Fewer Than 26 Weeks to the PST
A candidate whose PST date falls inside the 26-week plan faces a natural question: should I skip ahead to catch up? The Naval Special Warfare Preparatory Training Guide is built for this situation, and the answer is the guide's own rule, not a workaround. Page updated October 1, 2026.
The Answer
Start at week 1 anyway. Do not skip ahead to catch up. Take the PST on your date at the fitness you have built by then. The guide says it plainly: “Gradually build up your workload from a safe, manageable level to the highest level of fitness possible in the time you have available before you take the PST or attend BUD/S.”
Why Not Skip Ahead
Jumping to later weeks raises volume faster than the body adapts; the guide builds load gradually. Table 6 Workout Progression in the NSW PT Guide shows exactly how much each week adds: the distances, the rep counts, and the interval count all step up week by week so the candidate builds capacity without injury. Skipping weeks undoes that design: the load spikes before the adaptation catches up.
If You Are Already Fit
The guide allows a fit candidate to start the long run at a higher distance, for example the 5-mile run of week 9. The guide says: “If you are at a high level of fitness, you may choose to begin with a higher training volume such as a 5-mile run (as indicated in Week 9) rather than a 3-mile run.” The CHI and interval sessions still start at week 1: “You should always begin CHI and INT portions of the program at Week 1.” The LSD glossary entry shows the full long-run build, from 3 miles in week 1 to 9.25 miles in week 26.
After the PST
Keep going. The plan runs past your PST date, and a new PST result resets your brackets. Every interval pace in the 26-week plan is read from your most recent PST. Log a new PST and the app re-reads the charts: the swim and run move to the row your tested time earns, and the push-up, sit-up, and pull-up maxes move you between progression brackets. You never recalculate the plan yourself, and you never stay in a bracket you have outgrown. The weekly numbers on the plan pages show the volume; your PST sets the pace.
Who This Is For
For you if your PST is less than 26 weeks away. Not for you if you ship to BUD/S in a few weeks: a 26-week plan cannot help with that little time.
Get After It
ZeroPhase starts every candidate at week 1, calibrates the plan from your first PST, and adjusts every time the numbers change.
Get After ItNot ready to start? Take the standards with you.
Get the PST standards and week 1 of the plan by email. Occasional training emails after that, nothing weekly, one-click unsubscribe.