Barely a 24 hour period goes by that we don’t get this question from athletes “Coach, how do I train to get ready for BUDS?”.
It can be confusing as there is so much information out there and so much to decide.
Do I build strength with weights or do I go out and run today and build endurance?
Each day is a great opportunity to train so you will want to maximize your efforts to grow yourself 1% daily.
Check out these tips to help guide you on your path to get your body mentally and physically prepared for BUDS training.
Grab Your Buddies and Do a GoRuck Event @ GoRuck.com
So the question is…Do you need strength (training) to get ready for BUDS?
Yes; you need to be strong as you will be carrying objects overhead (boats) and on your shoulders (logs) on your back (scuba tanks) and on your hips (your buddy in the fireman’s carry).
So; yes – train to be strong to perform those physical task.
Tip #1
Take a mock BUD/S PST (Physical Standards Test).
PST Event Min Standards Competitive Standards
500 Yard Swim 12:30 8 Min
Pushups 50 80-100
Sit-ups 50 80-100
Pull-ups 10 15-20
1.5 Mile Run 10:30 9-10
Write your scores here ___________
*If you don’t have a pool then row. Then go find a pool.
A question we get is “What are good strength exercises for BUDS?”. The overhead press or push press with a sand bag is a great strength exercise to get you ready for log PT. We also like hiking with a weighted backpack
Do You Need Strength in BUDS WORKOUT #1
3 rounds for time
500 meter row
50 pushups
50 situps
10 pullups
1 mile run
post time in comments below
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Tip #2
Identify your weaknesses from the PST and adjust your training so that you can improve your weakest scores to become competitive scores. Weak core? Do more ab and core type workouts. Slow on the run? Drop weight if needed, improve running form and add in sprint work. You get the picture.
Do You Need Strength in BUDS WORKOUT #2
Hollow Rock WOD
20 min AMRAP
5 burpees
10 Pullups
15 hollow rock
15 toe to bar
15 air squat
* beginning athletes do pull ups or jumping pull ups. If cannot do toe to bar then do knee to elbows or sit-ups.
We like the book Breaking BUD/S: How Regular Guys Can Become Navy SEALs
We recommend you read as much as you can but this is a good book to get started with.
We have heard more than one athlete remark “I did not know they were going to do that in BUDS?? I wish I would have known.”
Dont Make Mistakes – Train For BUDS Like a Successful Navy SEAL
Tip #3
Assess your athletic background. Are you a football player or weightlifter with little long distance running background? Or are you a cross country runner without much weightlifting? If your 140 lbs and run like the wind you will need to pick up some weights to build strength. If your 190 lbs and eat barbells for lunch then you will need to find a local beach for longer sand runs. This assessment is crucial for your future progress.
Do You Need Strength in BUDS WORKOUT #3
Run-Swim-Run workout
for time
2 mile run
1 mile swim
2 mile run
post time in comments
Check out How an Average Guy Made it Through BUDS Twice
Tip #4
Lifting barbells are good for strength. Picking up odd objects and moving them (work capacity) is better. Watch the videos of BUD/S training and see the types of activities you will be doing there that require strength.
Picking up your buddy and carrying him.
Picking up scuba tanks and carrying them.
Picking up boats and gear and carrying them.
Do you see a pattern here? So for training, lets pick up odd objects like sand bags, a ruck sack (back pack), a log, your buddy and carry them. You can thank me later.
Tip #4
4 rounds for time
30 pushups
40 four count flutter kicks
50 air squats
Ruck march 1 mile with a 25 lb back pack
(adjust weight according to your ability and conditioning. Do not run with pack… fast walk)
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Tip #5
A good method to train strength for BUDS is to make a sand bag and use that in workouts. You can press overhead like you would in log PT. You can walk with it balancing on your head like you would with a boat during Hell Week. You can do sit ups with the sand bag and carry it for grip strength. The sand bag is very functional.
Tip #6
BUDS Sandbag workout (25 lb minimum weight)
EMOM10 (every minute on the minute for 10 minutes)
odd – 10 sandbag shoulder press
even – 10 walking lunge with bag
rest 4 minutes
put sandbag in ruck sack and march 4 miles minimum
* advanced athletes use heavier bag
Extra Bonus BUDS Workout
A great workout that you can do with your buddy whether you are going to BUDS or not is…
Run 400 meter together then 50 pushups
Buddy carry 400 meters switching off each 50 meters (or when one gets tired)
Run 400 meters together and finish with 50 pushups
have fun.
Questions from athletes in our gym.
Question: “How much weight would be good to ruck with? I haven’t done it before.”
Answer: I would start with 10 to 20lbs. and slowly work your way up. Don’t try to hike too much too quick. Don’t run with a ruck sack on. Only a fast walk or steady hike. – check out my tips on Ruck marching here – read all of the article as there are also links on preventing blisters, double socks, boots, etc.
