One of the evolutions that is most responsible for making BUD/S such a calamitous beatdown of one's physical being is the 5-1/2-nautical-mile swim along the Pacific coastline of Coronado during Second Phase. This brutal undertaking has a maximum time limit, and it falls a short time after the end of Hell Week.
The Only Easy Day Was Yesterday : Making Navy SEALs
A brief break in the arduous 5.5 mile swim! It's one of the last evolutions in BUD/S!
Swim 500 Yards
Maximum time allowed is 12 minutes, 30 seconds -- but to be competitive, you should swim the distance in at least 8-9 minutes, utilizing only the combat swimmer stroke, sidestroke or breaststroke.
1 mile bay swim with swim fins 50 min. 1 mile ocean swim with fins 50 min. 1 ½ mile ocean swim with fins 70 min. 2 mile ocean swim with fins 95 min.
Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL (BUD/S) training is notoriously difficult, with an attrition rate hovering at between 70 percent and 85 percent for enlisted and over 90 percent for officers, thus making it one of the most selective special operations pipelines in the U.S. military.
While living with Itzler and his family, the SEAL taught him the 40% rule. “He would say that when your mind is telling you you're done, you're really only 40 percent done. And he had a motto: If it doesn't suck we don't do it.
Their most frequent response was that they were overwhelmed by the duration of BUD/S. They were experiencing discomfort and multiplied it by the time remaining in the course.
' You get 4 hours of sleep. You're not allowed to have any caffeine. Throughout the entire week, you're hungry, you're cold, you're sandy, you're wet, just the lack of sleep. Constantly getting pushed harder and harder.”
Weekends are yours to continue to rest and recover. Take a few naps during the weekend after big meals. Try to limit your late nights and eat well -- not junk or fast food -- when away from the BUD/S chow hall. Fourth, you have to stay hydrated and keep the electrolytes flowing.
BUD/S prep is a six- to eight-week course where you will be rebuilt to perform at the expected levels of BUD/S standards. You will take more PSTs, an advanced PST with a longer swim (800 and 1000 meters with fins), longer run (four miles timed), along with weightlifting, sprints and agility testing events.
A trainee's time for these exercises must continuously improve. Another evolution is surf torture, also called "cold water conditioning." The water temperatures usually hover around 65 degrees Fahrenheit (18 C), and never go above 68 degrees F (20 C).
Third Phase (Land Warfare)
The demolitions, reconnaissance and land warfare phase lasts nine weeks. Physical training continues to become more strenuous as the run distances increase and the minimum passing times are lowered for the runs, swims and obstacle course.
Navy SEALs can hold their breath underwater for two to three minutes or more. Breath-holding drills are typically used to condition a swimmer or diver and to build confidence when going through high-surf conditions at night, said Brandon Webb, a former Navy SEAL and best-selling author of the book “Among Heroes.”
A 50m swim underwater when done efficiently should only take you 50-60 seconds. So no need to play with breath holds longer than 1 minute. It took 4-5 strokes to get across a 25m pool so a total of 8-10 arm pull-ups and kicks per 50m swim.
They are tough but not bad, if you prepare properly. The two-mile ocean swims are not bad, either, if you are used to swimming with fins when you arrive. The obstacle course will get you, too, if you are not used to climbing ropes and doing pull-ups. Upper body strength is tested to the max.
The Navy SEAL swim test requires you to cover 500 yards in 12 minutes, 30 seconds, using either the breast or sidestroke. The average is 9.5 minutes. A minimum of 50 pushups in two minutes. The average is 75.
On the legitimacy of the 8-minute nap, he says “sleeping with your legs elevated can help improve sleep onset and quality as it allows blood to flow more easily throughout the body. This is the sleep science behind the 8-minute Navy Seal nap, but that's not the only thing that makes this nap potentially effective.”
To qualify for BUD/S training, candidates must complete: A 1000-meter swim, with fins, in 22 minutes or less. At least 70 push-ups in two minutes.
In this grueling five-and-a-half day stretch, each candidate sleeps only about four total hours but runs more than 200 miles and does physical training for more than 20 hours per day.
SEAL candidates commonly have the mistaken belief that Hell Week and BUD/S are all about physical strength. Actually, it's as much mental as it is physical. Trainees just decide that they are too cold, too sandy, too sore or too tired to go on.
Hell Week is a right of passage for all Navy SEALs. It is the hardest week of the hardest training program in the U.S. military, Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL (BUD/S) training. It always falls during First Phase of BUD/S — in the modern era, anyway — though it has moved around a bit within First Phase.
On a typical day at BUD/s you can burn up to an average of 5,000 to 6,000 calories so you must refuel and re hydrate yourself continuously! The amount of weight you gain in BUD/S is dependent upon how much you eat.
People well beyond their teens seek military service. There are age limits in the military for a reason, but even for the SEAL training program, the window to attend Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL training (BUD/S) is from 17-28 years.
Eating at BUD/S: You get three great meals a day at BUD/S, usually more than you can eat. During Hell Week, you get four meals a day -- every six hours!