Hello everyone! I'm in the NROTC and my goal is to become a Navy SEAL Officer. I've been wanting to do this since high school and I'm willing to put in the work to make this happen. The only problem is that I don't know how I can prepare effectively. I'm 6ft 3 in and 124 lbs, which is severely underweight. I live in a place where we don't have any opportunities to find SEAL mentors and we don't even have anyone who is trying to become a SEAL officer or even was one. I don't know what books or coaching programs I can use to help me prepare for SOAS and BUD/S, but I'm literally on this forum as a last resort. I am stuck on extracurriculars or hobbies that I can do that I am passionate about and will help me get into SOAS. I don't even know what I can eat, how much I should eat, or even what training gear I should get. I know I'm projecting a lot, but I'm just frustrated at the moment because I really want to do this, yet I just feel like I hit a dead end. I have seen some people like Stew Smith, but I don't know whether it'll be worth it because I'm not at the starting physical training point that I should be at where I can even attempt these coaching programs. I sometimes feel sad about being underweight, but I'm willing to become better and keep going. Again, I'm willing to work my butt off to become a Navy SEAL Officer. I had a self-defeatist attitude in the past, but I promised myself now that I would focus on pushing myself beyond my limits and keep going. Any advice would be heavily appreciated. My DMs are always open.
SEAL Officer
- Thread starter CSGuard
- Start date
I'm a Sophomore.
I need a workout plan a the moment. I have high metabolism since I'm tall, so I burn more calories than saving them.
I know this is in the SOF prep thread, but gaining weight is a pretty simple formula. More calories in than calories out. Consume more calories.
We could all debate forever the differences in benefits of carbs vs protein vs fat. But, simply put, at this point, consume more calories. It's very doable. I'm actively training to compete at an international level in triathlon. I burn through roughly 5-6K calories a day with my training. I maintain my weight. You say you don't have a set workout plan yet. You're not burning that many calories just by being tall.
You need to eat more. Snack throughout the day if you can't stomach big meals. Just get more calories. Lift weights and run, that will keep you fit as you put on the weight. I'll let someone with experience in a pipeline give you specifics on targeted training.
Hello everyone. I genuinely need help with bulking up and gaining weight in order to become a Navy SEAL Officer. I'm 6ft 3 in and 124 lbs, but I want to get to 190 lbs or more. I want to know specifically what fitness programs or books that I can get on BUD/S training workouts and hell week. I've also been told to do weight training, but I do not know how to implement that into a workout plan alongside the BUD/S workouts. I'm genuinely stuck on what to do because we don't have opportunities to find NSW mentors or even find programs for NSW training in my hometown.
Nutrition is also something that I've a little bit stuck on. I've been eating literally anything I can, but I don't know how many meals I should eat everyday. People tell me to just eat, which I understand, but it just feels vague. I can't eat beef or pork, so I've just been eating chicken and fish. I also eat vegetables, but less fruits these days. I'd like to know how I can implement a meal plan alongside a good workout plan. Lastly, I'd like to know what workout equipment I should great. Someone showed me a website called ataclete that has some good stuff for Navy SEAL training, but I'd like to know other websites that offer good Navy SEAL training equipment just to have options.
Any links and advice would help for me because I'm new to making workout plans and tracking my calorie intake/workouts I do everyday. I want to be a good Navy SEAL Officer and I will put in the effort to make it happen. I'm obsessed with this dream and I think about it everyday. Thanks.
Nutrition is also something that I've a little bit stuck on. I've been eating literally anything I can, but I don't know how many meals I should eat everyday. People tell me to just eat, which I understand, but it just feels vague. I can't eat beef or pork, so I've just been eating chicken and fish. I also eat vegetables, but less fruits these days. I'd like to know how I can implement a meal plan alongside a good workout plan. Lastly, I'd like to know what workout equipment I should great. Someone showed me a website called ataclete that has some good stuff for Navy SEAL training, but I'd like to know other websites that offer good Navy SEAL training equipment just to have options.
Any links and advice would help for me because I'm new to making workout plans and tracking my calorie intake/workouts I do everyday. I want to be a good Navy SEAL Officer and I will put in the effort to make it happen. I'm obsessed with this dream and I think about it everyday. Thanks.
