Built To Endure3

Built to Endure
Training the Tactical Athlete

CAPT Mike Prevost, PhD, US Navy
www.built-to-endure.blogspot.com
and programs represented in this program or any of our training programs or other
1
CAPT Mike Prevost, PhD, US Navy
www.built-to-endure.blogspot.com
If you find this free e-book to be useful, please consider donating $5.00 to the Special
Operations Warrior Foundation at:
http://www.firstgiving.com/fundraiser/prevosttraining/PrevostTrainingFundraisingPage
© Copyright Michael C. Prevost, 2015. All rights reserved. Duplication and redistribution
of unaltered copy is authorized. The content, in whole or in part is not to be offered for
sale. Share it if you find it useful.
Disclaimer: The advice and information contained in this document may not be
appropriate for all individuals. Therefore, the author, employees, company, affiliates, or
any other parties involved in the creation or promotion of our products are not
responsible for any injuries or health conditions that may result from advice, opinions, or
information provided. The information on this website and in the training program is the
opinion of the author and is not a replacement for medical advice. You should consult a
physician before starting any diet or exercise program. If you choose to follow the
program without consulting your physician, you are doing so at your own risk. We claim
no responsibility for any injuries you might sustain. The opinions and assertions
contained herein are the private opinions of the author and are not to be construed as
official or reflecting the views of the U.S. Navy or Department of Defense.
2
Purpose of writing the book:
I started putting these ideas on paper when I started blogging in 2014. At that point I
was working as the Director of the Human Performance Laboratory at the US Naval
Academy. I was also serving as an exercise physiology consultant to the athletic
department and working with lots of individual Midshipmen who were training for
special programs (Airborne training, BUD/S, Infantry Skills Team, Marine Corps TBS,
ultramarathons, weight loss, powerlifting etc.). It was an ideal place to test lots of
different programs and get feedback on effectiveness. I literally had hundreds of “test
subjects” and was learning rapidly. I started blogging to capture that information, to
put it somewhere that my Midshipmen could access it in the future, and to clarify my
thoughts and ideas. This book is a way to organize that information into one resource.
I am giving this book away at no cost with the hope that current and future tactical
athletes find it useful. It is a way to honor the sacrifices they make every day. If you
find this free e-book to be useful, please consider donating $5.00 to the Special
Operations Warrior Foundation at:
http://www.firstgiving.com/fundraiser/prevosttraining/PrevostTrainingFundraisingPage
Training Philosophy: Einstein said, “Everything should be made as simple as

possible, but not simpler.” Training plans should be simple, but not easy. This is a
quality over quantity type of approach. Strength Coach Dan John likes to ask, “What
would you do if you had only 15 minutes to train?” My approach has always been to
cut a program to bare bones so that athletes could focus on what is important. No
fluff. The second guiding principle is that everything is done for a reason. Training
involves specific adaptations to imposed demands. Specificity matters, a lot. We
don’t do anything just because it is hard. It has to have a purpose and that purpose
must align with our goals. In other words, keep it simple and goal driven.
Green Boxes
The “green boxes” are used to provide interesting insights, examples or relevant
research summaries. Where applicable, the reference is provided in the box.
Other sources of information: My go to sources of information are many but here

are some of my favorites: Dan John, Rob Shaul, Andrew Read, Gordo Byrn, Steve
Maxwell, Dr. Steven Seiler, Barry Pollock, Pavel Tsatsouline, Mark Rippetoe, Laird
Hamilton, Mike Boyle, CDR Mark Divine, and Joe De Sena. I also rely heavily on
PUBMED, Defense Technical Information Center and Google Scholar to find research
reports.
3
Table of Contents
Basic Exercise Physiology...5
Endurance...22
Training for Strength...41
Flexibility and Warm Ups...55
Speed...58
METCON...62
Rucking...66
Weight Loss...82
Swimming...90
Priorities and Programming Risk...93
Tactical Periodization...97
Assessment and Testing...109
The Older Tactical Athlete...122
Sleep...128
Sample Programs...133
About the Author...208
4
Basic Exercise
Physiology
The exercise physiology section of this book is meant to be a short overview, and not
a thorough discussion of all aspects of exercise physiology. It has been limited to the
minimum physiology necessary to understand the programming and concepts that
follow. We’ll begin our discussion of basic exercise physiology with the major body
systems that adapt to exercise training:
• Respiratory System
• Cardiovascular System
• Neuromuscular System
• Metabolic System
• Other: Endocrine, skeletal, digestive
We’ll discuss briefly the types of adaptations that occur and some training
considerations.
The Respiratory System

The purpose of the respiratory system is gas exchange. Specifically, oxygen diffuses
across the alveoli and is loaded on hemoglobin molecules in the red blood cells of the
capillaries surrounding the lung. Oxygen moves in a diffusion gradient. The
concentration in the lung is greater than the concentration in the capillary circulation.
At sea level, blood leaving the lung is 98% (or more) saturated with oxygen. Even in
conditions of very hard exercise, blood oxygen saturation does not typically drop
significantly (with the exception of a few highly elite athletes, where a very small drop
can occur). This means that delivery of oxygen to the bloodstream by the lungs is not
a limiting factor for exercise performance. The “air hunger” you feel during intense
exercise has more to do with getting rid of carbon dioxide than getting more oxygen.
The respiratory system generally has more capacity than the rest of the body can use,
so it is not a limiter to performance.
Respiratory Muscle Training
Respiratory muscle training involves breathing against some type of resistance by

using a device such as a mask or a resistance tube (i.e., snorkel). The point is to
increase the difficulty of breathing to make the respiratory muscles work harder.
Respiratory muscle training may delay fatigue (as shown by time to exhaustion
studies) during moderate intensity exercise, reduce blood lactate concentration, and
improve cardiovascular performance. The performance improvements were
generally small. However, here is the important point; all of those studies involved
5
completing respiratory muscle training separately from exercise training. The subjects
were not wearing a respiratory training device while exercising. In fact, wearing a
respiratory training device while exercising is counterproductive. The problem is that it
reduces your air intake, so it reduces your exercise intensity. Even though it feels like
you are working harder, you are not. Because you cannot physically work as hard
while wearing a respiratory training device, training adaptations are reduced.
Respiratory muscle training may be a good idea, but it should be separate from your
exercise training session.
Respiratory Muscle Training in Healthy Humans: Resolving the Controversy,

McConnell, AK, and Romer LM, Int J Sports Med, 24:1-10, 2003.
The other gas that is exchanged in the lung is CO2 (carbon dioxide). The body
produces carbon dioxide as a byproduct of producing energy from carbohydrates, fat
and protein. Blood that arrives at the lung has a high concentration of CO2 due to
these metabolic processes (even more during exercise), so CO2 flows from the
bloodstream to the lungs (the opposite of the direction of travel of oxygen). Carbon
dioxide is offloaded and oxygen is on loaded at the lung/capillary interface.
Strength training has little impact on lung function. Endurance/aerobic training can
increase the efficiency and fatigue resistance of the diaphragm (muscle that inflates
the lungs) and the intercostal and abdominal muscles that are active during very
heavy breathing. Endurance/aerobic training can also increase maximal ventilation
rate. There is some evidence that respiratory muscle training (breathing resistance
devices) can strengthen the muscles associated with breathing and can reduced the
perceived exertion of hard exercise. Some studies also show a very small
improvement in exercise economy (less oxygen use for a given work output).
However, the benefit of these adaptations is small. There is insufficient evidence to
recommend them at this point, and in fact, they may be detrimental to performance.
The Cardiovascular System

The cardiovascular system consists of the heart, blood and circulatory system
(arteries, arterioles, capillaries, venules and veins). The purpose of the cardiovascular
system is to deliver blood to all parts of the body. Blood carries oxygen, nutrients,
hormones and other substances necessary for body function. The heart has a right
side and a left side with separate pumps. The right side of the heart receives blood
from the body and pumps blood to the lungs. The left side of the heart receives blood
from the lungs and pumps it out to the rest of the body. Because the left side does
more work, it is comprised of a larger chamber and more muscular walls.
Strength training can produce some changes in the heart. The heavy straining and
increased pressure in the thoracic cavity during heavy lifts can produce a large back
pressure for the heart to work against. This can result in a thickening or hypertrophy
6
of the left ventricular muscular wall. Total stroke volume (blood pumped with each
beat of the heart) can increase slightly as well. In the muscle tissue, capillary density
(how much capillary area per square centimeter) can decrease as the muscle grows
larger. This is thought to reduce the aerobic capacity of the muscle by reducing the
capacity to deliver oxygen rich blood to all parts of the muscle rapidly. However, the
impact of this adaptation is small and probably unimportant.
Endurance or aerobic training can produce substantial changes in the cardiovascular

system. The left ventricle (main pump) gets larger and stronger, pumping more blood
per beat (increased stroke volume). Because maximum heart rate is fixed, this
adaptation allows an athlete to pump more blood at the highest work levels. It is also
partially responsible for a lower resting heart rate (more blood pumped per beat =
fewer beats per minute necessary). A greater stroke volume results in a lower heart
rate at any given work rate. For example, after completing a training program a
runner will have a lower heart rate at the same running speed, compared to before
completing the training program. Blood volume and capillary density, especially in the
muscles, is increased, resulting in more muscle blood flow. Together these
adaptations result in a greater capacity to deliver blood to working muscles. Blood
pressure can also decrease with endurance or aerobic training. There is some
evidence to suggest that the decline in maximum heart rate with age can be reduced
with regular endurance exercise.
The ability to deliver sufficient oxygenated blood to working muscles is a primary

determinant of maximum aerobic capacity, often referred to as VO2 max (maximum
rate of oxygen consumption). A high VO2 max is associated with a high potential for
aerobic/endurance sports. The aforementioned adaptations can increase aerobic
capacity and VO2 max. A VO2 max in the 70s for males and 60s for females is
considered elite. VO2 max is reported as milliliters of oxygen consumed per minute,
per kilogram of body weight (ml/kg/min). The average VO2 max of successful SEAL
candidates at BUD/S has been shown to be approximately 62 ml/kg/min (with an
average 1.5 mile run time of 8:20). The average improvement in VO2 max with
training is approximately 25%. Therefore, a large component of VO2 max is genetic.
However, VO2 max (relative VO2 max) is a ratio of aerobic power (oxygen consumed
per minute) over body weight. Therefore, if a person loses weight, their VO2 max will
go up. The example below shows what is possible with a 35 pound weight loss. The
chart on the next page shows that this predicts an improvement in 1.5 mile run time
from 9:30 to 8:10.
7
Before Weight Loss After Weight Loss
Body Weight 210 175
VO2 max 55 ml/kg/min 64 ml/kg/min
What is My VO2 Max?
The table below is what we used at the U. S. Naval Academy Human Performance
Lab when conducting run VO2 max testing. It gave us an idea of what to expect prior
to the test. After testing hundreds of athletes and non-athletes, the table has proven
to be quite accurate. The table predicts VO2 max based on max effort 1.5 mile run
time.
8
Accuracy of Max Heart Rate Equations
The most widely used equation to predict maximum heart rate (the highest heart rate
that a person can achieve) is: Max Heart Rate = 220-Age in Years. For example,
predicted maximum heart rate for a 20 year old would be 220 – 20 = 200 beats per
minute. How accurate is that formula? Not very. Look at the graph below, which
represents actual measured maximum heart rate (not estimated) versus age in years.
If 220 – age were accurate, the dots (individual data points) would be on a straight line
and would decline with age. Look at how much spread there is in the data. You can
see that one 24 year old had a maximum heart rate of about 210 BPM and another
had a maximum heart rate of about 165 BPM. If we used the equation (220-age) for
both of these individuals to prescribe an exercise intensity, one of these individuals
would be working impossibly hard, and the other hardly working at all.
A thorough review of the scientific research concerning the use of mathematical

