Best Way to Prepare for BUD/S?

[Richard Vernetti]

I’m a 17 year old in high school and I have been preparing to enter BUD/S for about a year now. I’m planning on going into the Navy right out of high school so I can get to BUD/S at a younger age. I seem to be confused, though, about how to balance weightlifting with calisthenics, running, and swimming. I’m a slim build and my weakest points are my shoulders and legs. What is the best way for me to prepare to not only pass BUD/S, but to excel in it? I don’t want to just “scrape by”. Thanks!

[Coach Mel]

You should be doing the SOF wods at least 3 times a week .

[Brooks Patrick]

I am enlisting hopefully next week. I am starting later in life (just turned 27) but in incredible shape. I lift over 400 lbs just in bench. I know that BUDS is a lot of mental prep. What are things I should be doing now to mentally prep? I am not worried about the physical aspect. My wife said she is just going to start yelling at me during my training cycles haha. Tips? I am physically training 5 times a week. My current stats are: bench 415 lb, deadlift 530 lb, squats 515 lb. My wife is also requiring me to hold a 100 lb dumbbell over my head for a minute in case there are people on my team at BUDS that need the extra support.

[Coach Mel]

HI Brooks,

The lifting is great but running and swimming are way better. You will need to be putting in serious hours a day doing these 2 things. Have you considered coming out to our KOKORO camp. The cost is a drop in the bucket compared to enlisting and potentially not making it through BUDs. We have close to 100% success rate of our campers making it to Buds after completion of our camp. This camp also shines a magnifying glass on the holes in your training.

Let me know what your cardio and endurance picture looks like. We require that you are able to run a 1/2 Marathon in under 2 hours for this camp. Can you do that? For a SEAL Candidate you should be closer to 1:45.

I hope this helps.

Let me know how I can help.

Coach Mel

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