes, max pull-ups in two minutes and a 1.5 mile run. Average and minimum times are given, but I will say, they are not competitive. If you are going to make it through training, your goal is to max out everything, minimum requirements might as well be failing.

Once a contract is attained and you are accepted, you are required to attend some form of entry-level training. At this point you will get out of shape if you follow their physical training program alone. Then once you go to NSWPREP, it will be much more difficult. You have to train on your own with any opportunity available while at these schools. In order to exit NSWPREP, you must pass the exit test which includes a one kilometer swim with fins, max push-ups/curl-ups/pull-ups at two minutes each, and a four mile run in pants and shoes.

Now the fun begins.

Overview of BUD/S Training

Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL training is broken down into three, seven-week blocks of training. First phase is physical conditioning which includes Hell Week. Most candidates that are going to quit, get hurt, or otherwise wash out will do so here. First Phase is extremely demanding. Second phase is diving where students learn open- and closed-circuit systems along with basic combat swimmer techniques. Third phase is focused on land warfare that includes the basics on shooting, moving, and communicating. Once a student moves on to a subsequent phase, the passing times reduce on all graded evolutions. You are always expected to improve.

Physical Fitness Standards for SEAL Candidates

Enlisted SEAL contract qualifying Physical Screening Test:

Officer SEAL Contract PST standards:

Enlisted and Officer SEAL NSWPREP exit test standards (Pass/Fail)

Assessing Your Current Fitness Level

Conducting a Self-Assessment

I recommend putting yourself through a Physical Screening Test in order to determine any weaknesses as one of the best ways to figure out how to prepare for Navy SEAL training. You may conduct a PST anywhere with a pool, pull-up bar, and marked off 1.5 mile distance. This may be run on a track or on the street, just measure out the distance with a vehicle or map application on the computer or device. The pool or Combat Training Tank at Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL training is olympic sized, so training at a pool that size is optimal to reduce the time it takes to make turns. 

Once the PST has been conducted, assess your scores with the above chart. If you want to be competitive you have to beat the average scores. If you are to make it through training, then you have to always go above and beyond. The better shape you are in prior to checking in to BUD/S, the better you will recover and there is less of a likelihood of getting injured. I tell the people I train that your 80% should be better than everyone else’s 100%. Now that you have identified any weaknesses, you can begin to build a training regimen.

Building a Structured Fitness Plan

Key Components: Cardio, Strength Training, and Endurance

A workout plan to get you ready for Basic Underwater/SEAL training is never cookie cutter. It is tailored to the individual and their strengths/weaknesses. The goal should be to show up Day 1 in top condition with no holes in your fitness game. Cardio in the form of High Intensity Interval Training for the run/swim, a three day a week conjugate system for strength development, and a progressive endurance run/swim mix will get you to where you need to be. A key tip about strength training is that you only need to be as strong as necessary, not as possible, in preparation for something like this. There is no one rep max at BUD/S, but you have to be strong to complete the myriad of physical tasks ahead. The goal is to be the best possible all around athlete.

Sample Workout Routines Tailored for Basic Training Preparation

When mapping out how to prepare for Navy SEAL training, I cannot emphasize enough to train optimally and not maximally. You have to give your body time to adjust to the increased load you are putting on it. It took me two years of training specifically for this school and I was already an athlete. Though I made it through the Navy SEAL training program, there are definite items I would have switched up that would have gotten me to my goal quicker and safer. The split I outline here, and in further articles will show a more systematic approach to preparation. I trained at a maximal capacity which inevitably led to long-term injury. The key, that I did not know then, is to train optimally and not maximally. 

An example beginner week-long optimal training split would go as follows:

• Monday: High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) Swim
• Tuesday: Max Effort Lower Body/Sled work
• Wednesday: Moderate two mile jog
• Thursday: Max Effort Upper Body/Row
• Friday: HIIT Run (hills/stairs)
• Saturday: Dynamic Effort Upper/Lower/Box Jumps
• Sunday: Active Recovery/Rest

Cardiovascular Fitness

Importance of Running, Swimming, and Rucking

BUD/S training involves a phenomenal amount of cardio. In the 21 weeks you will run the distance from the southern tip of Florida to New York City and will swim the distance from Cuba to the beaches of south Florida. You prepare for this much like you would eat a whale, one bite at a time. You will be required to run everything from timed four mile runs on the hard packed sand of the beach to 100 yd relay sprints with a boat on your head alongside six other students. You will be asked to swim 50 m underwater in one breath to a five mile ocean fin.

You must progressively train your HIIT and endurance or distance swims and runs. It all starts with your initial Physical Screening Test assessment as a training platform and metric with which to start.

Advanced Interval Training and Long-Distance Runs

In order to gain the overall fitness you need to complete training, you must be able to train at high intensity levels with short fast and hard bursts of energy and be able to settle into a rhythm and go the distance on land and in the water. I’ve found that the more HIIT I did, the less long distance I had to do. I’m not saying don’t practice, but the less wear and tear on the joints and connective tissue, then the better off you’ll be. Remember, optimal, not maximal. Even your strength training is tailored to make you a better distance runner. 

