The Definitive Spec Ops Resource
THE DEFINITIVE SPEC OPS RESOURCE FOR FITNESS AND SELECTION
Training:
Shoulders and Chest Day:
Stretch well after completion
Training:
Continue to prep for the UBRR:
Rest one minute between sets, shoot for the maximum each time.
Read Part One HERE
So, you’ve volunteered to be in Special Forces and you’re getting ready to go to SFAS. This is the time to prepare yourself for the grind that is to come. There are certain tips, such as the PT program which will help you attain the level of physical fitness that you’ll need to not just pass the course but to excel where the course isn’t as tough as you’ll see other people struggling.
In the last segment, we talked about getting your boots fitted correctly, ensuring your socks are placed properly and toughening up your feet for the many miles which are to come to prevent blisters.
Well, now we deal with the unfortunate and very case of what happens despite your best intentions. Everyone at one time or another is going to get either hotspots or blisters and probably both. During your train-up prior to selection is the best time to get those and learn how to prevent them in the future.
Hotspots: As you progress in the rucking during your training, you are going to feel contact points on your feet that will begin to burn or ache….these are hotspots. These are the first onset of blisters forming on your feet.
Stop immediately and remove your boots and socks. A good rule of rucking during your train-up phase should be to stop every hour. And not just catch your breath. Take off your boots and socks and examine your feet. If everything is good to go, then you can change your socks if need be and re-powder your feet and drive on.
However, if your feet are developing hotspots, they have to be treated asap. If you need moleskin, this is the time to put it on. Dry and powder your feet and then put your socks and boots back on and continue. If you choose to ignore the hotspots then you’ll end up with something more painful.
Blisters: The bane of any light infantryman and especially to those who are going thru SFAS. Blisters are pockets of fluid between the layers of the skin where a lot of friction occurs. Everyone invariably gets them at one time or another. If they happen in the train-up to selection, all the better since the feet will toughen up after some time under the ruck.
What to do when a blister occurs? If it hasn’t popped, then leave it be, place moleskin over the blister, ensuring that you leave some room around the blister to properly cushion it. Those are the easiest to care for. However, if it is too big and painful or the skin is already torn around it, then further action must be taken.
If the blister is large and not broken, you can drain it by gently sticking it with a needle Be sure the needle is sterilized and don’t get too aggressive with it. Once the fluid is drained out of the blister, apply moleskin and cushion it the best that you can.
If the skin is torn badly, cut it away carefully, clean the wound as best you can and cushion it with moleskin. If the skin flap isn’t cut too badly, an old trick I learned from an EMT is to apply some Superglue to the cut and it will bond it right back together. And be prepared for it to burn like hell. Superglue works wonders if you have a clean slice of a cut elsewhere on your body. Again, it will burn like all creation but it will seal up the cut and allow you to drive on.
During my time out at selection, the medics used to treat the candidates’ feet with tincture of benzoin. And it was some stinky, painful stuff there. Trust me you don’t want to go through that treatment.
Treat blisters immediately. If blisters are not taken care of properly and quickly, you’ll automatically compensate for the pain in your feet and it will change your gait. And once you change the way you walk, it opens up an entirely different can of worms. Other injuries can occur, including shin splints, stress fractures, tendinitis in your Achilles and hip and back pain.
It is much easier to just treat the blisters as they occur and let your feet toughen up gradually. A properly treated blister will allow you to continue your training without missing any time. Let it linger and you will lose days possibly weeks of valuable prep time.
After that, it is simply strapping on your boots and ruck and ruck and ruck some more. Once you get into a rhythm with it, it gets easier and the miles will get eaten up like a bowl of ice cream on a warm summer day.
Proper fitting boots and socks and the correct preventative maintenance of your feet will allow you to ruck on for miles with no worries. Back during my time in Panama, we had back-to-back long rucks during our certification. One night we moved 20 miles and after training all the next day, we moved 16 more miles that night. We stopped occasionally to change socks because even at 2 a.m. in Panama it is hot. We’d dry out our feet, and even changed uniforms as they were soaked.
