The Naval Special Warfare preparatory program runs 26 weeks of six sessions each: three runs, three swims, and strength or calisthenics every day. Each week below shows the exact prescription and what changes from the week before.
Weeks 1 to 6 build the base. Distances are short enough that a candidate who passes the PST minimums can finish every session, and the point is to establish the six-day rhythm: three runs, three swims, strength or calisthenics every day. Core work is two sets of each exercise. If a session feels easy, that is by design. Adaptation comes from consistency in this block, not from intensity.
LSD run 3 miles, LSD swim 1000 yards, run intervals 4 reps, swim intervals 4 reps
Week 2LSD run 3.25 miles, LSD swim 1100 yards, run intervals 4 reps, swim intervals 4 reps
Week 3LSD run 3.5 miles, LSD swim 1200 yards, run intervals 5 reps, swim intervals 5 reps
Week 4LSD run 3.75 miles, LSD swim 1300 yards, run intervals 5 reps, swim intervals 5 reps
Week 5LSD run 4 miles, LSD swim 1400 yards, run intervals 6 reps, swim intervals 6 reps
Week 6LSD run 4.25 miles, LSD swim 1500 yards, run intervals 6 reps, swim intervals 6 reps
Weeks 7 to 11 raise volume steadily. Long runs pass five miles, long swims pass a mile, and interval days add a rep roughly every two weeks. Core work moves to the second prescription tier. This is the block where most candidates feel the first real fatigue, so sleep and food matter as much as the sessions.
LSD run 4.5 miles, LSD swim 1600 yards, run intervals 7 reps, swim intervals 7 reps
Week 8LSD run 4.75 miles, LSD swim 1700 yards, run intervals 7 reps, swim intervals 7 reps
Week 9LSD run 5 miles, LSD swim 1800 yards, run intervals 8 reps, swim intervals 8 reps
Week 10LSD run 5.25 miles, LSD swim 1900 yards, run intervals 8 reps, swim intervals 8 reps
Week 11LSD run 5.5 miles, LSD swim 2000 yards, run intervals 9 reps, swim intervals 9 reps
Weeks 12 to 16 are the middle of the program. Interval days reach their ceiling of ten reps and stay there, so the progression shifts to the long days and to the continuous high-intensity sessions, which split into two blocks with a rest between them. Core work adds a third set. This is a good block for a retest PST, because the calibrated paces from week 1 are probably too slow by now.
LSD run 5.75 miles, LSD swim 2100 yards, run intervals 9 reps, swim intervals 9 reps
Week 13LSD run 6 miles, LSD swim 2200 yards, run intervals 10 reps, swim intervals 10 reps
Week 14LSD run 6.25 miles, LSD swim 2300 yards, run intervals 10 reps, swim intervals 10 reps
Week 15LSD run 6.5 miles, LSD swim 2400 yards, run intervals 10 reps, swim intervals 10 reps
Week 16LSD run 6.75 miles, LSD swim 2500 yards, run intervals 10 reps, swim intervals 10 reps
Weeks 17 to 21 push the long sessions toward race-plus distances: runs of seven to eight miles and swims of 2600 to 3000 yards. Continuous high-intensity blocks lengthen again. A candidate who has stayed healthy through this block is in a strong position; a candidate carrying a nagging injury should back off the long days rather than the intervals, because the intervals are what move PST scores.
LSD run 7 miles, LSD swim 2600 yards, run intervals 10 reps, swim intervals 10 reps
Week 18LSD run 7.25 miles, LSD swim 2700 yards, run intervals 10 reps, swim intervals 10 reps
Week 19LSD run 7.5 miles, LSD swim 2800 yards, run intervals 10 reps, swim intervals 10 reps
Week 20LSD run 7.75 miles, LSD swim 2900 yards, run intervals 10 reps, swim intervals 10 reps
Week 21LSD run 8 miles, LSD swim 3000 yards, run intervals 10 reps, swim intervals 10 reps
Weeks 22 to 26 finish the program with the longest sessions in the guide: a 9.25-mile run and a 3500-yard swim in the final week, and continuous high-intensity blocks of two by twenty minutes. Core work reaches its final tier. The last week is a good time to schedule the PST you will actually report, with two or three easy days before it.
LSD run 8.25 miles, LSD swim 3100 yards, run intervals 10 reps, swim intervals 10 reps
Week 23LSD run 8.5 miles, LSD swim 3200 yards, run intervals 10 reps, swim intervals 10 reps
Week 24LSD run 8.75 miles, LSD swim 3300 yards, run intervals 10 reps, swim intervals 10 reps
Week 25LSD run 9 miles, LSD swim 3400 yards, run intervals 10 reps, swim intervals 10 reps
Week 26LSD run 9.25 miles, LSD swim 3500 yards, run intervals 10 reps, swim intervals 10 reps
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