SpongeBob*24
Verified Military
Im not a SEAL, but can help in the weight gain department! 
@Ooh-Rah
Is there anyway to combine the advice from the other threads to here? If not I understand.
Break
@CSGuard
I apologize, maybe you already provided this info but 1] how old are you? and 2] what's your income situation look like?
Bottom line, you have a long road ahead of you. Listen to the advice from the smart guys on this forum like @Kaldak he's helped me tremendously.
Feel free to dm me for weight gain tips. Good luck!
Edit. Added disclaimer
@Ooh-Rah
Is there anyway to combine the advice from the other threads to here? If not I understand.
Break
@CSGuard
I apologize, maybe you already provided this info but 1] how old are you? and 2] what's your income situation look like?
Bottom line, you have a long road ahead of you. Listen to the advice from the smart guys on this forum like @Kaldak he's helped me tremendously.
Feel free to dm me for weight gain tips. Good luck!
Edit. Added disclaimer
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TLDR20
Verified SOF
- Joined
- Jan 7, 2009
- Messages
- 6,263
So you have two years to put on like 50 lbs of muscle. You should be eating your body weight at least in grams of protein. Then in addition I would start taking weight gain shakes. I did this before I joined and it was worth the money.
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Devildoc
Verified Military
TLDR20
Verified SOF
- Joined
- Jan 7, 2009
- Messages
- 6,263
I second StrongFirst. I do their programming now.
Box
Verified SOF
- Joined
- Mar 19, 2018
- Messages
- 1,761
Dude - just my own person opinion - DO NOT - be in a hurry to "gain weight" just for the sake of gaining weight because you think it will make you a barrel chested freedom fighter.
Submitted below, for your review and entertainment, is simply my own experience of "why" it is my recommendation to NOT worry about your weight right now unless you DOCTOR tells you that you need to bulk up.
...your mileage may vary
I am an even 6 foot tall (a little taller if I wear Robert Deniro's silly looking platform shoes) and I only weighed 118 pounds when I joined the Army at 19 years old.
118 pounds soaking wet
in my fucking boxer shorts
...but I could run like a pronghorn antelope being chased by a bionic cheetah.
I ran track and cross country in high school (until I learned about girls and hot rods) and I ate everything that got close enough to stick a fork in it.
By the time I left Airborne School, I was 133 pounds of twisted steel and sex appeal.
When I got to my first permanent party unit, I started doing tae kwon do 4-5 nights a week in addition to the Army PT that I had to do every morning.
NEVER did I adjust my diet to "gain weight" just because I thought it would help me be a better barrel chested freedom fighter. By the time I went to SFAS a few years later, my weight had leveled off at at roughly 155 pounds depending on the time of year and I held that weight for the better part of a decade. I went through SFAS and the SFQC one time and one time only - at a time when folks couldn't stop blathering on about how important it was to be "buff" - and how you wouldn't be able to pass selection and the 'Q' if you were a pencil necked geek but the truth was - being buff never did shit for me as far as contributing to my succes in Special Forces.
I spent 6 months in Haiti eating shitty food - I came home and went right to SERE school and by the time I graduated SERE school, I was back into the high 130's as far as body weight and felt like shit. To recover from SERE school, I went back to doing the same shit I did before SERE school except for a brief period it seemed like I ate everything in sight - but again, my weight leveled off in the mid 150's
I made E7 ahead of my peers and it wasn't because I weighed 190 pounds and was capable of bench pressing 315. Because I wasn't and I couldn't.
It was more likely because I had fooled everybody into thinking I was a good SF guy that knew how to speak my target language, carried my weight and then some when it was needed, excelled at doing my job, demonstrated proficiency with my assigned weapons, and NEVER quit when there was a task to be done.
I spent 3 years in the "school house" and my lifestyle added about 10 pounds that decided to stay with me even after I returned to the line. As I got older and started collecting injuries, it got harder and harder to stay at my fightin' weight.
When I was a 42 year old Master Sergeant, I fractured three vertebrae in my lower back. THAT is when I finally broke that magic 190 pound barrier you seem to be looking for - and I fucking hated it.