equations for estimation of maximum heart rate concluded that, “Currently, there is no
acceptable method to estimate heart rate max.”
Does this mean that using heart rate to gauge exercise intensity is worthless? No. It
is useful, but caution must be exercised in interpreting the numbers. If the session
feels too hard, it probably is (and vice versa). A really hard interval session (i.e.,
9
Tabata protocol) or a sprint at the end of a shorter race (i.e. 1.5 mile or 5K) will
generally get you within 5-7 BPM from your maximum heart rate.
Robergs, RA, and Landwehr R, The surprising history of the HRmax = 220 – age
equation, Journal of Exercise Physiology (online), 5(2), 2002.
https://www.asep.org/asep/asep/Robergs2.pdf
Neuromuscular System
The signal to initiate muscle contraction comes from a motor nerve. Typically, a motor
nerve controls several muscle cells (from just a few, to over 100). A motor nerve and
the muscle cells that it controls are together called a motor unit. All of the muscle cells
within a motor unit share similar characteristics. We classify muscle fiber types
according to these characteristics. There are 3 basic muscle fiber types:
1. Fast twitch – large, high force, powerful fibers that fatigue rapidly, store lots
of glycogen and respond well to strength training
2. Slow twitch – smaller fatigue resistant fibers that have a high aerobic
capacity, are very fatigue resistant, respond well to aerobic/endurance
training but do not respond well to strength training
3. Intermediate - fibers have characteristics that are in between fast and slow
twitch
When the motor nerve fires, all of the muscle cells in that motor unit will contract.
Muscles contain many motor units. The amount of force produced by a muscle is
controlled primarily by turning on more or fewer motor units. This is done in a specific
order and follows Henniman’s Size Principle of Muscle Fiber recruitment. At low force
levels, small, slow twitch motor units are recruited. As the force level increases,
intermediate motor units are recruited. At high force levels, large, fast twitch motor
units are recruited. Large initial forces are required to produce explosive/fast
movements, so large, fast twitch fibers are recruited to produce very rapid
movements, even with lighter loads. Novice weight lifters are unable to recruit all
available motor units. Advanced lifters can recruit 95% or more of the available motor
units. Another way to recruit and use the large, fast twitch fibers is to train to fatigue.
For example, if using a weight that you can lift for 20 repetitions, the first few reps will
use primarily slow twitch fibers. However, by the 18th-20th reps, you will be using
your large, fast twitch fibers because some of the slow and intermediate fibers will be
fatigued and the larger fast twitch fibers will have to be recruited to continue the set.
This is why it is possible to get bigger and stronger with higher repetition ranges, if the
sets are taken to fatigue.
Eccentric Muscle Contractions the Key to Growth and Strength?
There are 3 basic types of muscle contractions, concentric, isometric, and eccentric.
Concentric contractions are when the muscle is contracting while shortening. Think of
the up portion of a one arm dumbbell curl. An isometric contraction is when the
10
muscle contracts without shortening. In this case if we curl the dumbbell up half way
and hold it, we would be doing an isometric contraction during the static hold portion.
The muscle is contracting, but not shortening. If we lower the dumbbell slowly, under
control, we are executing an eccentric contraction. In this case, the muscle is engaged
and contracting, but it is lengthening, not shortening.
A muscle can produce more force during an eccentric contraction. However, when
executing a lift in a normal fashion, the eccentric portion of the lift results in less force
than the concentric portion. If you think about this, it makes sense. During a normal
lift, you have to produce more force to lift a weight than to lower it. Still, research has
shown that if you eliminate the eccentric portion of a lift (i.e., drop deadlifts, where you
drop the weight from the top position, rather than lower it), strength and hypertrophy
(muscle growth) gains are reduced.
Tension is a powerful stimulus for increases in muscle strength and hypertrophy. Even
a muscle that is bathed in anabolic steroids will not grow at all unless there is a
tension stimulus. Eccentric contractions can produce a powerful tension stimulus if
done correctly. The way to do this is to perform forced negatives, or partner assisted
negatives. For example, to perform partner assisted negatives on a biceps curl, the
weight would be curled up into the top position, then the partner would push down on
the bar, while the lifter resists and tries to keep the bar from lowering. In this case the
eccentric contraction is producing MORE force than the concentric contraction. This
provides a very powerful tension stimulus. It is so powerful in fact, that it can easily be
overdone. Only a few repetitions should be performed in this manner. It can produce
incredible soreness if overdone. Eccentric contractions can produce lots of micro
damage in the muscles. Also, the eccentric contraction should be done slowly and
under control. Explosive eccentric contractions can result in tearing of the muscle.
A good strategy is to perform a few forced eccentric contractions each week in 2-3
muscles that are lagging and are being targeted specifically for extra work. Trying to
train the whole body this way would likely lead to over-training quickly. For example, if
we are trying to bring up lagging arms, we might add 5-6 forced negative preacher
curls, and 5-6 forced negative dumbbell overhead triceps extensions. Forced
negatives are technically difficult to perform. Not all exercises can accommodate
forced negatives. For example, forced negatives for deadlifts or barbell squats are
very much a varsity move and should be attempted by the most experienced lifters
only, and even then only after careful planning and with experienced spotters.
Be cautious when performing eccentric contractions. Make sure that you are warmed
up thoroughly first. Use a partner for spotting and assistance. Do the eccentric portion
slowly and under control. Do fewer reps than you think you need. You will be very
sore the next day. Trust me on this one!
Dudley G. A., Tesch P. A., Miller B. J., Buchanan P. Importance of eccentric actions
in performance adaptations to resistance training. Aviat. Space Environ. Med. 62:543–
550, 1991.
11
Strength training results in an increase in the size of muscle cells, especially fast
twitch muscle. Slow twitch muscles can increase in size as well but their potential for
hypertrophy is approximately 50% less than that of fast twitch muscles. Through
repeated training, fast twitch muscle cells begin to take on the characteristics of
intermediate muscle fibers. This improves their fatigue resistance, while retaining the
high force and hypertrophy potential of fast twitch fibers. The ability to recruit a higher
% of available motor units is one of the first adaptations to a strength training program.
This results in increased strength, even before any hypertrophy occurs.
Hypertrophy of Slow Twitch Fibers

A recent review by Ogborn and Schoenfeld does a great job of summarizing what is
known at this point. Here are some of the key issues:
 Type II (fast twitch) fibers display superior growth following high intensity (heavy)
loading, approximately 50% greater than type I (slow twitch).
 If loading is greater than 50% of 1 RM, type II muscle growth exceeds type I
growth
 Direct, head to head comparisons of 6-8 RM VS 20-30 RM demonstrated that 6-8
RM is superior for hypertrophy and that all fiber types showed some hypertrophy.
 Training at slow repetition speeds improved the hypertrophy response of light
loads, but heavy loading was still superior.
 Aiming for the SINGLE protocol that maximizes hypertrophy may not be optimal.
For example in one study comparing 3 sets with 30% 1 RM, 80% 1 RM, and 1 set
80% 1 RM, hypertrophy overall was greater using 3 sets of 80% 1 RM, but type I
muscle fiber hypertrophy was greater with the 30% 1RM protocol. Perhaps the
optimal approach is a combination of heavy loading for low reps and lighter loading
for high reps (and slower contraction speed) to maximize hypertrophy of both type
I and type II fibers.
 Although recruitment of type II fibers increases with increasing load, type II fibers
are also recruited in the latter repetitions of a set due to fatigue. This response is
maximized by training to failure. There is some evidence that lower load, higher
repetition training can produce hypertrophy responses similar to high loading
protocols if the sets are taken to failure.
 If pure hypertrophy is the goal, it makes sense to train across a range of
repetitions. High repetition, lower loading sets should be taken to failure.
 High load, low rep training maximizes type II muscle hypertrophy.
 Lower load, higher rep training (especially taken to failure) maximizes type I
muscle hypertrophy.
 If the primary goal is strength, higher loads and lower repetitions are more optimal
because higher loading leads to greater strength than lighter loading, even if the
hypertrophy response is the same.
From a practical perspective this research gives credence to the old bodybuilder
technique of including lighter "burn out" sets at the completion of training each
12
body part, and methods like drop sets or high time under tension sets using slower
performed higher reps. This would ensure that type I muscle fibers experience a
maximum hypertrophy stimulus as well.
Ogborn D, and Shoenfeld BJ, the role of fiber types in muscle hypertrophy:
Implications for loading strategies, Strength and Conditioning Journal, Volume 36,
Number 2, April 2014
Mitchell CJ, Churchward-Venne TA, West DWD, Burd NA, Breen L, Baker SK, and
Phillips SM. Resistance exercise load does not determine training-mediated
hypertrophic gains in young men. J Appl Physiol 1134: 71-77, 2012.
Endurance training can cause the aforementioned fast twitch to intermediate muscle
fiber conversions. This type of training can also cause intermediate fibers to take on
the characteristics of slow twitch fibers, particularly their ability for high levels of
aerobic metabolism and fatigue resistance. High volume endurance training may
result in decreased muscle size. Long endurance sessions (<90 minutes) can
produce a catabolic hormone profile, resulting in muscle protein breakdown and the
use of the protein for metabolic energy production. Elite endurance athletes often
have less muscle mass than sedentary adults.
Flexibility training (stretching) results in lengthening the muscle fibers and the
tendons, which connect muscles to bones. In the muscle cell, sarcomeres (the
functional unit of the muscle cell) are added in series to produce a longer muscle cell.
The Metabolic System

The purpose of the metabolic systems is to provide energy for all body processes,
including movement. There are 3 basic metabolic pathways or systems. The
phosphagen system is a short duration system. It can produce a very large amount of
energy, but only for a short duration. The phosphagen system can fuel activities up to
about 10 seconds in duration. After approximately 10 seconds, phosphagen energy
stores start to decline and sustainable power output declines. If you did an all-out
sprint, you would begin to slow significantly after 10 seconds due to depletion of the
phosphagen system energy stores. For longer duration activities that do not exceed 2
minutes, the primary energy system used is the glycolytic system. This is an
anaerobic (without oxygen) system that is also high capacity (but not as high as the
phosphagen system), but glycolytic system energy production starts to decline rapidly
after one minute. The glycolytic system produces lactate (lactic acid) as a byproduct.
For events that last longer than 2 minutes, the aerobic energy system provides most
of the energy. This system can provide energy indefinitely and is the primary system
providing energy to your body at rest and during lower intensity exercise. The
aerobic/oxidative system has a large capacity but a much lower energy production
rate than the other two systems (lasts a long time but does not provide as much short
13
term energy). A 40 yard sprint would rely mainly on the phosphagen system. A 440
yard run would rely mainly on the glycolytic system. A 10K run would rely mainly on
the aerobic/oxidative system.
Creatine Supplementation
The primary source of energy for the phosphagen system is a compound called
adenosine triphosphate (ATP). ATP provides energy when it loses a phosphate to
become adenosine diphosphate (ADP). The release of the extra phosphate also
releases energy that can be used to perform work (i.e., contract muscles). The
phosphagen system has a limited capacity because the store of ATP is limited. As
stated previously, after approximately 10 seconds, the body has to shift to the
anaerobic glycolytic system because the phosphagen system is depleted. Creatine
phosphate is part of the phosphagen system. Creating phosphate can donate a
phosphate to ADP to reform ATP. The reaction is: CP + ADP = C + ATP. So
creatine phosphate stores can increase the capacity of the phosphagen system.
Research has shown that supplementing with creatine increases muscle creatine
phosphate stores. This leads to greater phosphagen system capacity and reduced
fatigue in activities that rely on the phosphagen system (i.e., repeated sprints, more
repetitions on multi-set strength protocols). Research on creatine supplementation
has provided more guidance on dosing for increasing tissue creatine concentrations.
14
The graph above compares two different supplementation strategies. The first
strategy (A, the top graph) shows muscle creatine levels when subjects ingested 20g
of creatine per day for 6 days, then discontinued supplementation. Notice that levels
peaked at 7 days, then slowly declined, but did not reach pre-supplementation levels,
even on day 35. Group 2 ingested 20g of creatine per day, then 2g per day as a
maintenance dose. Creatine levels increased and remained high throughout the
duration of the study. The study also showed that during the loading phase, each
successive day resulted in less muscle creatine uptake as the muscles became
saturated. Higher doses would likely result in more waste and urinary excretion and
not more muscle loading. The data highlights two effective supplementation
strategies:
1. 20g per day for 6 days, repeated every month

