The U.S. military has many Special Forces units, such as the Navy SEALS, the Army Rangers or the Green Berets. These are the elite, the best of the best, who must be up to the physical and mental demands of the toughest combat environments. Consequently, they must meet stringent physical training requirements alongside their other military or combat specific training.
Purpose
Physical training for the Special Forces needs to ensure that they are ready for whatever you might encounter, with a focus on functional strength and endurance. For example, the Navy SEALS physical requirement test requires you to be able to swim, run, then perform push ups, sit-ups and chin ups within a certain time period. The focus is on building mental and physical endurance and toughness.
Training
To actually get into the various branches of the Special Forces, you will then need to complete the Special Forces Assessment and Selection Course that lasts for several weeks. On this course, you can expect to do more running, more push-ups, sit-ups and chin-ups, as well as new training methods, including long distance marches carrying heavy rucksacks or full gear, obstacle courses, or orienteering.
Benefits
None of the exercises that make up the workout routine of the Special Forces are that demanding on their own. However, the kind of endurance required is as much mental as it is physical. Consequently, many of these workouts are performed under less than optimal conditions, in the middle of the night without sleep, carrying full equipment loads, or swimming wearing uniform and carrying equipment and a weapon, or running in bulky combat boots, everyday without rest.
Practicing
According to fitness expert and former Navy SEAL Stew Smith, you can simulate the kind of training performed by Special Forces units by wearing a weighted vest and taking no breaks as you try and complete your workouts. You can simulate this kind of training and improve your ability to perform this kind of strenuous activity by swimming a kilometer two or three times a week and running three to five miles nearly every day, as fast as you can. Do calisthenics two or three times a week, aiming for around 100 pull-ups, 200 push-ups and 300 sit-ups in as few sets as possible, running a quarter of a mile between each set. Aim to finish as quick as you can, without rest.
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