Old School Strength vs. Fast Reps
A question that I received the other day. “Do Navy SEALs do kipping pull-ups?”
The short answer is this: during BUD/S training, strict pull-ups with good form mattered far more than flashy reps. In the Teams, you may see operators use different styles of pull-ups depending on the workout, but building real pull-up strength starts with strict form, full range of motion, and durability in your shoulders, back, and grip.
Before I ever went to BUD/S in Coronado, I trained in an old-school bodybuilding gym. Those guys in that gym were serious about strength and technique. If your form was sloppy, somebody would correct you fast. The older weightlifters taught me that every rep mattered. They would do heavy pull-ups with weight hanging from a dip belt, strict lat pull-downs, bent-over rows, and deadlifts with solid form. Nobody was swinging around trying to cheat reps. That old-school style of training built the back and grip strength that helped prepare me for the grind of BUD/S.
Why Strict Pull-Ups Matter for BUD/S
At BUD/S, your body takes a beating every day. Your shoulders, elbows, and hands are constantly under stress from obstacle courses, rope climbs, swimming, boats on heads, and endless PT. If you cannot control your bodyweight during pull-ups, you are going to struggle later when fatigue hits hard.
Strict pull-ups develop:
Grip strength
Lat and upper back power
Shoulder stability
Core control
Mental discipline
This is a great video with a BUD/S Instructor showing how to perform pull ups.
Most importantly, strict pull-ups teach you how to move your body under control when exhausted.
A lot of young athletes today want to jump straight into high-rep kipping pull-ups because they see them online or in competitions. The problem is many athletes skip the strength foundation first. If your shoulders and back are weak, kipping pull-ups can put extra stress on your joints and lead to injuries.
The Old School Gym Lessons That Helped Me
Looking back, I learned more than just lifting weights in that old bodybuilding gym. I learned discipline. The experienced lifters there respected hard work and proper technique.
Some key exercises that helped prepare me for pull-ups and BUD/S included:
Weighted Pull-Ups
The big guys in the gym would hang plates from a dip belt and crank out strict reps. That built serious pulling strength and grip endurance.
Lat Pull-Downs
Lat pull-downs helped strengthen the lats through a full range of motion. They also helped beginners build strength before they could do high numbers of pull-ups.
Deadlifts
Deadlifts with proper form built total-body strength. They strengthened the lower back, hips, traps, and grip—all critical for carrying boats, logs, and equipment during training.
Rows and Grip Work
Heavy rows, shrugs, and farmer carries built the upper back and grip needed for obstacle courses and rope climbs.
Can Kipping Pull-Ups Be Useful?
Kipping pull-ups can have a place in conditioning workouts once you already have a solid base of strict pull-up strength and shoulder durability. They allow athletes to perform higher reps faster during metabolic workouts.
But if your goal is preparing for military selection, tactical fitness, or long-term durability, strict pull-ups should remain your foundation.
A good standard before doing large amounts of kipping pull-ups is being able to perform:
15–20 strict dead-hang pull-ups
Controlled weighted pull-ups
Strong shoulder mobility
Pain-free movement
Final Thoughts
The best athletes I knew respected the basics. They focused on good form, consistency, and toughness. That old-school bodybuilding gym taught me lessons that stayed with me long after I arrived at BUD/S.
There are no shortcuts to real pull-up strength.
Build your base first. Master strict pull-ups. Strengthen your back and grip. Use good form on every rep. Over time, the results will come—and when hard training days hit, you will be glad you built strength the right way.
About the Author:
Brad McLeod learned the value of strict pull-up form long before he arrived at BUD/S in Coronado, California. Before entering Navy SEAL training, he trained in an old-school bodybuilding gym where experienced lifters demanded proper technique on every exercise. The older strength athletes there emphasized strict pull-ups, weighted pull-ups with a dip belt, heavy deadlifts, rows, and lat pull-downs with controlled movement and full range of motion. Those lessons built the grip strength, back endurance, and discipline that later helped him survive the demands of BUD/S and life on the Navy SEAL Teams.
Brad went through BUD/S twice after failing out his first class and serving time in the Fleet Navy before returning stronger and more prepared. During training he learned firsthand that the SEAL teams value functional strength, durability, and mental toughness over shortcuts or ego lifting. Today through SEALgrinderPT, he coaches athletes, military candidates, and everyday people using the same old-school principles that helped him succeed: consistency, hard work, strict form, endurance, and never quitting when things get hard.
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