I spent 30 days on convalescent leave, then another several months in a back brace. All the while, I was fighting tooth and nail to keep from getting med-boarded out of the Army. It was beyond hard to keep my devastingly sexy dad-bod in the same twisted steel and sex appeal configuration that it was in when I was in my late 20's and early 30's and by the time I made E9, I had just surrendered to the fact that I had collected "injury weight" that I would probably never get rid of because I just couldn't work out as hard and as often as I used to.
The reason Popeye can beat Blutos ass really has nothing to do with spinach - its because Popeye has heart and Bluto is just full of hot air. The size of your "heart" and the amount of intestinal fortitude that you can fit into your guts is FAR more important that how much "muscle" is crammed into your head.
Don't be in a rush to get big - the day WILL COME - when you will wish you weren't - just spend your time just being the toughest god damned version of yourself imaginable.
Just my two cents based on my own rambling experience.
Submitted below, for your review and entertainment, is simply my own experience of "why" it is my recommendation to NOT worry about your weight right now unless you DOCTOR tells you that you need to bulk up.
...your mileage may vary
I am an even 6 foot tall (a little taller if I wear Robert Deniro's silly looking platform shoes) and I only weighed 118 pounds when I joined the Army at 19 years old.
118 pounds soaking wet
in my fucking boxer shorts
...but I could run like a pronghorn antelope being chased by a bionic cheetah.
I ran track and cross country in high school (until I learned about girls and hot rods) and I ate everything that got close enough to stick a fork in it.
By the time I left Airborne School, I was 133 pounds of twisted steel and sex appeal.
When I got to my first permanent party unit, I started doing tae kwon do 4-5 nights a week in addition to the Army PT that I had to do every morning.
NEVER did I adjust my diet to "gain weight" just because I thought it would help me be a better barrel chested freedom fighter. By the time I went to SFAS a few years later, my weight had leveled off at at roughly 155 pounds depending on the time of year and I held that weight for the better part of a decade. I went through SFAS and the SFQC one time and one time only - at a time when folks couldn't stop blathering on about how important it was to be "buff" - and how you wouldn't be able to pass selection and the 'Q' if you were a pencil necked geek but the truth was - being buff never did shit for me as far as contributing to my succes in Special Forces.
I spent 6 months in Haiti eating shitty food - I came home and went right to SERE school and by the time I graduated SERE school, I was back into the high 130's as far as body weight and felt like shit. To recover from SERE school, I went back to doing the same shit I did before SERE school except for a brief period it seemed like I ate everything in sight - but again, my weight leveled off in the mid 150's
I made E7 ahead of my peers and it wasn't because I weighed 190 pounds and was capable of bench pressing 315. Because I wasn't and I couldn't.
It was more likely because I had fooled everybody into thinking I was a good SF guy that knew how to speak my target language, carried my weight and then some when it was needed, excelled at doing my job, demonstrated proficiency with my assigned weapons, and NEVER quit when there was a task to be done.
I spent 3 years in the "school house" and my lifestyle added about 10 pounds that decided to stay with me even after I returned to the line. As I got older and started collecting injuries, it got harder and harder to stay at my fightin' weight.
When I was a 42 year old Master Sergeant, I fractured three vertebrae in my lower back. THAT is when I finally broke that magic 190 pound barrier you seem to be looking for - and I fucking hated it.
I spent 30 days on convalescent leave, then another several months in a back brace. All the while, I was fighting tooth and nail to keep from getting med-boarded out of the Army. It was beyond hard to keep my devastingly sexy dad-bod in the same twisted steel and sex appeal configuration that it was in when I was in my late 20's and early 30's and by the time I made E9, I had just surrendered to the fact that I had collected "injury weight" that I would probably never get rid of because I just couldn't work out as hard and as often as I used to.
The reason Popeye can beat Blutos ass really has nothing to do with spinach - its because Popeye has heart and Bluto is just full of hot air. The size of your "heart" and the amount of intestinal fortitude that you can fit into your guts is FAR more important that how much "muscle" is crammed into your head.
Don't be in a rush to get big - the day WILL COME - when you will wish you weren't - just spend your time just being the toughest god damned version of yourself imaginable.
Just my two cents based on my own rambling experience.
Devildoc
Verified Military
@Box brings up a good point. You need to be conditioned, and be fit (they are not the same). With that comes nutritional changes. You definitely need the nutrition component, but don't get hung up on making your body something it may not be designed to be.
