Cadre Bert weighs a ruck at the beggining of Selection. Unlike the Good Livin' events, there is a weight requirement to participate in Selection. You can check out the packing list here.

I left off my last GORUCK Selection write-up with one of my favorite quotes, “You’ll pass out before you die” while talking about my train-up experience for Army Special Forces Assessment and Selection (SFAS). Now I want to get more into the meat and potatoes of how, with the help of some great Special Forces Cadre, I was able to transform myself from a mediocre ruck marcher into one that could keep up with anyone. Let’s go back to 2002 at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, where I was training for SFAS in a course called the Special Operations Preparation Course (SOPC – pronounced “Sop-see”), which is now called the Special Forces Preparation Course (SFPC). As you may or may not know, SOPC is a course designed to prepare those enlisting as an 18X for SFAS. If you’re an 18X, you are enlisting to hopefully go straight into Special Forces, as opposed to coming from a conventional Army unit. These days a few other people go to SOPC as well, even if they have military experience, but the point still stands. SOPC is designed to prepare you for SFAS by getting you up to speed on PT and land navigation. 

I had just completed both Army Infantry and Airborne training when I showed up to SOPC. I was twenty six years old and considered myself to be in pretty good shape. I had maxed my PT tests – meaning I had gotten a perfect score on each section (two minutes of pushups, two minutes of sit-ups, and a two-mile run) – and done well on all the ruck marches in Basic Training, which earned me the Honor Graduate award of my Basic Training class. I made the mistake of showing up to SOPC thinking I was prepared to for the runs and rucks at SFAS. I was not.

At 5’7,” I was already starting out at a disadvantage compared to the guys in my SFAS class that were 6’ plus and naturally built to ruck march. This meant that guys like me had to train harder to move at the same speed and with the same weight as taller and stronger ruckers. SFAS is heavily focused on moving long distances with a weighted rucksack, and I had a short amount of time to even the playing field and become a better ruck marcher. I initially started working on this my own way within the daily ruck and run events we had at SOPC, but I realized quickly that my way was not working. I thought that I could just use the same weight as the better ruckers in the class and run the entire ruck event.  This worked for a while, but as the rucks got longer and the time standards became harder to meet, it was time to get some help from the veteran Special Forces Cadre at SOPC. For me that help came from a group of Special Forces Master Sergeants, E-8’s and former Team Sergeants – enlisted guys (aka not officers) who had plenty of experience with what I was trying to do. They probably didn’t realize it at the time, but I credit them 100% with helping us show up prepared for SFAS, which ultimately kick-started our Special Forces training and careers. 

They showed us some tips on packing our rucks to carry the weight more efficiently:

(1) For starters, they taught us to pack heavier items up high in our rucks and closer to the back/spine – not sagging or sitting low down in the ruck. If your heavier items are packed in the bottom or your ruck or sit down low in your ruck they will pull your shoulders back and force you more upright, causing your stride and gait to become less efficient.

(2) The next step was to progressively work my rucksack weight up in order to allow my body to get used to the heavier weight, ultimately strengthening the muscles, tendons, and ligaments used for rucking.

No one ever decides to go to SFAS and says, “This is fucking awesome, I might try this a couple times.” SFAS turned out to be not too bad (the anticipation is always worse than the punch) but it still fucking sucked. Everyone who goes to SFAS wants it to be a one shot, one kill experience. For us at SOPC, this anxiety was amplified by the fact that our SOPC Cadre were seasoned Special Forces combat veterans who we revered as larger-than-life warhorses. The last two things any of us wanted to do were disappoint our SOPC Classmates or come back early from SFAS and have to tell our Cadre we didn’t get “Selected” to attend the Special Forces Qualification Course (aka the Q-Course). These guys were the epitome of professionals, and they exemplified everything we wanted to become. At the same time, they had a special way of making things just miserable enough to push us and make us better soldiers, better men, and better people.