2. 20g per day, followed by 2g per day indefinitely
The researchers speculate that it is likely that 3g per day indefinitely is likely to
saturate the muscles with creatine and maintain high muscle creatine indefinitely as
well.
Soderlund K, Timmons JA, and Greenhaff PL, Muscle creatine loading in men,
Journal of Applied Physiology 81:232-237, 1996.
Many people think of these metabolic systems as global systems. They are not.
Each individual muscle cell has its own metabolic systems. Those systems are
trained only when that muscle is active. Training the glycolytic system in your legs
does nothing to improve the glycolytic system in your arms. Metabolic system training
is very muscle and mode specific.
Other Systems
Many other body systems respond to exercise. Load bearing exercises (i.e. running,
weight training) results in increased bone density. Hormone profiles change with
exercise training. Experienced weight lifters produce more testosterone after training
sessions. Trained athletes have a lower stress response (adrenaline hormones) to
hard exercise. Also, our digestive system becomes better at accepting and
processing fuel during exercise.
Specificity
The principle of specific adaptation to imposed demands simply means that you get
better at what you do. The training demands placed on the body will determine how
the body responds and what results will occur.
15
As discussed previously, the phosphagen system provides energy for very short,
explosive efforts like a short sprint (8-10 seconds). Once depleted, it takes time to
replenish these stores. Following low intensity exercise, the phosphagen system can
be replenished in as little as 2 minutes. Following high intensity exercise, a minimum
of 3 minutes is necessary. If rest durations are too short, a continual decline in the
capacity of this system should be expected, with a resultant decrease in performance
of successive intervals. When training for maximal short sprint performance (i.e., 50-
100 yard), a minimum of 5 minutes of recovery should be provided between sprints to
ensure adequate recovery. The same is true concerning rest between sets for a
strength training program. If the goal is to use maximum weights on each successive
set, at least 3 minutes rest should be provided between sets to ensure the recovery of
the phosphagen system.
The anaerobic glycolytic system converts glucose to lactate (lactic acid) and energy.
This system does not have quite the same energy turnover rate as the phosphagen
system, but it lasts longer (up to 2 minutes). A 400m sprint or ¼ mile run would fall in
this energy system. High intensity efforts of 30 seconds to 2 minutes can produce
large amount of lactate. Extended recovery periods are necessary if full recovery
between bouts is desired (i.e., 10 minutes).
The aerobic system has the lowest energy turnover, but it can sustain power output
for a long time (hours). Even efforts as short as 2 minutes are using primarily the
aerobic system (although anaerobic glycolysis is still engaged enough to produce
considerable lactate). Efforts as long as 30-60 minutes are almost entirely aerobic,
with a small contribution from anaerobic glycolysis.
Training programs should target the appropriate energy system. Sprinters should not
be doing large amounts of aerobic system efforts and marathon runners cannot train
for the marathon using short sprints.
Although adaptations to the cardiorespiratory system contribute to fitness, a large

component of fitness is in the individual muscles that are trained. What this means is
that only trained muscles will adapt. This is the primary reason that most exercise is
mode specific. Only the specific mode that is trained will show significant
improvement. Training on the bicycle has some transfer to running, but the transfer is
not significant. This is because different muscles are emphasized by the two
activities. The degree of transfer from one activity to another is proportional to the
degree that the same muscles and energy systems are used.
Can you train for a running race on the bike, or by swimming? Research has shown
that the transfer effects are small, so some improvement may be expected for
untrained individuals, but it would be difficult to perform well on the run without using a
more specific run mode in training. In water running has been used with success to
maintain fitness in injured runners. Because the motion is very similar, many of the
same muscles are being used, resulting in enough transfer effects to maintain fitness.
16
Maintaining fitness is different than building fitness and it is doubtful if high levels of
run fitness could be built using water running alone.
Change in peak torque following training at fast VS slow velocity

16
14
% Change in Torque
12
10
8
Slow (90⁰/sec)
6
Fast(239⁰/sec)
4
0
0 48 96 143 191 239 287
Velocity in degrees per second
The strength training research literature has demonstrated two additional aspects of
training specificity. The above (Change in peak torque following training at fast VS
slow velocity) shows the results of strength testing of two different groups. Both
groups trained on an isokinetic dynamometer (ID). The ID allows constant velocity
contractions to be performed by keeping the speed of movement constant, while
allowing force to vary. In other words, once you set a movement speed, you can push
as hard as you want, but the speed will remain constant. One group trained at 96
degrees per second (slow speed), the other at 239 degrees per second (fast speed).
You can see from the graph that when strength was tested at various speeds, the fast
speed group improved primarily at the speed at which they trained. As is typical with
slow velocity contractions, there was a bit more applicability to other speeds,
especially slower speeds of contraction. Why is this? Research shows that subjects
can produce considerably more force during slow contractions. The higher force
production recruits more fast twitch motor units and serves as a greater stimulus for
strength and hypertrophy gains. The primary adaptation from fast velocity
contractions is neurological. In this case, the subjects learn to recruit more muscle
mass quickly and to relax antagonistic muscles. The slow contraction velocity training
is more “pure strength” training and the fast velocity contraction training is more “skill
training.”
17
Plyometrics and Explosive Training
From the data and the discussion above on slow versus fast contraction training, we
can draw some conclusions regarding the use of plyometric or explosive training
(Olympic lifts, cleans, throws etc.) for improving performance. Because fast
contraction velocity training like throwing or jumping primarily provides a neurological
adaptation stimulus (skill), performance will improve rapidly but will plateau quickly.
Because of the rapid plateau, using slower velocity contractions to produce more pure
strength is necessary to continue to improve. This is why athletes typically do lots of
basic strength training in the off season, and add in speed, agility, and explosive
power drills in the build period prior to the season. Performing nothing but explosive
contractions will limit an athlete’s progress. For complex explosive skills like throwing
a discus or a barbell snatch, skill development takes much longer and skill training
should be practiced year round. However, basic strength work is still necessary for
the reasons discussed above.
The graph below demonstrates joint angle specificity. In this case, each group trained
their elbow flexors (biceps) with isometric contractions at a specific joint angle. Again,
after testing strength at different joint angles, you can see from the data that each
group improved more at the joint angle that they used in training.
Effect of isometric contraction training at 3 different joint angles

60
50
% increase in force
40
30 25⁰
80⁰
20
120⁰
10
0
25 50 80 100 120
Elbow angle in degrees
18
Heavy Static Rack Work
Heavy static work in the power rack (isometric contraction work) has been a staple of
the powerlifting community for decades. The specificity graph above shows why it
works. The way that it is employed is simple. First, find the sticking point (weak point)
in your major lifts. Then set the rack so that the bar is resting at the sticking point.
Load the bar with more weight than you can move. Then perform a series of
maximum contractions against the bar. For example, if your sticking point in the
bench press is 4” off your chest, you would place the bar in that position on the rack
and load it up with heavy weight. Then you would perform a few maximum
contractions against the bar. The static contraction work is normally done as a
supplement to your training program, not as a replacement. Because there is no
eccentric component, recovery is not compromised significantly unless you overdo it.
You should accumulate no more than 60 seconds of static contraction work per
exercise and no more than two times per week. Static holds of 5-6 seconds are best.
Five of these are plenty for most athletes. Well-conditioned athletes can handle a bit
more. Because these efforts will be maximum, care should be taken to ensure proper
posture and positioning prior to exertion. Also, warm up thoroughly first.
This chart discusses training specificity for some of the components of physical
fitness.
Fitness Element Specificity Issues

Skills Most specific element
Power Very mode specific
Strength Some transfer to similar movements
Muscular Endurance Some transfer to similar movements, but little

transfer to strength
Max Aerobic Capacity (4-9 minute Some transfer to other modes but not
hard effort) significant
Aerobic Endurance (>30 min) Very mode specific
Flexibility Entirely muscle/mode specific
Skill: Skill is the application of coordinated muscle actions. Examples are hand-eye
coordination, balance, accuracy, and smooth movements. Coordination of movement
is very mode specific and transfer effects are almost non-existent. Practicing free
19
throws with a basketball will not help a baseball player with pitching accuracy. Skills
must be trained very specifically for any improvement to occur.
Power: Power is the application of force over a short duration. Power is sometimes
described as explosiveness. Accelerating off the line for a football player, a vertical
jump, or a power clean are all examples of power activities. Because power is
determined by a combination of strength and skill, it is very mode specific. Strength
training alone can help with power production, but practicing the actual skill is
necessary due to the skill component.
Strength: Strength is the ability to produce force. Strength transfer from one
movement or activity to another is proportional to the extent that the same muscles
are used. Therefore there can be significant transfer if the movements are similar. A
heavy tire flip and a deadlift both involve hip and knee extension. Training the deadlift
would be expected to help with this task.
Muscular endurance: Muscular endurance is the ability to perform repeated

repetitions of a particular movement (i.e., situps, pushups). Like strength, there is
some transfer to similar movements but little transfer to strength. Doing pushups
would do little for increasing your bench press strength.
Maximum aerobic capacity: Maximum aerobic capacity refers to the top end work
rate in the aerobic metabolic system. This would correspond to the maximum work
rate (i.e., run pace) that you can hold for 4-9 minutes. The PRT run is very close to
this level. Most people would run the PRT at more than 95% of their maximum
aerobic capacity. Training at this intensity provides a strong stimulus for increases in
cardiac stroke volume, or the amount of blood the heart can pump with each beat. It
also results in significant changes in the specific muscles used in training. The
cardiovascular adaptation (stroke volume) may provide some transfer to other
exercise modes, but total transfer is limited by the muscles trained.
Aerobic endurance: Aerobic endurance is the ability to continue low intensity

aerobic activity for an extended period of time (i.e., long run). This ability is limited
primarily by metabolic fatigue in the muscles, so it is very mode specific.
Flexibility: Flexibility is the ability to move a muscle/joint through a full range of

motion. This fitness ability is completely mode specific. Stretching affects only those
muscles that are stretched.
References:
1. Training induced alterations in the in vivo force velocity relationship of human

muscle, Caiozzo, VJ, Peerrine, JJ, Edgerton, VR., Journal of Applied Physiology,
51, 752, 1981.
20
2. Myoelectrical and mechanical changes linked to length specificity during isometric
training, Thepaut-Mathieu, C., Van Hoecke, J., and Maton, B., Journal of Applied
Physiology, 64, 1502, 1988.
3. Implications and applications for training specificity for coaches and athletes,
Strength and Conditioning Journal, 28(3) 54-58, 2006. (article provided in Lesson 1
folder)
4. An excellent collection of research summaries on specificity can be found on the

San Diego State Coaching Science Abstracts Journal web page here:
http://coachsci.sdsu.edu/csa/vol12/table.htm
5. The Effect of Two Days of Velocity-Specific Isokinetic Training on Torque

Production. (1999) Prevost, M.C., Nelson, A.G., Maraj, B.K., Journal of
Strength and Conditioning
6. Essentials of Exercise Physiology, Second Edition, McArdle, W.D., Katch,

F.L., and Katch, V.L., Chapter 11, Page 263-294, Chapter 14, Page 370-373,
Chapter 15, Page 415, Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, 2000.
7. Physical Fitness of US Navy Special Forces Team Members and Trainees,

Beckett, MB, Goforth HW, Hodgdon JA, Naval Health Research Center
Technical Report 89-29, 1989.

F.L., and Katch, V.L., Chapter 12, Page 297-326, Chapter 15, Page 389-424,
Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, 2000.

