Strength in Diversity - Special Ops and SEAL Teams

I often receive emails concerning guys who are “too lean”, “too short”, “too tall”, “too big” to attend SEAL training.  This is one of the first “doubts” you will have about yourself on whether or not you are tough enough to make it through SEAL training.  There is not much you can do about what God gave you physically - BUT the good news is the SEALs need men of all shapes, sizes, backgrounds, and colors. 

Here is a sampling of emails I receive on a near weekly basis and this will hopefully help you clear the self-doubt you are having about attending SEAL training.  My answers to the varied questions are in the italics below:

 Too Lean:

I've heard that guys at BUD/S without enough body fat have a really tough time -- that they have to carbo load even more than the normal person.

 True - some guys go to BUDS and are lean - meaning sub 5% bodyfat.  Not only will you want to eat more carbohydrates, but you will have to eat more fat and protein as well in order to maintain your weight.  We had one really skinny kid in my BUDS Class who was tough as nails and was cold all the time and he had to eat extra meals - sometimes waking up in the middle of the night to eat some pizza or protein shakes to keep weight on.  But in the end, he was actually one of a few BUDS graduates who actually gained weight by the time BUDS was over.

 You will be cold, but we all are, your muscles will keep you warm like fat will.  In fact it is the muscle shaking that produces body heat so do not be scared of shaking - it warms you up - it is when you stop shaking that is dangerous.

 In the SEAL Teams, you will be able to get into places others cannot and perhaps be a cardio-vascular stud and outlast many others.  To me that is an advantage in many situations.

 Too Tall / Long Arms:

I am 6ft 7” tall and have long arms - pushups and pull-ups are tough but I imagine carrying that boat on my head will crush me!  How do I get around that if I get to BUDS? 

Sounds like an excuse already.  We had tall guys in BUDS who made it through no problem - or should I say with just as many problems as everyone else.  You have to get stronger by doing more pull-ups and pushups no matter if you arms are long.  You can spread your arms wider to create a natural 90 degree elbow bend during your pushups as well as with pull-ups.  BUT it takes practice and many, many reps of both.  I like the Perfect Pullup and Pushup for that reason - instead of doing sets of 50 pushups, I am limited to about 50% of those with both devices meaning I can reach failure faster.  Therefore I grow and understand the pain involved with hard work and become more mentally tough.   

As far as your head - all heads get banged up but you will be placed in Boat Crew #1 which is for the tallest guys in your BUDS class.  This is always guys usually 6’4” and above so I do not see that being an issue.

 Everyone has a nemesis at BUDS whether it is cold, running, swimming, SCUBA, upperbody strength / endurance, or just shear pain tolerance - find the weakness and make it a strength.

 In the SEAL Teams, you will be able to reach areas others cannot without assistance so that is an advantage as well in many situations.

 Too Short:

I am only 5’2” am I too short for BUDS?  Most guys I see are huge on TV. 

First of all we all look bigger on TV than we really are in life.  But secondly your height is fine.  You will no doubt be in the “smurf boat crew” meaning all the shortest guys in the class will have their own boat to carry.  But pound for pound shorter / lighter guys do well at BUDS and usually have above average PT scores and even obstacle course scores (if they can get over the obstacles - ie the Dirty Name). 

 In the SEAL Teams you will be able to go places many others cannot so your size will be an advantage is many situations.

 Too big - former Football Player / weight lifter:

 I am a former football player and power lifter and not much of an endurance athlete, in fact 1.5 miles is considered long distance to me.  Also I am over 230 lbs - how can someone like me become a SEAL?

 SEAL Teams is all about being a TEAM Player so you already have the skills developed to be a TEAM player from your sports experiences.  That is a plus!  Now, I remember one guy at the SEAL Team that was 6’2” and 230 lbs and could do 30 pullups and run 3 miles in 18 minutes!  So your size really has nothing to do with it.  It is all a function of how hard to work to become a good runner and muscle endurance athlete. 

We recruited a stud football player who weighed 280lbs.  He was a great leader, had just passing PT scores but assured us that he could lose the weight and perform on a BUDS student level.  In a matter of 4 months he was down to 200 lbs and could PT, run and swim with the best of his classmates at BUDS.  He even later went to DEVGRU!  So you cannot be discouraged about your size - in fact embrace it and work hard to be a better performer.

 Physiologically it is easier to go from power lifting muscle fiber to endurance/strength muscle fiber than in reverse order.  I did it and so can you.  I did not lift weights for nearly 2 years prior to going to BUDS and just ran, swam and PT’ed my butt off.  It worked and when I started lifting again I was only about 6 weeks away from my previous maxes when I went on a weight gain cycle to prepare for cold water SDV diving in the winter.

 In the SEAL Teams, you will be one of the bigger guys so you have to work hard not to slow the group down, but at the same time your strength and even teamwork ability will keep you in good stead with your peers.

 I always tell people that there is Strength in Diversity - we all carry unique skill sets whether they are physical, mental, or the experience of life that all come together to create a platoon of well rounded SEALs in a TEAM.  If you make it through SEAL Training, you obviously have “something special” to share with your teammates and add to the strength of the team.

Stew Smith is a former Navy SEAL, and author of several fitness and self defense books such as The Complete Guide to Navy SEAL Fitness , Maximum Fitness , and SWAT Workout . Certified by the National Strength and Conditioning Association as a Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) and as military fitness trainer, Stew has trained hundreds of students for Navy SEAL, Special Forces, SWAT, FBI, ERT and many other law enforcement professions.  See him at StewSmith.com

Fight Science Special Ops with Stew Smith

 February 23 on Nat Geo Channel