Royal Navy Training: Recruits Push Themselves to the Limit for Increased Fitness and Resilience

“Make ’em cry,” an instructor says to his colleagues before leading a class of around 25 recruits through the infamous stretcher run.Recruits at HMS Raleigh doing the stretcher run.

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He may be joking but the grueling physical test where recruits repeatedly run up and down hills while carrying a 110-pound dummy on a stretcher does indeed lead one to tears — and two others to vomit.

Welcome to HMS Raleigh, the Royal Navy’s base in Cornwall, England, where sailor recruits spend their first 10 weeks of what is known as phase one training before they specialize.

I was granted rare behind-the-scenes access on a cold, sunny January day to witness the physical part of basic training, which is as much about “militarization” as fitness.

Physical training like the stretcher run is a big part of turning “civvies,” or civilians, some as young as 16, into sailors fit to serve in one of the most powerful navies in the world.The stretcher run is one of the most challenging tests of basic training.

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The grueling physical tests and shouting — just like you see in the movies — are designed to make them physically and mentally resilient at a time when Russia has threatened the West with retaliation over its support for Ukraine. But the armed forces are struggling to recruit members, likely not helped by a spate of sexual misconduct allegations in recent years.

Despite the development of autonomous technology, people are still central to keeping the Navy running. 

HMS Raleigh is bleak even on a sunny day.Recruits marching around HMS Raleigh.

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When I first enter HMS Raleigh, I’m met with the odd sight of recruits, some in lines, some on their own, marching around the grounds. I later learn they have to march everywhere so they always look sharp and walk with purpose, which is part of militarization. 

HMS Raleigh is quite uninspiring and the buildings have the feel of a run-down college campus.The view from the grounds of HMS Raleigh.

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They contrast with the beauty of the views over the nearby countryside hills and the sunshine sparkling on the River Tamar, which the base overlooks. I wonder if the unglamorous architecture helps toughen up and militarize recruits.

A new class of roughly 25 to 35 recruits arrives each week.The recruits learn how to do rope climbs.

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They have all passed a fitness test involving a 2.4 kilometer run, with the time limit varying depending on your age and gender. For men and boys aged 15 to 24, like those I would meet, the cap is 12 minutes and 16 seconds. For women of the same age, it’s 14 minutes and 29 seconds.

While this may not be too strenuous for some, it’s a mistake to think you don’t need to work on your fitness before joining, recruits tell me.Ethan Palmer, Matthew Hossle, and Craig Cheyne talk to chief petty officer Danielle Setterfield.

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“Get your fitness up before you join, don’t think you can join and it’ll make you fit,” 21-year-old Craig Cheyne from Dundee, Scotland, tells me. Cheyne is in week eight of his initial training and worked at a grocery store before joining.

Fitness sessions are designed to build discipline and robustness.Burpees feature heavily in IMF.

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The physical portion of phase one training is called initial military fitness, but it’s as much about building a military mindset as physical strength. There are five sessions of up to 90 minutes most weeks, weaved in around the recruits’ other training. 

That military mindset is centered around the Royal Navy’s key values.The parade ground at HMS Raleigh.

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They are emblazoned on everything from the gym walls to the side of the parade ground at Raleigh: commitment, courage, discipline, respect, integrity, and loyalty.

IMF was introduced in 2010 following what is known as the Cornwall Incident. In 2007, a seaboat of the Royal Navy ship HMS Cornwall was captured by Iranian forces in the Arabian Gulf, and 15 of their sailors and marines were held hostage for several weeks.IMF sessions are up to 90 minutes long.

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A report following the incident prompted the Navy to increase the number of physical trainers by 20% and introduce IMF, which was adapted from the Swedish physical training system used by the Royal Marines, to raise levels of fitness, robustness, and discipline.

The 90-minute session I witness is unlike any normal workout.Recruits doing push-ups in IMF.

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Recruits in uniform camo trousers, sneakers, and perfectly ironed T-shirts stand in formation in a large sports hall, moving in sync to orders barked by one of the physical trainers.

By week eight they have learned that if there isn’t a neat crease ironed into the shoulders, they will be forced to do burpees or push-ups as punishment. They all look very young but focused and determined, and five out of the 35 trainees in the class are women.

The PTs set the standard for discipline and pride in their appearance, and are known in the Navy for always looking immaculate.The PTs are known for looking immaculate from head to toe.

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Each PT has their socks folded over to hit two inches above the ankle, their white Reebok sneakers are spotless, and of course, their shorts and tops perfectly ironed. 

When not teaching, staff look smart and stylish in bomber jackets and navy trousers.Anthony Carley and Danielle Setterfield

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Chief petty officer Danielle Setterfield has her hair slicked back in a neat, donut bun, while the men’s hair is kept short.

“Max effort all the way through,” PT Anthony Carley shouts from his dias, a large box at one end of the gym.The beginning of an IMF session.

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“Yes, staff,” the recruits shout back while standing with their shoulders back, chests up, and hands by their sides.

“Down, up, down, up,” the PT shouts, as  the recruits move to his orders.Recruits performing sit-ups at HMS Raleigh.

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They perform paused reps of push-ups, sit-ups, and squats to Carley’s commands, then 10 as fast as they can. They jump up and stamp their feet with purpose upon landing. The sit-up portion of the session is long, with recruits performing seemingly endless reps with different arm positions.

The recruits also do two 500-meter sprints, circuits, and rope climbs, and as it drags on many of their faces turn from determined to exhausted.Recruits learn rope climbs in IMF.

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Even though some struggle more than others, it’s incredibly impressive.

The three PTs in charge of the session stop and correct recruits if they get sloppy on a movement, but offer encouragement too.