On a side note, I will never forget my first “Good God, man, these Special Forces guys are a special kind of awesome” moment. After a long day and night iteration of land navigation training, the Cadre had placed us in an area roped off in the woods known as a “rope corral” to conduct foot care and eat our MRE for the day. One of the more outspoken Cadre was talking to us about expectations and life on Special Forces Operational Detachment Alpha aka A-Team or ODA. Somehow the conversation came up about traveling the world and meeting interesting people and staying out of trouble. In a rare break in character from being very serious, this Cadre says, “This is how I keep myself out of trouble” and lifted his shirt up to reveal a huge tattoo on his chest that said, “If found naked please return to my wife….” with his wife’s name. I can’t make that shit up. Special fucking Forces.

Back to ruck training. I slowly started to increase my ruck weights to exceed the standard (never below 50 lbs) and worked on figuring out a system to keep myself from running non-stop until I was exhausted. T system that turned out to work the best for me was (and still is) to do short run intervals during my ruck march. One of the first things the Cadre at SOPC taught us was how to determine our pace counts. To do that, they marked off 100 meters. We would then start, with weighted rucks on, and walk at an average or normal ruck speed and count every right step (aka every time your right foot touches the ground) until we reached the finish line. The reason you just count one foot is that it is easier to count every other step than to count every step. The less internal stuff you have to focus on when doing land navigation or long distance movement, the more you can focus on your external environment such as terrain, hazards, and threats – it could be anything from a terrorist to a 1,000 pound grizzly bear. My pace count on flat even ground with an 80lb rucksack is 65 steps on my right foot. Of course this count is going to change as the circumstances change – for instance if I'm going uphill or downhill, have a lighter or heavier rucksack, etc. But having a basis for your pace count on the flat is still very helpful.

As SFAS approached, I upped my training. I increased my ruck weight and distances and incorporated the previously mentioned running intervals. I would use my pace count and run 100 to 200 meters, then walk 100 to 200 meters. Keeping my pace count kept my mind of any pain or soreness. Listening to music also helped me. I looped the track “Not Fade Away” into “Goin’ Down the Road Feelin Bad” (sounds about right) from the 1971 self-titled Grateful Dead album. I still listen to this song or even sing it in my head today, just as I did on every movement at SOPC, SFAS, and the Q-course, training with my team in 1st Special Forces Group, every combat mission I ever went on, and even now as a Cadre at GORUCK. Over time, I’ve learned that it’s the little things in life that can make the difference between focusing on pain on negativity and focusing on the positive – great music, my dogs, my wife. The best ruck marchers I’ve ever seen have an amazing ability to stay focused but still take their mind somewhere completely removed from the pain of sore calves, hotspots on your feet, sore shoulders, abrasions on your back from your ruck rubbing your skin raw, etc.          

One of the biggest issues that anyone training for a course like SFAS, an endurance event like GORUCK Selection, or an adventure style trip or expedition will face is taking care of your feet. I am not going to get into foot care or which boots/shoes I think are better for rucking. That is another conversation and will come later. Staying healthy is and always will always be one of the biggest issues in regard to finishing endurance style events. Yes, there is always going to be that small group of people that are mentally not prepared for the event, but there is also going to be a larger group of people who do not listen to their body and end up over training, or not training properly, which ultimately ends in injury or succumbing to pain.

The 12-week ruck-training plan below is one that I have followed many times and had great success with. Keep in mind that this is designed for myself and that each person is different. When training like this, you need to pay very close attention to what your body is telling you. If you are physically unable to conduct this training without hurting yourself, then back off and slow your training down until you are healthy enough to move forward. As always, remember: “You’ll pass out before you die!”

The Turkish Getup

Learn more about Cadre Derek here.

I believe the single best movement that tactical operators practice is the Turkish Get-Up. It's an ancient movement that completely embodies the notion of functional fitness. It promotes movement, mobility, and stability and helps strengthen and improve core posture, symmetry, flexibility, stability, and lower back/hip interaction. This a fluid movement that may be broken into “stages” for teaching purposes; however, the understanding of fluid motion must be maintained.