After approximately 40 miles between the rucks and training during the day, no one on the team had a blister. Were our feet sore? You bet. But no one was any worse for wear.
In our next segment for SFAS, we’ll hit the big elephant in the room….Land Navigation.
Photo courtesy of USAF
Reports were coming out of Syria that US-backed coalition units and Russian troops were operating in very close proximity to one another. In neighboring villages, they each tried to calm rival factions that are both fighting ISIS
The Telegraph is reporting that the two superpowers have each sent troops into the area of the northern town of Manbij to slow the tensions and stop the fighting between Turkish soldiers and Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).
The SDF which is led by 500 US Special Forces advisors is leading an attack against ISIS’ de facto capital in Syria at Raqqa. As of March 6, they had advanced within 5 miles of the capital city.
Several US armored vehicles flying the stars and stripes were seen patrolling Manbij and the surrounding countryside over the weekend, in what the Pentagon called an effort to “reassure” allies.
“Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve has taken this deliberate action to reassure Coalition members & partner forces, deter aggression and keep focus on defeating Isil,” Col. John Dorrian, a spokesman for Operation Inherent Resolve, said on Twitter.
The Manbij military council earlier asked Russian and Syrian troops to form a buffer zone between Manbij and Turkish forces in al-Bab, 25 miles to the southwest.
Col Gen Sergei Rudskoi, a spokesman for the Russian general staff, confirmed on Friday that its commanders in Syria had negotiated an agreement for troops loyal to Damascus to take over several Kurdish-controlled villages.
The Turks consider the SDF an extension of the Kurdish insurgency inside Turkey. With the Russians and US troops in very close proximity to one another, this is the kind of slippery slope that much care must be taken to avoid a confrontation.
To read the Telegraph’s entire article click here:
Photo courtesy DOD
So, you’ve volunteered to be in Special Forces and you’re getting ready to go to SFAS. This is the time to prepare yourself for the grind that is to come. There are certain tips, such as the PT program which will help you attain the level of physical fitness that you’ll need to not just pass the course but to excel where the course isn’t as tough as you’ll see other people struggling.
We’ll break this up into different parts and the first and most important is your feet. You’ll hear this 100 times from 100 different people and although you may get different advice, this much is true: Your feet are your lifeline in Special Forces. Take care of them and they’ll take care of you. Next to your brain, your feet are the most important part of your body when taking on the grind of SFAS, the SFQC and your career in the Regiment.
For troops who are coming from a light infantry, airborne or the Ranger Regiment, they’ll already know all these tips and if you have any of those guys in your unit, seek them out for advice.
Boots: This area is self-explanatory, boots are very important. Forget about the high-speed Merrells, Vasques, et al until you get to an A-team. Find two pair of boots that were issued to you via CIF and break them in like you would a baseball glove. You probably won’t be allowed to wear them anyway. Walk everywhere in them until they feel like an extension of your leg.
Why two pairs? There’s nothing worse than having a well-worn pair of boots blow out just before you have a long-range movement or a ruck march for time. Then you’re stuck between a rock and a hard place. Especially if your feet are getting wet daily. At least you can change them out daily, stuff the wet ones with newspaper or paper towels and allow them to dry out.
During one February class when I worked at SFAS, we had heavy rain for nearly the entire course. The students’ feet looked like hamburger because they were wet all the time and still having to deal with the various runs, ruck marches, and movements during the course.
The key for proper fitting boots is ensuring that the boot’s heel sits tightly to the rear of the foot, while giving the toes some wiggle room up front. If your foot is sliding around too much, either front to back or side to side, you’ll have friction, which leads to blisters. If your boots are too tight, your toes will be curled up inside and that is a blister waiting to happen. Some people advise buying boots a half-size too large because your feet will swell on a long-range ruck march. I wouldn’t recommend that at all.
Prepping the Dogs: Some guys spray their feet with antiperspirant which is supposed to stop the sweating which is the cause of blisters. I was never a big believer in this. However, if your feet sweat profusely, then by all means, try it during your prep phase to see if it works for you.
