First, a be aware on the identify. This can be a seal: 

And it is a SEAL: 

Level being, SEAL is an acronym that describes the place these troopers are skilled to function: Sea, Air, and Land. In different phrases, they’re anticipated to have the ability to full missions in any setting. Though a lot of SEAL coaching focuses on swimming and diving expertise, they’ve taken half in missions starting from the streets of Mogadishu in Somalia to the Hindu Kush mountains in Afghanistan. 

As you would possibly anticipate, being ready for these unforgiving environments requires a singular mix of resilience, adaptability, and bodily conditioning. 

That is additionally why Navy SEALs are thought-about one of many premier models within the US navy. The SEALs had been formally fashioned in 1962 shortly earlier than the Vietnam Conflict, however numerous models within the US Navy had been finishing up SEAL-esque missions since 1942—guerilla warfare, sabotage, espionage, reconnaissance, underwater demolition, and so forth. 

For a lot of the SEAL’s historical past, their coaching and missions had been cloak-and-dagger, as a central tenet of SEAL tradition was “quiet professionalism.” The truth is, a part of the official Navy SEAL Ethos is, “I don’t promote the character of my work, nor search recognition for my actions.” Therefore, except for tidbits of details about their coaching, not a lot was recognized about what precisely SEALs did or the place they did it. 

This largely modified after September 11, 2001, as SEALs turned an integral a part of the “warfare on terror.” Since then, ex-SEALs have revealed a slew of memoirs elucidating their coaching and missions, together with Chris Kyle (American Sniper), Mark Owen (No Simple Day), Marcus Luttrell (Lone Survivor), Jocko Willink (Excessive Possession), Robert O’Neill (The Operator), David Goggins (Can’t Damage Me), and others.

Coaching to turn out to be a Navy SEAL is a multiplex course of that may be divided into roughly 4 phases:

1. Bodily Screening Check (PST)
2. Naval Particular Warfare Preparatory Faculty (NSW Prep)
3. BUD/S (Together with “Hell Week”)
4. SEAL Qualification Coaching (SQT)

Every of those phases additionally has numerous subphases, however the particulars are past the scope of this text. 

After these 4 phases, SEALs are assigned to a workforce after which bear one other interval of intense coaching to arrange them for deployment abroad, which regularly lasts round a yr. All in all, it takes about two to a few years of near-continuous coaching from signing as much as going in your first mission as a Navy SEAL. 

Solely about 10 to twenty{740fcf70e3ac1f1193a1b542e1c9e953922ad085105f0bf8299e70261e238f62} of candidates make it via your entire “choice” course of, because it’s referred to as, an attrition price that’s much like different elite models such because the Air Drive Pararescue Jumpers (“PJs”) and Military Particular Forces (“Inexperienced Berets”). 

Let’s take a look at every section. 

Earlier than anybody is given the chance to attempt to turn out to be a SEAL, they must go the Bodily Screening Check (PST). Should you can’t go this preliminary hurdle, your possibilities of making it via precise SEAL coaching are principally nil. 

The PST check consists of 5 workout routines: swimming, push-ups, curl-ups (crunches), pull-ups, and working, all of that are accomplished in a single exercise with various quantities of relaxation between every train. After ending the PST, you enter your leads to the Navy’s SEAL PST Calculator to see the way you stack up.

There are additionally two units of requirements for the PST: One for officers (troopers able of upper management) and one for enlisted males. There’s additionally a minimal normal and a aggressive normal for every bodily check. You’re anticipated to have the ability to do at the very least the minimal normal for every check, though your possibilities of changing into a SEAL are a lot larger if you may get near the aggressive normal.

As you may see, these benchmarks are difficult, even for somebody in good condition. 

That is the primary section of “actual” SEAL coaching, and is designed to arrange SEAL candidates for the extra intense phases that come subsequent.

The coaching throughout this section largely consists of the identical workout routines from the Bodily Screening Check: swimming, push-ups, curl-ups, pull-ups, working . . . and extra working. 

BUD/S (pronounced “budz”) is taken into account by many to be probably the most troublesome section of SEAL coaching. It includes nearly six months of continuous bodily circumstances and assessments, with the assessments changing into more and more difficult from week-to-week. 

After an preliminary three week orientation section, SEAL candidates start the 7-week bodily conditioning section of BUD/S. The primary three weeks of this section contain more and more difficult bodily coaching, main as much as the fourth and most infamous week—“Hell Week.” 

Throughout Hell Week, which lasts about 5 days, SEAL candidates typically run over 200 miles, do hundreds of push-ups, and spend hours carrying logs, boats, and one another. What’s extra, they do all of this whereas soaking moist, coated in sand, being yelled at, taunted, and harangued by instructors, and with not more than 4 hours of sleep per evening.

As Rick Kaiser—an ex-Navy SEAL who fought at the Battle of Mogadishu—explains, “Nobody is ready for BUD/S.” 

As troublesome as BUD/S is, it’s value noting that different branches of the US Navy have equally difficult bodily coaching (for example, many troopers have stated the Particular Forces Qualification Course, Ranger Faculty, and Air Drive Pararescue are equally demanding). 

On this section, SEAL candidates be taught extra superior martial expertise akin to marksmanship, hand-to-hand fight, demolition, land navigation, communications, medical expertise, survival, and extra. 

Whereas this section continues to be very bodily demanding, it’s extra centered on burnishing the candidate’s technical proficiency than testing their mettle. 

After SEAL Qualification Coaching, the candidates turn out to be absolutely minted SEALs—receiving the coveted Naval Particular Warfare insignia pin (the “SEAL trident”) that identifies them as bona fide frogmen. 

