SEAL Physical Training Manual

Chapter 4 Navy SEAL Military Physical Training

The main goal of SEAL physical training is to maximize the physical fitness level and combat effectiveness of the members to ensure that they can successfully complete their military missions.The physical training program of the SEALs must cover all special operations missions and provide specific training for them.Therefore, it is first necessary to clarify these special operations missions and their corresponding special training.It is very important to clarify the goal of specific training. For example, the training goal of a marathon runner is to run to the finish line in the shortest time. His primary goal is to maximize the aerobic endurance of the lower body. All training must obey this primary goal.Likewise, kayakers maximize their aerobic endurance by maximizing their upper body.In weightlifting, it's the exact opposite. Elite lifters have little to no emphasis on endurance training, and they're doing everything they can to improve their strength.

What is a special operations mission?

Take cycling as an example to give a brief introduction.Cycling is a vigorous aerobic (or anaerobic) exercise that can effectively strengthen the heart and lung function. However, the SEALs will not ride bicycles to perform missions, and there will be no military missions that require them to ride 4-meter bicycles. perform tasks.Therefore, they will wear flippers for 3200-meter swimming training, because this can also effectively improve cardiopulmonary function, and it is closer to the needs of special operations missions.

While cycling training is effective at improving a Navy SEAL's cardiorespiratory fitness, it's not ideal training for Special Forces.When two training programs target different muscles, the physical fitness between the two does not translate on its own, and being good at one does not improve the other muscle group.Team members who usually exercise endurance through long-distance running or cycling will often experience muscle fatigue or leg cramps during long-distance swimming.Therefore, the training program must include some swimming training items.In addition, the team members must regularly wear wetsuits and fins for swimming training to prevent them from being unable to bear the pain caused by eczema blisters when they perform tasks in the future.Therefore, special training for special missions is the only way to go.

Swimming is not the only military training program for special forces.The purpose of this chapter is to describe training programs related to special operations missions and how to develop a physical training program related to them.Military physical training guidelines also apply to daily physical training.

Section [-] Daily Military Training for Special Operations
What training items are included in the daily training activities of the Navy SEALs?To get the answer, you need to pass the following test.Table 2-1 summarizes some of the items in the daily military training of the SEALs, and these items will be briefly introduced below.

1.squad patrol

One skill that is required in nearly all SEAL land operations is the ability to march long distances under heavy armor.They usually carry two types of weapons and ammunition.No one knows exactly how much ammunition is needed for a particular mission, so in this training unit, the team members train with loads of ammunition on their backs.Moreover, what is often carried is explosive ammunition and special equipment.Team members must also carry water and, if fighting continuously, rations.The upper limit of the weight carried by special forces is usually 32 to 36 kilograms, and generally will not exceed this weight.

How far should you go with weight training?There is no specific distance that can be used as the upper limit of training. According to the difficulty of the terrain, some combat missions usually require team members to walk 24-16 kilometers within 32 hours.Long-distance weight-bearing walking itself is extremely challenging, and due to different training scenarios, sometimes players are required to run fast, and even climb over obstacles such as walls and fences.

Training on the back of the wounded is one of the most important physical training programs for SEALs.

Transporting the wounded is also an important routine training item.They need to carry the wounded back to a designated safe area, where there are professional medical facilities for their treatment.This training is different from general weight-bearing long-distance training. The wounded are different from ordinary firearms and equipment, and their weight often exceeds ordinary firearms and ammunition.

How to carry out these training?Long runs in shorts and running shoes help improve cardiorespiratory fitness and endurance, but not enough to improve weight-bearing capacity.Likewise, a certain amount of supine weightlifting won't ensure a long march with weight.Additionally, weight training can lead to issues like bone damage and blisters, which special training needs to avoid (or minimize the risk of).

2.speedboat assault

The special environment of the speedboat assault exercise requires the team members to have super physical fitness.This type of training is often carried out in rough seas, requiring players to perform jumping training on a speeding speedboat for a long time.This training requires players to have strong knee, elbow, shoulder and ankle joint stability, which can minimize the risk of bone damage. Therefore, the key is to improve muscle strength and endurance quality.

3.combat dive

The origins of the SEALs can be traced back to the Scouting and Raiders (S&R) and Naval Combat Demolition Units (NCDUs) during World War II, so it's no surprise that combat diving is an important Navy Special Military Mission.According to different combat needs, this task takes 1-2 hours as short as 8-10 hours as long as possible; sometimes it needs to swim on the water surface, and sometimes it needs to carry out diving with Dräger LAR-V or MK-16 diving equipment.These types of military missions are often conducted in very cold waters, so maintaining body temperature is a top priority.When performing tasks underwater, team members are often required to quickly find combat targets, and these targets usually oxidize quickly, so the targets must be pulled out as soon as possible to complete the combat mission.Some missions required the team to swim out of the water and climb onto enemy ships via cascading ladders or cables.This type of military training is often difficult: first, soldiers are required to have a high ability to resist low temperature - when diving in cold water, the arms are prone to cramps; Explosive equipment climbed onto the ship.Regular cold water training helps to improve the body's ability to resist low temperatures and prepare for future battles.Also, in boat climbing training, both arm strength and leg strength are important.Grip strength is especially important when climbing cables and ladders.Climbing the cables can fully exercise the muscles of the arms and legs, which is helpful for boat climbing training. The team members usually need to do more rope climbing training.