Me, I am the opposite of you and @Box . I had to drop weight to join and have always been on the bigger size of standards. I have never been a speed demon but I can carry a lot of heavy stuff very far and be ready to fight when I get there. You do you. But you have to have a plan.
Me, I am the opposite of you and @Box . I had to drop weight to join and have always been on the bigger size of standards. I have never been a speed demon but I can carry a lot of heavy stuff very far and be ready to fight when I get there. You do you. But you have to have a plan.
For the sake of discussion, I don't have a dog in the fight, but isn't there some value in adding a bit of muscle to support your body and make it more resilient, maybe less prone to injury and provide a faster recovery? A person could add too much bulk, but is there some sweet spot for muscle gain/ mass...whatever medical numbers and terms I don't know?
Devildoc
Verified Military
Yes, of course. But 'body type' is a thing and you can damage yourself by forcing yourself in an opposite direction. I will never be Mr. 5% Body fat or run 3 miles in 18 minutes. Some ectomorphs can add some muscle but not see gains like I can. There is indeed a sweet spot. That's why a sound nutritional plan and workout plan (designed by pro's) will get your body where it needs to be irrespective of what 'type' your body is. Mr. CSGuard should investigate these things before committing to a single COA. At 6'3" and 120-something he is def 'underweight' and can probably fly like Prefontaine (or Carl Lewis or that Jamaican guy), but no doubt needs some meat on the bones.
I had his problem in reverse. I got up to 260 and wanted to join the military. I had to drop 60 pounds; I was told to wear hot suits, fast/extreme calorie restriction, BCAAs and heavy protein. It wasn't until I met and worked out with a Marine recruiter who knew what to do that I was able to get 'er done. The right tools and plan will get your body where it needs to go.
As @Devildoc said, everyone has a sweat spot for their weight and a given goal event/career. But, yes, even distance runners do weight and strength training. It may not be benching that 315 @Box is still sour over never reaching, but lifting and body weight work is very important.
Doing those weight workouts help strengthen muscles and tendons that you may not otherwise workout doing your normal activities (running, swimming, rucking, etc). That strength becomes complementary to your muscles that you're beating on regularly. Having strong arm and chest and ab muscles allow you to more easily maintain your form on a long run when you're tired. Maintaining that correct form prevents you from getting injuries. Injuries set you back.
It all boils down to what works best given your own particular physiology. How do you metabolize calories; are you a big muscle gainer or a trimmer runner body type? No matter how hard I try, I'm never going to be a Schwarzenegger type. My body just won't do it, just as @Devildoc won't be a Kipchoge.
But I still do weights and core work all the time to keep things strong that I don't normally get to workout, even though the focus and bulk of my work is endurance training for those swim, bike, run events.
TLDR20
Verified SOF
- Joined
- Jan 7, 2009
- Messages
- 6,263
Being at a BMI of 15 as a man is technically anorexic. That is too skinny. It isn’t about looking a way, it is about being strong and athletic. At 124 homeboy is not at all athletic and I seriously doubt he has very much strength.
I say this because it isn’t said enough. All the heart in the world doesn’t make up for a lack of physical conditioning and preparedness. Luckily for us many “I’ll die before I quit” boys will quit before they get to the dying part. Training in SOF is dangerous. You need to be physically prepared.
I say this because it isn’t said enough. All the heart in the world doesn’t make up for a lack of physical conditioning and preparedness. Luckily for us many “I’ll die before I quit” boys will quit before they get to the dying part. Training in SOF is dangerous. You need to be physically prepared.
1. I'm 19Im not a SEAL, but can help in the weight gain department!
@Ooh-Rah
Is there anyway to combine the advice from the other threads to here? If not I understand.
Break
@CSGuard
I apologize, maybe you already provided this info but 1] how old are you? and 2] what's your income situation look like?
Bottom line, you have a long road ahead of you. Listen to the advice from the smart guys on this forum like @Kaldak he's helped me tremendously.
Feel free to dm me for weight gain tips. Good luck!
Edit. Added disclaimer
2. Income situation is good.
Hey I appreciate your story. I understand what you mean when you say not to worry about it. The only reason why I wanted to gain weight was because I'm super weak and I need to perform up to the standards of BUD/S training, which asks for more than 54 push-ups. I don't want to be weak at 125 lbs.
