The Navy SEAL Physical Fitness Guide 71
Chapter 5 Swimming for Fitness
As a SEAL you are required to be a swimmer. Swimming
is an excellent exercise for overall fitness; aerobic endurance, power, strength, and
flexibility are all enhanced by swim training. It is generally gentle on the joints and
provides excellent cross training for running and other gravity-intensive forms of exercise
by providing load-bearing joint rest. However, training must be specific for the anticipated
operational environment, including cold water acclimatization. This section will give you
the tools to improve your swimming skills, thus enhancing your fitness for combat
swimmer missions.
You must primarily train for endurance while preserving the significant power and
strength required by other phases of SEAL operations. This section includes information
on competitive swimming strokes and pool training, but it is important to emphasize that
most training for SEAL combat swimmer operations should consist of open water swims
with fins. Open water training is essential for SEALs as a part of a comprehensive training
program under the general principle of “specificity of training”. Surf and high sea state
swimming provides specific training for potential operational situations by increasing your
sense of timing and confidence.
Swim training should focus primarily on
open water swims with fins.
Swim training is best accomplished with others for a variety of safety reasons.
There should always be a guard or buddy available to you, even if you swim in a pool. You
certainly should not train alone in open water.