Preparing for SWCC
Same five-event screen as BUD/S, different numbers, and a genuinely different job at the end of it.
The PST, with different numbers
SWCC — Special Warfare Combatant-craft Crewmen — run the boats for Naval Special Warfare. Same five-event Physical Screening Test as BUD/S, scored against its own standards.
| Event | Minimum | Competitive | Strong |
|---|---|---|---|
| 500-yard swim | 13:00 | 11:30 | 10:00 |
| Push-ups, 2 min | 50 | 70 | 85 |
| Sit-ups, 2 min | 50 | 70 | 85 |
| Pull-ups | 6 | 10 | 15 |
| 1.5-mile run | 12:00 | 10:30 | 9:45 |
What is actually different
Basic Crewman Training is a maritime course. The demands skew toward durability under vibration and impact, cold and wet for long periods, load carrying on and off small craft, and the specific misery of being pounded by a boat at speed for hours. Raw swim speed matters less than at BUD/S; full-body resilience matters more.
SWCC is frequently framed as what you do if you cannot make SEAL, which is both wrong and a bad reason to go. It is a different job — boats, weapons, navigation, maritime mobility — and people who arrive wanting the job rather than the consolation prize do considerably better.
Training emphasis
- Combat sidestroke for the 500. Technique first, same as BUD/S.
- Full-body strength. Hinge, squat, press, pull, and loaded carries. The impact loading of small-craft work punishes people with no structural strength.
- Grip and pulling. Ropes, lines, gear, boats.
- Cold tolerance, built gradually. Wet and cold for hours is the job, not an event.
- Running volume, mostly easy, to hold the 1.5-mile without it costing you anything.
Swim, lift, run, repeat
Lensatic’s PST Prep plan runs all five events, the eight-week swim programme paces off a 500-yard time trial, and Open Water builds the outside-the-pool competence with cold worked up gradually. Pick SWCC in the app and your standards board tracks these numbers.
See the plans BUD/S and the PSTQuestions
What is the SWCC PST minimum?
A 13:00 500-yard swim, 50 push-ups, 50 sit-ups, 6 pull-ups and a 12:00 1.5-mile run. Competitive candidates are well past all of those.
Is SWCC easier than BUD/S?
The PST minimums are lower. The pipeline is its own course with its own attrition, and framing it as the easier option is the wrong way to arrive.
What do SWCC operators do?
Crew and operate the special warfare combatant craft — maritime mobility, weapons, navigation and insertion and extraction.
Which stroke for the 500?
Combat sidestroke or breaststroke, as with BUD/S.
Is this official?
No. Preparation guidance published by Deadlift Digital LLC, not affiliated with or endorsed by the Navy or the Department of Defense.