How This Former Navy SEAL Stays Mission-Ready Year-Round

Navy SEALs are known to be some of the toughest guys and girls on the planet. They’re trained physically and mentally to take on just about anything, from holding their breath underwater for two minutes (or more) to running four miles in boots—and that’s just the tip of the iceberg. After their final mission, many crave the mental and physical reset that comes with retirement: more time with family, weekends on the golf course, and some well-earned rest.

But not every SEAL dials it back. Veteran Ian Schinelli traded in his dive suit for a weighted vest and now trains alongside CrossFit Games athletes, chasing the same intensity and competition he thrived on during active duty. With year-round swimming and high-volume workouts that mimic the physical demands of service, he’s not just staying fit—he’s staying mission-ready, even if the mission looks a little different these days.

"The gym that I go to has a lot of CrossFit Games athletes, people that have won the CrossFit Games, competed at the CrossFit Games," he says. "So there's still a little bit of high intensity for the most part and kind of getting that same fix like I did in the SEAL teams, where you're always competing with other people." 

Later this August, Schinelli will take on the Navy SEAL Foundation’s NYC SEAL Swim, an annual high-stakes event that begins at the Empty Sky Memorial in Liberty State Park, New Jersey, and ends at the World Trade Center in Manhattan. Along the way, participants crank out hundreds of pushups and multiple rounds of pullups, pushing their physical and mental limits in true SEAL fashion. 

Related: The Navy SEALs' Secret to Enhancing Mental Toughness in Everyday Life

While many athletes ramp up their training specifically for the swim, Schinelli takes a different approach—he stays mission-ready year-round. 

"As far as swimming specifically for something like this, I pretty much swim year-round," he says. "I might take off a few weeks here and there just because of kind of where we're at in life, but for the most part, I swim twice a week. Every week, usually Thursdays and Sundays, which is kind of my normal routine, and so that allows me to kind of maintain the ability to kind of just get back into the SEAL swim and do it."

Still, in the weeks leading up to the SEAL Swim, Schinelli might tack on an extra swim or two—not because he has to, but because he wants to show up in top form. It's less about last-minute prep and more about sharpening the blade.

"I may start to swim a little bit longer," he adds. "I do a lot of sprint stuff in the pool, short distance, a lot of volume, and then I have a slower day that I will do a longer distance for the SEAL swim. I may swim a little bit further on my lengths, not as much volume, but it's not something that I have to constantly come back to every year and prepare for it."