SpecOps Prep: Customize Training by Body Type and Fitness Experience

I often answer a very common question -- "How should I prepare for (fill in the blank) Spec Ops training?" -- with a short but thought-provoking answer.

"It depends."

How you prepare for any one military or special ops training depends upon several factors that mainly include your body type and athletic history.  So there could be dozens of ways to prepare yourself fully with regard to addressing personal weaknesses, specifics of your selection choice and, of course, your current fitness level.

There is no such thing as "one size fits all" when it comes to developing someone for any athletic endeavor, tactical athletes included. If you depend on a book or generic training plan for a specific special ops program, you may have to alter it to fit your genetics and current condition. 

Here is a list of typical body types and athletic histories that seek these professions and how to address many of the typical weaknesses you will need to overcome to be successful.

Ultra-Lean Body Type with a Running Background 

The good news for this type and background is that most of these selection schools are running-centric. Running is a great gut check to see how bad you want to be in any program. Lacking a solid foundation is asking either for failure or common overuse injuries if you are not accustomed to the running demands of your school. If you are a cross country or middle- or long-distance track runner, your pace will be top-notch compared to most of the class. Focusing on a sub-five-minute mile pace, though, is overkill when a sub-six-minute mile pace is still above average. 

You may want to use that time to focus on adding weight to your typically skinny upper body. Just doing your typical PT of pull-ups, push-ups and dips can be at first challenging, but out of all the groups, this group has a huge and fast growth curve for becoming PT animals. 

However, preparing for rucking, lifting logs, swimming with big fins, carrying boats and other equipment strain this type of body type. You should spend most of your training time building core and leg strength and upper-body muscle stamina, as well as maintain your running and swimming endurance. 

If you are not good at swimming, you will need to focus on the techniques and swimming endurance to get you to and through training (if you seek a Special Ops that focuses on water).

Powerlifting Strength and Power Body Type 

There are many varieties of this type that range from football players, powerlifters, bodybuilders and other athletes who have a solid strength foundation. They still may have a variety of body types, though, depending upon the position played. 

Regardless, being strong, fast for short distances and considering anything longer than 100 yards long-distance running is typical with this group.  Swimming technique also may be an issue. Your time should be spent building your endurance pace on running, rucking and long-distance swimming, depending upon your branch of service. 

This can take time, sometimes up to a year or more to become fully prepared for schools like BUD/S, AF PJ or RECON that involve more swimming than Rangers and Army SF.

I have found over the years of my own athletic history and training others that it takes a long time to lose strength, but you can lose endurance by not running for a week. This group has to stay cardio endurance-focused and keep running and swimming, lose weight (even some muscle mass) to make it through challenging special ops programs that require 30-40+ miles a week of running, rucking and a few miles of swimming each week.

The Hybrid Athlete with Varying Body Types 

Athletes who stay fit for a different sport year-round do extremely well at any of the Special Ops schools. Having a foundation in lifting, high-repetition calisthenics and endurance training makes for a solid Special Ops candidate. 

However, we all have our weaknesses, and you have to get specific to what you are lacking. This could be running or swimming more with better technique. Most people have to add in rucking if they are going RECON or Army Ranger/SF.  Sports that are considered to build strong hybrid athletes are lacrosse, basketball, wrestling, rugby, water polo, MMA and even CrossFitters.

But as with any sports history, you have to get specific in your training for special ops. That means longer workouts than 20-30 minutes, more time spent running fast and long, rucking heavy and long, swimming effortlessly for miles (other cardio), and mastering high-repetition calisthenics workouts. Pound for pound, this group is strong and fast but may lack a few of the elements of fitness needed to be prepared specifically for their selection program.

The Non-Impact Athlete   

Athletes who are most susceptible to running overuse injuries are typically swimmers and hockey players, as well as those who do not run as part of their sport. If you play an additional sport in gravity, you may help yourself with some common injuries in Special Ops training. This type needs to get used to moving in gravity by lifting weights, high-repetition calisthenics and running. Build up to rucking once you have progressed in running up to 20 miles a week. See ideas for adding rucking to your plan.

The Deconditioned Body Type

We all have goals, and you have to start somewhere. If you are young, start training with basic calisthenics, walking and swimming, if possible. Consider playing a sport as well, if only for the teamwork skills you will learn. 

Seeing a non-athlete lose 50-100 pounds and get into sports or Special Ops condition is awe-inspiring and possibly one of the most rewarding feelings a coach can have. Now this one takes time, possibly up to two years, depending upon how much weight and how low the current physical condition is. But it can be done with some persistence, mental toughness and discipline. 

Treat yourself like a beginner. Start off easy and progress each month. Slow and steady is your goal when you first decide to start training. It will come; be patient.

Building a tactical athlete is a little different than a typical athlete who needs to be great at only a few elements of fitness. The tactical athlete may be great at a few, too, but they also have to be good at all other elements: Strength/power, speed/agility, muscle stamina, cardio endurance and flexibility/mobility. 

Stew Smith is a former Navy SEAL and fitness author certified as a Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) with the National Strength and Conditioning Association. Visit his Fitness eBook store if you're looking to start a workout program to create a healthy lifestyle. Send your fitness questions to stew@stewsmith.com.

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