Hell Week. The Navy SEAL Workout.

Welcome to Hell Week our adapted version of the Navy SEAL's physical conditioning programme. Designed to push you to your limits!!

Click below to skip the introduction and go straight to the workouts!

Introduction

The United States Navy Sea, Air, and Land (SEAL) Teams, more commonly known as Navy SEALs, are the primary special operations force of the United States Navy. They originated from commando groups of World War II such as the elite Amphibious Scouts and Raiders. These groups undertook sabotage and reconnaissance missions. They were instrumental in Operation TORCH (the allied invasion of North Africa) where they reconnoitred prospective landing beaches for assault forces under cover of darkness. The raiders also conducted pre-assault operations at Normandy several weeks before D-Day, 6 June 1944.

Todays Navy SEAL’s typically conduct military actions that are beyond the capability of conventional military forces. They are superbly trained in all environments and indeed receive their name from the environments they are required to operate in (sea, air, and land). However, they are more recognised for undertaking maritime Special Operations such as small-unit amphibious military operations originating from water sources such as rivers or coastlines. Navy SEALS have since WWII operated in many theatres of warfare including Grenada, Vietnam, Somalia, Bosnia, Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan.

BUDS Training

A SEAL’s training is extremely demanding, both mentally and physically, and produces the world’s best maritime warriors.

Navy SEAL Candidates must attend and graduate from a gruelling 24-week course known as Basic Underwater Demolition aka ‘BUDS’, a basic parachutist course and the 26 week SEAL qualification program. BUDS training is broken down into three phases that provide the Navy SEALS with the physical and combat skills essential for their role. It is this period that will also help them develop a will of iron.

In the later second and third phases of ‘BUDS’ SEAL’s cover combat skills such as diving, SCUBA skills, combat diving, land navigation, small-unit tactics, explosives, and weapons training. However, before they get anywhere near combat training a Navy SEAL candidate must survive the first phase – Basic Physical Conditioning.

The first phase of BUDS is nine weeks in length. It involves continued physical conditioning using running, swimming, and bodyweight exercises that become more intense as weeks go by.

Physical and Psychological Conditioning

The fourth week of basic conditioning is known as Hell Week. This is when the recruit will train for five days and five nights solid with an approximate total of four hours of sleep! Hell Week begins at sundown on Sunday and ends at the end of Friday. During this time, trainees face continuous physical training and psychological testing from their instructors. This is to prepare them for the unexpected, adverse conditions and hardships found in war zones in which they may operate throughout their careers.

During Hell Week the Navy SEAL candidates are assigned a team (or boat crew). Throughout each of the five days, each boat crew will be subjected to physical and mental trials designed to make or break them. These trials involve carrying their boat heavy inflatable rubber boats over their heads, timed exercises, drill sprints, and crawling through mud. The trials are rotational and continuous, one exercise ends, another begins immediately. Expectedly the largest number of trainees drops out during Hell Week.

The Workouts

Objectives

BUDS instructors goals are to enable their Navy SEAL graduates to obtain peak physical fitness. Essentially they want them combat-ready and to be able to run, jump and lift more effectively and efficiently. These will also be our goals also, peak functional fitness. To achieve these aims we shall be looking at developing speed, agility, muscular endurance and explosive power.
For the average working GI Joe or Jane with time restraints and commitments, there is no way we could get the level of training in. Indeed, Navy SEAL candidates are a breed apart physically and mentally. The average person would undoubtedly break undertaking the type of physical training they are required to do. However, that does not mean we should not look to them for inspiration and push ourselves. Therefore the purpose of this post is in creating a ‘BUDS-lite’ course with a ‘Hell Week’ at the end of each.

The Programme

The programme is broken down into three daily sections. Morning runs (a light 2-5miler) with a resistance training and callisthenics workout immediately following. The main part of your working day, where you must fit a specific number of bodyweight exercises in to reach your goals. And an evening section which involves swimming. As the weeks go on the challenges get gradually tougher, be prepared mentally.

Featured below are two BUDS-‘lite’ programmes.
Each programme is five weeks long.
Every week includes 5 days of training, with 2 days of rest.
Each day is broken down into three training components.

1. A morning run and resistance training and callisthenics workout

2. Callisthenics type bodyweight exercises to be undertaken throughout the working day.

3. Evening swimming ‘drown-proofing’ sessions.

The fifth week of each programme will be Hell Week, where you are required to push yourself as hard as you can!
Be brutal, give it all or go home!

BUDS-Lite Programme 1

‘The Grinder’ - Morning Conditioning 1

Morning Run

The first part of morning conditioning is a steady state morning run. The weekly total distances will be gradually increased. For the first few weeks, the distance is the same, but in later weeks the distance changes so do check.

Week 1:

2 miles per day. 3 days per week. Monday, Wednesday and Friday (Total weekly miles = 6).

Week 2:

2 miles per day. 3 days per week. Monday, Wednesday and Friday (Total weekly miles = 6).

Week 3:

3 miles per day. 3 days per week. Monday, Wednesday and Friday (Total weekly miles = 9).

Week 4:

Monday 2 miles. Tuesday 3 miles. Thursday 4 miles. Friday 2 miles. (Total weekly miles = 11).

Hell Week:

Monday 4 miles. Tuesday 4 miles. Thursday 5 miles. Friday 3 miles. (Total weekly miles = 16).

Run the stated number of miles Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday.

Morning Strength and Conditioning

Listed below is the daily resistance and bodyweight programme for the next 5 weeks. Aim to work with 70-75% of your 1rpm. Add weight gradually as the week’s progress, find your own level and work with it. Try to add more reps as the weeks go on, for example, add 1 extra rep per week to each exercise. For Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday do not go too heavy, since we are targeting muscular endurance. There is a lot to go through in the weeks that follow so pace yourself!