You need to know how to use your body correctly! For some extra help, I have taken some notes from Gray Cook and Balance Gym's Managing Director Devin Maier in the following explanation of the exercise.

The movement should be completed on both the left and right side of your body. There are 7 stages. If you have difficulty with one of the stages, do not progress until you work through that difficulty. (Think of it as each step building off the previous one and you should not move on to the next step without the proper foundation.) You can do the exercise with any weight. In these photos, Devin is using a kettle bell and Trip is using the always sexy, GORUCK sandbag. There is no equipment in addition to resistance (a weight) necessary to complete the get-up.

Stages: The Seven Steps

• -Start in fetal position. Double-grip the weight to protect your shoulder, and then roll into the starting position.
• -Lock your wrist straight and center the weight firmly to the outside of your arm.
• -Do not allow your weight to rotate towards your face. 
• -Lift your knee on the same side as the weight.
• -Set shoulder down and back (keep connected with rib cage).
• -Your "off hand" (the hand without the weight) is out at slightly less than a 45 degree angle.

1. Roll onto your side that does not have the weight locked out, and then onto your elbow. Then press through the floor and come up to your wrist. Always keep an eye on the kettle bell. 

• -Turn and lift your body under weight. Drive the weight up.
• -Keep the weight completely vertical.
• -Let your shoulder set.
• -Let your off arm hold the body up in a "natural vector".
• -Balance weight until you feel comfortable.

2. Bridge your hip up and shoot your off leg back and through.

3. "Thread the needle" – take straight leg back and through your posted arm and bent leg. From a lunge or split stance position, drive up into a standing position.

Reverse:
1. Lunge back with the opposite leg to the weight.
2. Place your free hand on the ground in a triangle formation with your foot and knee. You may rotate your torso a bit here.
3. Re-thread the needle. Back your leg through the middle and straighten.
4. Elbow down.
5. Back to start.

Repeat!

If you can’t do it on both sides, earn it and work through it. Remember: This is a moving meditation and should, ultimately, be viewed as a single movement.

P.S. Special thanks to our friends at Balance Gym in Washington, DC for helping us with this article and being our models.
PPS: If you don't have any weights, use a friend!

Long before I was a cadre at GORUCK, I was a teenager in community college. Having joined the Army at nineteen, I was young and unaware of the many pitfalls of being naive and rushing into things. While navigating the adventure as a military student, whether it be Ranger School, Dive School, or my occupational specialty, I learned some very important lessons that I try to impart today as an instructor – whether teaching participants at GORUCK Events or future Special Forces soldiers in the Q-Course. I'll break it down…

1) Always plan beyond the first level. When I was a student, I was good at planning for the first thing that might go wrong, but after that I had no plan if my backup failed or anything else went wrong. If second or third things failed, it became chaos and anarchy. That was something I learned a lot about at Ranger School – we always planned for casualty evacuation, but what about when you have to do it through difficult terrain while rushing to make a time hack? My fellow Ranger School candidates and I learned these lessons the hard way, usually by instructors assessing more casualties and stacking the deck against us. When a plan doesn't have built in contingencies or "what could happens,” that’s when instructors are at their finest, launching that cascading avalanche of chaos.

2) Training and rules exist for a reason. It's not your job to arbitrarily decide which apply and which do not. Failure to operate within the limits can result in injury and or other catastrophic results. When I was going through the Q-course during my MOS portion (the section where you focus on learning what is specifically required for your job within Special Forces, i.e. Weapons, Medical, etc.), I had a fellow soldier who thought he knew better than the Cadre who were instructing us. The long story is too long for this – and not exactly safe for work or the training page, but let's just say we were practicing demolitions and this guy came dangerously close to losing both testicles. If he had listened to our instructors this wouldn't have happened. The same applies when a cadre tells you as the participant to drink, eat, or take off warming layers. 

