If I posted references they would just get deleted. Stew Smith is a great guy and his stuff is nearly free.
There are a couple pay programs I like a lot but at least they’re cheaper than SEALfit. My main problem with sealfit isn’t even the marketing it’s the fact that it’s random In this case random isn’t going to help guys training for a specific standard. I shouldn’t say sealfit is horrible I just think there a lot better and more cost effective options out there.
Could ask Alpha in his log for some tips, not a SEAL but was in a similar very high level unit(he wont want to to get into any specifics) and passed some crazy selection tests.
his old logs are damn inspirational and a good guide on how to build a huge work capacity…
Can’t say I’ve ever heard of 6’7 guys being in Special Forces, let alone SEALs. Is your height going to disadvantage you in anyway?
Probably with some things, and it’ll probably help with others. Marcus Luttrell is 6’5 and he mentioned in his book how it was harder for him to do things like the O’ course with such a larger body to move. However once I build up my cardio I should have a running advantage with my longer legs.
The Navy limit is 6’8 so unless I grow some more i won’t worry about it.
If remember correctly thirdruffian is also super tall and was SF/ranger
Not to highjack the thread, but for those of you that were into lifting/bodybuilding before going into the military; how did your body change?
As I am getting older, my mindset has changed and I am now focused on being as functional as possible vs as strong/big as possible. I am thinking of switching to swims, runs, calisthenics, rucks, metcons etc.
Dude!
Go play football for Navy. Come out educated and an officer.
6’7" 260?
You could start this fall!
That’s actually something I considered but I found out about the process to apply there too late. I only found out in like, September, and by the time I talked to one of the Navy counselors in October they told me I had almost no chance considering most applicants are completely done with the application before school even starts. However, they did tell me my SAT and ACT scores were excellent and that if I re-applied after a year at another college they felt like I would have a good chance of getting in. I’m waiting to see what colleges I was accepted at (should find out in a couple weeks) before really considering something like that.
Learning the side stroke and being able to tread water for a half an hour minimum would be very helpful to you. If you’er not really comfortable in the water it’s going to be tough going. Knot tying and other skills that you’ll be expected to learn fast then perform under water with a blind fold on are stuff I would focus on. That’s why getting hooked up with a legit SEAL mentor is so important…
Buy a back pack load it with 50-80 lbs and start with a 2 mile ruck march everyday. Once you can do 10 miles straight three times a week with 80lbs on a hour of sleep each night you will be more prepared than most. A solid 3 day a week dose of Squats/Bench/Bar Rows and 1 day a week of deadlifting (i.e. Starting Strength) will give you all the strength foundation you need.
Good grades, good size, good test scores!
You can write your own ticket!
Have you considered the ROTC? I was in for a couple years during College.
OK. Wow. 31 posts and barely a mention of swimming. BUDS students live in the water. Learn side stroke and breast stroke because those are the only strokes you can use on testable swims (screen test as well as milestones at BUDS). Also work on treading a decent bit as well as decent competency in all the other strokes - basically just get very comfortable in the water. See if you can find some videos demonstrating the combat side stroke and learn it, without goggles or mask (you won’t be able to use a mask for the screen test and will have to ‘earn’ it at BUDS).
To clarify, I am not a SEAL, I am a retired SWCC (hence the moniker boatguy). Never went to BUDS, so you can skip the BUDS drop/SWCC jokes. Point being, very similar training - same o course, same screen test, etc. Run swim pullup pushup situp whatever.
So. Work on losing weight, but your focus should be on getting in the best shape possible. Definitely find a pool and start living there. Don’t drop the weights, but your focus should shift to swimming running and calisthenics. If necessary, hire a swim coach who knows the strokes you need.
As for program advice, I tried Stew Smith’s 12 weeks to BUDS and didn’t like it. It was all calisthenics, with little to no weight training. Part of the reason I didn’t like it was because I had been bit by the lifting bug, but also because it was every random old school body weight move you can think of (and a bunch you’ve probably never heard of)…bootstrappers/monkey fuckers, mountain climbers, dirty dogs, etc. The program that I used for SWCC school was actually written for as a pararescue prep program, it incorporates lifting, running (including sprinting), swimming, rucking, and calisthenics. It was called the workout, written by ‘Bull’ if I recall, on specialtactics.com. The site has changed some from the last time I checked it out, but if you poke around you should be able to find it. It also meant training 2 and 3 times per day in order to get it all done, but needs must.
Check out the SEAL/SWCC web page, there should be some good info on there. I would probably emphasize to lean on SOF dudes as much as possible for tips and advice rather than gym bros. If you can find/contact some SEALs, even better. When you talk to the recruiter, ask for the local/regional SEAL motivators contact info.
Not to be a dick, but I’ve never heard of a maximum waist measurement, rather it was a neck/waist ratio used to calculate bodyfat (I know, not exactly accurate) and there is a maximum body fat allowable by that number (I think it’s around 23-25% for guys). Stupid way to test, and not hard to cheat. The bigger your neck, the better you tape out.