Question: What’s your opinion on running in the sand? You will run a lot in the soft sand at BUDS. A mistake I made going into BUDS the first time is that i did not run in soft sand and I paid the price. Running in sand is very good – probably the best as less impact. But as with anything you have to get used to it – start out with short distances and get your body and legs used to running in soft sand.
Question: I go the gym 5 Times a week. Can this effect my running/swimming? Because my running is my weakest point as of now. First work on weaknesses.
Answer: You don’t have to be a fast swimmer in buds but you need to be able to run long distance in sand and over berms and endure pain for long distance. Having strong hip flexors is important. You can build your hip flexors by rucking long distance – especially in the sand and by riding a bike with clipped in pedals. Also doing flutter kicks and toe to bar exercises.
Question: How crucial is upper body strength in BUDS? I would rather be able to ruck 20 miles in hills and have good form and speed than have a 225 lb bench press. You need to be able to do pull ups and dips but leg endurance is more important.
Question: How can I train to carry the boats on my head and walk with the heavy logs? Get a 30 pound sand bag and put it on your shoulder and walk on a beach or hike on a dirt road. When you get tired with one shoulder lift the bag up and put it on your other shoulder. Do not put the bag on your head when training.
Question: I came across one of your Youtube videos the other day about how you went from lifting weights to doing hard PT in order to pass BUDs. Up to this point I’ve been focusing on lifting and eating a lot to gain mass, and some PT mixed in (occasional PST training tests). I’m in high school and still have a few years before I enlist, but would you suggest staying on this course for a little while longer or immediately start focusing on building up to those long PT sessions?
Answer: You don’t need to have mass in BUDS. You need to be a long endurance guy that is durable and can handle the daily grind. Having extra mass is like wearing a weight vest – it does very little if anything to help you get through training.
Question: Hey so I have a big problem. I think I’m addicted to lifting weights. I’m at the Naval Academy and I always use the allotted time for working out to lift in the gym, usually skipping cardio and endurance work. I never skip a day of lifting, but frequently skip my planned cardio. I know that to make it to and through BUDS I need to shift my priorities when it comes to working out. Do you have any suggestions as to how I can change my passion for lifting into the same passion for running/endurance workouts? Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thank you very much.
Answer: Instead of weights and barbells I would use a sandbag, log and a backpack. If you take the time that you spend pumping iron you could completely change your workouts up to be more productive.
Question: Where can I find out more info on the Navy SEALs? Go to the website here:
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QUESTION: Coach, what do you like to add to your workout shakes?
ANSWER: I use Athletic Greens in our shakes. It’s got tons of great nutrition—vitamins and minerals. Plus it mixes up easy in milk or water.
Brad, aside from this being an excellent article on developing the physical preparation for BUD/S I really liked how you focused in on teaching trainees how to specifically identify and address their “physical needs.” That’s a valuable lesson for any physical preparation. As you pointed out if you are 190 lb. beast in the weight room then you better be able to go for some long runs on the beach and vice versa if you lack physical strength then you better start focusing on some strength development.
I can imagine the ability to get through BUD/S combines a heaping mixture of both strength and endurance and that doesn’t even include the truckload after truckload of mental toughness as well! This was an interesting and very informative article. Great post, thanks for sharing.
How strong do you really have to be to be successful in BUDS? Iv’e been trying to gain more muscle and get stronger, and iv’e been running and stuff, and iv’e been trying to get bigger but its not really working out, I have a really good metabolism so its hard to gain weight and stuff, and im trying to get stronger, so once im graduated Ill be ready to go
Check out the tips above. You only need to be as strong as you are when you take the PST and have a great score to get a contract to BUDS. After that you need to have muscle endurance. If I were going to BUDS in the next year I would try to complete the following
20 mile plus ruck in hills
half marathon run on beach or trails
Paddle a kayak 12 miles plus on a lake or ocean
SEALFIT kokoro
GORUCK challenge
Spartan Race
…all of those will help you build muscle endurance.
This post on bud/s prep really hits the mark. Thank you for posting workouts and helping SEAL and NSW candidates like myself prepare for A school. You are one of the greatest sources I’ve found for this information. I appreciate what you do for all of us. You are giving me what I need to succeed. Thank you for spending time on this. Again, I really appreciate it.