3) In all my time training, I saw two basic types of people again and again. The "Surgeons" dissect the task plan and stay within the reasonable limits to accomplish the task without major ass pain; this is by far the preferred type.  The Surgeon accomplishes the mission with as little exhaustion and pain to the force as possible. The "Sledgehammers" are the Leeroy Jenkins of mission planning, attacking everything with an attitude of "my muscles will fill in where my brain can't." It usually leads to lots of undue stress for the people under his command and almost always ends in exhaustion. There's a third type that I don't even classify and can't even give a name to because they are just a giant failure, attacking a goal or target with no plan, as well as insufficient strength or motivation. Obviously the surgeon is the best, then the sledgehammer, but what ever you do don't be #3. 

These are simply my reflections on experiences I've either seen or had happen in my 9+ year military career, and from this I can say sticking to these guidelines can save you from a world of hurt and or misery. I hope this helps you in your planning and prep for whatever is on your horizon, whether it be a GORUCK Event or something else.

I know I’m one of the newer Cadre at GORUCK, but I’m sure as hell not new to hauling a load on my back! I’ve been at this kind of thing for a long time and would like to think that I’ve refined my skills to a professional level through the years. I know this may sound silly, but I swear that I’ve seen some stupid things both during Challenges and on actual missions over the years! Last year, at GORUCK Light 001, I watched a dude slowly lose a battle with his North Face pack. It affected his performance, which in turn, led to mass punishment for the entire class! I’ve also seen “Gucci gear” fail over and over downrange! 

Gear made in a sweatshop will not rise to the occasion when you need it the most. When you read the history behind the GR1, you’ll learn the “why” behind its design. From where I stand, the mission was accomplished. Yes, I’m an employee with GORUCK so I’m a bit biased. But like I said, I’ve been doing this for a while and I can say that these packs are truly some of the best I’ve seen for a military application.

I use a GORUCK Echo as a bug out bag in my civilian car, when conducting mobile training, and during actual operations. I also have a GR1 and have used it during several training exercises to include small boat and swimmer operations, Joint Terminal Attack Controller training, Direct Action raid, and urban patrolling and reconnaissance.

Anyway, back to the Challenge. Dude, do yourself a favor. Buy a GORUCK pack. Period. There are plenty of cheaper alternatives on the market, but the Challenge was designed to showcase the gear!  I personally enjoy seeing you nerds fall in for inspection, with all these brands that GRHQ said I shouldn’t badmouth here – and I think to myself “I’m going to enjoy watching you lose your mind when that thing explodes off your back! There is not enough duct tape in the world to help you now!”

So what do I bring in my ruck when I’m leading a Challenge? Well I’ve hauled the load and logged the miles and know what I need (and don’t need!) for a nice, long, cold, wet walk.

The Cadre will blaze into your hometown for a day or two. We get a hotel and sometimes a rental car.  We may only be there for however long it takes to get the job done because we have to move on to the next mission. Most of us like to travel light, hate to check bags, and hate to bring things we don’t need. So here is a list of everything I bring to a Challenge and for a Challenge (meaning some of this stuff I bring for the trip, but do not bring to the actual event). Everything fits into my GR1 with no issues.    

Electronics

• - Laptop with power cord – If I get downtime in my hotel or before a flight, I like to watch a movie, check emails, and listen to music.
• - Mp3 Player with wall and car charger – This is a no brainer.
• - Smart Phone with charger– Key for verifying my Challenge route.
• - Kindle with Charger – Right now I’m reading “The Battle of Bunker Hill” by the Charles River.

