Pro tip for everyone going out for a selection. Having been DS on several myself, your fitness should only be a part of your selection prep. The DS want to see how you handle situations, how you react and how you follow direction. Put some thought and effort into your mindset, outlook and team skills. You can be Hercules on Selection and not be selected. All SOF organizations are looking for thinking warriors, so keep your head up and your brain on. This video lays out the principles for physical prep perfectly. Just apply it to the type of unit that you are applying for. Most units push out selection prep guides. Sometimes they aren't very complete but it should show you what kinds of fitness they expect you to build and what the minimum requirements they expect from you will be. What your unit does (its tasks) really effects what kind of fitness you will need to build. SOF is not an easy job, pay attention to your recovery and rehab, I cant stress this enough. Preventable injuries put so many people out of selection and once in the stalls, you need to stay mission ready. Missing out on a tour because of an injury is heartbreaking! Good luck to everyone going out on a selection, its an unforgettable experience, enjoy it.
This guy is really bringing it home. Too many candidates tunnel-vision themselves by solely focusing on the fitness aspect only to overlook the emphasis SF/SOF units place on mental prowess and innate and developed character traits.
Your comment encourages me. I'm a thinker and at some points it seems my downfall. I'm glad to get a first person perspective. I'm realizing more and more that tendon and bone strength, flexibility, and mental strength against negative emotion and stressors are more important than strength training especially with SOPC before selection
@@crazydutchman8732 In my opinion, if you know it's what you want to do, its absolutely not too early to start preparing. You need to go in with your eyes open though. Some SOF units like their recruits to have some experience and look for maturity as a major component in their selection criteria. It doesn't mean younger Operators wont make it into these organizations but they wouldn't be the norm. I haven't served with that unit, so I'm not sure what their role is but we can generalize a bit using some American examples. Tier 1 units like CAG will be looking for more experienced soldiers and are more likely to give a limited number of attempts in the selection process. Others like the Rangers or Navy Seals will be more willing to take in less experienced members (again I'm generalizing). You will need to find out how many attempts you will have, will you need to serve for a few years in the regular military, or can you join from the reserve force, do they publish recruitment material that might be helpful (don't hold your breath here) . If the number of tries is unlimited, try out as soon as you can and learn from the experience, even if you don't make it on your first try. I hope this answers your question and feel free if you have any more.
@@Hawk2phreak really thanks for this! I’m planning on going to luchtmobiel (u can compare it with airborne and trough there I go to the commando’s (green barets) I want to get more experience first. You’re comment helpt a lot!
I've been a fitness Coach for almost 12 years and this is one of the most comprehensive videos on the web, from a functional fitness standpoint; this dude should be charging for this.
Hello Sir, I’m 24 and had been through Military Basic Training in France. I was motivated as fuck etc, but I was and I still a skinny guy because : We were doing sport 3 times a day, at the wake up we were doing a bit of push ups and shit, then going to run, before eating at 12, push ups and shit, and same at the end of the day. That was everysingle day, and I was in conventionnal Army. My Ltn was a young guy who just got out of school, and he was pushing us super hard. That kindda disgust me from sport, I mean I never been a sport guy and my first « fit life » experience was that, but in the video, the guy is saying that we are not suppose to do too much sport because of body fatigue, so that’s my question : Its not normal to stop at your physical limits everytime you do sport do we aggree on that ? I’m disgusted about sport, I even had to left the army because my right knee fucked up in 9 month ! We were running 7 kilometer then next day 11, then 7, then 11… And Friday was running 8kilometer in under ~40 minutes with boots and shit. For real that disgusted me from sport, I need to understand what the hell to do about sport, when people get out of sport they looking pretty good ! Everytime I finish sport, I’m like a zombie ! That ain’t normal !
@@platinum1640 Just do what they want you to do in selections. Eventually you will get good at them by doing them. It is that easy. Also, eat and stop being skinny.. None of these might sound serious to you because you are at that stage of life unfortunately but life is in its core, very simple. (I used to be a reserve officer in army, trained soldiers acively for about 9 months. So this is coming from experience).
Overtraining is very god damn important. There is a limit to how fast you can improve, and your body has a limit. What gets the best results is hard, intelligent work with consistent training. Not always rushing like crazy, thats what got me injured and trust me when you injure yourself it slows the progress a whole lot.
