Preparing for SFAS

The purpose of this information is to assist prospective SFAS candidates in attaining and maintaining
a high state of physical fitness prior to attendance at the U.S. Army John F. Kennedy Special Warfare
Center and School (USAJFKSWCS SFAS !rogram and su"se#uently the SF$C.
USAJFKSWCS !reparatory Training !rograms.
This program is physically and mentally demanding. To accomplish physical-related goals set by SFAS, applicants
must be in good physical condition upon arrival at Fort Bragg N.. Soldiers attending the SFAS program !ill
perform physical tas"s that !ill re#uire them to climb obstacles $by use of a rope% &' to (' feet high, s!im !hile
in uniform, and travel great distances cross-country !hile carrying a ruc"sac" !ith a minimum of )' pounds.
The SFAS program re#uires upper and lo!er body strength and physical endurance to accomplish daily physical-
oriented goals on a continuous basis for &* days. Belo! is a recommended )-!ee" physical training $PT%
program consisting of realistic physical and mental goals relative to physical re#uirements set by the
+SA,F-S.S SFAS committee $if you have time, !or" out more than ) !ee"s prior to arrival%.
Stages of physical fitness.
Attaining physical fitness is not an overnight process/ the body must go through three stages0
a. The first is the toughening stage, !hich lasts about & !ee"s. 1uring this time the body goes through a
soreness and recovery period. .hen a muscle !ith poor blood supply $such as a !ea" muscle% is e2ercised, the
!aste products produced by the e2ercise collect faster than the blood can remove them. This acid !aste builds
up in the muscle tissue and irritates the nerve in the muscle fiber causing soreness. As the e2ercise continues,
the body is able to circulate the blood more rapidly through the muscles and remove the !aste material, !hich
causes soreness to disappear.
b. The slo! improvement stage is second stage in attaining physical fitness. As the body passes through the
toughening stage and continues into the slo! improvement stage, the volume of blood circulating in the muscle
increases and the body functions more efficiently. 3n the first fe! !ee"s the improvement is rapid, but as a
higher level of s"ill and conditioning is reached, the improvement becomes less noticeable. The body reaches its
ma2imum level of performance bet!een 4 and 5' !ee"s. The intensity of the program and individual differences
account for the variance in time.
c. The sustaining stage is the third stage during !hich physical fitness is maintained. 3t is necessary to continue
e2ercising at appro2imately the same intensity to retain the condition developed.
!hysical %or&outs.
Physical !or"outs should be conducted a minimum of * days a !ee"/ !or" out hard one day, easy the ne2t. A
hard and easy !or"out concept !ill allo! ma2imum effort for overloading both the muscle groups and
cardiorespiratory system/ it !ill also prevent in6ury and stagnation in the program. For e2ample0 7onday,
.ednesday, and Friday--8ard !or"outs $over-loading of muscles% $Saturday used for e2tra long !or"outs%.
Sunday, Tuesday, and Thursday--9asy !or"outs. This is the time to practice s!imming and !or" on overall
fitness/ sprints, pull-ups, push-ups, and especially stretching.
Prior to each !or"out, 5' to 5) minutes should be devoted to performing stretching e2ercises. Additionally, the
+SA,F-S.S Surgeon recommends a !ell-balanced diet be incorporated !ith this recommended PT program and
that daily fluid $!ater% inta"e be increased.
Wee& '(

$:nly hard !or"out days are listed here. 7a"e up your o!n !or"outs on your ;easy; days.%
1ay 50 See !hat you can do. 1o the best you can do.
$a% APFT $ma2imum performance in all events, see !hat you can do%.
$b% :ne hundred-meter s!im $nonstop, any stro"e, do not touch the side or bottom of the
pool%.
$c% Force march !ith ('-pound ruc"sac", ( miles in *) minutes $along road% or 5 hour if
cross-country. $.ear !ell bro"en-in boots !ith thic" soc"s.%
1ay &0
$a% Three sets of push-ups $ma2imum repetitions in one-half minute period%.
$b% (-mile run $moderate < to = minute mile pace%.
$c% >ope climb or three sets of pull-ups $as many as you can do%.
$d% Forced march !ith ('-pound ruc"sac", ) miles in 5 hour and 5) minutes $along a road% or
5 hour and *' minutes $cross-country%.
1ay (0 Forced march !ith ('-pound ruc"sac", ) miles in 5 hour and 5) minutes $along the road% or 5
hour and *' minutes $cross-country%.
Wee& )(
1ay 50 >epeat of day (, !ee" 5 $forced march%, e2tend distance to < miles !ith ()-pound ruc"sac" in
& hours $along a road% or & hours and *' minutes $cross-country%.
1ay &0
$a% Three sets of push-ups, pull-ups, sit-ups $ma2imum repetitions in ()-second period three
times%.
$b% >un ) miles $moderate < to = minute mile pace%.
$c% Three sets of s#uats !ith ()-pound ruc"sac" $)' each set%. ?o do!n only to the point
!here the upper and lo!er leg forms a ='-degree bend at "nee.
1ay (0 Forced march !ith ()-pound ruc"sac", 5' miles in ( hours $along a road% or * hours $cross-
country%.
Wee& *(
1ay 50
$a% Four sets of push-ups, pull-ups, and sit-ups $ma2imum repetitions in *'-second period%.
$b% >un * miles $fast to moderate @ to < minute mile pace.%
$c% Four sets of s#uats !ith *'-pound ruc"sac".
1ay &0 Forced march 5& miles !ith *'-pound ruc"sac" in * hours $along a road% or * hours and *'
minutes $cross-country%.
