With 4 Years to Train for Military Service, 4 Things I’d Do Differently

When asked how I would prepare myself for military service and special ops if I had the opportunity to do it all over again, it is a fun trip down memory lane. When I recall the good with the bad, the successes with the failures, and the aches and pains of combining high school, college, athletics, and military preparation, I realize I could have done a few things better. Here is the question:

Stew, if you were 19 years old again and had four years before entering a tactical profession, what would your training priorities be? Would they be the same or different? Thanks, CD

Thanks for the memories. The list of what I would do the same is long, but here are several training-related things I would have done differently.

1. Focus More on Recovery

Back in the 1980’s, we may have known — but not as commonly as now — that sleep, nutrition, and hydration/electrolytes all play important roles in recovery from high-stress times and tough physical activity, and in optimal performance in everything. I wished I had slept better and not overindulged in alcohol. Being intoxicated ruins a night’s sleep. Ruining a night’s sleep is horrible for your body and prevents you from using the No. 1 recovery tool fully. In fact, you miss out on crucial sleep recovery when you get too few hours or when you go to bed after a hard night on the town.

Nutrition and hydration/electrolytes were never an issue, as I ate well and stayed hydrated. In reflection, that was probably my only helpful recovery practice that I did consistently, but I could have been much better with proper sleep recovery. Build better sleep habits, and know that alcohol, nicotine and caffeine can horribly affect the recovery effects of sleep.

2. Assess With Military Tests

Take a test and see what you need to work on the most. Tactical fitness components are strength, power, speed, agility, endurance (run/swim/ruck) or muscle stamina, and grip. Or several may need work. After testing and failing, I realized I needed to focus on calisthenics and cardio (muscle stamina and endurance). I was not a good runner or swimmer or good at high-repetition calisthenics when I started. This gave me focus, but I was behind the curve as I did not do these things until I was already at the Naval Academy. I should have better prepared myself for these events instead of thinking I was going to be a football player only.

3. Address Weaknesses First

As an athlete in high school and college, I needed to do well in certain areas to make the teams I was on. That meant focusing on elements of fitness that made me a better player, not a better tactical athlete. I did that right but could have started to prepare for other elements of fitness that my athletic history had ignored for 10 years.

As I prepared for the military, I thought long-distance running was anything over 100 meters. I quickly needed to focus on my endurance and muscle stamina to improve my overall fitness for the standard PT tests of the time. This meant dropping the weights, focusing more on calisthenics (pullups, pushups, situps), and doing cardio workouts. I started running too much (got hurt) then had to back it down and add biking and swimming to reduce the impact forces as I conditioned my heart, lungs and legs to more running than I had ever done. This transition alone took a year to lose the football/powerlifting weight and start getting in better military shape. If I had not made this transition, I would have never had the opportunity to prepare for the highly competitive Navy SEAL training.

4. Understand ‘Getting to’ vs. ‘Getting Through’

Getting “to” the training means passing a fitness test, passing medical checks and passing academic tests. But getting “through” training requires understanding the specifics of what you are about to endure. Whether it is a four-year service academy, enlisting into the service, or the challenges of special ops training in your near future, you need to practice the many challenging events of that future training.

Learn strategies and techniques to help you along the way. You may need to work on components of fitness you previously neglected and focus on a cycle that specifically addresses these weaknesses. Then maintain your strengths throughout this multi-year process as well. We do this with a training model called Seasonal Tactical Fitness Periodization.

So, if you are wondering where to start: Start with a specific focus on your weaknesses, eat and sleep well for recovery, and consistently assess yourself. Because if you are not assessing, you are just guessing. See more helpful programming and recovery ideas at the Military.com Fitness Section.

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