A Former BUD/S Instructor’s Training Tips (Part 2)

P.T. (Resistance Training)

For all of you out there that think back/bi’s, chest/tri’s, and legs is the key to becoming a Frogman, I have news for you – it’s not. Stay out of the gym, you don’t need to read Muscle & Fitness and spend hours at Gold’s Gym every day to become a Naval commando.

On the contrary, you need to be body-to-weight-ratio strong.

You need to be able to move your body weight around efficiently and repeatedly, in a number of different positions and environments. The one exception to gym work is Crossfit, but even with that I would be careful in that you still need to focus on mostly body weight exercises.

Push ups (both normal and handstand), sit-ups and leg levers, pull-ups, dips, body weight squats, sprints, and frog jumps are a great start on getting where you need to be to get ready for BUD/S. I will also throw kettlebell exercises in here as well. I would most definitely implement a kettlebell into your regimen of P.T. You should be exercising with these routines 3 days a week as well.

Fuel, Recovery and Rest

No matter how hard you are training, if you aren’t getting enough of the right food to fuel your body, and enough rest and recovery to repair it, you will not succeed. The right food means lean meat, lots of vegetables and fruit, and good fat. Eat when you are hungry, and stop when you are satisfied.

Drink a lot of water. Hydration is a fundamental body necessity to training hard.

Proper rest means 8 hours of sleep per night minimum, and again LISTEN to your body when it comes to taking recovery days. Just like with all things in life, there has to be a balance when preparing for BUD/S.

I cannot stress enough to listen to your body to give you the information you need to succeed. Now, this isn’t a carte blanche excuse to be a pussy, but it does mean that you have to be smart in how you train, and realize that you are not going to become a pipe hitter ready to take down terrorists overnight. Just like anything worth doing, it’s hard and it takes time.

Best of luck future tadpoles, with hard work a dedication you can do it…but you gotta want it!!!

Mike Ritland is a former SEAL and BUD/S instructor. He is the author of Trident K9 Warriors.