SWCC Selection & Training Advice.

Njordsson

Unverified
Joined
Feb 29, 2020
Messages
9
Location
United States
Hello!

I would like some advice on creating a training regime for SWCC. I have created a plan myself but am unsure if it will be best for what I would like to do. Any recommendations are appreciated. This is my current plan.
Will explain further with feedback.

Monday: Swim

Tuesday-Thursday: Weight training/ resistance training

Friday: Swim

Saturday & Sunday: Run/ cardio exercises
 
@Njordsson -
I’m only asking because of your intro post and your comments about having issues in the delayed entry program for the Marine Corps.

Have you spoken to a Navy recruiter yet?
 
You are going to be running a minimum of 16 miles 5 days a week during Selection. Get that mile and a half down to 9:30 and your 4 mile down to 28 minutes.

What does your swimming look like?


I put out a lot of info in my previous posts. I highly recommend looking through them. I will answer questions when I can but I’m in a bit of an intense period of training at the moment and I might be slow.
 
Running is something I am going to devote a lot of time to. My swimming is basic level. It's been years since I've swam. I'm signing up for a new gym next week, it has a pool. I'll take some classes to correct my form and learn new strokes then work from there.
 
We may not dive but we are serious “combat swimmers”. We not only spend a lot of time in the water, but we end up swimming with all of our gear on. Also, Ill just say, I passed out a couple of times during our breath holding evolutions.
Spend a lot of time in the water. Get good at treading. I don’t have time to post links to my other posts, but I go over a lot of swimming in my prior posts.


I plan on coming back to this thread and making a guide for some of these questions.
 
We may not dive but we are serious “combat swimmers”. We not only spend a lot of time in the water, but we end up swimming with all of our gear on. Also, Ill just say, I passed out a couple of times during our breath holding evolutions.
Spend a lot of time in the water. Get good at treading. I don’t have time to post links to my other posts, but I go over a lot of swimming in my prior posts.


I plan on coming back to this thread and making a guide for some of these questions.
Thank you, I will check them out now. Train well.
 
I think that the training guides in SEALSWCC.com are actually really good. I personally didn’t use them but I wish I did.

My personal training plan:

M/W/F Swim, upper body calisthenics.

T/TH/Sat Run and lower body calisthenics.
Use your best judgement where to put abs. I mostly hit abs on run days.

I do the most important things first. Stuff that is vital to your PST(Physical Screening Test)
Start with the run or swim.
PRIORITIZE lots of pushups, pull-ups and sit-ups. The PST is NOT the last time you will be tested on all of this.

What I recommend working on other than the essentials:

TREADING WATER. This is a big one. I saw a lot of men give up because of their inability to egg beater tread. Get good at this.

Chest carry. Get a heavy sand bag, somewhere around 60 pounds, and carry that thing in both of your arms under hand and just walk around. Do it for as long as you can. It won’t be long enough.

Overhead press, both up and down, and holding lots of weight for long periods of time.

Dead hangs and farmer carries. You will be hanging from the obstacle course and carrying boats for long periods of time. You will need a lot of hand strength for everything you do. People commonly get dropped for lack of hand strength.

Lunges. Weighted and body weight. Lunge a lot.

Squats. Same as above.

Bear crawls. For insanely long periods of time.

Burpees. Hundreds.

I’m going to tell you that boats on heads is something terrible that I could never prepare you for. I don’t want to tell you to practice this because I don’t want you to destroy your neck and spine. You probably will destroy your neck and spine if you practice this. When you get out of BUD/S prep and into Selection, boats on heads will claim a lot of quitters. It’s the most painful thing I have ever experienced. Suck it up. You eventually learn how to tolerate it.

DO NOT PRACTICE BREATH HOLDING IN THE POOL. Lay in bed before you go to sleep and hold your breath. If you pass out in bed, you will just go to sleep.
 
Last edited:
1. How many times a week should I run, swim, and lift? I plan on using the regime that I posted in the thread I made ( SWCC Selection & Training Advice) but increase the intensity over time.

2. Do you have any advice for dieting? My new diet consist of water, fish, chicken, fruits and vegetables. Trying my best to avoid red meat.

3. Should I swim with fins and diving boots a few times a week?

4. Should I run with boots and BDU pants? If so, how many times?

5. Can you recommend any websites or YouTube videos that provide basic and or intermediate boat knowledge? I currently attempting to improve my skills in math, engineering, and mechanics.
I plan on purchasing a pair of Apeks RK3 fins and Cressi Tall Neoprene 5mm boots.


1. I think I covered this. I want you to have time to recover between workouts. In selection you are going to be doing everything every day and your body will be broken down. Unless you are 18, you will not get stronger in selection. Your goal is to hold on and survive.
Now is the time for you to train smart. Listen to your body if it hurts, and take time off. Don’t push through injuries. I recommend hitting muscle groups 3 times a week.

2. That looks good to me. I’m not a dietician but I try and also avoid dairy until my workouts are done for the day. Make sure that you are getting enough calories in so that you can recover from your workouts effectively. If you need to lose weight, don’t try and drop weight too quickly or you might end up hurting yourself because your body can’t recover from the workouts.