Monday

Superset: a). Sprints (at least 20 yards) then b). 10 X burpees. 2-minutes rest.
Chin-ups. 3X12. 1-minute rest between each set.
Barbell Chest Press. 3X12. 1-minute rest between each set.
Barbell Military Press. 3X12. 1-minute rest between each set.
Back Hyperextensions. 3X12. 1-minute rest between each set.
Superset: Weighted abdominal crunches using a barbell plate 3X12 then 1-minute planks with alternate shoulder taps. 30 seconds rest between each set.
Superset: In and out abdominals and reverse crunches. 3X12. 1-minute rest between each set.
2-mile steady-state jog.

Tuesday

Barbell Clean and Press. 3X10. 1-minute rest.
Superset: Sandbag shouldering and explosive push-ups. 3X10 each exercise. 1-minute rest.
Superset: TRX Chest Press and TRX Back Rows 3X12 each. 1-minute rest.
Superset: Weighted Lunges and Box Jumps. 4X20 lunges (10 lunges each leg) for lunges, 4X10 for box jumps. 30 secs rest.
Superset: TRX Pendulums and TRX Buzzsaw planks. 45 seconds work for each X3 rounds. 1-minute rest.
Sprint Intervals: a total of 8 sprints (at least 25yds) with one-minute recovery jogs.

Wednesday

Barbell or Hex Bar Deadlifts. 4×12. 2-minutes rest.
Superset: Zercher Squats and Straight-leg Deadlifts. 4×10 for each exercise. 2-minutes rest between rounds.
Wide Grip Pull-ups 3 X 5/8/10/12/15 (as many as you can do with correct form. Aim high!). 2-minutes rest.
Triple-Set Dumbbell Chest Press: 45 degrees incline x6 reps, 30 degrees incline x 6 reps and flat bench x 6 reps. (Total 18 reps X 4 sets). 1-minute rest.
Superset: Sandbag pushup and drag through. Step ups using resistance (dumbbells/kettlebells). 4X12 each. 1-minute rest.
Superset: Scissor kicks and leg raises. 3X60 – 30 kicks each leg (scissors) 3X12 leg raises.
Hanging knee raises 3X20. 1-minute rest.
2 mile jog steady state.

Thursday

Barbell Military Press 4X10. 1-minute rest.
Giant set Dumbbell shoulder raises. Targeting anterior deltoids to the sides, rear deltoids and overhead press. 3X8 reps of each. No rest between individual exercises. 1-minute rest on finishing a set.
Barbell Back Squat. 4×10. 1-minute rest.
Superset: Fast BW calf raises and Weighted calf raises. (4X20 – Bodyweight/4X10 weighted). 1 minutes rest.
Triple set: Barbell curl variations. Inner, middle and outer grips. 4×10/15 each. No rest between curl variations. 1-minute rest on completion of all three variations.
TRX Bulgarian Split squat 4×10 each leg. 30 seconds rest.
Superset: Sandbag/Dumbbell triceps extension behind the head and parallel bar triceps dip. 4×10/15 each. 1-minute rest.
Superset: TRX Pendulum swings and TRX oblique pendulums crunch. 4X10 reps each. NB: oblique crunches left and right count as ‘1 rep’. 1-minute rest.
Superset: Sled Pull and Farmers walk with heavy Dumbbells/Kettlebells 4 X lengths Sled Pull. 2 X lengths with farmers walk.

Friday

Perform 3-5 rounds. Keep the rest to around 1-2 minutes total between each round.

Superset: Pushups. X20reps and Bodyweight Squats X20reps.
Superset: Pull-ups. X10reps and Walking Lunges. X10reps each leg.
Triceps or Parallel bar dips. X10reps.
Short sprints. Shuttle runs. Varied lengths. X4rounds
Superset: Weighted abdominal crunches. X20 reps and Planks X1-minute.
Superset: Burpees and Mountain Climbers. X15 reps of each. 30 seconds rest between sets.

On finishing the above exercises undertake a 2-mile steady state jog.

Daily Physical Training (PT) - 1

Physical Training (PT) - Daily Goals

These are exercises that you have to squeeze in somewhere throughout your working day! Undertake them all at once on your lunch break or throw them in every hour on the hour. It does not matter, just make sure you get them done! Like the other sections of the programme, they increase in intensity as the week go on.

Week 1:

Pushups: 4 X 15 reps.
Sit-ups: 4 X 20 reps.
Pull-ups: 3X3 reps

Week 2:

Pushups: 5 X20 reps.
Sit-ups: 5 X20 reps.
Pull-ups: 3X3 reps.

Week 3:

Pushups: 5 X 25 reps.
Sit-ups: 5 X 25 reps.
Pull-ups: 3 X4 reps.

Week 4:

Pushups: 6 X 25 reps
Sit-ups: 6 X25 reps.
Pull-ups: 2 X8 reps.

Hell Week

Pushups: 6 X30 reps.
Sit-ups: 6 X30 reps.
Pull-ups: 2 X10 reps.

Perform these exercises during your workday Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.

Evening Swimming - Drown Proofing - 1

Like the morning runs, the workload increases gradually after the first week.

Week 1:

Swim continuously for 15 minutes.

Week 2:

Swim continuously for 25 minutes.

Week 3:

Swim continuously for 35 minutes.

Week 4:

Swim continuously for 45 minutes.

Hell Week

Swim continuously for 60 minutes.

NB: If you do have access to a pool, swim every day available for as long as you can or time permits. If you have no access to a pool, ride a bicycle for twice as long as you would swim. Get that cardio in!

Survived the Beginner's BUDS training? Scroll down and try out the Advanced BUDS course!!

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BUDS-Lite Programme 2 (Advanced)