F.L., and Katch, V.L., Chapter 10, Page 229-260, Chapter 14, Page 373-374
Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, 2000.
10. Essentials of Exercise Physiology, Second Edition, McArdle, W.D., Katch, F.L.,
and Katch, V.L., Chapter 5, Page 125-140, Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, 2000.
21
Endurance
Intensity Zones
Most training programs use an intensity scale or zone system in order to ensure that
athletes are training at the correct intensity. The most common way to specify
intensity is with heart rate. This is because heart rate increases linearly with exercise
intensity. As you become fit, your heart rate response to the same work rate (run
speed) will be reduced. In other words, your heart rate will go down at a given run
speed. However, if you use heart rate zones (intensity zones), what you will find is
that as you get more fit, your run speed will get faster and faster in a given heart rate
zone. This is what makes heart rate such a great tool for prescribing and monitoring
training intensity. From the example below, prior to training, running at 6 mph
produced a heart rate of 145 beats per minute (BPM). After training, the heart rate
response was reduced to 125 BPM. In this case, if the runner continues to train at 145
BPM, they will have to increase their training pace to a speed that exceeds 6 mph.
Training in a given heart rate zone provides a natural progressive overload as you
become more fit.
Heart rate change from pre-trained to trained (notional example)
Run Speed VS Heart Rate

210
190
170
150
Heart Rate
130
110 Pre-training
90 Trained
70
50
30
Rest 4 mph 6 mph 8 mph 10 mph
Run Speed
There are many zone systems. It does not matter which zone system you use, as
long as the training program you are using matches your zone system. Many people
assume that there are hard dividing boundaries between zones and that these
boundaries correspond to some physiological adaptation or process that is unique to
that zone. This is not correct. There is a smooth continuum of exercise intensities,
with very little difference in physiological adaptation at nearby intensities. For
example, if 155 beats per minute puts you in zone 3 and 157 beats per minute put you
22
in zone 4; some would assume that you have crossed some kind of threshold, where
you will get a different physiological training effect because you are now training in a
different zone. In reality, there is virtually no difference between these two intensities
because intensity is a continuum, and these two intensities are very close. Below is a
typical 5 zone system. This is the system used by the Norwegian Olympic Federation:
Norwegian Olympic Federation Intensity Zones

Zone % Max Heart Rate Typical Training Time in Example of Approximate Pace (min/mile)
Zone During a Workout in Zone for a 6:00 min mile athlete
1 60-72 1-6 h 8:00
2 72-82 1-3 h 7:33
3 82-87 50-90 min 7:14
4 88-92 30-60 min 6:55
5 93-100 15-30 min 6:00
Note: The pace example is for an athlete with a 42:00 min 10K. This is only an example.
Training elite and advanced endurance athletes

The primary approach to planning volume and intensity for elite/advanced endurance
athletes is polarized training. Polarized training refers to the intensity distribution of
training volume between the intensity zones above. The term “polarized” is used
because most of the training occurs in the bottom and top of the training intensity
zones. Surveys of elite endurance athletes have shown that this is by far the most
common training zone distribution among elite athletes. Elites spend most of their
time accumulating lots of training volume at low intensities, some time at the hither
intensities, and very little time in between. In this case, the typical distribution of
training intensity is:
Elite Training Distribution
80
60
40 % in Zone
20
0
Zone 1,2 Zone 3 Zone 4.5
23
Again, “polarized” refers to the tendency to place more volume at the upper and lower
ends of the intensity spectrum. Elites/advanced endurance athletes would follow this
polarized intensity distribution year-round. An elite program might progress in three
phases while manipulating volume and intensity within these loose guidelines. An
example is provided below:
Phase 1: This phase would focus primarily on building overall volume. A small
amount of zone 4,5 training would be included to continue to drive up VO2 max.
However, the primary focus is on increasing zone 1 and 2 run volume.
Zone % of Training Volume

1, 2 85
3 0
4, 5 15
Phase 2: In this phase, overall volume continues to increase. The athlete would be
running more mileage during this phase than during phase 1. Also, more zone 3
training is done in this phase. Because more mileage is being run, and zone 4 and 5
training are a fixed percentage of the total mileage, more zone 4 and 5 training is done
as well.

1, 2 80
3 5
4, 5 15
Phase 3: This phase involves a subtle shift. The percentages of training volume in
each phase may or may not change depending on the athlete and race distance.
However, there is an effort to increase the amount of race specific zone training within
zones 4 and 5. Zone 3 training may be increased or reduced. Finally, overall volume
may be decreased, especially in the timeframe near an important race, to ensure that
the athlete is fully recovered.

1, 2 80
3 5-15
4, 5 5-15
24
Using Heart Rate and Pace During the Spring - Summer Transition
I generally spend 3-4 months per year running in zone 1 and 2. For me, that involves
keeping my heart rate below 130 beats per minute (BPM). During that training phase I
have no particular run goals in mind other than building some leg durability and
"keeping in touch" with decent run fitness so that if I decide to do an event, I can train
up quickly. I typically do this phase in the winter. This presents a challenge when the
weather starts to change in the late spring because the hot weather typically arrives
suddenly, providing little time to adapt. It is not uncommon in many locations to go
from running in a long sleeved shirt one week to sweating a gallon the next week.
During that time of the year, many of us have not heat acclimatized yet. What this
typically means for me during that transition is that I simply cannot keep my heart rate
below 130 on the second half of the run. I end up closer to 145 at an easy pace. Why?
Because heart rate is an output and not an input. Heart rate responds to work rate
(pace), which is why it is used as a gauge of exercise intensity. However, heart rate
responds to other factors as well. Heat is one of them. In hot weather, the body shunts
some blood away from working muscles and to the surface of the skin for cooling.
Also, as you sweat, blood volume is reduced, so the heart has to pump more often to
pump the same amount of blood. Both of these factors result in an increased heart
rate for the same work rate (pace). If you have the ability to track pace and heart rate,
you can manage this transition period effectively and ensure that you get quality
sessions, despite the changes in heart rate response. This brings up 4 questions:
1. Should I simply maintain a pace that keeps me in my heart rate zone during this
time of the year? No. If I did that this morning, I would have had to run too slowly. In
that case, my leg muscles would not have received an adequate training stimulus.
Aerobic fitness is primarily in the muscles.
2. If I train at an elevated heart rate in this case am I overworking the heart? No. You
don't slow down because your heart is tired. Except for cases of clinical heart disease,
cardiac fatigue is not the reason you cannot go a faster pace. Fatigue is due to
biochemical fatigue in the muscles, not the heart.
3. So, should I train at an elevated heart rate all summer then? No, not exactly. Over
time (approximately 2 weeks, with most adaptation happening in the first week) your
heart rate will settle back down. This happens due to heat acclimatization. The
primary response is that your body increases blood volume. However, if you train in
the heat, you will probably have to accept a slightly higher heart rate (approx. 5 BPM).
4. So, how should I manage this until I heat acclimatize?
 The first thing you should do is pay extra attention to hydrating before you start
your runs. Then, hydrate during the run. Both of these will help to preserve blood
volume and result in keeping your heart rate closer to where it should be.
 Second, if you can monitor pace, as well as heart rate, try to keep your pace close
to where it was before the hot weather hit. If you slow down too much in order to
25
maintain your target heart rate range, you will not adequately train the muscles,
which are the primary target for training. However, there is a cost to training at the
same pace, but a higher heart rate. The higher heart rate is driven primarily by a
higher central nervous system (CNS) sympathetic drive. Over time this can result
in a bit more CNS fatigue. As a result, you will probably need to dial back pace
just a little bit. I would accept a slightly higher heart rate, by about up to 10 BPM
higher by the end of the run. More than that would be excessive and might be a
sign that you need to be more aggressive with hydration.
 Third, acclimatization is going to happen fast. If you pay attention to hydration,
you should be back to within 5-8 BPM of normal within 2 weeks. Because of the
heat though, you are probably going to have to adjust your HR zones up by just a
bit. 5 BPM is probably about right.
 Fourth, if you are using a software analysis tool like Training Peaks or others to
compute training load and training stress balance, the higher heart rate for a given
pace is going to lead to inaccuracies. It will overestimate training stress. Training
stress is determined primarily by work accumulation. HR is not a great estimate of
work rate if it is elevated due to heat stress and lack of heat acclimatization.
Remember, HR is an output, not an input.
In summary, keep your pace close to where it was in cooler weather. Dial it back just a
little and temporarily accept a higher heart rate. You should see your heart rate come
down to within 5 BPM or so of normal in about 2 weeks. This is an indication that you
have heat acclimatized. During the summer, adjust your HR zones up by about 5 BPM
if training in the heat. Ensure that you have a good hydration strategy to include
hydration during a run. Monitor pace and heart rate to ensure that you are getting it
right.
Training the novice/intermediate endurance

athlete
Most people fall in this category. All tactical athletes fall in this category unless they
are competing at an elite level in endurance sports. The polarized training model
works well, but it requires a significant amount of volume to be effective. Don’t bypass
this important point. How much volume is required for the polarized model is the
subject of debate. My educated guess is somewhere in the neighborhood of 40 miles
per week or more (running). For those who cannot commit to that volume of running,
the threshold model is a better choice. The threshold model is the basis of the 3
Tools / 3 Phases approach that follows. This is a more ideal model for most people.
For novice/intermediate athletes who are training for longer distances (marathon or
longer), the 3 Tools / 3 Phases approach still works, but as you will see in the
following discussion, some tools and phases become less relevant and can be
eliminated.
26
All good endurance training programs have a similar foundation or structure. This
document strips down the typical endurance training program to bare bones simplicity.
One advantage of a simple program is that it is easy to understand and execute.
When working with athletes, this can be vitally important. In this article, I will lay out a
simple template for planning an endurance training program. This works for any
endurance mode (i.e., run, bike, swim, ski) and for any endurance distance from 1
mile to 100 mile ultra-marathons. For simplicity, I will use running as an example.
Remember, simple does not mean easy! We'll start by discussing the 3 tools, then the
3 phases. Then we will put it together in a typical timeline. Finally, we will discuss
some modifications for different race distances.
Treadmill Vs Outdoor Running

Running on a treadmill costs less energy than running outdoors if the treadmill is level.
However, you can make your treadmill workout equivalent to an outdoor workout by
adjusting the incline of the treadmill. According to study in the Journal of Sports
Science, a 1% grade is what you should use. The term % grade is a mathematical
term that means rise over run. Most treadmills report incline in % grade. Be aware that
your treadmill has to be leveled appropriately for this to work. You can check your
treadmill's level with a carpenter's level. If you really want to be accurate, you can rig a
protractor and a carpenter's level to measure rise and run and compare that to your
treadmill's display. Also, you should check the accuracy of your treadmill's speed
indicator. Put a chalk mark on the treadmill and count revolutions. With revolutions,
and knowledge of the belt length, you can calculate treadmill speed.
The study used 9 male distance runners with an average VO2 max of 65 ml/kg/min.
They were pretty fit. They ran for 6 minutes at each velocity and at % grades of 0, 1, 2
and 3%. Then they ran outdoors while expired air was collected in a Douglas bag. You
have to appreciate the lengths to which researchers will go to gather data. The
researcher had to bicycle along with the runner and hold the large weather balloon
type bag, while keeping the runner on target speed. I hope he was wearing a helmet.
Science is not always easy! They measured oxygen consumption and heart rate in all
conditions. Outdoor running was only tested during calm wind conditions. The heart
rate data for outdoor running and 1% grade treadmill are below. Note how similar they
are.
27
Heart Rate: 1% Treadmill VS Outdoors
MPH 1% Outdoors
6.5 119 119
7.4 128 128
8.4 140 140
9.3 153 153
10.2 164 165
11.2 173 174
Jones AM and Doust JH, A 1% treadmill grade most accurately reflects the energetic
cost of outdoor running, J Sports Sci, Aug: 14(4): 321:327, 1996.
3 Tools
In our simple program we have only 3 tools: steady pace, tempo, and VO2 max pace.
That is all we need. There is no need for more complexity. Our 3 tools, along with the
principle of progressive overload are the keys to a simple, effective program. Let’s
discuss the 3 tools.
1. Steady paced running: This is a steady pace effort. It is not hard and it is not
easy. It is the natural pace you would fall into if you went out for a medium distance
comfortable run. This is not easy pace. If you had to constantly hold yourself back
that would be easy pace. Steady is comfortable but you would not describe it as easy.
For those who train with a heart rate monitor, steady would be approximately 60-82%
of your maximum heart rate (zones 1 and 2). Fitness improvement is due to
progressive overload. We achieve progressive overload during steady runs by
increasing volume, not intensity. Increasing volume means running more mileage (or
time) at a steady pace. You will find that your run pace improves over time during
steady runs. You don’t run harder over time, you run faster at the same effort level.
You can do this by keeping your heart rate in your target “steady” zone. As you
become fit, you will have to run faster to achieve the same heart rate. If you don’t
have a heart rate monitor, you will have to pace based on effort. Keep the effort
“steady” and eventually your “steady” pace will get faster and faster. Remember; do
not increase the effort of steady runs, only the volume (mileage). Remember the rule
of thumb; do not increase mileage more than 10% per week. The key to this tool is
"steady" effort and increasing mileage over time. There is quite a bit of fitness to be
gained over time from steady paced running. The type of fitness you get from steady
paced running does not seem to plateau, even after years of training. More mileage
per week is almost always better (if you can tolerate it). There is a point of diminishing
returns however. For most athletes, 60 miles per week seems to be the point where
28
further increases in mileage start to show diminishing returns. In this case, there is
still improvement associated with running more mileage, but the improvement is
relatively small. These small improvements are worth it to elite athletes, where
seconds can mean the difference between 1st and 10th place, but for the recreational
athlete, it is less important. For a recreational athlete, until they are running 60 miles
per week, there is still a big upside in adding weekly run mileage.
Notional Improvement with Weekly Running Mileage

