Aerobic Conditioning for Special Forces
Introduction
The top 25% of runners at Special Forces Assessment and Selection have double the chance of getting selected compared to the bottom 25%. If you are in the top 25% of ruckers, your chances jump to 65% (twice the average rate). While the average selection rate has traditionally been around 31%, it’s important to note that this number has been trending downward recently.
If you want to get selected, you need to be physically fit with a tremendous aerobic base. If you are aerobically deficient, the odds are stacked against you
This is part one of our series on how to build the best special forces workout program. I have personally trained nearly 100 candidates at this point – and I’ve trained everyone from the physical stud who came to me with perfect scores, to the candidate who could barely run a 10 minute mile and who had no physical training background.
How to Train for Special Forces
What I will be sharing with you is a tried and true method of general principles we apply as coaches to get you ready for selection. The goal of hiring a coach, or doing any training at all, is so that there is no doubt in your or my mind that you physically have what it takes to be successful – SFAS, BUD/S, AFSW, RASP, or any other course. Unfortunately, though, there are many candidates who find themselves at Fort Bragg, Coronado, or elsewhere who have no business being there because they were unprepared. Mentally they could have had what it takes – but they just didn’t train for it right.
I want to help you avoid that fate.
Our Series to Build the Ultimate Training Plan
In part one (this article), we will discuss aerobic conditioning – this will be the base of your training on which everything else is built. Without a strong aerobic base, you stand zero chance of getting selected. With a great one, everything becomes easier.
In part two we will discuss max strength – how can we get you stronger and acclimate your body to heavy loads, so that a 55lb rucksack feels routine.
In part three, we will discuss selection-specific training – training just running and lifting in isolation isn’t enough. At some point as you peak for selection, you’ll want to transition your training specifically for the demands of SFAS.
In part four, we’ll discuss the hardest part of this kind of training. How do you combine elements of fitness which often works against each other and build the best special forces workout program?
Laying the Foundation with Aerobic Conditioning
The Role of Aerobic Conditioning in Selection
A strong aerobic base allows you to cover a lot of distance while expending as little effort as possible. The reason for this is very simple – for the Army, the 5 mile run needs to be 40 minutes or faster – for the Navy it’s 4 miles in 32 minutes. Both require an 8 minute per mile pace.
If you can run for 60 minutes at a 9 minute per mile pace while nasal breathing – that 5 mile run is going to be easy – just pick up the pace a bit.
Now, if you can only do 12 or 13 minute miles while nasal breathing for 60 minutes, a 40-minute 5-mile run could be max effort for you.
The Goal of Aerobic Conditioning
So the goal is to raise the floor of your low-intensity pace as high as possible, so that while the guys around you are at an 8 or 9 out of 10 effort, you can be comfortably running a 3 or 4 or 5 out of 10 effort. Essentially, we want you to be as fit as possible, and build as much buffer as possible between your abilities and the standards.
How to Track Your Aerobic Efficiency Over Time
The great thing is, we can track your aerobic performance over time by seeing how much distance you can cover at a given heart rate for a given amount of time.
If you’re running 12-minute miles for 60 minutes today and next month you’re doing 10:30 minute miles, that’s good progress. But, on the other hand, if you’re doing those same sessions and not improving, there’s something wrong with your training.
We personally as coaches are benchmarking our athletes every week to track these sessions over time – and it’s not just 60 minutes and it’s not just running. It’s rucking too, and we can do this all the way up to 3 or more hours depending on what the athlete is training for and capable of today.
Endurance Training Plan for Special Forces
How to Build a Base Building Program
How do you actually build an aerobic base, so your 5-mile pace today is a casual pace tomorrow? Well, it takes time. While we can work some magic and maybe drop a minute or 2 off a 2-mile run time relatively with 2-mile specific training, there is no shortcut to getting physically fitter.
For our athletes in a base-building phase, we like to see at least 2.5 hours per week of low-intensity training – this should be a combination of running and rucking as much as possible – but it’s also incredibly important to monitor your volume and mileage, so you’re not experiencing overuse injuries like shin splints. As a coach, sadly I have seen many guys overdo it with the zone 2 running or try to run through shin splints. All it ends up doing is setting you back weeks or in some cases months.
There is no shame in taking the running and rucking volume slowly, and supplementing with miles on the bike or laps in the pool.
Base Building Program Template with Running + Rucking
Now, how you actually design this base-building program will vary significantly from person to person – based on your training history, your athletic background, and your current strengths and weaknesses.
I will give you a general guideline for an athlete who is around average running 5 miles in 40 minutes, lifting 2 to 3 days per week, and who has run 30 miles per week without shin splints.
Monday – Short distance intervals (<=800m)
Purpose: improve 2 mile times
6 Rounds of 400m with 2min walking rest would be a standard workout
Wednesday – Tempo Run
Purpose: Acclimate the body to running faster than zone 2 pace
10min jog directly into
2 – 3 miles @ 8:30min/mile pace directly into
20minutes at zone 2 pace
Thursday – Zone 2 Run
Purpose: Base Building
20 – 60min @ zone 2 pace
Saturday – Extended Zone 2 Session
Purpose: Base Building + Fatigue Management
60min – 180min @ zone 2 pace – running, rucking, or a combination of the two
Training Program Overview
That gives you an idea of what a training week could look like for an athlete who really needs to build their aerobic base. The good news is that once an athlete has achieved a high level of aerobic fitness, it doesn’t take much training to sustain it. So, we could build up to 5 hours of aerobic training per week, to achieve 9-minute miles for zone 2 runs, but then drop it all the way down to 3 hours total running per week and actually get faster and maintain aerobic fitness.
Conclusion
Aerobic conditioning is a requirement to be successful at Army Special Forces Assessment and Selection. To all who are preparing for selection, remember to strike an optimal balance across all modalities of training – strength, hypertrophy, strength endurance, and aerobic capacity.
Read More
How Important is Rucking for SFAS?
How to Join Special Forces as a Civilian
Weight Lifting Program for Special Forces