3. I would make sure that you can hit the times you want without fins before you start adding fins. Once you can hit that 500 in less than 9:00, then you can start adding fins. You will be introduced to fins in BUD/S Prep. I would like to see you start doing fin work before you leave, but take it very slow. Your ankles are not going to be used to it. The first time I put on a pair of heavy fins and swam for an hour it made my ankles sore for months.

4. Again I want you to hit a sub 9:30 mile and a half before you start worrying about boots and pants. I would like you start running in boots before you ship out mostly just to figure out the best insoles you would like to put into the boots. For myself, I have a super flexible arch, so I was plagued by shin splints constantly. I have discovered that using a stiffer higher arch insole has helped a lot, and I wish I would have discovered that sooner.

5. Give me some time and I’ll look into this for you. I’ll also give you the exact boot they issue you in BUD/S Prep.
 
Last edited:
When I last left the pipeline they were still issuing these to the SEAL and SWCC students.

Nike SFB Gen 2 8” Tactical Boot. Nike.com

It may change by the time you get there though. I personally bought the thickest cushion socks I could find and used them with those. If you plan on doing that, wear the socks when you try on the boots because the socks make your feet a lot bigger. Make sure you feet have room to swell, but not so much room that they will promote blisters.

I personally preferred the over the calf ones because my shins swelled up so much that the boot cut ones were detrimental.
Also when you are being surf tortured, the more merino wool you have around your legs, the warmer it keeps you. If you dont mind looking a little funny, over the calf was the way to go. You can always fold them down.
Also, these socks resist bacteria and smell. Wear a merino wool blend sock. Please do not wear cotton socks in selection.

I am aware that some guys think you should run without socks to toughen your feet up. Personally my feet were destroyed when I first started running in boots. Then I switched to these extra cushion wool socks and I never got a blister again.

T4033 Tactical Boot Extra Cushion

T4050 Tactical Over-the-Calf Extra Cushion
 
I’ve been getting some questions about what insoles I like. I have tried a number of them and to be honest I haven’t found the perfect ones.

These are issued occasionally at BUD/S medical if they think it will help.

SOLE - Active Thick

I like these better than anything I have found so far. I want to say again that I don’t have flat feet, but I have a crazy flexible sole, so my foot really flattens out when I run. Also my knees touch when my feet are together, so these two issues cause me to pronate very heavily.
I plan on seeing an podiatrist to make me custom stiff, high arch ones.

When running in boots my shins still are in agony, even with the insoles. These insoles have helped so much more than anything I have ever used before though, and until I find something better, I recommend these. I envy people who don’t pronate.
Everyone’s feet are different though, and what has worked for me may not work for others.
I love this guide to explain what kind of runner you are.

Pronation Guide | Find Your Pronation Type | ASICS Australia

Also, I started running with the ASICS GEL-KAYANO shoes plus the SOLE active thick insoles and for the first time since I was 13, I am able to run completely pain free.

GEL-KAYANO | ASICS



Again, I use the Kayanos and these shoes work for how heavy I pronate, but I have heard good things about the Cumulus and the Nimbus also.
Good shoes are expensive but unless you have iron legs, I think it’s worth it.
 
Last edited:
Oh another disclaimer about the heavy cushioned wool socks. I never got blisters once I started using those, and they did keep me warmer, however I was in a winter class and I was always freezing. I cannot say whether or not they would be detrimental in a summer class.

I have seen guys get heat stroke in summer classes so use thicker socks at your own risk.
However, you are completely wet the ENTIRE time, which means your feet and your socks are soaked, so possibly it keeps you cooler. Also, that means they will be heavier on your feet.

By the way, shop around for this stuff if you want to get it, you may be able to find it cheaper on amazon or someplace similar.
 
Last edited:
When you first get to boot camp, you can actually get away with taking your shoes off, taking your favorite insoles out of your shoes, putting those insoles in your new shitty issued running shoes (take the stock insoles out. Don’t double up.) and then putting the issued shoes on your feet. Then they make you ship your personal shoes home or throw them in the trash. Don’t be obvious about this, but there is so much going on, I’m confident that this will not be noticed.

Then you can ask your Recruit Division Commander if they would mind if your parents shipped you new running shoes because the issued ones are bothering your feet. They will make fun of you because they make fun of everything, but they know the issued running shoes are awful. They may say no to the shoes because sometimes a medical provider has to write a chit to account for uniformity issues with different shoes, but they will always say yes to being shipped insoles if you forget to bring them and change them out initially when you first get to boot camp.
 
I’ve been getting some questions about what insoles I like. I have tried a number of them and to be honest I haven’t found the perfect ones.

I underpronate and have found Shock Doctor and Superfeet insoles to work best for me. For running shoes or even day-to-day, ASICS and Merrells. As you've seen, but for the others out there, ASICS allows you to seach my pronation type. Underpronators like myself need stiff, high arch support and the ASICS/ insole combos above help immensely. I've even rucked short (4-6 miles) distances with SD insoles and Merrells with no blisters or arch pain.

Hopefully that wil help a few of you. Oh, and if you have shin splints, check your pronation. Underpronators are more prone (see what I did there?) to shin splints.
 
Back
Top