Challenge Yourself with the MARSOC Short Card and Long Card

Ever hear of MARSOC and their famous MARSOC short card workout? United States Marine Corps Forces Special Operations Command (MARSOC) is the Marines component of the Joint SOC. They’re basically the baddest of the bad in the Marine Corps fraternity, formed straight from the Recon Marines. See if you can keep up with their awesome workouts.

The MARSOC Short Card (sometimes: Recon Short Card)

  1. 30 Push-ups
  2. 30 Air squats
  3. 30 Crunches
  4. 10 Burpees
  5. 10 Windmills
  6. 30 Push-ups
  7. 30 Mountain climbers
  8. 30 Flutter kicks
  9. 10 Burpees
  10. 10 Cherry pickers (4-count)
  11. 30 Push-ups
  12. 30 Star jumpers (or jumping jacks)
  13. 30 Back Extensions (“supermans”)
  14. 10 Burpees
  15. 10 Chain breakers
  16. 30 Push-ups
  17. 30 Lunges
  18. 30 Hello dollies
  19. 10 Burpees
  20. 10 Trunk twists
  21. 3 Max sets of dead-hang pull-ups or flexed-arm hangs
There's always time for fitness
There’s always time for fitness

Recon Long Card

  1. Side Straddle Hops 30-4
  2. Half Jacks 30-4
  3. Trunk Rotations 10-4
  4. Wind Mills 10-4
  5. Push Ups 50-2
  6. Chest Press Flings 15-4
  7. Dive Bombers 20-2
  8. Boat House Boogie 15-4
  9. Wind Mills 10-4
  10. Tricep Push Ups 25-2
  11. Up Back and Over 10-4
  12. Cherry Pickers 15-4
  13. Push Ups 50-2
  14. Bend Fore Aft 10-4
  15. Sit Ups 200-2
  16. Trunk Rotations 10-4
  17. Push Ups 50-2
  18. Leg Lifts 30-2
  19. Half Sit Ups 50-2
  20. Sun Gods 10-4
  21. Quad Stretch 1 min
  22. 8 Count B Builders 50
  23. V-Ups 20-2
  24. Lunges 20-4
  25. Trunk Rotations 10-4
  26. Flutter Kicks 300-4
  27. Hello Dollies 100-4
  28. Bend Fore Aft 10-4
  29. Push Ups 50-2
  30. Press Chest Flings 15-4UDT Flutter Kicks 50-2
  31. Crunches 50-2
  32. Inboard/Outboard 10-4
  33. Up Back and Over 10-4
  34. Trunk Rotations 10-4
  35. Neck Rotations 10-4
  36. Tricep Push Ups 25-2
  37. Boat House Boogie 15-4
  38. Dive Bombers 15-2
  39. Steam Engines 30-4
  40. Boot Slappers 20-4
  41. Standing Hamstring Stretch 1 min
  42. Squats 30-4
  43. Calf Raisers 2 min
  44. Calf Stretch 1 min
  45. Star Jumpers 20-2
  46. 12 Count Bodybuilders 25
  47. 3 Mile Run

Good luck on these tough workouts! If you’re brave enough to try them, feel free to comment below to say how you fared.

MARSOC short card
The MARSOC short card is the famous workout of the warriors at the tip of the spear



29 thoughts on “Challenge Yourself with the MARSOC Short Card and Long Card

  1. Did the short card a couple days ago… what a workout! I’ll probably try the Long Card tomorrow. I appreciate anything that helps me get ready for OCC-217 !

    Thanks again guys, y’all are the best.

  2. Love this blog, please keep it going. As an officer candidate this blog and these types of challenge workouts have helped me prepare for my first board and I am close to achieving my goal of being selected.

    This workout was an absolute smoke show! Tomorrow’s PFT will suck. I completed the MARSOC Short Card in 16:25 and followed it up with 7/10/6 pullups. I was wondering what an average/above average/below average time would be for these workouts as a goal to shoot for.

    Again, thank you for these posts, I know I speak for dozens of candidates when I say that your time and effort translates into quality candidates and quality officers. Semper Fi sir, see you in the fleet!

    1. Personal fastest time on the Short card is 10:12 Been doing it for about a month 6 times a week though. 12-14 is probably an above average time.

  3. Hey guys,

    This blog helps out immensely with preparation for PLC, OCS, OCC. I was just selected for OCS for summer 2015. I did this today with another friend of mine (looking at the Navy), and we finished in around 15:50, although this is counting the time we took alternating doing our pullups and waiting on my partner to catch up (he’s mostly into bodybuilding). I finished up with 12/10/10 pullups. This is a great addition to my lifting and running workouts, I’ll be trying the long card sometime next week so I’ll let ya’ll know how it goes. Semper Fidelis.

  4. I did the long card yesterday and it sucked. It’s more challenging than it looks and the push-ups get you more tired than you think.

  5. just did the Short card for the first time today with some people and we got low 14. Not what I was trying for but Im gonna do it more often and try to get a ten or so. I need strict form or I dont count my reps.

  6. Can someone explain the “Boat House Boogie” and “steam engine” exercises? I can’t seem to find them anywhere and didn’t do those while on AD.

    Semper Fi

      1. Looking at the long card, it’s a 15 rep, 4-count movement. How is that a run?

      1. I’m an OCC 221 candidate, I love doing the short card in the middle of my workouts, but want to find resources for the long card. I just wanted to see if there were any videos for the long card (I googled but couldn’t find any)?

      2. aren’t steam engines similar to supine bicycle, but rather than laying on your back you’re standing while doing the motion. starting position is feet shoulder width apart, hands on your head. motion 1 bend at the waist, right elbow touching left knee, motion 2 is back to starting position, motion 3 is left elbow and right knee, motion 4 is starting position.

  7. Pingback: P.T. Week #1 |
  8. Cranked the MARSOC Short Card in 9:51! Sweat was flowing like a waterfall, and the pain was incredibly harsh. I don’t intend to make the MARSOC Long Card a daily thing like the MARSOC Short Card, however. Maybe a weekly thing. Can’t wait for Force Recon!

  9. I figure the numbers after the reps mean they are two, or four count. But what does it mean next to Boat House Boogie? Seeing as it’s a two mile sprint, the numbers don’t make sense to me there.

    1. Not too sure about the “Boat House Boogie” check out UC Davis they have a 15 count Boat House Warm-up which is a roundabout lunge, glute, and hamstring exercise. As far as the “steam engine” from my time it was a standing supine type of exercise. We sometimes called it “Frankenstines.”

  10. Do this weekly short card Monday-Thursday and the long card on Saturday these are pretty intense and is guaranteed to make you sore for a month if you do what I did.

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