Also, nothing you can do about it, but you better hope there are at least a few more tall guys in your class since they arrange boat crews by height. It’ll suck being that tall and carrying your IBS on your head with a boat crew of dudes who are under 6 foot.
Good luck bro. Like I said, I wasn’t a SEAL but if you have more questions feel free to PM me.
Also, if you are considering going to college and getting a commission, couple things. I worked with two brothers who were SEALs, at different commands. Both had college degrees, the older brother was an O the younger was enlisted (he’s a Chief now). Reason being, the older brother told him not to go officer - as a JO straight out of BUDS, you will get assigned to a platoon as assistant platoon commander or possibly as a third wheel (third officer in the platoon with no real job aside from being a new guy/shooter). If you go as a third wheel, then you will get another platoon as AOIC. After that you have to ‘diversify’, meaning a tour at either a boat team (OIC with a SWCC detachment) or another unit doing something other than normal SEAL stuff. After that, back to a SEAL Team for your platoon commander tour, then troop commander (in charge of 2-3 platoons and basically done with the cool stuff). Contrast that with an enlisted guy, who does as many platoons/deployments as it takes to get to LPO and then get promoted to Chief, at which point he will do his platoon chief tour - with the added possibility of taking a platoon out the door by himself (no O). Long story short (too late), an enlisted guy gets to do the cool shit he joined to do for a lot longer than an officer does. Something to think about.
Holy smokes that workout is insane. What kind of results did you get? Did you struggle with anything?
i went back and watched buds class 234 again f–king love it
during the first 3 weeks the school did not drop any one they QUIT
a couple of guys got rerolled not dropped
almost everybody QUITS very few stay
I was an instructor at RTC Great Lakes at the time, so it wasn’t too hard to get the time in. I would usually do my lifting in the morning, then run and/or swim at lunch and ruck in the afternoon. Some days only had one or two workouts, some days had three. I hadn’t really done much sprinting up till then, so that was usually the portion I dropped first (when I did drop a workout). Lifting was percentage based and followed an inverse progression as the weeks went by (percentage of 1RM went up, reps and sets went down), calisthenics (pushups, situps and pullups) were progressive, adding volume each week. I don’t think I followed the exact swimming or rucking programs, but I still did something. Most of my swims consisted of just doing laps - if I could go back, I would actually follow a structured swim routine, either the one in that program or another.
Speaking of which, look for the book Total Immersion, has some great tips on proper swimming technique. Focused on freestyle/crawl, but the techniques transfer well to side and breast stroke.
I forget how long the program is (8- to 12-weeks), but I recall I finished it and started over 3-4 times.
Biggest struggle for me was swimming. I am dense and sink like a rock, and wasn’t much of a swimmer growing up. Only reason I joined the Navy was to go to BUDS, not realizing at the time (lying to myself?) about how bad a swimmer I was. At boot camp the basic swim test is 50 yards, and that completely smoked me - lack of conditioning, complete lack of technique. Worked on swimming for several years (took a WHILE to get to where I could consistently pass the screen test), eventually went to SWCC instead because I was at the point in my career where I would only get one shot. In hindsight, I should have joined the Army and gone SF, but at the point I realized that I already had a wife and kid and that wasn’t an option. Never got my swimming really good, but got good enough I got through the school. I was the slowest swimmer in the class from class up to graduation, but I made it where guys faster/better condition than me quit.
Anyway, that program got me into great shape by the time I shipped. Then I went to SERE school about a month before classing up at SWCC, and lost pretty much all of it. Amazing what not training for two weeks while practically starving yourself and losing 15-20 pounds will do to your conditioning.
according to video and info i have found they tell you need to do “this” or “that”
then “they” forget to tell you oh while hands and feet are tied or the instructor is trying to drown you or the water is fucking cold
The only time they do feet and hands tied is drown proofing, and the only time the instructor tries to drown you is during ‘life saving’ (or whatever BUDS calls it, in SWCC school it was called water safety) and also during pool comp in second (dive) phase.
And it’s the Pacific. The water is always cold. Having done both, I’d rather swim in cold water versus warm any day of the week and twice on Sunday. The pool at RTC was kept around 80 degrees since the instructors were in there for hours at a time. Swimming laps in it felt like swimming in soup (the water even felt thicker, which I’m sure was mental).
during the video on buds 234 at Naval Base Coronado some one said the pool was 80 degrees
but during some of the training at the pool there was a whole lot of shivering going on
i find that there is a whole lot of these little things like this
some are not that important some are major
like the water is always cold but you still have to function
i was army ,basic was during the summer in alabama ,guys from northern areas who saw very few 90 plus days were dropping like flies
the little things
March 14, 2016 3:48 pm PDT
Location: 32.714N 117.174W
Atmospheric Pressure: 30.10 in (1019.4 mb)
Water Temperature: 64.8°F (18.2°C)
One more question. How did you do the calisthenics? Did you do some sort of circuit to get through all of them? And what kind of pushup/pullup/sit up numbers were you at when you finished?
Thank you, you’ve really been a great help.