Other guys, I’ve seen use Vaseline or some type of oil or cream to reduce friction. Again, it isn’t something I’d recommend.
The best way is to use just a small amount of Gold Bond powder on your feet and in your socks before going on a ruck march. Not too much, like anything else if you put half a tin in your socks, it will clump up and create just as many problems.
It cuts down on friction which creates blisters. I’d recommend putting some around your crotch as well. If you get rubbed raw “down south” it isn’t pleasant walking for miles that way.
Socks: The best way to approach this is, is to know what cause blisters. Heat, friction, and moisture. Initially, get a good pair of tightly fit synthetic socks that will wick the moisture away from your feet. Turn them inside out so that the stitching inside won’t rub your toes and create hot spots.
The thick issue Army wool socks go over the inner layer of socks and again inside out to prevent the stitching from creating hot spots. The second sock reduces the friction and absorbs the moisture from the inner sock while cushioning your foot inside the boot.
This was explained to me once by someone smarter than me that the friction will occur between the layers of socks rather than between the socks and your feet.
Start Slowly: So, you’ve got your boots and socks on, work your way up to a speed march and distance gradually. Start by just wearing them around the house or your unit and getting used to your own system.
One other thing about wearing your boots and socks for distance rucking. Some guys lace their boots in different ways. Whenever we had a 20 miler to do in Group, I always skipped the eyelet right smack in the middle of my favorite jungle boots. That was where the bend in the top of the foot was and always seemed to be a sore spot. You’ll probably find something similar….whatever works.
Start with small distances and gradually increase the distance and speed in which you walk. Take the time during your prep work to note where you feel hot spots and/or blisters. Once you figure out what works for you, you’ll be ready to start putting some miles on your feet, hopefully, pain-free.
Next time…blisters, everyone gets them and we’ll look at the best ways of treating them.
Photo courtesy of US AF
Thanks to the guys who made it out this Sunday for the Ruck. I had a great time and appreciate it. Hopefully more and more begin showing up.
Here’s what I am going to do, today. Fitness for today, 2/6/2017 is focusing on your ability to tackle mid distance endurance and sustain a difficult effort. Mental resiliency training starts with tough efforts.
Training:
Head to the gym and do not leave until you’ve done 100 Pull-ups with good form/ 150 Dips / 100 Push-ups (20x after each dip round).
Then, Run 6 miles – the 1st, 3rd and 4th miles will be broken into 800m Strides – that means not a sprint but as hard as you can reasonably maintain.
6-mile run:
1st Mile – Stride 800m (.5 mile) then, rest of 1st mile – conversational pace, maintain your warmth and get comfortable.
2 -3: Regular pace, too fast to talk but slow enough to have your breath.
3rd mile – 800m Stride then, 800m Run.
4th mile – 800m Stride, then resume pace.
5 – 6 – same as mile 2 -3.
Training:
1) Run 4 miles at a conversational pace
2) 5 rounds:
20 Pull-ups
30 Sit-ups
40s Front Bridge
50 Push-ups
On this site: there will be a daily workout intended for those preparing for selection. You can follow daily or use it as a filler for when you’re in between training plans. We prefer daily because the intention is for these workouts to progress in sophistication and intensity. But it will be sport specific most of the time with an emphasis on rucking and running. However, there will be cycles when we spend a month or more using the weight room more than the pavement (running).
SUNDAY – In Washington, D.C. will be SpecialOpeations.com / SOFREP inaugural weekly Ruck March. The first ruck march will begin at Rock Creek Park in Washington, D.C. and the exact location will be posted Friday, here and SOFREP.com.
Next week – Monday (1/25/2017) we’ll begin a ruck and running centric program designed for those seeking to prepare their bodies for the rigors of selection.
Leading up to this week, today through Friday will be simple running workouts.
Here’s today’s SOF Selection PT Workout:
Run 5 miles as fast as possible and record the time.
Then, do 100 Push-ups, 200 Crunches, and 50 Pull-ups.