A basic part of Navy SEAL combat snorkel training is swimming with diving fins.Although swimming without fins can improve cardiorespiratory fitness, it is not suitable for the combat needs of SEALs.One thing to note is that speed exercises are helpful for water combat programs, but not for diving training programs, because high-speed diving will reduce the efficacy of LAR-V diving equipment and also easily lead to central nervous system oxygen toxicity.

High-frequency underwater training increases the diver's risk of overinhalation.

4.Seal Transport Vessel (SDV) and deck landing exercises
The basic training item for such military exercises is combat diving, but most of the military tasks are completed by SEAL transport boats.Military drills usually take longer than freediving training programs.SEAL transport boat pilots must possess the same combat qualities as combat divers, but must also have greater arm strength, which is useful for deck landings and repelling enemy soldiers.

5.urban combat exercise

SEALs are sometimes required to conduct direct military missions in cities.Although it is difficult to generalize the specific combat qualities required for urban combat missions, there are generally three characteristics as follows: first, the walking distance is relatively short compared with other field operations; A large amount of military supplies, such as water and rations, etc., because the transportation in the city is convenient, and military supplies are relatively easy. However, sufficient weapons and ammunition must be carried; finally, urban combat requires high special physical fitness for soldiers, and soldiers must have Strong sprinting and climbing qualities; in addition, soldiers also have a certain ability to carry heavy loads, and sometimes they need to carry injured comrades on their backs.

6.winter combat exercise

Winter operations often require soldiers to travel long distances in the snow and sometimes carry cumbersome ski gear and military equipment on long marches.These types of military tasks use different musculature than ordinary long-distance running and marching.Not all SEAL military training includes this training unit, but special military areas such as winter operations require weight-bearing ski training and snow-bearing training. For details, see Chapter 14 of this book.

Section [-] Special physical training for special operations

At the beginning of 1990, the Naval Health Research Center conducted a special survey on each military task, each military training project, and the physical fitness required to complete tasks and training in order to clarify the physical quality requirements required by the SEALs to perform military tasks.

The study sampled 82 SEALs with an average military career of 11 years.The research team developed a questionnaire, which included the basic military tasks of the seals and related military physical training, such as quickly climbing up the rope to land on the 12-meter-high deck, and carrying out 23 kg weight training and other questions.The SEALs surveyed were required to rate the questions in the questionnaire from three aspects—easiness of execution, frequency of execution, and importance of these trainings to the successful completion of military missions.Then, the sub-scores obtained for each level are added together to obtain the total score of the questionnaire.The military missions with the highest score are as follows:
Under the temperature of 21 ℃, carry 57 kg of equipment on the back at night for 15 kilometers of cross-country weight training, and return to the meeting point on the same road after reaching the finish line.

As a key soldier in a military mission, carrying 27 kilograms of military supplies and equipment, he completed a 3-kilometer hike in three days in the high-temperature, high-humidity tropical rainforest.

Equipped with Dräger diving equipment, carry an underwater blasting device and swim 13.3 kilometers underwater at 2°C. After installing the blasting device, swim 6 kilometers to return to the meeting point.

Wearing a diving suit, wearing a mask, flippers, and a Dräger UBA ventilator, they dived underwater at 21°C for 3 hours and raided the target ship.

将一艘满载的天宫F470运输艇拖拽到50米外的岩石海滩上，再和5名海豹队员、3名战艇驾驶员一起将所有的装备、物资运送到200米以外的岩滩上，为大部队做好登陆准备。

Together with another SEAL, they transported a 77-kilogram wounded comrade to a base 70 meters away.

Next, these tasks were made into a second questionnaire and sent to each team member interviewed. The question they needed to answer was: "What physical qualities are required for each training?" Table 2-2 summarizes the special operations tasks and related physical fitness requirements, Table 2-3 summarizes special operations missions and related physical fitness training plans.

When formulating a physical fitness training plan, it is necessary to pay attention to all physical quality training including the upper and lower body, that is, including the endurance quality, agility quality, and strength quality training items of the upper body and lower body.Some special military missions include several training programs at the same time, so the relevant military physical training program needs to improve all relevant physical qualities.Chapter 14 of this book explores this issue in more depth.

SEAL physical training includes all physical fitness training of upper body and lower body,

That is, the training of endurance quality, agility quality and strength quality of upper body and lower body.

chapter summary
The main training items of several types of SEAL military physical training are summarized here.Each project has its own corresponding physical training plan, and it is best to train on a weekly basis.Chapter 14 of this book also introduces other alternative training methods.

Fully armed for trekking and cross-country training
Fully armed cross-country ski training
Climbing the Combat Ladder with Armor
Swimming training with fins
Armed for sprint training
Fully Armed Over Obstacles

Quick Rope Climb

(End of this chapter)