Improvement
10 35 60 85 110
Miles/Week
2. Tempo paced running: This is 10K race pace (for the bike it would be about 40K
time trial pace). This is definitely harder than steady pace but not your max pace. It is
also sometimes described as threshold pace. It is about at 88-92% of your max heart
rate (zone 4). Because we are using a fixed effort level, we achieve progressive
overload by increasing the amount of tempo. You might start with 10 minutes of
tempo (i.e., 2 X 5 min) and eventually build up to 30 minutes of tempo (i.e., 3 X 10
min). You can either use heart rate to pace your tempo intervals, or you can
periodically race a 10K and use pace. Warm up a bit before your first tempo interval
and give yourself at least a few minutes of easy or steady pace between tempo
intervals. Also, cool down with easy or steady pace after your tempo intervals. Ten
minutes is enough tempo work to be effective but would be considered a light tempo
dose. Forty minutes is a heavy tempo dose for a single session. Tempo training is a
powerful tool. Like steady training, we gradually increase the amount of time we
spend at tempo pace, and we eventually run faster tempo pace at the same effort
level. Your tempo pace will get faster over time as you get more fit. Tempo training
fitness tends to plateau after 2-3 months.
3. VO2 max Intervals: Most of people call these track intervals or just intervals.
They are usually done on the track. Heart rate is a poor way to pace these intervals
because they are too short. It takes your heart rate 2-3 minutes to reach steady state
29
at a new run pace. As a result, you will be done with your interval before your heart
rate catches up. That is why it is best to do these on the track or on a course with
marked distances and use pace to deliver the right intensity. The most common
interval distances are ¼ and ½ mile repeats. These are done at your 1 mile race
pace. This is zone 5 training. They are not max effort but they are tough! VO2 max
intervals are typically done with a 1/1 work to rest ratio. This means that if your run
interval takes 2 minutes, you rest 2 minutes. What should you do during your rest
interval? You should rest! Seriously, you can jog slowly or walk or whatever it takes
for you to recover. The point is to recover. If doing ¼ mile intervals, unless you are
an elite athlete, you don’t need more than 8-10. Six would be fine for most people.
For ½ mile intervals, aim for half of that. Half mile or 800 meter/yard intervals are the
most popular choice because they work. Run these hard and push the pace.
However, the ideal session would have your pace on your first and last intervals the
same. If you are fading in your last intervals, you are going too hard. Always leave a
little gas in the tank and finish felling like you could have done another one or two.
VO2 max intervals are potent medicine. You don’t need many. The type of fitness
produced by these tough intervals happens quickly, but plateaus quickly (4-6 weeks).
3 Phases
Phase 1 (as long as you can): All steady running. No intensity or intervals at all.
The goal of phase 1 is to build up mileage. Remember, fitness happens through
progressive overload and overload in phase 1 is volume overload (not intensity!).
Why no hard running during phase 1? Any hard running has too much of a recovery
cost and prevents you from adding mileage. It turns out that total mileage for the
week is more important than how you arrange the mileage in phase 1, and short runs
count. It is less stressful on the body to spread your run mileage over more runs than
fewer runs. For example, 3 runs of 10 miles is harder to recover from than 10 runs of
3 miles. Both would provide a similar volume training stimulus however. Even if you
are training for a longer race (i.e., marathon), there is little need to exceed ¾ of race
distance in your longest run. Ideally, your longest run should not exceed 25% of your
total run mileage. Some people find that splitting the long run into a morning and
evening session allows them to still get in a lot of mileage that day without violating
the 25% guideline. Most people find that this phase is easier on the body with
frequent running. Remember the 10% rule. Remember, steady paced training effects
do not plateau, even after years of training, so there is definite benefit in staying in
phase 1 as long as you can. Bottom line, add mileage, keep it steady, no hard stuff,
try to spread out the mileage. We'll discuss when to start and finish each phase
below. For now we can say that the longer is your phase 1, the better. Some people
stay in phase 1 for years.
Phase 2 (2-3 months): Mostly steady running, with some tempo added in.
Transitioning to phase 2 starts with substituting one of your steady runs with a tempo
30
run. Progressive overload in this phase involves increasing the amount of tempo pace
run each week. For example, you might start with 20 minutes of tempo (i.e., one
tempo run of 2 X 10 minutes) and progress to 40 minutes of tempo per week (i.e., 2
runs or 2 X 10 minutes at tempo each). You should generally start with 1 tempo
session per week and progress to 2 sessions if you training structure allows it. No
more than 2 sessions per week are necessary. The rest of your running will be steady
paced runs. After the first 2 weeks of phase 2, you might continue to increase your
steady paced mileage as well, because your total mileage probably dropped as you
substituted shorter tempo runs, for longer steady paced runs. Be cautions and
conservative with the increase though. As you progress, you may need to re-test your
10K race pace to readjust your tempo pace. Alternatively, you can use your heart rate
monitor and just stay in the 90-95% max heart rate zone. Because your heart rate will
decrease with increasing fitness, staying in your heart rate zone is a way to
progressively run faster as you become more fit. Tempo run training effects tend to
plateau after 2-3 months. Therefore, we generally plan on a 2-3 month phase 2. For
this reason, we generally start phase 2 about 3-4 months prior to our race. So,
substitute a steady run with a tempo run, gradually increase the amount of tempo,
then eventually substitute a second steady run with an additional tempo run later in
phase 2 (2 tempo runs, plus some steady running).
Phase 3 (4-6 weeks): In phase 3, we substitute a steady run with a VO2 max interval
run. We are also still doing tempo (two) and steady, so phase 3 includes all 3 tools
(steady, tempo, VO2 max). We only do one VO2 max session per week. It is plenty.
VO2 max intervals are potent medicine, so just enough is all we want. If you are
running 3 times per week in phase 3 you would have 1 VO2 max session, 1 tempo
session, and 1 steady session. If you are running 4 days per week, you might have 2
tempo sessions or two steady sessions, depending on how you structured phase 2.
You will find that this simple program is easier to manage and structure properly with
at least 4 runs per week. Five or six would be better. Your total run mileage will
probably decrease in phase 3 because you are replacing a steady run with a much
shorter VO2 max interval run. That is OK. In this case we are achieving progressive
overload by adding intensity, so we can decrease volume a bit. Elite athletes will
decrease volume less than novices in this case. The type of fitness we get from VO2
max intervals tends to plateau quickly. Therefore we put them last, right before our
event. We generally start VO2 intervals 5-6 weeks prior to the race.
The graphs below show the big picture. This is not a polarized training plan (as
opposed to the recommendations for elites). Novice and sub-elite runners typically do
not run enough volume to benefit optimally from a polarized plan. This is particularly
true for the tactical athlete who is also training for other physical qualities. The graphs
31
below are notional and represent broad based approximations. There will be
differences depending on race distance and training experience.
Phase 1 Training Distribution
125
100
75
% in Zone
50
25
0
90
68
45 % in Zone
23
0

75
60
45
% in Zone
30
15
0
32
Example: 8 Month Periodized Cycle for 10K
2 months 2 months 1 month 6 weeks 6 weeks

Phase 1 Early Phase 1 Late Phase 2 Early Phase 2 Late Phase 3 Race
S S S S S S S S S T S S S T S T T T S V Taper R
3 3 3 3 6 6 6 6 6 :20 6 6 7 :20 7 :30 :20 :30 10 8X1/4M
S=steady, T=tempo, V=VO2 max, R=Race. :20 = 20 minutes of tempo (i.e., 2 X 10

min), number = miles. The numbers in the cells represent miles or minutes. This
example is a 4 day per week run program.
In this example, we simply back up 5 weeks from our taper week and start phase 3.
Phase 3 is 5 weeks because we will plateau quickly with VO2 intervals. Then we plan
approximately 2 months of phase 2. We can generally push tempo paced
improvements for a couple of months. Beyond that, we start to plateau. Any
remaining time we have is phase 1. Ideally, we want as much of phase 1 as we can
get. If this were a 6 month plan, we would probably chop off a couple of months of
phase 1. So, our structure is pretty simple. Plan for 5-6 weeks of phase 3, about 2
months of phase 2, and as much phase 1 as you can. Increase mileage in phase 1.
Increase time spent at tempo pace in phase 2 (and perhaps continue to increase
steady mileage as well), then add VO2 intervals in phase 3. Then taper and race.
Novice Runners and the Minimum Effective Dose
When doctors prescribe medication to cure a disease they strive to prescribe the
minimum effective dose. The minimum effective dose is the minimum dose that
successfully treats the disease. The reason that they do this is because all
medications have side effects. Prescribing more than the minimum effective dose
does not provide more “cure,” but it does result in more side effects. Exercise is
similar. Exercise is a physiological stressor that induces compensation (fitness).
More stress than is necessary does not increase fitness. In other words, the body
accumulates fitness (compensation rate) at a maximum rate when the optimal dose of
exercise is provided (the minimal effective dose). More exercise at that point will not
result in more fitness or a faster rate of improvement, but will result in “side effects,”
most often injury or illness.
33
The military has studied this phenomenon extensively. With novice runners (recruits)
there is a minimum effective dose, beyond which injury rates start to increase
significantly. The table below is data from the US Army on run fitness and injuries
over a 12 week period for two groups of recruits. The group that ran less (74 mile
reduction or more than a 50% reduction in mileage) actually ran faster (more fitness)
and had a lower injury rate. Certainly, in this population, exceeding 56 miles over a 12
week period did not increase fitness but did increase the injury rate. Recruits who ran
130 miles exceeded the minimum effective dose. Sometimes more is not better.
Going Long: why it is ok to break up your long run
When we start to run it takes time for your heart rate, respiration, and metabolism to gear
up. If you use a heart rate monitor you see this every time you train. The same thing
happens when you shift gears while training. If you are doing a tempo session, for
example 5 minutes easy - 10 minutes tempo, it will take 1-2 minutes for your heart rate to
settle at the new intensity when you make the shift from "easy" to "tempo.". This is called
reaching steady state at the new intensity. It turns out that at some run intensities you can
reach a steady state, where lactate no longer increases and heart rate remains relatively
stable (although a small amount of heart rate drift occurs). Let's take a look at a concept
called maximal lactate steady state (MLSS) to explain this concept in more detail.
The graph shows notional data during a typical maximal lactate steady state test. This is
representative of the kind of data I have seen in the lab dozens of times. A typical test
would consist of several stages. Each stage lasts 30 minutes and we do only one stage
per testing session. We have the athlete run at a steady pace and measure blood lactate
levels every 3 minutes. We start at 4 miles per hour, and increase by 1 mile per hour each
session. We might get a graph like the one above. What you can see from this graph is
that at each speed the subject reaches a steady state, although at higher and higher
lactate levels, until 9 miles per hour. At 9 miles per hour, the subject cannot maintain a
steady state and lactate continues to climb, despite the speed staying the same
throughout the test. However, at 8 miles per hour, the subject reached a steady state, with
34
lactate stabilizing around 3 mmol/l, even after 30 minutes of running. In this case, the
subjects maximal lactate steady state (MLSS) occurred at 8 miles per hour. For most
people, MLSS pace is sustainable anywhere from 30 minutes to one hour. If you look at a
person's physiology (heart rate, lactate, respiration etc..) at 5 minutes, 10 minutes, or 25
minutes into a run at MLSS, there is very little difference. Think about what this means in
terms of splitting a run that is slower than MLSS. It takes 3-4 minutes to hit steady state.
So 5 minutes into a run or 40 minutes into a run, physiology is going to look very similar.
So what is the difference between 2 X 10 minutes at MLSS or simply 20 minutes straight
at MLSS pace? Not much. Because physiologically, most of it is spent at steady state in
both cases.
Lactate Steady States at 6 Run Paces