Here is the secret to passing A&S in any branch. Functional fitness, body weight exercises, cardiovascular endurance, and the most important factor...the mental will to never quit, which you can learn to a certain extent, but it's also just innately in you or not. Once the mind goes, the body follows. These are good technical videos. Cheers and good luck
I noticed swmming improved my breathing a lot, I guess being in the water out of breath trains lungs pretty well. Rucking in hard terrain in full gear is very interesting.
only 6 minutes in and the video is so good. I started to workout 6 days a week when i decided i will enlist after uni and ever since i've come to the realization of just how complex the act of working out can be
One of THE BEST VIDEOS that actually care about performance, nutrition, recovery and most importantly - overall functional progress of a human body. Thank you 🙏
Unexpectedly qualitative content!!! Worth every minute of watching. I assumed it would be some general info about special forces tests but this video was beyond all expectations!
video was reassuring for me. ive been applying these concepts into my routine for about a year now with no research. So i wasnt really sure if i was just making shit up or not. started doing it cause i got really big and found my mass had little function in the real world and was more of a hindrance then anything.
Not looking for joining any troop again - but day to day life is stressfull and working as a business consultant is very challenging. Working on my physique and mental health is important. This video provided additional important info that I sure will consider including into my routines. Rucking will be the first one as alternative to running. Also I will include more unilateral exercises and mobility training. Good content that is well structured. Thank you!
What an outstanding video. I did a running coaching course for four days at considerable cost and didn't take away as much useful info as there is in this video!
Wow, this is amazingly structured and explained. I started strength and powerlifting first to build form, technique, full range of motion and strength. Hypertrophy training or volume training came easier as I practiced technique a lot to also help identify and work on my weak points and stabilizing muscles. The only issue I had to find out for myself was focusing too much on progressing linearly without full joint, tissue, and my cns recovery, that eventually lead to injury and temporarily joint issues. So recovery is just as important as well as learning to fire the correct muscle groups under load without taxing joints. Just need to add in the others to be like a special forces god. Mobility, functionality, strength, exposive, full range of motion, technique, This video is so freaking awesome, I use Renaissance Periodization as my go to for info just like this, and this hero confirmed it and made me think more about my training multi-dimensional instead of single-dimensional. I would think a crossfitter should have no problem with this physical condition selection.
I have had an ex-teams guy suggest similar concepts. GREAT GREAT pointers for not only anyone going into selection for forces BUT general physical fitness. Can't wait to see your warm-up vid ; as mine is very important part of daily training.
Yeah, you can do it! It is scientifically proven that people with asthma can improve their lung's capability with exercise. Most can experience an enormous alleviation. Over time, your body will also learn how to operate more efficiently. That's why Lance Armstrong for example has a resting heart rate of 34 b/m. Because his heart pumps more blood with less effort.
Thank you very much, UF PRO people. I’ve watched this video once to catch your main idea, then I’ll watch it again to write them and implement it into my routine.
Great video!! Thanks!! I'm personally not looking to join any military branch, but just to recover my "youth" fitness, I'm 31 a bit overweight and feel like I'm 50. I'm going to use this for my starting point, wish me luck!
Amazing video. Lots of proper knowledge. Very usable for anyone, but as a martial artist... this is basically a guide how to train as a martial artist.
Ich schaue das jetzt zum 5. mal .... und lerne immer wieder etwas neues dazu- Wahnsinn!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (Weil ich davor ein einziges Detail nicht zu 100% kapiert habe)
UF Pro, you need to make a clothing tops for these principals, it's so good and a reminder to leave the ego out the door. I keep coming back to listen to him talk, it's philosophy and music to my ears.
One of the biggest disadvantages of soldiers being excessively big, i.e. more of the bodybuilding physique is that their additional weight can have a huge impact on their team members if they're wounded. Imagine you have a soldier that is 210lbs and pack excluded he's also carrying another 20lbs on his body. Now that soldier has just taken a round through the hip, you're in very awkward terrain and you need to get that guy up and move him somewhere safe, quickly. It's not going to be easy.
@Kevin F Aye well said. Generally the bulky muscle houses seem to be the retired ones or private contractors although you do also see a lot of Americans with the bodybuilder physique too. You'll see it here and there, rarely elsewhere too but Americans in particular. Even from a really early age I've always thought to myself that must be so counter-productive relative to the niche advantages it actually provides.
If you're alone trying to move your wounded 210lb comrade how you're going to move them should be the least of your worries... playing advocate your 210lb buddy should be able to toss you over their shoulder and carry you out. Most team dudes I've met are over 200 lbs 🤷♂️
Dear UF Pro Team. Thank you for your amazing videos! Always nice to watch and a lot to learn from! Question: Is there more medic videos coming? That would be great :) Thank you for all your effort!