Clothing

1. - Clothes to resist wind and rain: that means outer shell jacket, pants, and inner jacket.
2. - Poly pro top/bottom – Light long underwear for cold climates and temperatures.  Keep it against your skin and dry using outer and hard shells and you’ll have no issues.
3. - Wool Knit, Fleece Lined Cap – My wife knitted me a great wool cap that’s also fleece lined.  Perfect because wool retains heat even when wet, and the fleece protects against wind chill.
4. - Glove Liners – A good base layer for the hands in cold weather.  Not great in the rain so keep them dry or covered with another glove.
5. Mechanix gloves – An essential piece of gear.  Enough protection from the elements and protection for your hands.
6. - Sunglasses – I have a pair of Oakley Half Jackets
7. - TAC Hat – of course!
8. - GORUCK t-shirt, zip off pants, wool socks, USMC Bates boots, quick-dry, collared shirt. All these garments are durable, quick drying and fold up nice and tight for travel.
9. - Running shorts, extra t-shirt, flip flops – for post-Challenge travel or bumming around in the hotel.

Misc.

• - Notebook – For final planning, taking notes for AAR, etc.
• - Headlamp – Small, bright light providing hands-free illumination of nerd faces doing flutter kicks!
• - Flashlight – You can’t beat 3 million lumens of light in the palm of your hand!
• - GPS Watch – I like to let the class know how far they went, how long it took and what their average speed was after completing the Challenge.  This helps me share their victories.
• - Wrist Compass – Dude, drop me in any foreign country and I’ll find my way. Drop me in your hometown, I’m lost. Just ask Class 400!
• - Pocket Knife – I was a Boy Scout, be prepared.
• - Stainless Steel Water bottle – No horrible stench coming out of this baby!
• - GRT Patches – Well, no duh, earned never sold!

- Travel Hygiene Kit: You never know when you’ll need to be presentable.  I carry the travel size stuff because they’re great for saving space and getting the job done.

• Body Powder
• Deodorant
• Toothbrush
• Toothpaste
• Floss
• Chap Stick
• Baby Wipes 

1. - Travel Medical Kit: Injuries occur, be ready to handle them and continue mission.

•             Plastic Flex Tape
•             Ibuproffen NSAID
•             Hand Sanitizer
•             Zeosorb Foot Powder – This is hands-down the best foot powder.  Absorbs 8 times its size in moisture!
•             Tiger Balm – Sort of a holistic muscle rub.  What!?  I’m old, leave me alone!
•             Bag Balm – Like Vaseline on steroids!  I slab this on my heels, balls of my feet to prevent blisters/sores.
•             Tourniquet
•             Battle Dressing Bandage
•             Cravat – Literally a thousand uses and counting!
•  
• - Travel Blister Kit 1
•  
•             Tweezers
•             Nail Clippers
•             Folding Scissors           
•             Safety Pin
•             Lighter
•             Mole Skin
•             Athletic Tape
•             Neosporin
•  
• - Travel Blister Kit 2
•  
•             2nd Skin Pad
•             Blister Patches x3
•             Water Resistant Bandages  (3 x L, 3 x M, 3 x S)
•             Gauze Pads x 3
•             Alcohol Pads x 3
•             Butterfly Closures x 8

I hope this helps, you nerds!

Sometimes you just have to bug out. The invading horde is coming down the mountain? The conspiracy theorists were right, and civilization is kaput? Or maybe you’re just looking to feel a little more prepared for whatever. Well, what do you want to have ready, and how do you carry it?

I’ve spent many years in places where having a “go-bag” packed was a standard operating procedure for every team member. And while in those particular places my go-bag did normally consist of a lot more things that go “Boom,” the principle is the same everywhere – Light is right, be versatile, and expect the worse. My GR0 is a perfect fit. 

What’s in the go-bag: 

MWR (Morale, Welfare, and Recreation) - 

• •    Books – You think books aren’t worth their weight? Those two pounds of paper will keep you sane when there’s nothing to entertain you other than watching your water supply dwindle. Paper is also great as tinder. (No, not that internet site many of you use.)
  • o    Take a classic – Orwell is one of my favorites. Classics will likely be more universally in-demand, and you may get lucky and start your own post-apocalyptic book exchange.
  • o    Carry a survival guide – there’s a slight chance even the prehistoric wisdom from this ancient 2002 Army Field Manual may be able to save your life. Bottom line – No one can remember everything, especially things like which plants are edible and which will make you go all Into the Wild.
• •    Whiskey – Like I even need to offer reasons; but a few of its uses are as a disinfectant, as an accelerant (start a fire) if you’re not a cheapo, and… it’ll get ya drunk. I mean, the world might be over… Think about it.