You want your training to mirror what you will encounter in Coronado. The phrase you hear in the Teams is train like you fight. Simply put, if you mirror your training to match as closely as possible the combat environment, then the less of a shock combat will actually be. So in training for BUD/S, your land HIIT should include sprints (100-400 m), farmers carry, yoke carry, hill/stair sprints, plyometrics and sled work. This should be done more often than your distance running (1.5 mi+). The short distances will drive the long distances. Long distance days can be used to gauge your pace at a given distance. There are two graded distance evolutions at BUD/S, the 1.5 mi PST and 4 mi timed beach runs. 

Swimming Techniques and Water Confidence

Your hydro HIIT should include short (25 yds) and longer distance (500 yds) swims using the crawl stroke and the combat side stroke (CSS). I know you are allowed the breaststroke, but it is not as efficient as the CSS. I include the crawl stroke in training as it is very good for building VO2 max, or maximal oxygen consumption, in the water. HIIT should be conducted without fins. Your distance swims at Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL training vary, but the most common graded swim is the open ocean 2 nautical mile swim. It is in fins, rubber, life vest and dive knife. It is imperative to train with fins to get the soft/connective tissue in your ankles used to using them. Don’t start out the gate doing a mile swim. Start at short distances such as 100 yds at a time to allow your body to strengthen and recover properly. The crawl/walk/run principle applies in the water. 

Strength and Functional Training

Essential Exercises: Push-Ups, Pull-Ups, Squats, and Core Work

These basic movements are the cornerstone of Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL fitness. You will do thousands of each by the end of training. Your preparatory work should include progressions in each. You can vary the movement order, number of sets/reps, change the recovery time and add weight to each exercise in order to improve.

Westside Wave Periodization and Functional Strength

As mentioned earlier, the three day a week Westside Conjugate System will get you as strong as needed for training. Not only will you be able to do more reps of bodyweight exercises, but you will be better prepared for the rigors of boats, logs, the obstacle course, and myriads of beatings your body will take at BUD/S. When figuring out how to prepare for Navy SEAL training, had I utilized the Westside Wave method when training for this school, I would not have accrued the many injuries that did happen along the way and throughout my career as a SEAL. I will bring you more on this in follow-on articles. You will need to be able to functionally recruit all the muscle units in your body in a multitude of ways during training. This system of programming will get you where you need to be safely.

Flexibility, Mobility, and Injury Prevention

Stretching and Mobility Routines

I believe these are the most purposely avoided items within a workout routine, especially in military training. Most see it as a waste of time and want to get to the workout because they have other things to get to. Well I’m here to say that when you are preparing for special operations entry schools, they are critical. One of the biggest issues  with folks getting dropped from the program, other than just quitting, is injury. Incorporating active mobility work prior to and post workouts will not only warm you up to prepare for the workout, but it will further help to prevent injury. The more mobile and flexible you are, the more you can do. Many of the challenges in training will test both flexibility and mobility, so why not prepare for it?

Injury Prevention Techniques

Overtraining is one of the main ways to get injured. You overtrain when you provide your body stimulus that it is not ready for. Most injuries at Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL training  are lower extremity related. This is why your programming is progressive in nature. A small addition of band work to help strengthen soft and connective tissue in the joints would set you miles ahead of the competition in injury prevention. The body has to become used to a new stimulus before another is added. If I want to run a 28 minute four mile beach run, but I have never run a mile in my life, why would I go straight to running four miles for time? This is why I say at least two years of preparation are needed to get ready for BUD/S and coming out on the other end, injury free. Do your initial PST assessment, identify weaknesses, and program your training accordingly. 

Optimizing Nutrition and Hydration

Eating for Peak Performance

Think of your body as a high performance vehicle. If you fuel it with garbage, then it gives garbage output. Don’t fuel it enough and it won’t go as far as you’d like it. Fuel it too much, and you’re drowning in a puddle with nowhere to go. Eating is input vs. output. The more you are going to have to output, the more you have to input. At BUD/S, especially during First Phase, you will consume a great deal of calories. The tighter you have your diet dialed in prior to checking in for training, the better off you will be. When your training intensity and volume increases, you will need to eat more. Clean eating is difficult and takes discipline, but how bad do you want to reach your goal? Good proteins, fats, and carbs are vital to getting through training.

Hydration Strategies and Maintaining Energy Levels

I lived on water, Ensure Max Protein, and Pedialyte at Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL training. Nowadays there are plenty of better electrolyte options. Your salt and potassium levels have to stay high, as well as your water intake. You must drink it as often as possible once the tough training begins. Do not forget about it when you begin preparing. Tough guys still need to drink water. If you don’t, you’ll pay in the form of kidney shutdown or perhaps even a stroke. Take care of the machine.

