Ex-Royal Marine Reveals the ONLY 3 Suspension Exercises You Need for a Navy SEAL Body

As a former British Royal Marine Commando, I know a thing or two about military fitness. Basic Royal Marine training lasts 32 weeks. During that time, recruits are pushed to their limits while learning the skills they need to operate in the world’s most hostile environments.  

Needless to say, Royal Marine bootcamp is no walk in the park, and drop-out rates are high. In my training troop, only 12 of the original 55 recruits completed the course.

However, as tough as Royal Marines training is, the US Navy SEALs have it tougher.

SEAL training lasts roughly two years and comprises multiple pass-or-fail courses, including Basic Underwater Demolition SEAL (BUD/S), SEAL Qualification Training (SQT), and SEAL Troop Training (TRP).

Trying to replicate SEAL training in the civilian world is impossible. It involves too many specialist activities to be practical for the average fitness fan. However, there is one particular item of SEAL equipment you can add to your workouts – a suspension trainer.

Suspension trainers have been popular since the early 2000s, with TRX being the market leader. TRX was invented in 2005 by Randy Hetrick, a former SEAL (1).

Hetrick created TRX to provide serving SEALs and other military personnel with a way to stay in shape without conventional gym equipment, i.e., while on deployment. The fact that TRXs are still popular nearly two decades later is a testament to their effectiveness.

There are dozens (if not hundreds) of excellent suspension trainer exercises to choose from. But, in my experience as a former Royal Marine and veteran personal trainer, there are three exercises that I consider essential.

In this article, I reveal what those exercises are and how they mimic the demands faced by elite Navy SEALs.

Revealed: Three Essential Navy SEAL Suspension Trainer Exercises

Reducing a list of hundreds of exercises to just three was no easy task. However, Navy SEAL operations are all about achieving maximal results with the fewest resources and the least amount of risk – maximum bang for your buck, if you will.

So, with that in mind, these three exercises provide the greatest benefits for your investment of time, energy, and sweat.

Exercise # 1: Atomic Push-Ups

Muscles Trained: Pectoralis major, deltoids, latissimus dorsi, triceps, core, quadriceps, hip flexors.

Military training invariably involves a lot of push-ups. Push-ups are used to strengthen the upper body but also as punishment or incentives meant to encourage optimal performance.

For example, winners of impromptu fitness tests may be excused extra push-ups, while the losers must pump out a few dozen reps. As the training staff in the Royal Marines loved to say, “It pays to be a winner, lads!”

Standard push-ups are a fantastic exercise, but they’re quite one-dimensional. Doing push-ups with a suspension trainer allows for a much more comprehensive workout, incorporating your upper body with your core and legs. They’re also a whole lot more challenging.

Atomic push-ups provide a very time-efficient way for Navy SEALs to train almost every muscle on the front of their body. These muscles are heavily involved in many militaristic activities, including throwing grenades, crawling under obstacles, pushing past obstructions, and punching during close-quarter combat.

How to Do Atomic Push-Ups

1. Attach your suspension trainer to a high anchor.
2. Adjust the straps so the handles are between a few inches and knee height from the floor.
3. Adopt the push-up position with your feet in the stirrups. Place your hands roughly shoulder-width apart, fingers pointing forward.
4. Brace your core and set your shoulders.
5. Bend your arms and lower your chest to about an inch above the floor.
6. Extend your arms, bend your legs, and pull your knees into your chest while simultaneously lifting your hips toward the ceiling.
7. Extend your legs and repeat the push-up.
8. Continue the push-up/knee tuck sequence for the required number of reps.

Trainer Tips:

• Do not allow your hips to drop toward the floor, as doing so puts unnecessary stress on your lower back.
• Keep your legs straight and pike instead of tucking to make this exercise harder.
• Work your obliques (waist) more by twisting your lower body and bringing your knees across to one shoulder.

Exercise # 2: Single-Arm Power Pulls

Muscles Trained: Latissimus dorsi, trapezius, rhomboids, deltoids, biceps, forearms, core.

Pull-ups are a staple of military training, and even raw recruits should be able to crank out at least a handful of reps. Unfortunately, the lack of a suitable bar often means that deployed troops have nowhere to do pull-ups.

The single-arm power pull works many of the same muscles as pull-ups. Still, all you need is an anchor for your suspension trainer, e.g., a vertical post or even a doorway. As such, they’re a very accessible exercise and an excellent pull-up alternative.

As an added advantage, single-arm power pulls are a unilateral or one-sided exercise. This makes them helpful in identifying and fixing left-to-right strength imbalances. This unilateral motion also means there is a lot of rotation, which hammers your oblique or waist muscles.

Regarding SEAL specificity, this exercise will help balance the muscles trained during atomic push-ups. They will also prepare you for common military fitness tasks, such as climbing ladders and ropes, lifting and carrying heavy equipment, and grappling with enemy combatants.

All in all, it’s the perfect exercise to pair with atomic push-ups. Between them, they deliver a comprehensive upper-body workout.

How to Do Single-Arm Power Pulls

1. Attach your suspension trainer to a high anchor.
2. Adjust the straps so the handles are about waist height.
3. Hold the handle(s) in one hand and lean back so your arm and legs are straight.
4. Reach back with your other arm toward the floor so your body forms a T-shape.
5. Explosively bend your arm and pull yourself up toward the handle. Simultaneously rotate your upper body and reach up the strap with your opposite arm. Try to get your hand as high as possible.
6. Extend your arm and return to the starting position.
7. Repeat for the desired number of reps and then switch sides.