1ay (0
$a% Four sets of push-ups, sit-ups, pull-ups $ma2imum repetitions in *)-second period.%
$b% >un 4 miles $fast to moderate @ to < minute pace%.
$c% Four sets of s#uats !ith *'-pound ruc"sac".
Wee& +(
1ay 50 Forced march 5* miles !ith )'-pound ruc"sac" in * hours $along a road% or * hours and *'
minutes $cross-country%.
1ay &0
$a% Four sets of push-ups, sit-ups, and pull-ups$ma2imum repetitions in 5-minute period%.
$b% >un 4 miles $fast to moderate @ to < minute mile pace%.
$c% Four sets of s#uats !ith )'-pound ruc"sac".
1ay (0 Forced march 5< miles !ith )'-pound ruc"sac" in * hours and *) minutes $along a road% or 4
hours $cross-country%.
Wee& ,(
1ay 50
$a% >un ( miles $fast 4 to @ minute mile pace%.
$b% Five hundred-meter s!im $nonstop, any stro"e, but not on your bac"%.
1ay &0 APFT. Aou should be able to achieve a score of at least &*' $minimum of @' points in any one
event% in the 5@ to &5 year age limit. 3f not, !or"out harder.
1ay (0 Forced march 5< miles !ith )'-pound ruc"sac" in * hours and (' minutes $along a road% or 4
hours $cross-country%.
Considerations.
a. For forced marches, select boots that are comfortable and !ell bro"en-in $not !orn out%. .ear
light!eight fatigues and thic" soc"s $not ne!ly issued soc"s%. Army issue boots are e2cellent if fitted
properly.
b. +tiliBe map and compass techni#ues !henever possible during forced march cross-country
!or"outs.
c. 3nsoles specifically designed to absorb shoc" !ill reduce in6uries.
d. Practice proper ruc"sac" marching and !al"ing techni#ues0
$5% .eight of body must be "ept directly over feet, and sole of shoe must be flat on ground
ta"ing small steps at a steady pace.
$&% -nees must be loc"ed on every step in order to rest muscles of the legs $especially !hen
going uphill%.
$(% .hen !al"ing cross-country, step over and around obstacles/ never step on them.
$*% .hen traveling up steep slopes, al!ays traverse them/ climb in BigBag pattern rather
than straight up.
$)% .hen descending steep slopes, "eep the bac" straight and "nees bent to ta"e up shoc"
of each step. 1ig in !ith heels on each step.
$4% Practice !al"ing as fast as you can !ith ruc"sac". 1o not run !ith a ruc"sac". .hen
testing, you may have to trot to maintain time, but try not to do this during training, it may
in6ure you.
$@% A good ruc"sac" pace is accomplished by continuous movement !ith short brea"s $)
minutes% every 4 to < miles.
$<% 3f you cannot ruc"march, then do s#uats !ith your ruc"sac". $:ne hundred repetitions,
five times or until muscle fatigues.%
e. :n each day $not listed in training program% conduct less strenuous !or"outs such as bi"ing and
short or slo! runs. To compliment push-up !or"outs, !eight lifting e2ercises should be included $for
development of upper body strength% in easy day !or"out schedule. S!im as often as you can $)''
meters or more%.
f. :nce a high level of physical fitness is attained, a maintenance !or"out program should be applied
using the hard and easy !or"out concept. :nce in shape, stay in shape. 1o not stop this )-!ee"
program. 3f you have met all the goals, then modify program by increasing distance and !eight and
decreasing times. Be smart, donCt in6ure yourself.
Final notes.
a. 1o not e2pect to get ;free; time from your unit to !or" out so you can come to SFAS. The
responsibility to get in shape is yours and yours alone. .or" out on your o!n time if that is all you
have. 3f you go to the field, !or" on strengthening drills0 Push-ups, sit-ups, pull-ups, s#uats $!ith e2tra
!eight% !hen you can, as often as you can. The mission is to get in shape.
b. 9at things that are good for you and stay a!ay from 6un" food and fat foods.
c. Aou need to be in very good shape and able to carry a ruc"sac" day after day for the entire time you
are at SFAS. This is an assessment of you. .e do not teach or coach you to get through SFAS. Aou
!ill be challenged.
d. The Army >esearch 3nstitute $A>3% has been able to closely correlate performance on the APFT and a
*-mile ruc"sac" march !ith success in SFAS. 1uring fiscal year $FA% <= and FA =' A>3 evaluated the
cumulative APFT score $5@ to &5 age group standard% !ith the percent of candidates !ho started SFAS
and !ho passed the course. The average PT score for SFAS graduates is &)'. The average PT results
are depicted belo!0
APFT Score Percent Passing ourse
&'4-&&) (5
&&4-&)' *&
&)5-&@) )@
&@4 or higher @<
The higher the APFT score, the better the percent that passed the course. Aou need to be in top
physical condition and you should do !ell in SFAS.
e. A>3 evaluated the ability of SFAS students to perform a *-mile ruc"march in battle dress uniform
$B1+%, boots, 7-54, load bearing e#uipment, and a *)-pound ruc"sac". The overall average *-mile
ruc"march time for graduates is 45 minutes. The average PT results are depicted belo!0
>uc"march Time $7in% Percent Passing ourse
)* and less <5
))-4* 4(
4)-@* (*
@)-<* 5'
The less time to complete a *-mile ruc"march, the better the percent !ho passed the course. The
Soldiers !ho prepare for SFAS through PT should succeed at SFAS.