SEALFIT BLOG: An Introduction to SEALFIT Basic Training

In our next series, I want to dig into SEALFIT Basic Training—both the purpose and the principles.

The heart of 8 Weeks to SEALFIT is Advanced Operator Training (AOT). AOT, as I’ve written, it’s a hard-hitting, high-volume training program that has rooted directly in the original purpose of my training center in Encinitas, California: I wanted to help individuals heading to BUD/S to exceed what they believed they were capable of in terms of peak mental and physical fitness; to effectively close the gap when it came to the extraordinary drop-out rate being recorded at BUD/S. The DNA of my AOT program comes precisely from this intention.

So in terms of the demands of dedication, intensity, stamina, endurance, strength, power capacity and mobility, AOT is unlike just about any program you’re going to find, except for the likes of certain Olympic sports. It’s like that because it has to be. If your goal is to earn a Trident or make another team at the Special Forces level of the military, AOT is where the rubber hits the road. In working through the 8 Weeks to SEALFIT AOT program, you will reframe what you believe you’re capable of.

AOT is also the best answer for those who want to be thoroughly prepared for the test that is Kokoro Camp or 20X event.

As you can now imagine, you don’t just hop off the couch and start doing AOT workouts. You need to develop the essential skills of the movements and build up a prerequisite amount of power capacity to begin AOT—both in the loads you can lift and the volume you can handle.

Within my program, there are three fundamental stages of training. On-Ramp training (a 4-week plan), Basic Training (4 weeks) and AOT (8 weeks). Within SEALFIT they are, respectively, the crawling stage, the walking phase, and the running phase.

Even if you’re coming into SEALFIT with a great base of functional fitness, I recommend trainees perform at least one cycle of On-Ramp and Basic to drill through the movements and patterns of the sessions and to properly prepare for the demands ahead. The crawl-walk-run analogy works well here: Trying to run too soon is almost a sure way to crash and burn.

In this series, we’re going to start off talking about the Basic Training cycle. For many, it may be an answer to certain types of obstacles that AOT can present for those drawn to SEALFIT training but lack certain pre-conditions that AOT demands.

SEALFIT Basic Training uses loads and overall volume that are more appropriate for the Masters-age trainees and a more practical path for the busy professional or student who isn’t in a situation where he or she can handle the time demands of AOT.

You can read through the Basic Training program in the appendix in 8 Weeks to SEALFIT, but you can also stay tuned to this blog for the next few weeks. I’m going to showcase the fundamentals of Basic Training, the overall structure, the why’s and how’s, so that you can begin following a Basic Training protocol, whether your goal is to simply get in great condition or prepare your body and mind for the AOT hammer.

Next week, I’ll talk about how Basic Training is designed to begin training your mind, body and spirit in each and every session for an extremely time effective dose.

Until then, train hard!

Mark Divine