How Can I Prepare For SFAS? (Part 2)
Active Duty Guys
I’ll say active duty, but I really mean in-service. Guard, reserve, sister-service, prior service, whatever. This group seems to be the hardest to manage. You guys know just enough to think that you know it all, but most of what you know is hearsay. You all seem to have retained counsel through a licensed barracks lawyer, and your barrister failed selection. And you are just proud enough to not take real constructive criticism to heart. Can’t tell me nothin’, can’t show me nothin’. Your selection rates are likely an indicator of this condition. Read slowly and take notes.
Let’s start with the big stuff…the CGs Unwaiverables. We learned, and relearned, that there are some things that simply aren’t compatible with Special Forces. In a world of endless ETPs there are three things that will bar you from the beret. You can’t have any felony, any DUI, or any domestic violence. If it’s in your record, then you did it. The circumstances aren’t important. If it isn’t in your record, then you didn’t do it. Let sleeping dogs lie. I would add that any security clearance revocation is likely to keep you out as well.
Your prior MOS, rank, branch, assignments, or deployments don’t matter. Yes, you are a product of those things, but the cadre don’t know (or care) about them. There is one standard at SFAS and only your performance matters. I’ve seen scrolled beasts quit and slick sleeve loggies get selected. Don’t make the excuse that you aren’t X or you don’t have your Y keep you from dropping a packet. Likewise, don’t think that because you are Z that you will get a pass. The only thing that matters is your performance.
So, what exact physical performance do I need to be successful? You can find endless articles and social media posts from fitness gurus touting their system and their subscription service for coaching. I’m preparing a separate research project that compares the different products available (if you’ve got one that you’d like to add to the list please send it my way). I think the official SFAS guide is just fine. I might add a bit more rucking and some Olympic lifts. But I would offer you this benchmark to meet before you go to selection. 1) Be injury free; you will not have the luxury of recovery between events and unlike your real-world position, you don’t get to pick and chose when you can take a break or skip an event. 2) Be able to do 100 pushups or 75 hand-release pushups, be able to do 10 dead-hang pullups, and be able to do a 12:30 two-mile run. Be able to do 12-13 minutes miles rucks with 50 pounds pretty much indefinitely. 3) Be able to bench press your body weight, squat 1.5 x your bodyweight, and deadlift 2 x your body weight. If you had to choose, I’d pick endurance over strength. But be strong. Be stronger than the fastest runner and faster than the strongest lifter (yeah, I know I keep saying this…maybe there is a reason why). Team week is endless squats and deadlifts with a good sprinkling of overhead press.
Rucking is the most important performance measure. Every important decision that you make at selection is made with a ruck on your back. Read those MTI articles in the link. Get very comfortable in this domain. Master your gear and master your feet. I’m not a fitness coach and I have no particular credentialed expertise, a fact that I often cite, but guys keep asking me about a rucking program that I would recommend. So here it is, without any guarantee of its efficacy other than I’ve had a couple dozen guys say that they used it and it worked well for them. It worked well for me.
I call it the 5x5. I prefer multiple short duration, higher intensity rucks over longer rucks. I think the more fatigued you get the more likely you are to get injured (see my three milestones above). The 5x5 is a 5 mile ruck, 100 squats with ruck, a 5 mile run, and 100 bodyweight squats. Change into running shoes after the ruck squats but stay in uniform. Aim for 35-55 pounds and 12-13 minute miles rucking and 6-7 minute miles running. Full range of motion on the squats. Do this 2-3 times a week and maybe substitute a longer slower solo ruck once a month.
The 5x5 will crush you early on. Your legs will feel like lead and you’ll likely be slower than you want. Listen to your body. Rest when you need to. Push where you can. But I’ve seen this program get you tree trunk legs, rock solid core, shoulders and back, and build massive aerobic capacity. Each workout is only two hours long and guys regularly report dropping minutes from miles in a month. The short duration also lends itself to the testing methodology described in the prep your feet post linked above.
