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Your Top 4 Priorities When Training for Selection

ByDave

While you may read stories stating the military struggles to find recruits, there is no shortage of highly motivated, highly fit, young people seeking SOF careers. In fact, new candidates are bigger, faster, and stronger than ever.

For this reason, it is not enough to just be mentally tough.

Here are the top four priorities you should have in training

1. Exceed the standards

Fitter candidates perform better. The top 25% of ruckers as Special Forces Assessment and Selection have historically had a 67% selection rate, more than double the class average.

If you’re training for the Army, a good target is a <37 minute 5 mile run, 13 minute per mile pace 12 mile ruck, and comfortably hitting the calisthenics standards.

2. Get Strong

Every selection course has its own variation of fixed-weight contraptions you need to move from point A to point B. Whether it’s an 80-lb rucksack, logs, or boats, the weight is the same whether you’re 120lbs or 180lbs. Being stronger will make those tasks easier.

For that reason – I like to see candidates have at least a 135 Standing Overhead Press, 275lb squat, and 335lb deadlift

3. Destroy Your Weaknesses

Destroy Your Weaknesses
Selection is designed to exploit your weaknesses and make you quit. So, if you have a weakness, now is the time to mitigate it.

It’s important to remember that excellence in one aspect of fitness does not make up for deficiencies in others.

Excellence in one aspect of fitness does not make up for deficiencies in others

So, if you’re coming from a cross-country background, building strength needs to be a priority. If you’re coming from a powerlifting or football background – you should be hitting the track and doing non-impact cardio.

4. Stay Healthy

Last but not least is staying healthy. Yes, train hard and train often. But, you also need to train smart. If you’re broken on day 1 of selection, that injury will be exposed and only get worse. So if you’re injured, get healthy again.

And if you are healthy, stay healthy. It’s easier to progress when healthy than to recover and restart after an injury.

Related Articles:
The SMARTEST Special Operations Workout Program
The Value of Ultra Endurance Events for Special Forces

I'm a coach with a passion for helping athletes dominate the toughest selection courses in the world. Over the years, I've trained well over 100 athletes for Special Operations selection courses, including SFAS, RASP, Air Force A&S, BORTAC, SWAT, and MARSOC A&S. My mission is to bridge the gap between traditional performance training and the unique demands of tactical and military athletes.

I got my start coaching hybrid athletes, blending strength, endurance, and hypertrophy training to achieve peak performance. As I worked with more tactical and military athletes, I realized there was a need for a specialized approach tailored to the grueling physical and mental challenges of SOF selections. This realization drove me to focus on prepping SOF candidates for success, combining cutting-edge research, proven training methodologies, and real-world experience.

Whether you're preparing for selection, seeking to level up your fitness, or simply curious about what it takes to thrive in these elite environments, I hope you'll find the information I share helpful.