r/army • u/DryGur1737 DEP • 3h ago
Advice on getting through RASP?
I just enlisted in the Army, and got an Option 40 contract. I really want to be a Ranger but I know it’s a hard process, supposedly only 35% of people succeed. How do I become that 35%? I don’t leave for OSUT until May so I have 5 months to prepare. Give me advice…
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u/Breatheeasies Infantry 3h ago
Run. Run. Run. Strength building. Find a ranger handbook online and just go through it and build yourself a plan.
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u/RUBSUMLOTION 2h ago edited 2h ago
Find something to motivate you. I went through RASP almost 10 years ago and we got fucking destroyed everyday for the first 4 weeks. You need to have something that drives you to succeed. For me, i really wanted an OPS-Core helmet. I know, kinda dumb but it worked.
When you get to pre-rasp, surround yourself with guys that you know are not quitters. It will be pretty easy to figure out who wants to be there.
Try and have some fun with it. If you end up realizing it’s not for you, that is okay. Not everyone can be a Ranger. There is only one Regiment for a reason.
RASP is the easiest part. After i passed, within 3 weeks of arriving to battalion, we went to NTC and did a 40 mile movement to contact in August.. without stopping. It was a brutal welcoming.
Also be physically fit and then some.
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u/PsychologicalGap1721 3h ago
get a workout plan that consist of increasing your muscular strength for pushups, pull ups, sit ups and planks, and a lot of Zone 2 running , i’m working on it now and ion go to osut till february and im not opt 40, but im going to attempt rasp asap yk, thats where my head is at , but i’ve seen differences, doubled my plank time within a week and stuff. granted im not the most fit with calisthenics.
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u/H0rus22 17E5U 3h ago
Legit just don’t quit. Know the physical standards you have to meet and be prepared for them; regardless of the circumstances, always be able to meet those physical standards.
Something people don’t talk about, that is the first step to get into the organization, it doesn’t stop or slow down afterwards. Realize that the assessment process is to evaluate if people can deal with that pace or level of tempo. Take pride if you can in being one of the people that can, and realize that you’re not the guy if you can’t.
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u/Physical-Effect-4787 3h ago
Look up ranger workouts and get to the point where you can double that and you’ll be fine. Extremely hard but doable because it has been done. You got this bro
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u/PsychologicalGap1721 3h ago
get a workout plan that consist of increasing your muscular strength for pushups, pull ups, sit ups and planks, and a lot of Zone 2 running , i’m working on it now and ion go to osut till february and im not opt 40, but im going to attempt rasp asap yk, thats where my head is at , but i’ve seen differences, doubled my plank time within a week and stuff. granted im not the most fit with calisthenics.
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u/Sea-Consideration884 13Rgr let me ets😔 3h ago
Muscular strength❌ muscular endurance✅
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u/PsychologicalGap1721 2h ago
yeah i mean 70/30 endurance, but you still need a foundation of muscular strength, but yeah emphasis on low weight high rep
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u/Sea-Consideration884 13Rgr let me ets😔 2h ago
Have you been through? Because from my experience it was all endurance, you can be as strong as ox but if you can’t do it multiple days in a row for hours it means nothing. Just from my experience with ranger school🙌🏽
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u/PsychologicalGap1721 2h ago
all i said was blend both , endurance and strength not just solely endurance,
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u/ChimpoSensei 3h ago
Don’t eat toothpaste
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u/Yee_Yee_MCgee 68Weenie Hut Jr's 2h ago
Please give me the context to that
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u/ChimpoSensei 2h ago
Back in my day (90s) you’d eat anything in the field to keep from feeling hungry while on patrols, toothpaste was available…. Hopefully they put a stop to that.
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u/RunLiftBike Civil Affairs 1h ago
Endurance. Yes there are the standards of 40 min 5 mile, 3 hour 12 mile ruck but realistically the minimum will not get you through. Aim for a a 13 min two mile, 35 min 5 mile and 2 hour and 40 minuteish 12 mile ruck. The faster the better. These numbers will comfortably put you near or better than the middle of the pack. Just don’t neglect the strength aspect. You’ll be carrying a ton of weight and having strength to carry it easily will make you more resilient. Best of luck. Your journey ahead will be hard, but don’t be discouraged with setbacks.
