How Recon Marine and ‘Special Forces’ Host Rudy Reyes Stays Centered
RETIRED RECON MARINE Rudy Reyes is the founder of Force Blue, an ocean conservation charity, and a cohost of Fox’s Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test , now in its third season. Here’s how he manages all of it—plus PTSD—at the same time. 6:00 a.m. Pull Double Duty “There’s something great about starting your day with
RETIRED RECON MARINE Rudy Reyes is the founder of Force Blue, an ocean conservation charity, and a cohost of Fox’s Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test, now in its third season. Here’s how he manages all of it—plus PTSD—at the same time.
6:00 a.m.
Pull Double Duty
“There’s something great about starting your day with learning and completing a task,” says Reyes. For him, that means listening to the news or a history podcast, like BBC’s History Extra, while doing last night’s dishes.
8:00 a.m.
Build a Battle Plan
Relief work and TV work have one big thing in common: unpredictability. “You have to strike when the opportunity is there, and you can’t do that without being prepared,” he says. So he logs on to his computer to nail down ideas for the show and to check in with the Force Blue team on what missions need to be organized.
10:00 a.m.
Get in PT
“I honestly can’t fall asleep unless I’ve put in some sort of hard training during the day,” says Reyes. He does 20 sets of four exercises, including bench presses and 50-pound ball slams. He hits a gym where he knows people, “because the best piece of equipment is a training partner,” he says. Then it’s 45 minutes of martial arts.
12:00 p.m.
Break the Fast
Reyes doesn’t eat his first meal—usually chicken, vegetables, and rice—until midday. “I used to be obsessed with eating within 30 minutes of a workout,” he says. “But now I push it further.” Being hungry reminds him of running lean during military survival training, when he lived on deer moss or lizards. What about cravings? “I’ve felt hunger before, and I’ve never actually been hungry in civilian life.”
1:00 p.m.
Fire off Stress
He hits the gun range not just to stay comfortable with the tools of his trade. Known for his caring instruction and guidance, Reyes also likes it because he gets to let go of steering others—someone else leads the shooting program. “It’s nice to have that change in command,” he says.
3:00 p.m.
Pet Therapy
A walk and tug-of-war with Hank, his German shepherd, helps Reyes manage PTSD. Prior to having Hank and his two cats, he’d get pulled into thoughts of war. But caring for them helps keep him present.
6:00 p.m.
Power Down
“I have lived in a lot of loud and uncomfortable places, so I work to keep my home like a quiet temple,” he says. He’ll take two hours to make and eat dinner, accompanied by a documentary and a glass of wine.
9:00 p.m.
Zzz…
Sleep, he says, “has been an issue since my time in the military.” Most of his operations were at night, and “even on base I slept pretty light.” Action-packed days and peaceful nights help it come easier.
This story appeared in the March/April 2025 issue of Men’s Health.
Charles Thorp is the Fitness and Commerce Editor at Men’s Health, where he shares the best product recommendations in gym equipment, recovery tools, supplements, and more. Following an early life in athletics, Charles became a NASM-certified trainer and began writing programs alongside the most respected coaches in the world.
Since entering the world of fitness content, Charles has had the opportunity to learn from and train alongside high performance individuals from the NFL, UFC, NBA, Formula 1, CrossFit, US Olympics, and Navy SEALs. When he’s not writing about training programs or gear, he can be seen at the gym or in the wild, putting them to the test.
About Author