9
8
7
Lactate mmol/l
6 4
5 5
4 6
3 7
2
8
1
9
0
0 10 20 30
time minutes
MLSS is a zone 4 effort. Long runs are typically run at a zone 2 effort (refer to the training
zones chart shown earlier). Zone 2 is well below MLSS. So the entire run is going to be
run in a relatively steady state. For our run subject in the chart above, this might be at 5-6
miles per hour. Heart rate would increase very little during the run and lactate would be
steady at approximately 2 mmol/l. Your physiology is not going to be much different 5
minutes into a zone 2 effort run vs 1 hour into the run. So, what is the difference between
doing a 2 hour run vs 1 hour run in the morning and 1 hour run in the evening of you are
running in zone 2? Again, not much.
This also explains why during phase 1 of a periodized run program that it does not matter
much how you structure your runs. 3 runs of 10 miles have about the same fitness impact
of 5 runs of 6 miles when all of your running is zone 2.
More and more ultra-runners and marathoners are splitting their long runs and are finding
that they recover better and fitness is not negatively impacted. For example, rather than
doing a 30 mile run on Saturday, an ultra-runner might do 10 on Saturday and 20 on
Sunday. Or 10 on Saturday, 10 on Sunday morning and 10 on Sunday evening. In each
case, the runner accumulated 30 miles of running on the weekend. The fitness building
impact of those 3 different options is very similar.
35
Before we completely throw out long runs, it is important to state that long runs do have
their place. They are important for mental toughness training, for trying out race
strategies, and to build confidence and check pacing strategies. However, because of
what we discussed so far, you don't need many of them.
Distance Considerations
The longer the race distance, the less important is phase 3. At some point, phase 2
becomes less important as well. The figure below illustrates a notional distribution of
each training phase by race distance. For example, a novice who is training for a
marathon may not need any phase 2 or phase 3 at all. Certainly for ultra-distance
races (i.e., 30K and above), phase 2 and 3 would not be appropriate. People in this
category would simply stay in phase 1 until taper, using progressive overload to
increase fitness by increasing mileage. For most people, phase 3 is not important for
half marathon training. These individuals would progress from phase 1 to phase 2,
then taper and race. Once we get to shorter distances like 10K and 5K, a normal
phase1, 2 and 3 progression becomes more appropriate.
Training Tools by Distance Raced Marathon Expert

Marathon Novice
1/2 Marathon
10 K
5K
• Novice marathon: stay in phase 1, increasing mileage by approximately 10%

per week. No phase 2 or 3 is necessary. Spread the runs over several
sessions. In the section on phase 1 we stated that your long run (ideally)
should not exceed 25% of your weekly mileage. If you do the math, you'll see
that if your long run is 20 miles (approximately 3/4 of race distance as
recommended) that would put you at an 80 mile run week! While this is
perfectly normal and not excessive for advanced marathoners, a novice is not
36
going to be able to manage an 80 mile run week. The reality is that a novice
cannot properly train to race a marathon, because a marathon is an advanced
event! Yes, novices can train to race or to complete a marathon, they just don't
have the durability to train properly to race the marathon yet. Although it
would not be considered ideal training, if a novice structures their training so
that the long run does not exceed 50% of their weekly run mileage that should
allow them to get through the marathon in one piece. Obviously any event
longer than a marathon would require only phase 1 training as well.
• Expert marathon: In this case, expert is an experienced runner, but not quite
elite/advanced. Expert refers to the level of experience, not performance. This
approach involves a lengthy phase 1, but transition to phase 2 prior to race
taper. No phase 3 is necessary. An abbreviated phase 2 is appropriate
(approximately 4 weeks). No need for phase 3.
• ½ marathon: lengthy phase 1, transition to phase 2 prior to race taper. No
phase 3 is necessary. A full phase 2 is appropriate (approximately 2 months).
• 10K – 5K: Normal phase 1, phase 2, and phase 3. In this case phase 2
(especially for the 10K) and phase 3 (especially for the 5K) are the most
important phases. If you only have a short time to train, make sure you get a
full dose of the appropriate phase prior to the race. Ideally you should do a full
phase 1, 2 and 3.
• 2 – 1 mile: In this case the most important phase is phase 3. If time permits, a
full phase 1, and 2 should precede phase 3. If not, phase 3 is still the critical
phase for performance at these short, fast distances. If you had only 6 weeks
to prepare for an event of this distance, you would start in phase 3.
There is one last consideration to talk about. The assumption made above is that you
are planning for a race on a specific date or perhaps for a run based fitness test or for
selection training. If that is the case, then a classic periodized model like we lay out
above is ideal. What if you had no planned race or test date but wanted to deliver
pretty good performance on any given day? If that is the case, you are best served by
staying in phase 3. If all you did was tempo and VO2 max workouts only, you would
plateau after 2-3 months and see no further improvement. Maintaining some steady
training, in this case, would be a better option (see the “Any Given Day” figure below).
This is the world of the typical tactical athlete who is not training for selection or for a
school. This is the optimal approach for day to day endurance training. All hard all
the time falls short for longer endurance challenges (i.e., long ruck march). Staying in
phase 3 delivers a balanced approach that preserves endurance, speed, and
threshold pace. Most tactical athletes should be training in phase 3 day in and day
out. This applies to rucking, running, and swimming.
37
Training Tool Distribution for Good Performance on “Any Given Day”
So there you have it. Three tools and 3 phases are all you need. Remember to apply
progressive overload to each phase and plan an appropriate taper. Training
frequency can vary from phase to phase. Training more frequently does make the
load more manageable, as discussed, and makes planning the phases easier, but this
plan can be worked with frequency as low as 3 X week (but it is not optimal). Just
keep the big picture in mind. Remember progressive overload and the goal of each
phase and you will be fine. What about hill repeats, strides, extensive versus
intensive tempo, zone 5a and 5c training, recovery pace runs? To be honest, if you
try to complicate things more than the 3 tools/3 phases, you are more likely to mess
things up than you are to improve on this simple approach. Yes, there are much more
complex plans than this but more complexity is not necessary. If you really need that
level of complexity, you are elite and somebody is paying for a coach to guide your
workouts, so you should not be reading this anyway!
Note: These same principles and approach can be applied to rucking. However,
instead of using speed as a variable to increase intensity, we use ruck load because
we always try to walk at about 4 mph while rucking. Never run with a ruck in training!
Selecting Running Shoes based on Foot Shape
The Marine Corps took a look at more than 720 recruits to determine if prescribing
shoes based on foot shape would decrease the incidence of running injuries. They
classified the feet as either high arched, normal arched, or low arched. Low arched
got a motion control shoe. High arch received a cushioned shoe. Normal arched
38
recruits received a stability shoe. These are the most common prescriptions used by
running shoe stores who prescribe shoe types based on foot shape. they followed the
recruits throughout recruit training and assessed instances of running injuries in each
group, compared to one another and compared to a control group. Their conclusion
was, “This prospective study demonstrated that assigning shoes based on the shape
of the plantar foot surface had little influence on injuries even after considering other
risk factors.” This is common practice in many running shoe retailers and it does not
appear to be effective even when executed by well-trained experts.
Knapik, JJ, Trone DW, Swedler DI, Vilasenor A, Bullock SH, Schmied E, Bockelman
T, Han P, and Jones BH, Injury reduction effectiveness of assigning running shoes
based on plantar shape in Marine Corps Basic Training, Am J Sports Med, 2010, Sep,
38(9):1759-1767.
Reference: US Army Center for Health Promotion and Preventive Medicine Report
No 21-kk-08QR-08, 2008.
39
Training and Racing Zones
40
Training for Strength
Muscle Qualities
By changing programming variables we can emphasize a particular muscle quality
when training. The figure below summarizes what is known to date about training
muscle qualities. It is important to note that this is a continuum. You get some of all of
the qualities in each particular box. There is a considerable amount of overlap. For
example, training for hypertrophy will produce some strength and power. However, the
most effective way to target the quality in each box is to focus on the variables in that
box.
Muscular endurance requires lighter loading and higher repetitions. Shorter rest periods
are more productive and only 2-3 sets are necessary for a good training effect. The
higher repetitions and short rest periods generates considerable fatigue in the muscles
and depletes the phosphagen system, as well as muscle glycogen. Muscular
endurance can be trained frequently (daily or 4-5 times per week)
Muscle hypertrophy is better achieved with higher volume training. Volume is provided
by using higher repetition ranges (typically 8-12 reps), and by more sets (3-8). Most
hypertrophy programs use shorter rest intervals (30-60 seconds), which has been
shown to be more effective than longer rest intervals for muscle growth and anabolic
hormone response. Muscle hypertrophy programs generally involve training muscles 2
times per week or every 3-4 days.
Muscular Endurance: Muscle Hypertrophy: Muscular Strength: Muscular Power:
 < 67% 1RM  <67%-85%1RM  >85%1RM,  RM is TBD (45% 1RM

 >12 reps  8-12 reps  5-8 reps for max power)
 <30 sec rest  30 - 60 sec rest  2-5 min rest  1-3 reps
 2-3 sets  3-8 sets  2-6 sets  2-3 min rest
 *Some heavy singles  Sets TBD
and triples are OK
Programs for muscular strength focus primarily on maximizing the weight lifted on each
set by using a high percentage of the 1 repetition maximum (>85%) and by using long
rest intervals to maximize recovery between sets (remember the phoshphagen system
discussion). Volume is typically varied and some heavy singles or doubles may be
included. Training frequency is generally 2-3 times per week. Novice lifters can train
with intensity 3 times per week but intermediate/advanced strength athletes generally
train twice per week or train 3 times per week with one session scaled back in intensity.
41
Power is the demonstration of explosive strength. Training for power involves getting
stronger, and increasing muscle contraction speed. Strength alone will increase power
output. For example, research has clearly shown that increasing deadlift and squat
strength can improve sprinting speed. Incorporating a small amount of power training
to increase loaded contraction speed can also help, probably due to faster and more
optimal motor unit recruitment. If the focus is on increasing contraction speed, then the
load should be approximately 45% of the one repetition maximum. Maximum power
(force X distance / time) can be achieved with loads in this range. If rapid force
development of high force is desired (rapid recruitment of all available motor units), then
heavier loads should be chosen. An ideal power training program would use both
heavy and lighter loading for a combination of both. Both loading schemes have been
shown to improve sports performances such as vertical leap and sprint starts. Power
exercises are best used for intermediate and advanced trainees only. Novices are
better served working on basic strength first. Power training can be done frequently if
loading is light. If loading is heavy, less frequency can be tolerated.
Strength and Real World Lifting Tasks
The relationship between the one repetition maximum and the ability to perform
repetitions with various percentages of the one repetition maximum has been well
researched. A quick Google search will produce tables and charts from various studies.
This is useful information for strength programming. However, what about this same
concept applied to “real world” lifting tasks like loading boxes on a truck? It turns out
that this research has been done. This type of information is perhaps even more
applicable to tactical athletes, who are training for “real world” capability, rather than
gym performance. The chart below shows what the research found.
42
To understand what the chart means, let’s walk through an example. Start with the
column on the left and go down to the 20kg row. The first number in the “5” column is
23. What this means is that if a person is required to lift 20 kg five times, they need to
have a one repetition maximum in the box lift of 23kg. If they are required to lift the box
25 times (think in terms of loading 25 boxes on a truck, each weighing 20kg), they need
to have a one repetition maximum in the box lift of 34kg. You can also look at it in
reverse. If a tactical athlete has a duty or task that requires repetitively loading boxes or
objects weighing 40kg, can I determine how strong they need to be to do this task? The
table above would suggest that if they can lift a 69kg load, they would be able to load 25
objects weighing 40kg. In the “real world” this means that if they can pick up a 69kg
dumbbell by the “bell” rather than the handle, or some similar object (sand bag), they
can probably handle loading a truck full of 40kg ammo cans.
Savage, RJ, Best, SA, Carstairs GL, Ham DJ, and Doyle TLA, On the relationship
between discrete and repetitive lifting performance in military tasks, J Strength Cond
Res 28(3): 767-773, 2014.
Bench Press VS Pushups
Can pushups be used as a substitute for bench presses? Can an athlete develop as
much pushing strength using pushups as they can with bench presses? A recent study
published in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research attempted to answer
these questions. They used 30 university students with advanced resistance training
experience. Some trained with bench press only and others with pushups only (plus a
control group). The key to this study is that they matched the EFFORT of the bench
press and pushup group using electromyography (measures muscle nerve activity to
determine degree of muscle activation). They added resistance to the pushups as
necessary to match muscle activation of the bench press group. At the end of 5 weeks,
improvement was similar between both groups. Pushing is pushing, whether you use a
bench press or a pushup, as long as muscle activation is high.
Calatayud J, Borreani S, Colado JC, Martin F, Tella V, and Andersen LL, Bench press
and pushup at comparable levels of muscle activity results in similar strength gains,
Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 29(1), 246-253, 2015.
Bench press strength and push-ups performance, are they related?
The barbell bench press and the bodyweight push up are both horizontal pushing
movements. They use substantially the same muscle groups. The basic movement is
the same. Many military services and schools / selection programs use push-ups as a
test mode. The question that comes up frequently is, “Can I improve my push-ups by
43
getting stronger at the bench press? Or, “Can I improve my bench press by getting
better at push-ups?” The best answer to both of these questions is, “Maybe, but
probably not.” Let me explain. Scientists at Northern Illinois University took a look at the
correlation between max push-ups in 1 minute and 1 repetition maximum in the bench
press. What they found is that the correlation is generally weak. Timed push-ups did not
predict 1 RM bench press performance accurately. Push-ups accounted for only 31
percent of the variance in 1 RM bench press performance. In lay terms, it did a rotten
job of predicting 1 RM bench press.
This should not be totally unexpected because they test different abilities. A 1 RM
bench press tests absolute muscular force. This depends primarily on muscle cross
sectional area (as well as joint leverages and technique). Push-ups test muscular
endurance. The ability to do lots of push-ups is related primarily to the development of
resistance to metabolic fatigue in the muscles. This is done by up regulating the
concentration of muscle enzymes responsible for energy production.
When I said “maybe” above, I was referring to a special circumstance. If a person can
do fewer than 15 push-ups, then they have a strength deficit. That number of repetitions
is closer to strength than it is to muscular endurance. In that case, increasing bench
press strength may help with push up performance. However, a person able to do more
pushups clearly has enough force production capability and would benefit more (in
terms of improved push-ups) by improving fatigue resistance, rather than adding bench
press strength.
The logic also works when considering whether push-ups can improve your bench
press performance. If your max push ups is in the strength repetition range (i.e., less
than 15), it is more likely to help with your bench press performance. Otherwise, it is
likely to have little impact.
Conclusion: Can’t do many push-ups (i.e., less than 15), bench pressing may help.
Otherwise, push-ups training is the way to go.
Invergo, J, Ball, T., and Looney, M , Relationship of push-ups and absolute muscular
endurance to bench press strength, Journal of Applied Sport Science Research, 5, (3),
121-125, 1991.
Appropriate Strength Volume