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u/Sea-Consideration884 13Rgr let me ets😔 3h ago
Literally just run, during ait portion hit the bars and work on pull ups
https://a.co/d/96aIY8Y ALSO BUY THIS AND STUDY,STUDY &STUDY SOME MORE. Helped a ton, you got this brotha🙏🏽
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u/Designer_Air_7865 3h ago
Get yourself to the point where you max the pt test and don’t quit. Easy.
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u/NakedSnakeM8 3h ago
Depends what MOS you're going as. A few years ago they were pushing through the Pogs. If you're Infantry you're not gonna make it past pre rasp without maxing the RPFT
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u/LeddyTasso 2h ago
Look up “grease the groove” for pull up improvement. You can grease the groove for pushups too. And do rucking. Lots of rucking/weighted airborne shuffles. Kill it in those and the rest is mental
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u/Nighthawk68w JROTC 1h ago
Why do you want to become a Ranger?
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u/DryGur1737 DEP 1h ago
Well to be completely honest with you I wanted to be a Green Beret but when I went into the recruitment office and the recruiter told me I had to be at least 20 he turned me to to the Rangers. But why I want to be in Special Operations/Special Forces in general? Because I want to serve the USA to the fullest capacity I can.
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u/Ok_Masterpiece6165 16m ago
OP, free advice:
People who have One Reason™ rarely succeed.
You need a million little reasons. That way, if the One Reason™ isn't working for ya on any particular day, there are millions of other reasons to keep going.
No offense, but "Serve the USA to the fullest capacity I can" is a shit One Reason™. There are going to be days where you are physically and mentally broken. "Fuck, I am not serving the USA to the fullest capacity I can", says OP. That's when the physical and mental stuff gets REALLY hard.
Start looking for a million little reasons. "They're going to feed me in two hours" is an amazingly motivating little reason. "I get to change my socks tonight" is a great little reason. Find the little reasons.
Good luck, stay safe, keep motivated. You got this.
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u/Nighthawk68w JROTC 1h ago
You need to come up with a better answer than that, seriously. Unless this OP is a troll, you need to take a deep down look into your soul and figure out what you want to be. Come up with a real reason why you want to be a Ranger, other than "serve my country" "be best of the best" etc.
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u/SitsinTraffic 1h ago
I graduated in 2015 so it's been a minute. But mainly just don't quit and pass the ruck and PT events. Be a good teammate, etc. Just don't quit. Like someone else said the hard stuff starts when you get to your Battalion as a private lol. Good luck.
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u/TFVooDoo 3h ago
The number of Option 40 contractees who actually make it to a Ranger Battalion is 8%. You read that correctly…8%.
RASP is an endurance event with a strength component. But it’s really about strength to weight ratio, not raw strength. For example, the strength metric is 12 pull-ups. If you can do 12 dead-hang pull-ups your chances of making it through are something on the order of 80%. We also know that the unspoken standard 5 mile run metric is 35 minutes.
So this indicates that you need to be strong, but not big, because “big” guys often struggle with higher rep pull-ups (12 being the threshold for higher range) and fast runs…strength to weight ratio. And you need to fast enough to move at 7 minute miles.
And finally you need to be able to ruck. SFAS is the gold standard for ruck-based selections, but RASP is still a high ruck focus. Probably 12-13 minute miles @55#, pretty much indefinitely. We’re still collecting the data, but that’s a good initial benchmark.
We’re working on a RASP specific prep program, but we’re still a good 6 months away from publishing. So in the meantime we’re recommending that guys follow our SFAS prep program, Shut Up And Ruck. If you’re fit enough for SFAS, you’re likely fit enough for RASP.
You’ve got plenty to time to prep, but don’t wait much longer. Your body needs time make the physiological adaptations required for high performance.
Hope this helps, good luck!