Fire Rose Posted March 25, 2023 Share Posted March 25, 2023 Hi, I’m a 22 year old woman and I’m training to become a U.S. Navy SEAL. There’s never been a female SEAL. One SEAL Chief told me that past female SEAL candidates lacked grip strength and dropped out. What grip training routines should I use? I’m a beginner and I’ve never done grip training before. In SEAL training, you have to climb ropes, carry boats and logs, carry other people on your back, do thousands of push ups and do pull ups on a thick metal bar, do an obstacle course weekly, etc. So my goal is to be able to do these things. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DevilErik Posted March 25, 2023 Share Posted March 25, 2023 (edited) Start here and take it slow your tendons have to adapt. Edited March 25, 2023 by DevilErik 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fire Rose Posted March 25, 2023 Author Share Posted March 25, 2023 4 hours ago, DevilErik said: Start here and take it slow your tendons have to adapt. Ok thank you! Should I just do this beginner routine for the rest of my life? Or should I do this routine for six months and then find a more advanced program? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe Eynon Posted March 25, 2023 Share Posted March 25, 2023 Plenty of folks here more qualified than I am to respond, perhaps even a few SEALs. But I feel that working your open hand support grip would serve you best. Carrying dumbbells/kettlebells/a trap bar for time or distance would be beneficial. Getting a pair of FatGripz and putting them on a pull-up bar to do both hangs for time and pull-ups would be good. Also adding FatGripz to your upper back exercises like bent over rows, both barbell and dumbbell, and chest supported rows. You’re going to need to hit your upper back pretty hard to strengthen it for all the pull ups you’ll be expected to do, so you might as well train your grip in the process with FatGripz. Doing some sort of high rep cleans and bear hug carries with a tactical sandbag would be helpful also. For the shape you’ll be expected to be in, I’m not convinced that it would be worthwhile to invest much time in pinch or crush grip training, at least not at the expense of pursuing relevant SEAL training. Maybe crush grip (torsion spring grippers) training might eventually be helpful for hand to hand combat. I would add some element of grip into your existing workouts maybe 2-3x per week, with a rest day in between each bout of grip training. Once your body adapts to the new stimulus, then consider adding additional exercises and more sets/reps. Best wishes. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DevilErik Posted March 25, 2023 Share Posted March 25, 2023 (edited) 1 hour ago, Fire Rose said: Ok thank you! Should I just do this beginner routine for the rest of my life? Or should I do this routine for six months and then find a more advanced program? Do this routine for the first six months after that you can start training for your own personal goals. Everything in grip is highly specific due to the isometric nature of most exercises so make sure to pick the exercises that give you the most bang for your buck. If the goal is to climb ropes and do pull ups on a thickbar then train with ropes and do pull ups on thickbars. Get a pair of fatgripz and put them on a pull up bar. I'd recommend staying away from grippers because they don't do anything for "real world strength". It's also very easy to injure yourself with grippers. Edited March 25, 2023 by DevilErik 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
C8Myotome Posted March 25, 2023 Share Posted March 25, 2023 I rememeber when you posted on reddit recently. Yes since you are a beginner you need to start with some type of beginner program to make some actual basis progress. No you don't have to do the same thing forever, but you also have to start somewhere. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
climber511 Posted March 25, 2023 Share Posted March 25, 2023 How long do you have before starting actual Seal training? My 2 cents is just build a broad base of forearm- wrist - and grip strength - as much to "injury proof" yourself as much as anything - I would certainly do "levering" with a sledge or similar. I would then do training related to but not exactly like what you will have to do to avoid repetitive stress injury. My understanding is that injuries cause more dropouts than any other thing. A tip I read about is to strengthen your shins and calves to help with stress fractures - can't remember where I read that. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blacksmith513 Posted March 25, 2023 Share Posted March 25, 2023 57 minutes ago, climber511 said: How long do you have before starting actual Seal training? My 2 cents is just build a broad base of forearm- wrist - and grip strength - as much to "injury proof" yourself as much as anything - I would certainly do "levering" with a sledge or similar. I would then do training related to but not exactly like what you will have to do to avoid repetitive stress injury. My understanding is that injuries cause more dropouts than any other thing. A tip I read about is to strengthen your shins and calves to help with stress fractures - can't remember where I read that. Listen to him, he’s a Seabee. I think weighted pull ups, rope climbing, an assortment of weighted carries, even sledgehammer swinging would benefit you. Are you already in the Navy? I wish you good luck. You can do it, and if your wise enough to know how important grip is you are going to go very far. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Donc101 Posted March 25, 2023 Share Posted March 25, 2023 Lots of pull-ups on fat bars, heavy carries and dead hangs are what will carry over the most. Worry more about endurance strength than max strength. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