The foundation of a tactical strength and conditioning program is building strength. The
question of how much volume is appropriate is an important one. Alexander
Sergeyevitch Prelepin was the head coach of the Junior Olympic Weightlifting Team in
the USSR for 5 years and the coach of the senior team for 5 years. His athletes won
multiple medals and set more than 20 world records. His extensive experience led to
the development of a simple table to ensure that the right amount of intensity and
volume was performed for optimal strength development. The table has been
extensively used since that time and is referred to as Prelepin’s Chart. You’ll note that
the total volume is much less than most people would think. However, if you have spent
44
any time around truly competitive lifters, the table should look familiar. Because the
table has a wide range of intensity (percent of one repetition maximum) and volume
(total number of reps performed for all sets), it can be a great tool when planning
periodization of sets and reps.
Prelipin’s Chart
Percent Reps/Set Optimal Total Range
55-65 3-6 24 18-30
70-80 3-6 18 12-24
80-90 2-4 15 10-20
90+ 1-2 4 10
For example, some repetition schemes that follow the chart and are popular include:
4 sets of 5 repetitions with 80% of one repetition maximum

The chart applies to building strength, not muscular endurance or METCON. Apply the
chart to “movements” rather than “body parts.” For example, squat is a movement. So
is a push or a pull. Biceps is a body part. Curls are technically a pull, as are pullups.
The basic movements are push, pull, squat, hip hinge and core. If you are going to do
two completely different movements in the same category (i.e., horizontal push – bench
press, vertical push – overhead press), you can apply the chart for each, but you should
be on the lower end of the volume range for each. It is best to think of Prelepin’s Chart
as a guideline, rather than a strict rule. Remember, this is based on lots of experience
with hundreds of athletes and produced tremendous success. You should be
somewhere in this ballpark. Certainly if you 50-100% higher in your training volume,
you should reconsider your training approach.
Appropriate Strength Training Frequency

If Prelipin’s chart is used as a guide for training volume, the appropriate frequency of
training (per movement) is 2-3 days per week. This can be accomplished by training
the whole body 2-3 days per week, or by splitting movements (i.e., Push, Pull, Core on
Monday and Thursday and Squat, Hinge, Core on Tuesday and Friday). These types of
programs are the most commonly used programs by athletes and they are time tested
and proven. It is the type of program that tends to work well for the vast majority of
trainees. Reducing frequency to once per week has been shown to be inferior, even if
volume and intensity is increased. Increasing frequency to 4-6 sessions per week (per
movement) can work but loading has to be significantly reduced, as well as volume.
The simple, and effective approach is to use Prelipin’s chart and program a frequency of
2-3 sessions per week. Programs like 5 X 5, Bill Star’s programs, Starting Strength,
and Westside Barbell use this basic approach. It works.
A notable exception is the fact that most powerlifters deadlift once per week only. This
is because the deadlift and the squat are very similar movements. We generally
45
categorize the deadlift as a hip hinge movement, but the classic powerlifting style
deadlift has quite a bit of a “squat” pattern as well. In fact, the classic powerlifter “low
bar” squat also has a bit of hip hinge. As a result, powerlifters generally reduce the
frequency of their deadlift workouts because of the overlap. Otherwise they tend to
overtrain.
Team Lifting Capability
Researchers assessed the capability of single and mixed gender teams (US Army
Soldiers) to lift heavy loads using Olympic bars. Individuals used an Olympic bar and
performed a deadlift. Teams of two and four used a square shaped frame of 4 Olympic
bars. Teams of 3 used a triangle shaped frame of 3 Olympic bars. The results (in
kilograms) are presented in the table below.
Karwowski, W. Maximum load lifting capacity of males and females in teamwork. In:
Procedings of the human factors Society 32nd Annual Meeting, 680-682, 1988.
Karwowski W, and Mital A, Isometric and isokinetic testing of lifting strength of males in
teamwork. Ergonom. 29(7): 869-878, 1986.
Karwowski W, and Yates JW, Reliability of the psychophysical approach to manual

lifting of liquids by females. Ergonom. 29(2): 237-248, 1986.
Why Westside is a good strength template for tactical athletes
I attended the National Strength and Conditioning Association's (NSCA) Tactical

Strength and Conditioning (TSAC) Conference as an invited speaker in 2014. The
TSAC is a great conference with world class athletes and speakers. If you ever have the
opportunity to go, do it. One of the speakers was Matt Wenning. Matt is a beast with a
600lb raw bench press! He is also very intelligent and a very articulate speaker. Matt
made a strong case for using the Westside strength template
(www.westsidebarbell.com) for tactical athletes. His main point was that:
1. Westside works for producing strength.
2. The high level of variety with the Westside system ensures that it has more transfer
to the highly varied strength challenges of tactical athletes.
46
I agree with that assessment on both counts. Point # 2 is especially important and
should not be overlooked. However, for novice lifters, Westside is going to be a bit
complex. Also, novice lifters often do not have the experience, or lifting technique in the
basic lifts in order to benefit from a Westside type of template. For those reasons, I
often recommend a simple Starting Strength (www.startingstrength.com) type of
program for novice tactical athletes. This gives them plenty of experience with the basic
lifts (i.e., bench press, deadlift, back squat, powerclean, press). These are the
fundamentals. Remember your old football coach used to always preach, "fundamentals
before fancy stuff." Six to 10 months of Starting Strength is a good foundation in the
fundamentals. Some are going to need more than that. After building some proficiency
with the fundamentals, the Westside template makes sense for a tactical athlete.
However, Matt applied the Westside template to hundreds of US Army Rangers with
great success. In this case they had excellent coaching. With good coaching, tactical
athletes can jump into a Westside type of program much sooner. Those tactical athletes
who are doing this on their own would be better served with a simpler approach like
Starting Strength first.
Linear Progression
Linear progression is another way to describe progressive overload. Simply put, this is
merely increasing the stress of a program over time. Novice strength trainers often
employ this simple method because it can produce results fast. The simplest way to do
this is to add small weight increments every workout or every week. Mark Rippetoe
describes a simple and effective linear progression system in his book Starting
Strength. Another progressive overload technique is called escalating density. With
this technique you perform the same number of sets and reps, but you do so in a
smaller and smaller timeframe. The idea is to get more work done in a shorter period of
time. Linear progression tends to work better for strength and escalating density for
muscular endurance. Both can produce hypertrophy effectively. Periodization involves
changing program variables (intensity, volume, rest between sets, loading) over time to
maximize gains. There are basically 2 major types of periodization programs applied to
strength training programs. Both models use planned changes in program variables
(like frequency, intensity and volume) to optimize performance.
Evidence Based Resistance Training
An excellent review of the research literature by researchers from Southampton Solent

and Manchester Metropolitan Universities provided a range of recommendations for
effective strength training. Below is a summary of some of their conclusions:
1. “The evidence suggests that individuals should be encouraged to train to
momentary muscular failure.” During a set to momentary muscular failure,
initially primarily slow twitch (type I) and intermediate fibers (type IIa) are
47
recruited. As fatigue builds some of these fibers drop out and larger, more
powerful fast twitch (type IIx) fibers are recruited. During the final rep to failure,
the largest, most powerful type IIx fibers are engaged, so that during the course
of the set, all available muscle fibers have been engaged and used. That is the
primary benefit of training to momentary muscular failure. A number of studies
that tested a head to head comparison of training to momentary muscular failure
versus stopping shy of failure (even when volume was matched) demonstrated
the superiority of training to failure. Research has not yet determined how often
or how many sets need to be performed to momentary muscular failure.
Conventional wisdom is that 1-2 sets per movement or body part per training
session is sufficient.
2. The often reported 5-8 rep range for optimal strength gains is not supported by
the research literature when training to momentary muscular failure is used. A
wide range of repetitions and loads were shown to be effective in producing
strength gains as long as subjects trained to momentary muscular failure (2
repetition maximum to 150 repetition maximum). However, loads of > 80% of the
one repetition maximum have shown to be better in some cases. When not
training to momentary muscular failure 5-8 repetitions are probably optimal.
3. When training for high skill movements, performing weighted versions of those
movements during training is often detrimental. For example, baseball players
who trained by swinging a heavy bat subsequently reduced, rather than
increased their bat swing speed. The same effect has been shown across a
variety of technical skills. A more effective approach is to train the muscles
involved in the movement with traditional strength exercises, and then to practice
the actual skill separately.
Fisher J, Steele J, Bruce-Low, S, and Smith D, Evidence-based resistance training

recommendations, Medicina Sportiva 15(3): 147-162, 2011.
Linear Periodization Nonlinear Periodization

Train various qualities in 4-8 week blocks. Train for various qualities throughout the week.
Example (football) Example:
Offseason: Monday: strength