Food and Water - 

• •    Water bottle – Normally you can never have too much H2O, but this is a go-bag, so don’t go loading yourself down with a 5-gallon watercan. Nalgenes are great because they’re tough, and you can (carefully) purify water through boiling in them – a task that’s significantly trickier in a water bladder.  
• •    Snacks – What you choose for food is isn’t complicated. You’re not meant to make a Happy Meal with what’s inside. Whatever it is it needs to offer energy, be easy to eat on the go, and have a very long expiration date.  
• •    Canteen Cup – The one pictured is great b/c it fits around my Nalgene for better storage in the bag. Easy purification can be done in this, and you’ll want something to cook that roadkill squirrel you found for dinner. Ask the Cadre who’ve been to SERE School at Camp Mackall, they’ll back me up on that one. It’s good, really. Just be hungry enough. 

​

Medical –

• •    Big tools and complex gadgets are great, but if you get hurt, the only thing that will matter is how well you can treat yourself and your wounds. Everything else comes second to that. (Well, other than security – Priorities of work, people!)   
  • o    Mil-issue blowout kit – This is what we carry on our kit while deployed in combat zones. They’re tried and proven. Variations and modifications are always happening, but standard components include at least one tourniquet, various types/sizes of gauzes, an NPA, a splint, and tape. 
  • o    Trauma sheers – Far better and tougher than standard scissors. And they’re not pointed at the end; that way when you’re in the process of fixing your first boo-boo and you panic, you don’t also stab yourself. It’s a vicious cycle.  
  • o    Waterproof Tape – This tape will hold to your wounds and keep them cleaner than normal tape.  
  • o    Gorilla Glue – Bandaids tend to suck, especially when you’re wet and dirty and run out of waterproof tape. If you get that wound to stop bleeding but you can’t stitch it up, this glue will do the trick for you. Probably leaving you with a kickass scar too. Bonus!

Tools and Hardware – 

• •    Folding knife – This may be your go-to in many instances. It’s a tool and a weapon, and it may be the first thing you can get a hold of. Keep it close and keep it sharp. Save your blade for only when you need it. 
• •    Rigid knife – An axe or hatchet is a good alternative, but there are pros and cons both ways. Bottom line is you need a major, heavy-duty cutting tool that can act as a modified knife or axe as needed for tackling those tasks your folding knife isn’t up to. 
• •    Multi-tool / Leatherman – Like your folding knife, keep it on your belt or in your pocket. It’s worth its weight in gold. 
• •    Bike tool – This is a great compact tool that offers the versatility of a hex set, screwdrivers, and a number of socket wrenches all in one. If you don’t have one, hit a bicyclist with your car and take theirs. Or, I guess, buy one at Walmart. 
• •    Bungees and flex ties – Use these to secure excess gear to your bag or your person, use them for building shelter, rigging traps for passive hunting, or tying up the weakest link in your group as a necessary sacrifice… They’re uses are limited to your imagination. 
• •    Electrical tape – Offers better contact and adhesion than hundred-mile-an-hour tape, and it’s significantly more compact. There are a million and one uses for electrical tape, but it will probably make its money helping you repair your gear.

Signaling and Fires – 

• •    Flashlight – Get a heavy-duty brand that can take a beating and has a strong LED output. When you drop your matches in a cold, pitch-black room, you’ll thank me for having the flashlight to find them.  
• •    Matches – There’s a million great fire-starting kits and tools out there. Matches are a staple that you will want to keep dry and have as a backup.
• •    Lighter – I’m sure in your nomadic travels you’ll become a master of primitive fire-starting techniques, but until then spend 99 cents and buy yourself a Bic. Cody Lundin you are not. 
• •    Chemlights – They can be used as distress signals, (but hopefully you’re not too distressed and you don’t need them), or more likely, use them as illumination and save your batteries for when you need them.  

