This Military Fitness Workout Can Help Improve Your Special Operations Training

It is said that no 30-minute gym routine prepares you for a day of special operations selection training. When challenged with running, rucking, swimming, high-repetition calisthenics and obstacle courses, you need to go through longer-duration workouts or add a second workout later in the day. As with any fitness training, progress logically in distance, time, intensity and frequency.

Here is a workout we use on an upper-body day that helps prepare for higher-rep calisthenics (grinder PT) and running. This arrangement can also improve fitness test scores and prepare you for obstacle courses.

Warm up with a quick pull-up and push-up half pyramid. Those 55 total reps of these exercises are warm-ups for advanced candidate training for special ops programs. Make these runs between sets of easy jogs, mixed with dynamic stretches, to prepare yourself for running in the next section.

Pull-ups/push-ups pyramid 1-10, run 50 meters: 

• One push-up, one squat, run 50 meters;
• Two push-ups, two squats, run 50 meters;
• Continue to the 10th reps, plus run one warm-up mile.

This section has two purposes: to make calisthenics harder for the first part of the circuit and then push the non-weighted calisthenics on which you will be tested and perform in high numbers during training. The rest is the run, like obstacle courses or endurance courses where you must run between exercise obstacles (pulling, pushing and grip), and run for 800 meters at your goal-timed pace.

This will be challenging but do your best and get used to running after upper-body calisthenics (as many fitness tests require). Notice the rest is designed in the circuit. You rest push-pull muscle groups, moving from one exercise to the next with just a few deep breaths/stretches in between.

Super set + runs:

Repeat four times.

• Weight-vest push-ups max
• Weight-vest pull-ups max
• Weight-vest dips max
• Pull-ups max
• Push-ups max
• Sit-ups for one minute
• Run 800 meters at goal pace

Later, if you are preparing for a program requiring significant water and dive training, go for a swim workout. You will need this time in the pool. Check out Combat Swimmer Stroke (CSS) articles for more information on techniques.

Swim:

• 500-meter CSS or freestyle: warm-up/stretch

This is the classic conditioning workout to master the 500-yard or 500-meter swim test, depending on the branch of military service. Check out the 50-50, but if this is too easy, try the 100-100.

Repeat 10 times.

• Swim 50-meter freestyle fast at 6-8 strokes/breath.
• Swim 50-meter CSS goal pace.

Cooldown from any swim workout with a pool skill you need to work on the most. This can be bobbing, floating or treading for 10 minutes. Another cooldown option is to aqua jog for 10 minutes. These skills and movements can not only help you with pool confidence but open up your hips, knees and ankles that might be tight from previous workouts.

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