I'd love to see a full body routine implementing the stuff from this video Or maybe even a plan for an entire week with running/rucking More on the subject of running would be great But great video as always :)
Here let me save you the effort: Day 1 - Warmup, Jumping jacks and light stretch run 1-2 miles Pushups, pullups, situps, burpees, planks stretch and use foam roller Day 2 - Warmup, Jumping jacks and light stretch Ruck 1 mile pushups, pullups, situps, burpees, planks Ruck 1 mile Stretch and roll day 3 - Rest, refuel and stretch/foamroll Repeat and sprinkle in other exercises or increase as necessary. Do that and you'll be fit as hell. Once you're doing that, then start looking at programs to add to your workouts.
6:10 I actually did this with pull ups. I worked as a PT and after each one or two patients I would do max reps pull ups. I started off with 10reps max and got to 15 reps within two weeks.
Outstanding! Make sure you are following an intelligently designed program that is periodized and addresses all of the plains of movement for maximum results. Are you currently following any specific programming?
@@optimalreadiness I plan on going into the army with a Option 40 contract (RASP Slot) . I have around a year to prepare myself before I enlist . My push-ups and pull-ups are not the best , same with my run time so what is the best method and improving my pt scores fast ? Any recommended routines I should follow ? Should I be going to the gym or can I just use my body weight to strengthen me? There’s a planet fitness near me but honestly I wouldn’t have a clue what to do at the gym .
@@phonkaddict2119 Good question, bro! You should definitely be focusing heavily on getting your Push-up, Pull-up, Sit-up, and Bar Dip numbers up. No need to engage in a robust barbell or gym-specific strength training routine. You want to be as fit as possible with a huge aerobic engine. You need to be running roughly 20-30 miles per week (build up to it) with an emphasis on getting your 2-Mile Timed Run under 13:00. I personally recommend a 2-Mile Run in under 13:00, a 5-Mile Run in around 35:00 (7-min mile pace), and a 6-Mile Ruck @ 50-60lb in roughly an hour without going all out. This type of military-specific conditioning is where you need to be to crush it for special operations. Take time and an intelligent program to make it happen. For your bodyweight exercise numbers: you need to be hitting 90 quality Push-ups/ Sit-ups in 2:00, 15 dead hang Pull-ups and roughly 30 Bar Dips in one set before hitting failure. This should give a solid gauge as to the type of readiness you will need for the strength endurance stuff. For programming, you can hit up Mountain Tactical Institute, SOFLETE, and or my personal training business Optimal Readiness for programming and coaching. Head over to my website (OptimalReadiness) for free training resources and also email me at metacfitness@gmail.com
@@optimalreadiness wow I’m far behind . I’m 17 and I recently started preparing and in the past I wasn’t really physically active so I’m going to need to work hard . My 1 mile PR is 11:17 , 2 mile is 20 to 24 minutes while my 5 mile is 1 hour and 7 mins. My push-ups in 2 mins are 30 , I can do like 60 or more sit-ups (feet held down) pull-ups is 10 but I think my form is wrong so it’s probably around 5 proper from pull-ups. Not sure how many dips I can do since I don’t have a dip bar at home but one at school so if I recall I could do like 2-4 . As you can tell my physical fitness is pretty low and I unfortunately only have around 10 months to get where I need to be , do you think it’s possible for me to reach the PT goal you listed in that amount of time ? I can try to run 5 miles every other day that I don’t work. (I have work and school which brings me home at 10:30 so I suppose I could run that late but I’ll run poorly , id also have to wake up at 6 in the morning so not a lot of sleep on those days ) Regarding rucking : I don’t have a rucksack or boots but I’ve been looking for a good used rucksack on websites and I’ve found a couple for 50$ and the model is a molle 2 ACU, not sure what boots to get tho and if it’s ok to get used ones or if I should buy new ones. Finally , what do you think I should do ? I desperately need to get fit but I’m not sure the best method of getting to that physical goal in 10 months . Im not sure the best method in increasing pull-ups ,push-ups, sit-ups and running faster and helping my endurance since I run out of breath before I get physically tired while running . I looked at your website and I’m not sure what routine I should use (free or costly) Do you recommend a routine from a certain website etc. Apparently you were a Navy Seal, that’s amazing and I have high respect for you . Sorry for the long comment I just have so much to ask and I’m desperately in need of assistance . Thank you
@@phonkaddict2119 Hello bud. Yes, your fitness is not yet on point for special operations but you do have time to get to a decent point. Ten months is not enough time to hit the performance metrics I outlined but you can gain an acceptable level of fitness but it will be hard and require some serious commitment on your end. First and foremost, you should NOT be rucking at this point. Just focus on getting your overall run volume to 20 miles per week in running shoes. Run roughly 4-5 days per week with 2-3 days off (walk on these days to help facilitate recovery). For calisthenics, start doing sub maximum effort sets of push-ups and pull-ups each day 5 days per week. Do Sit-ups in the morning and in the evening. For a scheduled training plan, create a FREE member profile on my website, download the App, and I will work with you through my Basic Training Program for FREE. This training plan will provide you the structure to get started. I hope this helps!