Things you wear – 

• •    Gloves – Keep your mitts safe. Other than your legs, crippled hands will ruin your day like few other things. 
• •    Compass and GPS – Rule #2 applies in a crisis more than ever. Yes, batteries and satellites go down, but use them while you have them. The wrist compass will give you a good shot at orienting yourself and at least tell you which way to go to get the hell out of Dodge.  
• •    Neck gator – It will keep you warm, it can act as a hasty bandage/tourniquet, and it can conceal your identity when you steal that old lady’s last marble rye because you’re so damn hungry. “Gimme the rye, you old bag!”
• •    Dry Bag – I know, I know – you don’t wear this. But line your go-bag (GR0) with this, keeping anything that can spoil, tarnish, or rust safe from the elements. You’re on your own, for how long, who knows? You better take care of what you have. 

I know this list is incomplete and not an end-all-be-all for go-bags or hasty survival. Everything on this list is stuff I have around the house. If I’d tapped the gear I keep in my Team Room, the list would be a bit different. But the key point is that it would only be mildly different. The things in this go-bag serve to cover the basics. The rule in go-bags is to plan and to try to be as universally prepared for as much as you can be while still be able to “Go.” Trust me, if you’ve fallen back on your go-bag for survival, you’re not in the preferred situation. But you are hell-and-gone better off than being without it.   

This post is guest authored by GORUCK Cadre Bert.    

     GORUCK Selection is really a hydration contest with exercise scenery and Special Forces Cadre included. The goal leading up to Selection is to maximize your training and calorie intake in order to enhance your performance without pushing your system over the edge and exceeding your stomach’s capacity to absorb nutrients.  All too often at Selection we see Candidates go into a caloric deficit as well as become dehydrated.  The result the majority of the time is the tendencies to overcompensate and drink too much water during the events, which almost always leads to vomiting, further dehydration, cramping, med drop from Selection, and in some worst case scenarios….Rhabdomylosis (aka Rhabdo). Rhabdomylosis, which literally means “dissolution of skeletal muscle,” is a serious syndrome due to a direct or indirect muscle injury resulting from a breakdown of muscle fibers and the subsequent release of their contents into the bloodstream. This can lead to complications such as kidney (renal) failure,  when the kidneys cannot remove waste and concentrated urine. In rare cases, rhabdomyolysis can even cause death.   However, prompt treatment often brings a good outcome.  The key to avoid these catastrophic crashes is to train your body to operate on minimal food and minimal sleep, while at the same time staying hydrated prior to arriving at GORUCK Selection.

     This can be tricky, and it needs to be practiced in training before you arrive at Selection.  At one point or another during Selection, every Candidate’s weak link will be his or her stomach. If you can maximize your nutritional fueling and hydration in your train-up for Selection, it will give your body the best chance possible to power through events when your mind quits on you and Cadre Tyler is whispering sweet nothings in your ear.

     The two classic mistakes we continue to see at Selection results from not preparing the body early enough when it comes to food and water. You must be hydrating properly in the days leading up to the event. And you must be taking in enough calories the day prior to the event. This does not mean having a few beers and a cheeseburger a few hours before showing up at the start point. You need to eat well and eat right in the 28 hours leading up to Selection. If this means packing your meals for a cross-country flight or drive, then do it.  Finally, pay attention to the need for salt or sodium.

