Getting TO and THROUGH BUD/S is All About Preparation
- Specific Preparation with Performance Goals -

This article will break down several of the charts in the BUD/S Study: Reference: Three-Year Hell Week Study on 19 BUD/S Classes (300-318).

Related article:  BUD/S Success Assessment Tool that includes lifts, sprints, runs, swims, etc

I have always said that once you pass the PST (even on a bad day or after a workout) and have spent months preparing for a wide range of BUD/S-specific events, you can graduate. However, in every class, some outliers fall short of these recommended scores and still graduate. There are complete physical studs who excel in several events, but fail, quit, or get injured. It is both a physical and a mental challenge, for sure.

There is a sweet spot to training that is essential to success; the recommended scores in the study (as well as my own) have proven time and time again. If you can meet the recommended scores in this article, you can make it through BUD/S, if (and that is a big if) you want it. At some point in your BUD/S experience, your desire will be tested, and how you respond to the test is purely the answer to how badly you want it. 

This is one of my favorite charts in this study, as it shows the wide range of physical abilities among Hell Week (HW) graduates in each class.

As you can see, these scores of the 300+ HW graduates among the 2208 candidates who finished BUD/S Prep range from exceptional to "how did this guy make it?" scores. These lower scores and HW graduates have always fascinated me. Let's break it down with the standard PST exercises (Swimming, Push-Ups, Sit-Ups, Pull-Ups, Running). If you read the complete study (LINK), you will also see how other exercises compare to HW success. 

If you do the math on the study, they do not differentiate between candidates who may have been rolled before or during HW and joined a different class to finish HW with a later class. 

Related article:  Post Hell Week Recovery

Breaking Down the PST Events

The study did not incorporate the 500-yard CSS swim and the 1.5-mile timed run in its statistical analysis. Instead, they used the 1000m swim with fins and the 4-mile timed run. These are better tests, as they are events you will be required to complete to complete BUD/S. Every week, you will do a 4-mile timed run and a 2-mile (4000 yds) ocean swim with fins. 

If you need to understand how to create testing strategies to ace the PST - Check out the Navy PST Clinic article. 

If you need help with passing the 500yd CSS, check out this CSS Help Series.

However, the scores I recommend for the 500yd swim time are the same pace I recommend to accomplish any of the swims with fins at BUD/S. The goal is to achieve a yard per second in the 500-yard CSS (8:20 or faster), and my recommended goal for the 1000m swim with fins is 16:40 (or faster). Here is the study chart on the 1000m swim:

As you can see, the HW grads who swam at the recommended pace (or within 30 seconds) had a higher graduation rate than those who swam for 18 minutes or more. While swimming faster is important, it is not as crucial as water confidence and comfort.  Being able to tread water, relax when drownproofing, and perform lifesaving, knot-tying, and other underwater activities matters as much as pure swimming. Practicing these events needs to be part of your weekly training.  See how we do it - Safe Drownproofing / Treading Drills. 

What Amazes Me About The Scores:
1K-Swim with Fins

1. Smart training goal: 17 minutes or less
2. Best score for any SEAL candidate who completed Hell Week: 14:10
3. Worst score for any SEAL candidate who completed Hell Week: 19:11
4. Best score for any SEAL candidate who dropped from training: 13:14
5. Worst score for any SEAL candidate who dropped from training: 19:52

Pushups

You need to get good at push-ups, as these are an activity you spend significant time doing with your class throughout each day —hundreds of push-ups a day. However, you do not need to be overly exceptional at them. Just be able to recover quickly for the next set of 20-50 reps. This requires adding push-ups in high volume throughout your training to not only prepare for the PST, but the daily grind that is BUD/S and Hell Week. As you can see in the charts below, pushing into the 90-100 range is the sweet spot; however, being in the 80s is also acceptable. Push-ups are not one of those exercises that will make or break you, but you still want to be good at them. 

What Amazes Me About These Scores:

Push-up

1. Smart training goal: 90-99 reps
2. Best score for any SEAL candidate who completed Hell Week: 119 reps
3. Worst score for any SEAL candidate who completed Hell Week: 70 reps
4. Best score for any SEAL candidate who dropped from training: 140 reps
5. Worst score for any SEAL candidate who dropped from training: 70 reps

Situps

Sit-ups are similar to push-ups, but you will rarely do them once you are in BUD/S. However, scores of 70-90 are good, but 90-100 are better, as the statistics show for HW graduates. TIP for Sit-ups: The most important thing is to pace yourself during sit-ups. Too many times, people start too fast and complete about 35-40 in the first 30 seconds, but are unable to maintain that pace for the next 1:30. If your goal is 80-100 in a 2:00 period, you should pace yourself at 20-25 in 30 seconds and 40-50 in 1:00...etc.

What Amazes Me About These Scores:

Sit-up

1. Smart training goal: 80-89 reps
2. Best score for any SEAL candidate who completed Hell Week: 109 reps
3. Worst score for any SEAL candidate who completed Hell Week: 61 reps
4. Best score for any SEAL candidate who dropped from training: 122 reps
5. Worst score for any SEAL candidate who dropped from training: 60 reps

Pullups

I have always thought pull-ups to be the great equalizer in fitness training. Not many people in the world can do pull-ups. Being able to do 20 pullups places you in above-average standing to get through Hell Week, according to the study. However, getting over 30 was not helpful, as you can see the highest pullup score was 36, which did not graduate. On the other hand, the outlier who completed 10 pull-ups during Hell Week, despite graduating, amazes me.  According to the chart, 20 people with 10-12 pullups were HW graduates. 

What Amazes Me About These Scores:

Pull-up Body Weight Max

1. Smart training goal: 19-21 reps
2. Best score for any SEAL candidate who completed Hell Week: 30 reps
3. Worst score for any SEAL candidate who completed Hell Week: 10 reps
4. Best score for any SEAL candidate who dropped from training: 36 reps
5. Worst score for any SEAL candidate who dropped from training: 10 reps

4 Mile Timed Run

While there is no 1.5-mile timed run in this analysis, it is recommended to be able to run the 1.5-mile distance in the 9-minute to 9:30-minute range as the final event of the PST. That is much different from running the 1.5 miles in that range fresh. Being able to master the pace of 6 - 7 minutes for all of your running distances (1.5 to 4 miles) will put you in good standing with the class, and you will never worry about failing. It just so happens that the faster you can run the 4-mile timed run, the better you will do in Hell Week and beyond.

What Amazes Me About These Scores:

4-Mile Run (NSW Prep Exit Test)

1. Smart training goal: 27 minutes or less
2. Best score for any SEAL candidate who completed Hell Week: 21:48
3. Worst score for any SEAL candidate who completed Hell Week: 30:00
4. Best score for any SEAL candidate who dropped from training: 21:39
5. Worst score for any SEAL candidate who dropped from training: 30:55

If Anything, This Study Shows How Mental It Is

You build that level of mental toughness on your desire, discipline, and athletic and training history over a lifetime. Being able to achieve above-average (competitive scores) on the PST (and other BUD/S Specific events) places you in a league with very high potential to graduate from Hell Week. These scores are the following:

500yd swim 8:20-9:00
Pushups 80-100
Situps 80-100
Pullups 15-20
1.5 mile run 9:00-9:30 
4-mile timed run - 27-28 minutes
2-mile swim with fins - 65-75 minutes
Tread 5-10 minutes (no hands)

I do have other recommendations for lifts, as does this study. Make sure to check them out, as they help you understand the level of strength or power needed to perform well. 

Assessment Tool to Get TO and THROUGH Spec Ops Training.

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