How was your experience in the Navy?

How to Train for Navy Seal Experience

• Answer:

  Navy SEAL training is arguably the hardest military training ever conceived. Navy SEALs need to take physical conditioning to its outermost limits, because the kinds of operations they endure require an extreme level of physical exertion. Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL (BUD/S) training must provide SEAL team commanders with team members that will not fail physically or mentally. If you want to prepare yourself for the Navy SEAL experience, you will not only have to endure intense physical training. You'll need mental toughness as well. Difficulty: Challenging Things You'll Need Cross training sneakers Workout shorts and T-shirt in summer (light and breathable) Workout sweatpants and sweatshirt in winter (warm and breathable) Stop watch Swim suit Goggles Wet suit (optional) Swim fins (optional) Instructions Begin a running program. You'll want to initiate a program of long distance running and sprints on a daily basis. Your initial goal should be 1.5 miles in under 11 minutes. You will need to make this time to even qualify for Navy SEAL training. Running 1.5 miles in under 10 minutes will give you a good edge in BUD/s training. Also try running on different surfaces, especially on the beach where much SEAL training takes place. Begin a calisthenics program. Your initial goal should be more than 42 push-ups within two minutes and more than 50 sit-ups within two minutes. You should also be able to do more than six pull-ups. Once you have been doing calisthenics for a while, you should work in different exercises such as mountain climbers and leg raises. To have the best chance of success in SEAL training, you should shoot for 80 push-ups and sit-ups within two minutes and at least 10 pull-ups. Begin a swimming program. There is no way you can survive Navy SEAL training without being a good swimmer. Eventually you will be facing open water conditions so it is best to train in these same conditions. You need to finish a 500-yard swim in no more than 12 minutes, but ideally you should be able to complete it in under 10 minutes. The use of goggles, a wetsuit and swimming fins is highly recommended if you plan on training in open water conditions. Acquire the necessary mindset. The biggest factor in completing SEAL training and moving on to a SEAL team is overcoming the mental barriers involved. You may see the largest, strongest guy walk into BUD/S training and although he can do more push-up and sit-ups than anybody else, he still rings that bell to go home early. Even the scrawniest seaman can go through BUD/S training and make it all the way if he has the proper mental toughness and he refuses to give up no matter what. That's what the Navy wants out of its SEAL teams--men who cannot allow themselves to give up on the mission. The best way to prepare for this is to spend hours and hours on the beach. Get yourself wet and roll around in the sand in long pants and a long shirt. People on the beach will think you're crazy, but if you want to be prepared for BUD/S, you should get yourself wet and cold and stay that way for hours. In fact, you should eventually combine your calisthenics, running and swimming programs into one workout on the beach with limited rest periods. This will be as close as you can possibly come to SEAL training without shooting and blowing things up. If you get a bad sand rash, then you're probably doing it right. Also get used to not sleeping. If you want a taste of the worst that Navy SEAL training can dish out, then you should sit in the ocean up to your belly button all night long while you dunk yourself in the surf doing sit-ups and push-ups. Navy SEAL trainees experience this for a week straight with nothing but little cat naps scattered in between sessions. It's called hell week and it's aptly named. Remember to begin exercise immediately after some meals at the peak of your training program, because this will also happen in BUD/S training. Prepare yourself for the fact that you may not qualify for Navy SEAL training after you have joined the Navy. If this occurs, you will still have to serve out the rest of your enlistment with whatever job you are assigned in whatever part of the world you are stationed. Failure is always a possibility and you may find yourself practicing mental toughness in the laundry room of a resupply ship off the coast of Guam. Prepare for the academic side of SEAL training. Some trainees actually pass the physical fitness stage of BUD/S training only to fail academic subjects in the diving phase or the land warfare phase. Don't be that trainee. Study up on diving physics and math. Tips & Warnings Tip: The Navy SEAL Physical Fitness Guide is an amazing resource that tells you everything you need to know, plus another 150 pages of neat information. Warning: Always speak to your physician before beginning any workout program. Always keep plenty of water nearby and stay hydrated at all times while training.