climber511 Posted March 25, 2023 Share Posted March 25, 2023 (edited) Found this online - if accurate - these are the standards just to get in. The "skill" event here is no doubt the swimming. Be sure about this as well as the more general fitness stuff. Get VERY comfortable in cold water as everything I hear is this is darn tough physically and especially mentally. Different Seal Teams train at Seneca Rocks in WV learning to climb etc - over the years my wife and I have climbed next to them - drank beer with them and I even played glow stick football in the dark with them (scary and painful). Also talked quite a bit about the training - to a man they said no one day is the problem - it's just knowing that tomorrow and the next day and the next are going to be just as tough and miserable. They say it's the will power to not quit that counts. The other big thing that knocks people out is different injuries - mostly repetitive stress things. Having spent time with them there several times over the years - the overall "mental toughness" is what stood out the most. I have lots of Seals learning to climb stories. https://www.military.com/military-fitness/navy-special-operations/navy-seal-fitness-test Navy SEAL PST Standards PST Event Minimum Standards Competitive Standards 500-yard swim 12:30 8 minutes Push-ups 50 80-100 Sit-ups 50 80-100 Pull-ups 10 15-20 1.5-mile timed run 10:30 9-10 minutes Edited March 25, 2023 by climber511 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
climber511 Posted March 25, 2023 Share Posted March 25, 2023 I went to Seabee “A” school in Port Hueneme in California (construction electrician and my military training). It’s very close to Coronado where at that time the UDTs were. One day they came to the gym and asked a bunch of us if we were interested in trying the one day UDT physical fitness test. Ten or fifteen of us went to Coronado and did it. I don’t remember (in my defense it was 1967) what all we had to do but I did pass (several of us did) – I do remember the ocean was darn cold. Not sure I'd want to do it day after day - but I have always wondered if I could. I think lots of us wonder if we have (had) what it takes. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blacksmith513 Posted March 26, 2023 Share Posted March 26, 2023 13 hours ago, climber511 said: I went to Seabee “A” school in Port Hueneme in California (construction electrician and my military training). It’s very close to Coronado where at that time the UDTs were. One day they came to the gym and asked a bunch of us if we were interested in trying the one day UDT physical fitness test. Ten or fifteen of us went to Coronado and did it. I don’t remember (in my defense it was 1967) what all we had to do but I did pass (several of us did) – I do remember the ocean was darn cold. Not sure I'd want to do it day after day - but I have always wondered if I could. I think lots of us wonder if we have (had) what it takes. I think you could. And I mean that. Here you are almost 60 years later still killing it, day after day. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
climber511 Posted March 26, 2023 Share Posted March 26, 2023 43 minutes ago, Blacksmith513 said: I think you could. And I mean that. Here you are almost 60 years later still killing it, day after day. Thank you. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Sharkey Posted March 28, 2023 Share Posted March 28, 2023 (edited) On 3/25/2023 at 6:58 AM, Fire Rose said: Hi, I’m a 22 year old woman and I’m training to become a U.S. Navy SEAL. There’s never been a female SEAL. One SEAL Chief told me that past female SEAL candidates lacked grip strength and dropped out. What grip training routines should I use? I’m a beginner and I’ve never done grip training before. In SEAL training, you have to climb ropes, carry boats and logs, carry other people on your back, do thousands of push ups and do pull ups on a thick metal bar, do an obstacle course weekly, etc. So my goal is to be able to do these things. Go get it! I echo what has been said, open hand grip strength is probably the most useful, it's also the least taxing on the tendons (less tension). Axle deadlifts, thick bar dumbbells, thick bar pull ups, etc. Kettlebell sport work also builds insane grip and grip endurance in a way nothing else will. It's highly technical though you will need a real practitioner to learn from. Rooting for you Edited March 28, 2023 by Mike Sharkey Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fist of Fury Posted March 28, 2023 Share Posted March 28, 2023 Buy fatgripz and use them on all exercises in the gym. Do some plate pinching, you can do this with any type of plates, using one or two hands. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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