Thanks,
Shawn
Brad,
I am currently a senior in college, weeks from graduation and will be enlisting soon to go to BUD/s. Years ago I heard advice (and had also seen your video about your second attempt at bud/s) that the best thing you can be at bud/s is an endurance athlete. Ever since that I have spent all of college essentially training like a triathlete who also does body weight exercises. So much so that I even walked onto my college’s D1 cross country team my senior year where it wasn’t uncommon for us to run 70 miles in a week. My PST scores are great, 8 min swim, 90-100 push ups, 90-100 sit ups, 25 pull ups and an 8:20 1.5 mile run. I was very proud of my fitness. I was always told don’t worry about weight lifting, just focus on body weight strength which I got really good at. Guys like Don Shipley, Stew Smith, and your videos as well made me feel I was training the right way. Now I don’t feel as if I have been training wrong, however recent new information has brought up some questions. My buddy from college (and training partner) finished school a year ahead of me and just two weeks ago secured hell week in class 312. Talking to him every weekend after each week of phase 1 made me feel as if I skipped out on a large part of training. He basically said the worst part of phase 1 where most people got injured, performance dropped or dor’ed was land portage/boats on heads. His advice to me now was to basically forget about trying to be such a fast runner and gain some weight and strength in my legs, back and neck, and to start running with weight. Told me a lot of skinny guys got hurt under the boats. I’m only 5’7″ 145 lbs and he said while there are plenty of guys my height still there, they are all about 160 and built like a brick house. I have experience with power lifting but it’s been a long time, and I’ve also never rucked or ran with weight. I’m about to start to dial my running mileage back to only 30 miles a week and begin a serious dead lifting and front squatting program to try and gain weight. Also plan to start running with weight a little. Just wanted to ask you what you think of this and if I should try to gain weight or not. Based on my pst scores I used to always be fired up at the idea that I would be somewhere in the top of the class physically but now my biggest concern is just to not get injured. I’ve never been a fan of these kinds of long overly detailed internet forum questions about bud/s, I feel like they always sound too worrisome and I’d rather not be “that guy” but I really appreciate your patience and help.
I went through BUDS at 170 lbs and 5’8 inches. Strong legs have always been a key for BUDS. So we program in a ruck day every 8 days into SGPT.
Yes; squat and dead lifts are good but I would encourage you to incorporate using tires, large sand bags, pulling sleds and carry logs and stones. You will never see a barbell at BUDS. I would also encourage you to do a GORUCK or 20X challenge as you will see drills similar to what you will see in BUDS.
let me know any questions.
What are your thoughts on a crossfit and weight lifting split…..I already have running (cross country) and swimming (swim team) in the bag, and I need to improve immensely on push-ups and pull-ups…
William: if your weakness is pull ups — try todays SGPT workout (Nicole)
http://sealgrinderpt.com/navy-seal-workout/nicole-workout-5-11-15.html/
post up your score in comments on that workout.
Same for pushups — follow the daily SGPT workouts (free) and post your scores. Start out with a baseline test like this:
http://sealgrinderpt.com/navy-seal-workout/baseline-test-5-1-15.html/
Thank you for your service and thanks for your willingness to coach. One key question. . .in terms of getting SEAL fit, is there any value for using machines (outside of somehow simulating exercises not possible in a civilian gym)?
I would not use machines (other than a C2 rower) if training for BUDS.
can I use a weighted vest 50# as a substitute for a weighted vest? In addition, is it beneficial to run with a weighted vest/ruck sack?
If you have an extensive background with a 50 lb vest then use it. I would rather start at 10 lbs and work my way up. Weight vest are good for workouts but i would limit them for runs. Maybe once a month use it on a Murph workout.
Hey Brad, I was wondering, what kind of strength workouts did you do to prepare yourself for log pt and carrying the boat on your head? I am a pretty small guy, so strength is not my best aspect.
I would carry a log or sand bag on my shoulder and raise it over head.
I’ve read breaking buds and am curious what ways you can strengthen the muscles in your neck for land portage
carry a weighted ruck for distance. Carry a sand bag on your shoulder and press overhead.
Should I continue to lift weights or just focus on body weight.
And Do you have to pick a MOS before being given a slot at BUD/S please explain the process so a recruiter doesn’t try and swindle me into being a reserve janitor like the last one tried. (I told him I wanted to go active after college and wanted to see what process I’d have to go through) enlisted process please from the beginning to buds.
In my humble opinion I would use bodyweight exercises and use sand bags, sleds and logs to train with (as that is how you will train at BUDS). You will never pick up a barbell at BUDS.
For the MOS question you will need to get with a recruiter.
In your eyes what is more important in the sof community, strength or stamina?
I personally would rather have just enough strength to get into BUDS – but have world class endurance and stamina as that is what will get you through in the long run.
Hey coach Brad, my goal is to make it through buds and into the seal teams and I want to start getting my body ready. I was curious if I should cut out lifting weights entirely and stick to body weight workouts or if a little of both is good? That being said I’ve still got a couple years of college left before heading off to the military, just thought that might possibly be a factor.
Lifting weights is good and I would do it with a sand bag, log, and flipping tires. I would also drag a sled, and pull objects with a rope.