(There are a number of different smaller phases I unnoticed—akin to a 3-week parachute course—however these 4 phases type the majority of SEAL coaching).   

So, if this has whetted your urge for food for masochism, you’re in all probability questioning—does it make sense so that you can practice this manner? 

You’ve in all probability heard that Navy SEALs are elite athletes. 

The media and films wish to play this up as nicely—portray SEALs because the bodily equal of NFL linebackers who simply occurred to hitch the Navy as an alternative of the New England Patriots.  

Should you learn a number of SEAL biographies or discuss to former SEALs, although, you’ll shortly be taught it is a delusion. 

The one most vital factor to grasp about Navy SEAL coaching—or bodily coaching for any elite navy unit—is that the coaching isn’t actually about getting you in form (you’re anticipated to be in nice form whenever you present up). It’s not about reducing weight, enhancing muscle definition, and even making you stronger. 

It’s about educating you you could stand up to extra discomfort, ache, and distress than you assume you may. 

It’s about plumbing the depths of human endurance to see the way you reply whenever you’re on the finish of your tether. 

“SEAL coaching actually doesn’t have lots to do with how large and the way robust and how briskly you’re” explains Admiral William McRaven, an ex-SEAL, 4 star admiral, and former commander of all US particular forces (USSOCOM). “There’s just one factor it’s important to do in SEAL coaching. And that’s not give up.”

Or as some troopers wish to joke, it’s important to be “too dumb to surrender.” 

Learn: You Can’t Mess This Up

The purpose being—a lot of the bodily coaching SEALs do is extra about constructing psychological fortitude than health. That’s to not say that it received’t assist you to get match—however working lots of of miles, carrying logs in knee deep surf, and doing push-ups until you puke isn’t crucial or useful for constructing a fantastic physique. 

Whereas SEALs are in nice form in comparison with your common American, they aren’t essentially elite athletes within the sense that most individuals assume. As a substitute, you possibly can say they’re elite victims. They’ll bear up in a means most can’t. 

In different phrases, SEAL coaching makes use of bodily challenges (working, swimming, pull-ups, and so forth.) as a technique to develop psychological toughness. Getting match is extra of a facet impact than the first purpose.  

That stated, one other objective of SEAL (and different navy) bodily coaching is to show SEAL candidates into extremely efficient generalists.

SEALs are anticipated to be good at many various bodily duties—however not the very best at anybody activity. This consists of long-distance swimming and working, navigating impediment programs, mountaineering with a heavy backpack, climbing ropes, and extra, which is why they spend the majority of their time doing cardio. 

Whereas this burns plenty of energy and might help you get match, lose fats, and develop psychological toughness, it’s not splendid for constructing muscle or enhancing your physique composition.  

Thus, it’s not shocking that your common SEAL isn’t a shredded bodybuilder with biceps splitting the seams of their t-shirt. As a substitute, they give the impression of being much more regular than you’d anticipate. That is in all probability a tough common of the “SEAL physique”: 

Or maybe this gent—ex-SEAL David Goggins: 

Or ex-SEAL Marcus Luttrell: 

Mainly, about 10 to 12{740fcf70e3ac1f1193a1b542e1c9e953922ad085105f0bf8299e70261e238f62} physique fats with perhaps 15 to twenty kilos extra muscle than your common dude (ladies are allowed to check out for SEAL coaching, however none have turn out to be SEALs as of this writing).

So, circling again to the unique query—do you have to practice like a navy SEAL?

This relies on what you need:

• If you wish to turn out to be a Navy SEAL, then you need to practice like one. 
• If you wish to construct muscle and lose fats, you shouldn’t practice like one. As a substitute, you need to observe an efficient energy coaching program and fats loss meal plan and do a average quantity of cardio. It will assist you to attain your objective way more effectively than coaching like a SEAL, and with a a lot decrease danger of harm.
• If you wish to have a physique like a Navy SEAL—be comparatively lean, robust, and have nice endurance—you’ll nonetheless need to observe a energy coaching program and correct meal plan, however do extra cardio than when you had been solely centered on constructing muscle and dropping fats. 

And if you wish to enhance your psychological resilience, there are lots of productive methods to do that that don’t contain coaching like a SEAL. Listed below are a number of that can match the invoice: 

• Get lean—it’s a demanding sport of delayed-gratification and self-discipline that can positively affect many points of your life.  
• Get actually robust—you may’t push, pull, and squat heavy weights with out braveness, perseverance, and good ol’ usual piss and vinegar. 
• Strive endurance sports activities like biking, working, or mountaineering—they is probably not splendid for enhancing your physique composition, however nothing holds a candle to intense or extended cardio for coaching your thoughts to say “no” when each fiber of your being is screaming so that you can bend the knee. 
• Observe Deep Work and quit petty distractions like social media, compulsive texting, video video games, and senseless net browsing. This requires extra grit than most individuals will ever muster.
• Begin getting up earlier. One other small, productive sacrifice that helps you turn out to be comfy being uncomfortable. 

Whereas SEALs are usually in nice form, it’s vital to keep in mind that their coaching isn’t essentially optimized to assist them lose fats, construct muscle, or get stronger. As a substitute, the first purpose is to psychologically put together them for the trials of their occupation, to not flip them into tremendous athletes.

Thus, chances are high good you don’t must (and possibly shouldn’t) practice like a Navy SEAL. 

In case your objective is to construct a physique you might be pleased with, give attention to energy coaching, following a correct eating regimen, and doing sufficient cardio to enhance your physique composition and endurance.