What a fantastic video and useful for anyone doing any sport or training. I am a native English speaker and his vocabulary and descriptive speech is better than mine! Vielen Dank!
Raising core temperature through warm up being a good thing is a bit contested right now. It seems like it's a by-product rather than the goal of a warm-up. In fact research by Dr. Heller (name's Craig I think? I'm horrible with names) and his colleagues shows that lowering temperature (of course to a reasonable degree) drastically increases performance (as well as proves that it's not lack of atp that makes up stop the set but rather the high temperature within the muscle activating failsafes Other than imo some degree of plyometric training can be safely performed by experienced athletes without the help of a coach, but definitely not in wet grass and other adverse conditions. PS Very comprehensive and nicely structured video, I love your work. And surprising, considering that you're a gear brand!
The blue light thing is spot on. Just wondering too though. So I wear glasses, and the lens have a blue light filter, as well as most phones these days they have a 'night mode', would those help?
The blue light filter should help but Its also about just giving yourself some time between staring at a screen and trying to sleep. But I use blue light filters as well.
Does this man have a program available to purchase, the amount of information in this video alone is amazing. Would love to see how he programs this over a 12 week period.
Oh man lol physical fitness is Maybe 10% of the requirement needed for US Special Operations. About 90% will be your own mental strength, and motivation. As a former Navy Special Warfare Operator 02-08. I saw many get pushed equally. The better shape you're in, it helps at the beginning, but as an instructor, we push everyone to their limits over and over. It's not a specific bar everyone crosses (persé). It's a mental breaking point. Typically that breaking point is found by pushing one to their physical limit. So no matter your fitness, you will be pushed passed this point over and over. If you're weak and pushing past that, the instructors will be satisfied and move to the next guy. Strong guys Typically DONT last because of many physical traits that weigh them down. You just need mental fitness to get through training like ours in the US. Also some smarts. You gotta be above and beyond at EVERYTHING. SF guys are not strong idiots. These guys are top of the food chain, alpha males. You'll get eaten alive, even in today's pink military if you're not an alpha or A-type personality. Not just in training, but in the fleet afterwards. I've seen many guys quit after training and one deployment.
@@jamesmason3506first, in the US, you just sign up for it. It's not really a selection process. There could be a long conversation about this, but you need to be strong willed, you need a motivation for doing it too. If you really want something you'll push hard to get it. It's hard in this case because you're going after something you don't know much about (daily life, etc). One way to train the mind for this would be to do some cardio to the point that you "think" you're done. Then immediately do 30% more of what you just did until you're "done" and can't go anymore, but then do another 30%. Do this again, and you've added 90% to your max capability. If instructors see this type of motivation and drive, you would be fine. You also need to have above average critical thinking while in mentally/physically weak states. Usually US Spec Forces/Operators are guys that are pretty sharp, self-motivated, A-type personalities, Alphas. Most of the people that make it, they were just brought up in a way that prepared them from childhood. If you're looking at this for a career. Good luck. Never ever quit, you will pass out here and there, possibly drown, but keep going. My thoughts were, "I can out perform that guy", and I kept saying that as there were only 5 of us left and we graduated as life long brothers.
I've been training hard! I guess I'm lucky growing up in an awful childhood. Mental toughness came naturally! It's very powerful to hear what you have said, God bless you.
He was talking at a certain time in your combat career. You must didn't listen all way through cos he said extra weight help with added support from getting shot or accident so it's not useless.
only thing i think is wrong is the sauna. i was watching a video that stan efferding made talking about a concoction of frutose dextrose and sodium. they also mentioned that they dont allow there athelets to use them(sauna's) bc when they do there water cuts for the weigh in's all there endurance is lost. something like that
People just don't realise how hard this is, i play call of duty which is a accurate recreation of combat operations and you really have to check your corners and be on point to succeed, both in the game and in life. I highly recommend playing call of duty if you are considering joining the elite forces. I wonder if the Navy SEALs and SAS check the leader boards and invite the winning players to come give it a go?
You want functional weight. A common misconception is that muscle is functional and fat isn’t; everyone always wants to shed fat. Really that’s not necessarily the case. As he pointed out in the video, your muscles can be grown in a way that’s not very functional. Additionally, as mentioned, the aerobic energy system uses fat as an energy source. Fat also helps you swim, insulates you, and cushions your body. You should not go into the military overweight, but simply just because you don’t have a visible 6 pack doesn’t mean you’re not in great shape.