     Even a two percent loss of water through sweat during exercise will result in a decrease in performance and an increase in effort. By the time you experience a six percent loss, dehydration has set in and it becomes very difficult if not impossible to come back from this state. Studies have shown that athletes slow down in their performance approximately two percent for every one percent loss of body weight. If you weigh 170 pounds and lose three and a half pounds (approximately two percent of your body weight), you would slow by four percent. If you were rucking an average 15-minute mile, you’d add 36 seconds to every mile! And it would seem a lot harder. It is important that your intake of fluids match your sweat losses. Start early and don’t get behind. The Cadre at GORUCK Selection, just as they do at Special Forces Assessment & Selection (SFAS), will ensure you have access to water throughout the entire event.  At GORUCK Selection the Cadre will also give you access to sodium and/or electrolyte tablets (when needed at their discretion).

     Electrolytes, especially sodium or salt, become more crucial in ultra-endurance events such as GORUCK Selection and GORUCK Heavy. Longer events mean the effects of sweat loss and the ensuing dehydration become cumulative.  As the heat, duration, and intensity of an event increase, sodium loss can become critically high.  Sweating leaves the blood thicker, which makes the heart pump harder sending your pulse rate sky high. But trying to rehydrate by drinking water alone can result in hyponatremia—diluting the blood sodium level to the point that you become confused, disoriented, and faint, and eventually quit or get med-dropped by the Cadre. The need for salt can vary according to the weather and the athlete’s sweat rate, so be sure to bring electrolytes and salt tablets as well as some salty snacks that are preferably high in carbohydrates. Start early and don’t get behind.

     Get comfortable with what your stomach can and cannot tolerate on training rucks and runs so that you stay ahead of the fueling and hydration game. Have a plan, but be prepared to be flexible. Really flexible.  The biggest reasons for attrition at GORUCK Selection are not showing up prepared, mentally shutting down and quitting, dehydration and cramping, and foot care issues.  As far as food and nutrition is concerned, prepare for everything, but expect to get nothing.  At SFAS, Candidates start the first week getting two to three meals a day with several hours of sleep a night. The second week, both meals and sleep are reduced, and by the third week you are down to one MRE every 24 hours and sleep is a huge bonus if you get any at all.  At GORUCK Selection, you are starting at what amounts to week three at SFAS, no food, no sleep, PT, rucking, PT, running, PT, rucking, PT, running, and more PT.   To steal a page from Cadre Dan’s book and add my 18D* spin to it, “DFQ-DW” – “Don’t F*cking Quit Drinking Water!!! 

And remember…

You’ll Pass Out Before You Die!

*Editor’s Note: Bert is not a medical doctor, so take that under advisement, and please spare our legal team. That being said, he is a former Special Forces Medic (aka 18D), so he knows what he’s talking about.

If you’re looking for gear to use during Selection or Selection training that will help keep you hydrated, check out:

·      Standard Hydration Bladder

·      ITW Web Dominators

·      GORUCK Logo Nalgene

At GORUCK we all share a common mantra, “being out rucking is far better than the feeling you get from sitting around wishing you were out rucking.”  Team GORUCK always has been and always will be about getting out there and crushing it, both at GORUCK events as well as other endurance and fitness events.

Tyler and I recently joined some of the GORUCK Nation’s finest in Las Vegas, Nevada for the Reebok Spartan Super Race.

Throughout the roughly nine mile course there was no shortage of GORUCK’er or GRT (GORUCK TOUGH) participants at the race, with some of them running the course in GORUCK fashion with their rucks on.  Several teams were even carrying 50+ lb. rucks, taking turns carrying the rucks on the various obstacles. 

Beside getting out and staying active, one of the things we try and practice as well as preach at GORUCK is humility. Tyler and I were called out several times by a few of the one hundred or so GORUCK’ers on the Spartan Super course for NOT having rucks on.  It goes without saying that the next time we participate in an endurance event, we WILL be wearing our rucks. 

By far and away, the best part about GORUCK and the GORUCK Nation is the people, and you’ll find us everywhere.  So get out there and get active and don’t be apprehensive about asking someone at Team GORUCK to join you.

Head up, heart open, keeping moving forward, and….ruck on!!!