Published Jul 9, 2026, 11:07 AM EDT
The PST is challenging at first, with early attempts often resulting in failure or even “do not finish” scores.
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Published Jul 9, 2026, 11:07 AM EDT
The cardio events of the Navy Physical Screening Test for special operations are bookend events that challenge conditioning, training and pacing strategy, especially if you are more of a strength athlete and new to fast endurance training. Here is a question from a powerlifter who is starting to progress and getting faster in both the run and the swim of the PST but cannot put them both together. Stew, I have been preparing for the Navy PST. Both running and swimming are my issues. I have improved significantly in the run, but when I do the entire PST: swim, pushups, situps, pullups, and 1.5-mile run, my run and swim are still very slow. Much slower than when I do them separately. What is happening? Thanks, Navy recruit. It is smart to prepare for this test, as it is the “entrance exam” for many Navy jobs, such as SEAL, special warfare combat crewman (SWCC), explosive ordnance disposal/diver, air rescue and special ops independent duty corpsman (SOIDC). It takes time to see improvement if you are new to cardio workouts such as swimming and running. My first piece of advice is to be patient, as the training will build the conditioning you need over time if you are consistent with your training program. But you need to consider pacing and fueling strategies to see real improvements in these events. The technique of how you swim is even more important than pacing and fueling.