Trainer Tips:

• Shorten the strap(s) to make this exercise easier, or lengthen them to make it harder.
• This is an explosive exercise, so while the eccentric or lowering phase should be slow and controlled, you should aim to pull yourself up as quickly as possible.
• Make sure you do the same number of reps on both sides. If you have a strength imbalance, train your weakest side first and do the same number of reps with your strong arm.

Exercise # 3: Suspension Trainer Split Squats  

Muscles Trained: Quadriceps, hamstrings, gluteus maximus, abductors, adductors, hip flexors, calves, core.

Military life involves a lot of leg work. While mechanized transport is sometimes available, in many instances, personnel must walk or run to get where they need to be. Often, this involves navigating harsh terrain while carrying heavy equipment.

It’s no wonder that rucking has become such a popular workout!

While squats are one of the best ways to develop strong legs, they may not be ideal for SEALs. Firstly, you’ll need a barbell to load your muscles with enough resistance to be challenging. This probably won’t be possible while deployed.

Secondly, squats are a bilateral or two-limbed exercise. As such, they build strength and endurance but do little for balance and coordination. You need both when walking or running over rough terrain.

Suspension trainer split squats overcome both of these drawbacks. They work one leg at a time, so they provide much more resistance for a more SEAL-like challenge. They also require and develop balance and stability, which will prepare your muscles, joints, and nervous system for the demands of uneven ground.

While you could do split squats with your rear foot on the floor or a bench, putting it into a suspension trainer strap makes this exercise far more effective.

How to Do Suspension Trainer Split Squats

1. Attach your suspension trainer to a high anchor.
2. Adjust the straps so the handles are about knee height.
3. With your back to the strap, place one foot in the stirrup.
4. Hop forward into a split stance.
5. Bend both legs and lower your back knee to within an inch of the floor.
6. Drive your front foot into the ground and stand back up.
7. Continue for the desired number of reps, and then swap sides.
8. Do the same number of reps on both legs.

Trainer Tips:

• Place a chair in front of you and hold it lightly for balance if necessary. Wean yourself off this support as your balance improves.
• Hold dumbbells or strap on a weighted vest to make this exercise more challenging.
• Make this exercise more demanding by turning it into a jump:

3 Suspension Trainer Workouts for SEAL Fitness

While any of these exercises will help develop a SEAL-fit body, you’ll get better results if you follow a more structured program. Here are three tried-and-tested workouts that utilize the exercises described in this article.

But before you begin, make sure you spend a few minutes preparing your muscles and joints for the workout that follows. Begin with 5-10 minutes of easy cardio, e.g., jumping rope, followed by dynamic mobility and flexibility exercises for all your major joints and muscles.

Are you ready to get to work? Then let’s do it!

Workout 1: Density Blocks

With density block training, your task is to do as many reps as possible in the allotted time. Of course, I don’t expect you to pump out reps non-stop. However, you should keep your rests to a minimum.

Record the number of reps you do, and then try to beat your score the next time you do this workout.

1. 5 minutes of atomic push-ups
2. Rest for one minute
3. 7 minutes of single-arm power pulls (alternate arms set-by-set)
4. Rest for one minute
5. 7 minutes of suspension trainer split squats (alternate legs set-by-set)

2. Push-Pull-Legs Circuit

Circuit training is one of the most time-efficient workouts around. Doing several back-to-back exercises creates a lot of cardiovascular stress, so it conditions your muscles, heart, and lungs at the same time. Circuit training is also a fantastic fat burner.

	Exercise	Work	Rest
1	Atomic push-ups	40 seconds	20 seconds
2	Single-arm power pulls	40 seconds per arm	20 seconds
3	Suspension trainer split squats	40 seconds per leg	20 seconds
Rest one minute and then repeat the sequence 2-4 more times

3. 100-Rep Chipper

A chipper is a workout where you start with a high rep target and do a few reps of each exercise in any order until you reach zero. The aim is to complete the workout as quickly as possible, but it’s up to you to decide how many reps and in what order you do the exercises.

As I’m sure you got from the name, you’ll be doing 100 reps of the three exercises described above for this workout. However, for the single-limb exercises, this means doing 100 reps per side, which will only add to the challenge!

	Exercise	Reps
1	Atomic push-ups	100 reps
2	Single-arm power pulls	100 reps per arm
3	Suspension trainer split squats	100 reps per leg

Related: Special Forces Training: How to Be Fit for Anything

Closing Thoughts

Suspension trainers add a whole new dimension to bodyweight workouts. Developing strength, endurance, balance, and coordination, it’s easy to see why equipment like the TRX is such a big hit with the military, especially the Navy SEALs.

While limiting yourself to just three suspension trainer movements may seem extreme, think of this as an exercise in minimalism. In other words, how good a workout can you get from just three moves?

If, like the SEALs, you put everything into your workouts, the answer is very!

What are your favorite suspension trainer exercises that are fit for a Navy SEAL? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.

References:

1. Archer, S. (2020, Fall). The origins of TRX training®: Creating a global training brand. American Fitness Magazine. National Academy of Sports Medicine.

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