If Navy SEALs jumped into an open challenge with bodybuilders in terms of raw strength, who would win? Let’s try to estimate through a fact-based analysis. 

On March 7, 2024, American fitness influencer and YouTuber Jesse James West posted a video on his YouTube channel. Its title left no doubts about what it would feature. It read, “US NAVY SEALS VS BODYBUILDERS (Who's Stronger?).”

In the video, James, along with 5 bodybuilders, challenged a group of former Navy SEAL officers across 6 sections. For each event, the winning team received a set number of points.

The whole challenge was quite demanding, and both groups gave each other neck-and-neck competition. Now, let's see what the challenges were:

Deadlift challenge 

The simple rule of this challenge was to lift the weight as the number of plates increased. It started at 135 lbs and went up to 545 lbs.

But the turning point came when the bar reached 545lbs; the Navy officer, Ian Schinelli, failed to lift it. However, Trey from team bodubuilders successfully lifted the bar, earning 1 point.

Boat Carry 

In this challenge, two members from each group had to carry a 100lb boat to a cone and back as quickly as possible. This challenge fell under the familiar territory for SEALs. The former Navy SEAL Captain, Ray “Cash” Care, said, “We live and breathe this. We’ve done this a thousand times.”

And the same thing happened: former SEAL members William Branum and Jeff Gum took the boat to the finish line before their competitors and earned 2 points.

Arm Wrestling

The next challenge was Arm wrestling. This event tested competitors' upper-body strength. The whole competition was covered in three categories:

• Lightweight 
• Middleweight 
• Heavyweight 

Despite the bodybuilders' best efforts, the SEAL team earned 3 points after winning 2 rounds of the challenge.

Bench Press

The bench press challenge was performed in 3 rounds, with the team bodybuilder completing 75 reps. On the other hand, the Navy team officer completed only 42 reps, making the bodybuilder the winner of the challenge and earning 3 points.

Shallow Water Grappling or Water Wrestling

West himself jumped in for this challenge against Navy SEAL officer Mitch Aguiar. But he failed to match Aguiar's skills, which came from his free-hand combat training exercises.

So, the result was obvious, and that is how the contest ended. Aguiar outclassed West without much effort and won the challenge, earning another point for his team. 

Tug of War

The last event of the challenge was Tug of War, and team bodybuilders received a harsh reality check when their opponents, team Navy SEALs, won the event and pocketed 3 more points. 

Ultimately, the Navy SEALs dominated the challenge with a total of 9 points, while the team bodybuilders could manage only 4 points.

This shows the key difference between the two groups: the bodybuilders shine at maximum gym strength. While the Navy team dominates in endurance, functional strength, and teamwork.

After their win, the captain of team Navy SEALs summed up the difference between the two groups with a few words. He said, “We don’t lift weights to look good, we train to win."

So, a Navy SEAL can be a formidable opponent even when disarmed. 

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Written by

Supradeep Dutta

Edited by

Souvik Roy