5 Training Takeaways from Special Forces Candidates

I capture detailed feedback from every athlete I work with who attends selection – What went well? Where were you most challenged? What would you suggest we have done differently or kept doing if we rewound the clock four months back?

In this post, I want to share common themes and lessons I’ve learned from Special Forces Assessment and Selection candidates over the years.

1. Leg Strength and Endurance

The most common theme from athletes returning from the selection is that “You can never hit legs enough.”

Even some of the strongest athletes I’ve coached, who squatted and deadlifted 405+, wished their legs were stronger and more conditioned.

This is one indication that while max strength is critical, you should also include targeted leg conditioning work in the months leading up to selection. I like to program split squats and lunges prior to running and rucking to acclimate to moving on fatigued legs.

2. Upper + Lower Back Strength

A second theme is the importance of upper and lower back strength. When you’re carrying a 70+lb rucksack for 10-hour iterations, your back is going to take a beating.

This is why I bias training heavily toward variations of deadlifts, rows, and pull-ups to strengthen your back.

More recently, based on feedback, I have been incorporating new pulling exercises that are more specific to selection preparation.

3. Grip Strength

Grip strength is another common feedback I receive. But, you can only imagine how challenging grip is for candidates who are not already doing heavy-pulling exercises in addition to targeted grip work like farmer carry variations and dead hangs.

4. Overall Durability and Muscle Mass:

The consensus from athletes I’ve coached is that durability is key to your success. And some athletes called out how they wished they were bigger. Notably, not one wished they were lighter.

Why did they want to be bigger? It’s because a bigger body will be more resilient. The loads during team week events and the ruck will all be relatively lighter for a bigger and stronger body.

5. Speed vs. Durability

I’ve yet to hear improved speed was a priority for any athlete I’ve coached. Granted, all have been at least middle of the pack.

But this is a signal to me that, while you need to be fast, you also need to survive all your other events. And other events are biased not to speed and unloaded running but to durability and moving under load.

Conclusion

Take this for what it is – a collection of training takeaways I have pulled together from SFAS candidates on what went well and what they would prioritize if we could start over.

If you’re training for A&S, BUD/S, or a different selection course, please don’t extrapolate this feedback to your training. Every selection course is different.