Physical Fitness

Special Operations Forces Selection PT Prep Week 12, Day 5

Back to the gym on Thursday morning for a Chest and Triceps workout before heading out for a 4-mile run. Look to better the standard of 32 minutes. Remember to stretch well before and after and to stay hydrated. Mark your progress down in your workout log book.

Training:

More Preparation for the UBRR:

3 x 12 Bench Press

3 x 10 Dumbbell Flies

3 x 10 Dumbbell Incline press

3 x 20 Pushups (alternate sets with wide, narrow and shoulder width)

3 x 10 ‘V’ Ups

3 x 20 Sit-ups

3 x 20 Cable Push Downs (rope)

3 x 20 Dips or until muscle failure

4-mile run (32 minutes maximum)

Stretch well after completion

Special Operations Forces Selection PT Preparation Week 12, Day 4

Wednesday is a back and shoulder day at the gym followed by a 6-mile rucksack march, with a 45-pound rucksack minimum completed in a 90-minute maximum window. Look to better the time that is the standard and remember to hydrate throughout the march. Don’t forget to mark your progress in the workout log book and stay hydrated.

Training:

More Preparation for the UBRR:

3 x 12 Lat Pulldowns, behind the neck (go as heavy as possible)

3 x 12 Lat Pulldowns, front

3 x 10 Dumbbell Side Raises

3 x 10 Dumbbell Front Raises

3 x 10 Dumbbell Arnold Press

3 x 8 Shoulder Shrugs

6-mile Rucksack march (45-pound minimum, 90-minute maximum)

Stretch well after completion

Special Operations Forces Selection PT Preparation Week 12, Day 3

Tuesday is our Leg Day at the gym followed by a 4-mile run. Begin with pull-ups, then squats, lunges and the sled push followed by a four-mile run in under 32 minutes.

These exercises will build up leg power, strength, and endurance that will serve you well in SOF.

Training:

Continue to prep for the UBRR

3 x Pullups 10 reps

3 x Towel pull-ups 10 reps

3 x Front Squat 20-15-12 reps (lighter weight)

3 x Goblet Squats 20-15-12 reps (lighter weight)

4 x Sled push (with a heavier weight) or Fireman’s Carry with a training partner

3 x 10 reps Dumbbell Lunges

3 x 20 Side Planks

4-Mile run (32 minutes maximum)

Stretch well after completion

Special Operations Forces Selection PT Preparation Week 12, Day 2

A Monday morning pre-test of the Upper Body Round Robin (UBRR) with many of the exercises that will be tested. Always go for perfect form when doing the pushups, it will be an area that is always looked at hard during the PT tests in Selection.

After the exercises, a three-mile run as fast as you can. Mark the time in your workout logbook. Remember the time limit on the run is 24 minutes maximum. Go thru the entire list of exercises, take a two-minute break for water and do it again. Then go for the run.

Training:

More preparation for the UBRR

2 x 1-minute Pushups

2 x 1-minute Sit-ups

2 x 1-minute, Crunches

2 x 1-minute, V-ups

2 x Dips as many as possible to muscle failure

2 x Pullups as many as possible or to muscle failure

3-mile run (24 minutes maximum)

Stretch well after completion

Special Operations Forces Selection PT Preparation Week 12, Day 1

It is time for our Sunday morning Rucksack march. Do a quick warmup of pushups and sit-ups before beginning. Head out over varied terrain and try to go as fast as you can without running. The standard is 120 minutes, maximum. Your goal should be to come in much quicker.

Stretch well both before and after the event. Remember to drink plenty of water and stay hydrated out there. Break it up by wearing your second pair of boots today to ensure they are properly broken in for the course.

Training:

Warm up

2 x 20 Pushups

2 x 20 Sit-ups

8-mile Rucksack march over varied terrain with a rucksack weighing 45-pounds minimum, and in 120 minutes (2 hours) or less. And mark your times in your workout log book.

Stretch well after completion

Special Operations Forces Selection PT Preparation Week 11, Day 7

Back in the gym this Saturday morning for a shoulder and back workout. Pull-ups, Deadlifts, Side Raises and Shoulder Presses. Followed by a four-mile run in 32 minutes or less. Log your numbers down in the workout notebook and stretch well.

Training:

More Preparation for the UBRR:

3 x 10 Lat Pulldowns, rear

3 x 10 Barbell Dead Lift

3 x 10 Wide Grip Pull-ups

3 x 10 Towel Pull-ups

3 x 10 Dumbbell Side Raises

3 x 10 Seated Bent-Over Delt Raise

3 x 10 Dumbbell Shoulder Press

3 x 10 Arnold Dumbbell Press

4-mile run (32-minutes maximum)

Stretch well after completion

Chinese Military Working on Exoskeleton For Special Operations Forces

The Chinese military unveiled its second-generation military exoskeleton, a body brace designed to help infantry or Special Operations members carry some 100 pounds of weapons, supplies, and ammunition. Norinco, China’s state-owned manufacturer of armored vehicles and heavy ground munitions is the builder of the exoskeleton.

