How Do I Prepare for BUD/S Training?

If you’re thinking about training for Navy SEAL BUD/S — Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL training — then you’ve got to do more than train. You’ve got to forge yourself. You’ve got to go in knowing the mission ahead, expect to be pushed to your absolute limit, and come out ready to lead.

Here’s how you prepare like a warrior — no fluff, no shortcuts, no excuses.

1. Show Up with Your Game On

Don’t expect BUD/S Prep School (in Great Lakes) to get you ready. It won’t. You need to arrive already hardwired. The burden of training is yours from day one.

Secure your fundamentals now — swimming, running, body-weight strength, endurance. Then be able to perform with a load.

2. RUNNING

You will be doing a lot of running at BUD/S.  The runs are fast and hard in the soft sand of Coronado Beach.  Get a good pair of running shoes. Begin slow. Build your base. Every 4-week block: volume up, then one week of recovery.

Dont run in boots unless you have a very strong foundation. More than half your running should be off-road: dirt, sand, trails. At BUD/S you’ll run in sand on the beach, not four-lane pavement.

Target: build toward ~40 miles per week. Done right, this gives you the capacity to handle the mileage load.

3. Swimming with Purpose

Make sure you are comfortable with the combat side-stroke and have good technique.  Pick out a good pair of rocket fins.  Run to the pool with your fins in your backpack. Start with 100 yards/meters and each week add more distance. When you leave the pool perform 25 four count flutter kicks and 25 pushups as a finisher.

Wear a swim vest and mask to get used to it now. Always have a swim buddy. Building swim-endurance with fins will pay off early in Coronado bay.

4. Strength Means Function

This isn’t about bench pressing your ego. I learned that the hard way. In my first attempt at Navy SEAL training BUD/S – I over-lifted with dumbells and machines in a bodybuilding gym. Big mistake.

What matters: functional strength, shiftable strength, endurance strength.

Body-weight work: pull-ups, dips, push-ups.

Here is a quick workout drill to see how you stack up.

“Cindy”
20 minute AMRAP (As Many Rounds as Possible)
5 pull-ups
10 pushups
15 air squats

You should be able to complete 20 rounds of Cindy in 20 minutes to be ready to go to BUDS training.

Sandbag carries, sled drags

Logs, stones, rough terrain lifts

Core stability and dynamic movement: rotate, twist, drive, decelerate.

If you’re bulking to look good in the mirror — you’re on the wrong program. Build strength that moves you through the surf, up the beach, down the mountain and across the finish.

5. The Core & Mobility Arsenal

Your hips, back, shoulders — they’ll take the stress. Your core is the generator that keeps you upright when you’re tired, blistered, and broke.

Train it. Move it. Don’t neglect mobility. Rolling, stretching, joint work — they count.

6. Boots, Rucks & Terrain Domination

Don’t train every day in boots. Use them smart. You build base miles in running shoes, then integrate boots when required.

Ruck smart: build weight, build distance, build terrain complexity over time. Start with 10% of your bodyweight and your way up.

Blister prevention: Make sure that your boots are broken in well from use. To protect your feet your can wear double socks (smart wool liner + outer). I like to use an anti-chafe balm like Bodyglide. Back in the day we just used a dab of Vaseline.  I like to break in my boots by wetting them down and then walking around the yard and doing a workout.

7. Recovery & Injury Prevention

Overtraining kills dreams. Too much training can end you up on the list for sick bay. Tendonitis, stress fractures, joint blow-outs — they’re real.

Don’t spike running or ruck miles fast. Increase by ~10 % each week until you hit your build point.

Rest weeks are your friend.

Eat well. Sleep well. Tape, roll, mobilize. Your body fights every battle you send it into — treat it like a soldier you count on.

8. Mindset — The Hardest Field of All

At BUD/S you have to be strong both physically and mentally strong. The Instructors look for those who can persist when everything goes sideways.

You prepare your body, yes.
But don’t ignore your mind.

Build habits of discipline.

Face discomfort by design.

Accept that you’ll be broken, and still carry on.

9. The Timeline & What Comes Next

Navy Boot Camp: ~8 weeks

BUD/S: ~5 months

SQT (SEAL Qualification Training): ~5-6 months
From high school to Teams — there’s a long, hard road. Embrace it.

Final Orders

Start now.
Train with intent.
Every mile, every rep, every wet stroke counts.
When you walk into BUD/S, don’t just show up—arrive ready.
Stay consistent. Don’t chase flash. Build grit. Build endurance. Build function.

In the end, the only difference between those who walk out and those who don’t is the work done before the whistle blows.

from Frank Cutler, SEAL Motivator –
Navy Boot Camp is 8 Weeks long, than onto BUD/S Prep which is also up at Great Lakes, that is another 8 Weeks long! About 93% of the applicants with a SEAL Contract will go onto BUD/S from this point after Boot Camp & BUD/S Prep.

Let me give you the run down first off, 72%-75% of the individuals looking at the military don’t qualify to even Enlist period! So Brad, 3/4 of these individuals can’t even get into today’s Military. Next, about 33% of the individuals who do Enlist are not Qualified for reasons from low AFQT Test results to something involving their Medical, Criminal Activity, or Bad Credit.

Question: How long is BUDS and what comes after that?
Answer from Frank Cutler – BUD/S is 5 Months long, after that they go through SQT (SEAL Qualification Training) which is about another 5 to 6 Months long. From there they graduate and go onto the Teams.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR 
Brad McLeod went through Navy SEAL training Hell Week twice after training all the wrong ways. A year later he went back and finished the drill.

Are you interested in training for an endurance event like SEALFIT 20X, GORUCK or a Spartan Race? Do you want to increase your human potential so that you can move faster to your goals?

Do you have a big event on the horizon and you want to finish the drill?

Looking to get out of a rut and push forward to beat yesterday now?

Get individual coaching from SGPT Coach Brad McLeod. Check out coaching here:

SGPT supports the Navy SEAL Foundation.

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