Mental Resilience and Toughness

Building Mental Grit and Discipline

Tough times and experiences create tough people. Grit is developed through experiencing trying times and situations. You naturally develop an ability to cope or not. If you want to see what you are made of, try something challenging that requires you to overcome something uncomfortable. It could be a workout or even roughing it in the woods for a weekend. The more you put yourself through, the more you know you will be able to handle. Now, I am not saying go dunk yourself in an ice bath for an extended period of time or purposely sleep deprive yourself. You will get plenty of that at BUD/S and throughout your career. You merely have to make the decision that you’ll do whatever is necessary to get through training to get to the Teams. Will you die for it? If the answer is yes, then you are heading in the right direction. You cannot mimic the training environment in Coronado. It is one of a kind. What you can do is smartly prepare yourself so that when the really hard evolutions come, you are in the best shape possible to handle them. The better athlete you can become, the easier it will be to handle training. You have to be able to put your mind somewhere else so that you aren’t thinking about the cold or the pain. Focus on your Team, focus on winning the evolution, anything other than pain. I must say also there is a difference between hurt and injured. Hurt you can work through, injured, you shouldn’t work through unless your life or someone else’s is in immediate danger. Grit is your key to planning when thinking about how to prepare for Navy SEAL training. 

Discipline comes from an individual’s willingness to complete a goal. Once a goal is made, you now need a plan of action and milestones. Every mission has a detailed plan. Reaching any goal is no different. You have an end state which is the goal and you create milestones along the way to help push you. A milestone is a miniature goal within the process which acts as a possible decision point or point of success to move to the next one. It gives you not only a sense of accomplishment, but also gives you a chance to evaluate the process and make any necessary adjustments to the plan along the way. 

Stress Management and Staying Motivated

Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL training  is stressful enough without any outside or personal stressors adding to the mix. If not controlled, one could find themselves in a massive mental health rut that can lead to very destructive thoughts and behavior. Realize that the training is very rigorous and stressful physically, mentally, emotionally and sometimes, spiritually. The key is to not let things get to you and reduce outside stressors. If you have any family problems, BUD/S will not help. Having to deal with things at the house or wherever you came from is only a distraction from the goal. You have to be all in with all your faculties to complete training. Understand that the instructors are there as a means of screening. Nothing is personal. The games that are played, the failures when you know you passed, it’s all part of the process. You are being tested at every capacity to ensure that no matter the situation, you will not quit. The standards are there for a reason. The job is harsh so the training must match. Relax on the weekends as much as you can. Any drama, trouble or anything extra curricular you do, does nothing but distract you from reaching your goal. You are going to have to sacrifice things to make this dream a reality. Rest is crucial. So in your preparation, adjust your lifestyle accordingly. 

Ensuring Proper Rest and Recovery

The Critical Role of Sleep and Rest Days

I like to call this the three R’s. Rest, Recovery and Regeneration are absolutely critical in reaching your goals. This is where your body heals itself. You cannot just grind all the time. Recovery in itself is a mini-workout. Active warm ups/cool downs, myofascial release, cryotherapy, hyperbaric chamber, red light, and saunas are just a few of what is out there. Rest is just that, laying or sitting somewhere comfortable with nothing going on. This, coupled with good sleep, will recharge/regenerate your body for optimum performance. If you do not actively put these three nodes into your routine, they will be skipped and you will pay the price sometimes in the short, but mostly in the long run in the form of hormone deficiency. 

Active Recovery and Avoiding Overtraining

Active recovery is used to keep blood flow in your body to speed up the healing process. It can look like a simple walk, bike ride, or easy side stroke laps in the pool. If you go pedal to the metal on training every single time out, you will not only plateau, but you open yourself up for injury. I know too many folks that have gotten broken and burned out even before going to boot camp because they think that’s what SEALs do. Wrong. You train smart, progressive and go all in when it is time to go all in. You must take time to recover from your training. If you do, you will avoid injury, will heal faster, and will get stronger and faster in the water and on land. There must be a method behind the madness. 

FAQs

Q: What are the physical and mental requirements to qualify for Navy SEAL training?

A: In order to score a SEAL contract an individual must pass the Physical Screening Test for the recruiter. A psychological exam will be given at some point in the process. The Physical Screening Test you can practice for, the psych test, you cannot.

Q: How should I structure my fitness plan to prepare for the intense demands of SEAL training? 

A: Smartly. Have a training split that allows for strength gains, swimming with and without fins, running short and long distances, and recovery.

Q: What nutritional strategies should I follow to maximize performance during training? 

A: Use the same principle you do for physical training, progressive. As your output increases, your input must also increase. Good healthy clean foods are critical. Add to the current meals you eat or add another meal into the schedule. You are going to need the calories to increase performance. Gradually do this and let your body adjust. Don’t eat the entire refrigerator right off the bat. 

Q: How hard is Navy SEAL training? 

A: I have been all over the world and worked with numerous special operations forces from our country and from others. There is nothing like this. The training is so physical it becomes a mental task. It will push any human to their absolute limit.