As 16-year-old Melissa Bromley completes the second sprint, Carley approaches her — not to berate her for being the last to finish, but to tell her she did it 10 seconds faster than her previous attempt.Melissa Bromley during an IMF session.

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“They say they break you and then they make you,” Bromley tells me afterwards. “It’s very mentally as well as physically challenging, but I have become so much stronger mentally and physically just being here. I’ve really pushed myself and I’m really proud of myself for getting this far.”

Although some of the men in her class are bigger, older, and trained more before joining, Bromley says they all support the women.Melissa Bromley is one of a few 16-year-old girls in her intake.

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“Being female, quite petite, and 16, you feel like you’ve got something extra to prove,” she says. “You’re like, ‘Right, I’m gonna do this. I’m going to show that it’s not just about big, six-foot-tall buff men, that small girls can do it too.'”

Sailors have to learn to follow orders and respond to commands.Kit is regularly expected which means daily boot polishing.

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Whether male or female, 16 or 36, all recruits have to get used to what’s called “command response,” or being able to react to and follow orders — a key part of militarization which is practiced through IMF.

The aim is to instill discipline and stop recruits fidgeting so they can mentally respond even when physically fatigued, warrant officer Paul Todd, who is in charge of physical training policy at HMS Raleigh, tells me.Recruits at HMS Raleigh are taught discipline and command response.

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“If we can get people to respond to commands in this controlled, safe environment, when things go south at sea, if there is a flood or a fire, and when you’ve got some big, angry, shouting chief screaming at you, you need to be able to respond directly,” he says. “So a huge part of the command response comes from instilling this in the early stages.”

This means ignoring sweat dripping into your eyes and only taking a water break at certain times, or risk facing a physical punishment like push-ups or burpees.Recruits Tom Sharp, Molly Tallis, Joe Smith, and Ryan Kelly.

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“You just get bollocked the entire time,” 19-year-old Ryan Kelly from Birmingham says, using UK slang for severe reprimanding.

An upside is the recruits get very good at challenging moves such as burpees and push-ups in their first few weeks, and it soon becomes second nature.Push-ups are a regular punishment.

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“Before, I don’t think I could do 10 push-ups, now I could smash out 50 easily,” Louis Hossle, 17, from Gloucester, tells me. 

While IMF may not have the primary focus of building physically fit sailors, the recruits say they are the fittest they’ve ever been — but the sessions never get easier because PTs make them more challenging.IMF sessions encompass many aspects of fitness.

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Many of the recruits say they lost weight during training, despite eating at least four meals featuring potatoes, chicken, or pork a day — even if they leave much to be desired.

“The food’s crap, you force it down, but it’s giving you the energy,” says 18-year-old Molly Tallis, who said she lost 22 pounds in seven weeks at Raleigh. 

The stretcher run is one of the most dreaded parts of basic training.Recruits perform a stretcher run at HMS Raleigh.

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By week nine it’s time for the stretcher run: a three-mile run up and down hills while carrying 110-pound dummies on stretchers and stopping for extra drills such as burpees, commando crawls, and casualty drags to add extra fatigue, stress, and pressure. 

The exercise usually lasts about 60-75 minutes, and it’s expected that many will vomit because of the intensity of the run, recruits tell me.Recruits ready to begin the stretcher run at HMS Raleigh.

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The fear and nervousness on some of their faces is clear as they stand in the cold waiting to start.

“Maximum fucking effort,” PT Kieran Molloy shouts in the pep talk. “This is not a fun thing.”PT Kieran Molloy leading the stretcher run.

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Each recruit has to do their share of running with the stretcher, and the women are advised to get their time in early because they generally tire quicker.

It’s a cold day, and the views across the misty countryside and sounds of both the Royal Marines band playing and gunshots from recruits doing shooting practice provide an atmospheric setting.Recruits warm up on the grounds overlooking the hills.

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As the recruits complete their warm-up of high-knees, burpees, planks, and sprints on the frosty grass, one is shouted at for having some of their water. They all have to keep jogging on the spot when waiting for the next instructions, and anyone who messes up gets punished with more burpees.

“Start putting effort in now, it’s not a bimble,” Molloy shouts.Recruits run with a 110-pound dummy on a stretcher.

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As the recruits set off, with four people carrying each of the two stretchers, they are told to treat it like a real-life situation, imagining one of their friends is a casualty bleeding on the stretcher.

They raise their hands when they want to swap out as a signal for one of their teammates running behind to come and relieve them of their duty…Some struggle more than others on the stretcher run.

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…but sometimes there is no one to take over as the run goes on and some recruits start to fall behind.

One woman leaves the run in tears and hobbles back to the gym with an injury.One of the recruits had to leave the run.

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Later, two vomit.

But they complete the exercise.The stretcher run is a huge physical test for recruits.

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The stretcher run is designed to prepare recruits for future work in arduous environments where they will be under great amounts of stress, Setterfield tells me.

17-year-old Hannah Teale tells me it was by far the hardest thing she’s done during training.Hannah Teale after completing the stretcher run.

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Did she find the shouting from the PTs motivating?

“No, I normally work better off praise,” Teale says. “When someone encourages me, that’s when I work hard, but obviously the shouting is only because they want you to reach your true potential.”

Despite the physical and emotional intensity, every recruit says they’ve become more confident and mentally resilient throughout the process.The physical tests at HMS Raleigh are taxing.

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“It’s like being chucked in the deep end and you can either tread water or you can drown,” Bromley says. “And people that have drowned have left.”

You’ve got to keep treading water and push past thinking you want to go home until you get to the point where it isn’t as bad as you first thought, she says. 

“I’m here for a reason, and that reason is my career,” Bromley says. “That’s the be all and end all of it. This is for my own life. It’s not for anyone else.”