Compared to a previous Norinco exoskeleton, which came out in 2015, this second generation has a better battery, more robust hydraulic and pneumatic actuators, and a streamlined harness.
The new version is also lighter, which will likely reduce strain felt by the exoskeleton’s wearer, making it a better choice for troops in mountainous terrain. (Hence all the press photos that look like REI ads.) These refinements in weight, ergonomics, and power supply could also boost the second-generation exoskeleton’s coefficiency ratio. Basically: the higher the ratio, the less physical effort is needed to wear it.
A ratio of 5:1 means that the wearer’s body only needs to exert the effort it takes to carry 10 pounds in order to carry 50 pounds. The company’s also claiming that the reduced weight increases battery performance, which would make sense. Norinco’s first-generation exoskeleton had a top speed of 2.8 miles per hour, for 12 miles. They say this new version improves on that, but doesn’t say by how much.
Norinco isn’t the only Chinese exoskeleton builder. Last month, the China Shipbuilding Industry Corporation’s (CSIC) 707th Institute showed off its own powered exoskeleton to senior Chinese military officers. CSIC is marketing theirs as ideal for the shipyard, where people are expected to carry huge loads. In addition, Chinese military engineers at EEAE have developed the L-70 exoskeleton, which we saw first in 2014 and again in 2016. Before that, the Nanjing Military Region’s General Hospital built an exoskeleton that helped its wearer lift up to 80 pounds.

The new exoskeleton is built very similarly to the one developed by Lockheed Martin for U.S. Special Operations troops that SOFREP profiled after the SOFIC conference last May. The write up on the American version can be found here:

This type of exoskeleton is a workable solution for SOF troops carrying a heavy load of equipment into battle. Not to be confused with the “pie-in-the-sky” TALOS system, the Iron Man suit is many years from having a working system, these can be used now.

To read the entire article from Popular Science, click here:

Photo courtesy Wikipedia

Special Operations Forces Selection PT Preparation Week 11, Day 6

It is Friday so that must mean that it is Leg Day at the gym. Starting with Squats – (front, dumbbell goblet, and barbell), then some lunges and the weighted sled push. If your gym doesn’t have a sled, you can substitute a Fireman’s carry. And then finish the workout with a five-mile run.

Mark your progress down in your workout log book and stretch well after the session.

Training:

Continue to prep for the UBRR.

3 x Front Squat 20-15-12 reps (lighter weight)

3 x Goblet Dumbbell Squats 20-15-12 reps (lighter weight)

3 x 10 Barbell Squats

3 x 10 Dumbbell Lunges

3 x 10 Romanian Lunges

3 x Weighted Sled Push or Fire Man’s Carry

5-mile run (40 minutes maximum)

Stretch well after completion

Special Operations Forces Selection PT Preparation Week 11, Day 5

Thursday morning is a Chest and Triceps workout at the gym before heading out for a 5-mile run. Flat and Incline Bench Presses as well as Flies, Pushups, Pushdowns, and Dips ought to have your triceps feeling the pump. Then a 5-mile run over varied terrain in 40 minutes or less. (Be safe out there today, conditions are far from ideal)

UBRR Preparation Training:

More Preparation for the UBRR:

3 x 12 Bench Press

3 x 10 Dumbbell Flies

3 x 10 Dumbbell Incline press

3 x 20 Pushups (alternate sets with wide, narrow and shoulder width)

3 x 10 V Ups

3 x 20 Sit-ups

3 x 20 Cable Push Downs (rope)

3 x 20 Dips or until muscle failure

5-mile run (40 minutes maximum)

Stretch well after completion

Special Operations Forces Selection PT Preparation Week 11, Day 4

Wednesday is a back and shoulder day at the gym followed by a 6-mile rucksack march. Look to better the time that is the standard which is 90 minutes and remember to hydrate throughout the march. Don’t forget to mark your progress in the workout log book and stay hydrated.

Training:

More Preparation for the UBRR:

3 x 12 Lat Pulldowns, behind the neck (go as heavy as possible)

3 x 12 Lat Pulldowns, front

3 x 10 Dumbbell Side Raises

3 x 10 Dumbbell Front Raises

3 x 10 Dumbbell Arnold Press

3 x 8 Shoulder Shrugs

6-mile Rucksack march (45-pound minimum, 90 minutes maximum)

Stretch well after completion