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SEALs

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Then a whistle blows: Time for a four-mile run. Or time to retrieve a raft from a distant shed and support the 150-pound object—packed with paddles and gear—on your head, which ends up red and rubbed bald. Or time to go into the surf for a 17-mile lap around the island, or to practice landing on a patch of jagged shore. The most sacred rite of passage the peak of SEAL training, is known as "Hell Week," a five-day regime of simulated battle stress—and less than four hours of sleep a night. Some would-be SEALs turn to gallows humor to endure the pain, telling themselves “the only good day was yesterday.” Others call their megaphone-wielding instructor “The Antichrist.” Men can quit at any time by ringing a bell, and historically, two out of three do so.

Those who endure the full six months swim more than 150 miles, and run some 1,300 more. Then it’s time for more advanced material: high-altitude parachute training, combat tactics, and finally, at least a year of platoon training. By the time a SEAL is combat-ready, the transformation from deck hand to Sea-Air-Land commando costs $350,000 to $500,000, according to estimates—more than the price of two armored Humvees.

 

In recent years, the Navy has stepped up its efforts to find people worth this investment, offering a $40,000 bonus to recruits who survive basic training, and scouting out men who can do just that. The profile is very specific. The men most likely to succeed as SEALs, according to a 2010 Gallup study commissioned by the Navy, are at least 5-foot-8 and 162 pounds, eschew Big Four sports for pastimes like water polo, snowboarding, and lacrosse, and hail from "New England, the northern Plains, or the West Coast." Their average age is 22 to 25.

 

Men can quit at any time by ringing a bell, and historically, two out of three do so.

 

But bin Laden's killers were probably much older. It takes a decade, in many cases, to ascend from general enlistee to top commando who attracts the attention of Team Six. Then it's yet another six months or a year of specialized training, followed by still more years of proving oneself before landing the top assignments. "Most [SEAL Team Six] members are in their 30s, and even up past their 40s," says Don Mann, who retired from the squad in 1998, at 40. By that time, he adds, "Vitamin M," for Motrin, is "everybody's daily candy."

So don't try this at home. SEAL training humbled even Charlie Sheen, who played an elite commando in the 1990 cult hit Navy Seals. Off screen, he was humbled by the role. "I wouldn't assume on any level that I possess the qualities of a SEAL,” he said at the time (long before becoming what he is now, of course, "a rock star from Mars"). The truth is, most of us don't—and never will, no matter what we Google.

 

Navy SEAL Fitness Test

by Stew Smith

Here is the physical fitness test for theNavy SEALS' training program, known as BUD/S (Basic Underwater Demolition/SEALs).

Are you up to it?

Navy SEAL Fitness Test Breakdown

Swim 500 Yards

Maximum time allowed is 12 minutes, 30 seconds -- but to be competitive, you should swim the distance in at least 8 to 9 minutes, utilizing only the Combat Swimmer Stroke, sidestroke, or breast stroke. Recommended workout and training tips: Get technique training and learn to pace yourself. Try 5 to 10 sets of 100-yard swims, working on a pace that will get you below the competitive times. (Rest 10 minutes after swimming the 500 yard test before moving on to the next exercise.)

Push-ups

Minimum number is 42 in 2 minutes, but you should shoot for at least 100 for an average score. Do not pace yourself. Push as many push-ups out as fast as you can, but do not neglect proper form or the SEAL instructor will not count them. (Rest 2 minutes, then move on to the next exercise.)

Sit-ups

Minimum number is 52 in 2 minutes, but you should strive for at least 100 in 2 minutes for an average score. PACE yourself! Try doing 20 to 30 sit-ups in 30 seconds; that will put you within the 80-to-100-sit-ups range for 2 minutes. (Rest 2 minutes.)

Pull-ups

The minimum is eight pull-ups with no time limit, but you cannot touch the ground or let go of the bar. You should be able to do 15 to 20 to be competitive. Try a pyramid of pull-ups: work your way up from one pull-up the first set until you can no longer do any more sets, then return down the pyramid repeating in reverse order (1,2,3,4,5,6,5,4,3,2,1). (Rest 10 minutes before the last exercise of the test.)

1.5-mile run

Wearing boots and pants, the maximum time allowed for this one is 11 minutes, 30 seconds, but you should be able to cover the distance in 9 to 10 minutes to be competitive. Pace yourself: do not start off too fast on the first lap. Shoot for a 90-seconds quarter-mile run time around a standard high school track. Repeat this pace for six to 10 sets until you no longer have to rest in between quarter-miles.

One of the best workouts to assist increasing your scores in the PT and run is the following:

- 100 pull-ups in as few sets as possible Run 1/4 mile in 90 seconds in between sets of pull-ups

- 200 pushups in as few sets as possible Run 1/4 mile in 90 seconds in between sets of push-ups

- 300 sit-ups in as few sets as possible Run 1/4 mile in 90 seconds in between sets of sit-ups

This is a tough workout that can take 30-60 minutes to complete - if you can complete it.