First block: hypertrophy Wednesday: hypertrophy
Second block: strength Friday: power
Third block: power
Strength & power
Linear Periodization
48
Linear periodization involves the use of 4-8 week microcycle with a specific emphasis.
The example provided on the left shows 3 microcycles in the off season, each focusing
on a specific goal. The in season microcycle combines the strength and power
microcycle into one training program. It is common for athletes competing in events
with known seasons or competition dates to use classic linear periodization to maximize
performance in season or during a competition. Linear periodization is used by many
competitive athletes in a wide variety of sports. Ed Coan, perhaps the greatest
powerlifter ever, used classic linear periodization throughout his career. It is still widely
used because it works. However, as previously mentioned, it is appropriate mainly for
athletes who need to peak for an event.
Maximizing Pushups and Bench Press for Selection Training Without Wrecking
Your Shoulders
First of all, most people should not attempt to do this. Pulling this off takes patience and
involves a delicate balance between fatigue and recovery. If this is not done right, most
will end up with a shoulder overuse injury. However, for the tactical athlete preparing for
selection, who needs bench press strength, and who will be exposed to hundreds of
pushups per day during training, it is a necessity. It can be done effectively. At the US
Naval Academy we experimented with different plans for Midshipmen preparing for the
SEAL screener, BUD/S and other programs. Our previous experience in building up
pushup numbers using daily (or near daily) sub-maximal volume (several sets, none
taken to failure, in an attempt to do lots of volume) proved to be very effective at
building up pushup numbers. However, throwing in heavy bench presses became
problematic. The fatigue load was too much. The solution we employed was simple and
effective. There are many ways to do this and below is just one example. Focus on the
overall principles and apply them to your situation.
Example: Athlete looking to improve bench press and pushups and currently at 45 strict
pushups for a max. The starting pushup volume was 100 pushups per day. Over time
this would be increased to several hundred per day as tolerance improves. The
pushups can be done together as several sets with plenty of rest in between, or can be
done "grease the groove" (Google it) style.
Monday:
 Heavy bench press workout
 push-ups, 100 total, as many sets as necessary, stopping 1-2 reps shy of failure on
each set.
Tues: 100 pushups, done as sets of 10 reps, keep it easy with no fatigue build up
Wed: 100 pushups, done as 4 sets of 25
Thurs:
49
 Heavy bench press workout;
 pushups, 100 total, as many sets as necessary, stopping 1-2 reps shy of failure on
each set.
Fri: 100 pushups, done as sets of 10 reps, keep it easy with no fatigue build up
Sat: 100 pushups, done as 5 sets of 20
Sun: 100 pushups, done as 4 sets of 25 (or test max pushups, then finish the 100
stopping 2-3 reps shy of failure) or skip this pushup workout if you are fatigued
These pushup numbers apply to our example above. You will need to adjust based on
your capability. The pattern is what is important. We found that bench press strength
was not negatively impacted as long as the pushups sets were not done to failure
(except for an occasional Sunday). The "easy" day following the bench press workout
was enough to freshen up prior to the next workout. This was a manageable workload
that could be sustained long term as long as we did not get greedy on the pushups. The
key is to let the pushup numbers improve gradually and never go to failure. Also,
pushing should be balanced with pulling. This was never a problem for us as we were
simultaneously increasing pull-up numbers. You should consider doing as much pulling
as pushing. Obviously you will not be doing as many reps of pulling as pushups, but
keep the number of set about the same. Frequently we did our pulling in between sets
of pushups.
If you are going to do this, you must have near perfect pushup form! Keep your
shoulders packed and your core engaged. No sagging hips and flared elbows! Poor
form will destroy your shoulders if you are pushing out lots of reps daily.
In summary, training pushup volume and bench press strength can be done
simultaneously. However, you must manage fatigue by "freshening up" the day after a
heavy bench press workout. You still get in the volume, but do so with low rep sets and
plenty of recovery between sets. No sets of pushups should be taken to failure. Be sure
to do plenty of pulling. Back off at the first sign of shoulder pain. Remember, it is easy to
be hard, but it's hard to be smart. Be smart.
Nonlinear Periodization
The other type of periodization is called non-linear or undulating periodization. In this
case, there is no specific microcycle. Instead, the program variables vary within the
course of the week’s workouts. A three day per week intermediate program like The
Texas Method is an example of non-linear periodization. Tactical athletes who are not
preparing for a specific event, but rather need to maintain high levels of performance
across broad fitness abilities would more appropriately use non-linear periodization.
50
The Texas Method (Non-linear)
Mark Rippetoe and Glen Pendlay developed an effective nonlinear periodization
program for powerlifters called The Texas Method. This is one of the programs that
they transition novice powerlifters to after that have stalled on a simple linear
progression (not to be confused with linear periodization) program. In this program
there is a volume day, a light day and a heavy day.
 Volume day: Sets of 5-8 repetitions with 2-4 minutes rest between sets. For
example, 5 sets of 7 repetitions of bench press with 3 minutes rest between each
set.
 Light day: Typically 3 sets of 5 with 10% lighter weight than the volume day. Some
use this day for light, but explosive reps.
 Heavy day: Work up to a 3 repetition personal record. This is typically done as
several sets of 3 repetitions, working up to a max set of 3.
There are multiple variations of the program but you get the general idea. This simple
program has produced some big lifts and is as complex as any tactical athlete may
need for basic strength work. For more details pick up a copy of Mark’s excellent book,
Practical Programming.
Silverbacks Gym Periodization Program (Linear)

In the early 90’s I worked at a gym called Silverbacks Gym. It was a classic powerlifting
gym in Louisiana, frequented by a group of drug free powerlifters. 600+ pound squats
and deadlifts were common as were 450+ pound bench presses. Forget what you see
on the internet. Achieving those lifts drug free is a rarity. Several national records
(American Drug Free Powerlifting Association) were set by members of the gym. The
core crew consisted of a handful of powerlifters who had been lifting and competing for
decades. Workouts were coached, supervised, and planned by the experienced lifters.
During the years that I worked at the Silverbacks Gym, I was fortunate to be able to
observe their training and learn from this group of experienced strength athletes. As
impressive as the record setting lifts were, perhaps even more impressive was their
ability to take the “average joe” and get him really strong safely. The primary method
they used was a version of a classic linear periodization program. Although the specific
programs varied for each athlete, below is a composite example of what was employed:
Bodybuilding/Hypertrophy Phase: During this phase the lifters did sets of 8-10 reps with
1-2 minutes rest between sets. The focus was still on the core 3 lifts but several
assistance lifts might be incorporated as well. Some assistance lifts that were used
were: incline press, press, dumbbell press, pull-ups, barbell row, high bar squats, power
51
cleans, curls, good mornings. This phase lasted anywhere from 4-12 weeks, depending
on the time between meets and the individual goals/weaknesses of the lifter.
Strength Accumulation Phase: During this phase the lifter did sets of 5 reps with 3-5
minutes between sets. This phase focused on the 3 basic lifts, done with competition
form. Only a few assistance lifts were performed. This phase lasted from 5-8 weeks.
Strength Peaking/Meet Prep Phase: During this phase the lifter performed heavy
doubles and triples with 5 minutes or more between sets. This is when belts, wraps,
bench shirts and other meet gear was incorporated. Assistance work was minimal.
This phase lasted 2-3 weeks. This was followed by a short taper and then the meet.
This simple program was very effective and produced some big lifts.
The Fifth Movement, the Key to Tactical Strength
Strength training is essentially loaded movement. A complete strength training program

will include all of the basic fundamental movement patterns. Strength and conditioning
coach Dan John likes to classify the fundamental human movements into the following
categories:
1. push
2. pull
3. squat
4. hip hinge
5. fifth movement
The fifth movement is a bit undefined because it varies considerably. Dan John
sometimes calls the fifth movement “everything else.” This is because there are so
many different types of movements that are possible that it becomes hard to
characterize. Sometimes it consists of loaded carries, or pushing a sled, maybe ab
wheel roll outs. People do OK with understanding the first four movements but there is
often considerable confusion about the fifth movement. I would like to lay out my idea of
what the fifth movement consists of and why it is so important for tactical athletes.
I initially replaced “fifth movement” with “core” but that word did not really suffice. There
was more to it than that. When I thought carefully about what I would include as a “fifth
movement” the list could simply be described as exercises that involved, “the dynamic
transfer of force from upper body to lower body or vice versa, through a rigid core.” The
plank is an exercise where force is transferred from upper to lower (and vice versa), but
it is static. It fits our definition OK but not entirely. An ab wheel rollout is a dynamic
version of the plank and is a great example of a fifth movement. Sprinting fits the
definition of fifth movement OK but sprinting while pushing a prowler sled fits it even
better. Other great examples are:
52
Turkish Getups
Sled push
Loaded carries
Rucking
Chops
Sledge hammer work
Overhead squats
Throws
Punching a heavy bag
Paddleboarding
Windmills
There are many, many more. Fifth movement exercises are dynamic and athletic. As a
result, they are great for building the type of strength that transfers outside of the gym to
a variety of activities. If your goal is performance outside of the gym, the fifth
movement is the key. In fact, one way to think about your strength program is
that you use the first four movements to get better at fifth movement exercises.
Read that again. It is that important (and underutilized). In fact, most people skip the
fifth movement exercises. This is backwards. If you are really time constrained and have
to cut something out, don’t cut out the most important part! A program of nothing but
fifth movement exercises would be an effective strength and conditioning program, but
the opposite is not true. If you only do the first four, you will have a gap in your strength
program and real world performance is likely to suffer. If all you did were a variety of fifth
movement exercises, you might not be quite as strong, but you would not have a large
gap in your strength. You would have good, usable strength. Because fifth movement
exercises are whole body exercises, they are really hard and make great metabolic
conditioning exercises. A typical workout might include the first four movements,
followed by 5-15 minutes of fifth movement work. If you only had 15 minutes to train,
you could get an effective workout with 15 minutes of fifth movement exercises.
Based on the discussion above, I am dropping the term “fifth movement” if favor of
“dynamic core force transfer.” It is a bit long, but it gets the point across.
In summary:
1. Fifth movement consists of dynamic core force transfer exercises.

2. The purpose of the first four movements is to make you better at dynamic core force
transfer.
3. Dynamic core force transfer exercises are the most important movement if
performance outside of the gym is the goal.
53
References:
1. Strength and Conditioning Journal, Point – Counter Point, Volume 23, Number 1,
Feb. 2001, pages 42–44
2. Essentials of Strength and Conditioning, Baechle, T.R., and Earle, R.W., National
Strength and Conditioning Association, 3rd edition, Human Kinetics 2008, Ch. 15,
Resistance Training, pg. 381-412.
3. Progression Models in Resistance Training for Healthy Adults, American College of

Sports Medicine Position Stand, 2009.
54
Flexibility and Warm Ups
Flexibility Training
Whether increased flexibility will reduce the risk of injury is debatable. However,
greater flexibility will allow a tactical athlete to achieve certain positions with less strain
and will provide a greater range of motion before something breaks. This becomes
especially important for older tactical athletes. Some athletes have difficulty performing
some exercises correctly (i.e., military press, squat, clean) due to flexibility limitations.
These athletes should focus on flexibility. However, there is some evidence that
stretching can reduce performance, at least transiently. Stretching has been shown to
reduce strength performance (slightly) for up to an hour. Stretching can reduce sprint
speed and running economy. However, these performance deficits do not always occur
and they can be transient.
Some of the research findings on flexibility training are:
 Stretching improves flexibility acutely, with the effect lasting between 5 and 90
minutes (depending on stretching method used and muscle measured)
 Extensive stretching programs (several weeks) results in a more persistent

increase in flexibility.
 A static hold of 15-30 seconds is sufficient. Longer static holds are not
significantly more effective.
 Static holds are more effective than dynamic stretching (bouncing).
 Stretching is more effective when the muscle is warm.
 Flexibility “detrains” quickly. To improve flexibility significantly, flexibility training

should be done a minimum of three times per week.
Fortunately improving flexibility does not take much time and incurs very little recovery
cost. Stretching can be performed daily. Most tactical athletes will incur the same
patterns of flexibility deficits. These deficits are common in the general population as
well. World renowned physical therapist and researcher Dr. Vladimir Janda identified
common muscle imbalance syndromes that were the cause of most back, neck,
shoulder, hip and knee pain. These were the upper crossed, lower crossed and
stratification syndrome. Basically, the combination of these syndromes leads to
specific patterns of tightness and weakness that tend to compromise joint function.
They are a consequence of long periods of sitting, poor posture and weakness. Janda
classified muscles into two types depending on primary function, tonic and phasic.
Tonic muscles are primarily flexors and tend to get tighter with age. Phasic muscles are
55
primarily extensors and tend to weaken with age. Janda’s approach to correcting these
syndromes and therefore correcting posture and relieving pain involved stretching the
tonic muscles and strengthening the phasic muscles.
Janda’s Lists of the Tonic and Phasic Muscles
Tonic Phasic
Gastroc-Soleus Peroneus Longus, Brevis
Tibialis Posterior Tibialis Anterior
Hip Adductors Vastus Medialis, Lateralis
Hamstrings Gluteus Maximus, Medius, Minimus
Rectus Femoris Rectus Abdominus
Iliopsoas Serratus Anterior
Tensor Fascia Lata Rhomboids Lower Trapezius
Piriformis Deep neck flexors Upper limb extensors
Thoraco-lumbar extensors
Quadratus Lumborum
Pectoralis Major
Upper Trapezius
Levator Scapulae
Scalenes
Sternocleidomastoid
Upper limb flexors
To put it simply:
 Stretch the chest, hip flexors, biceps, hamstrings and calves.

 Strengthen the upper back, triceps and glutes.
Warm Up Training
The warm up portion of the workout is perhaps the most underrated and poorly
performed portion of most strength and conditioning programs. The warm up provides
an opportunity to:
1. Move the joints through a full range of motion - This process allows you to assess
the condition of your joints and whether they will be able to tolerate your planned
exercise session. You may discover that you need to modify your plan. Pick some big,
dynamic movements (i.e., lunges, pushups, hip hinge, ground work) that move your
shoulders, knees, and hips through a full range of motion.
2. Warm up the tissues – Warmer tissues perform better. Increased temperature

generally improves nerve conduction velocity and the efficiency of the enzymes that are
used in producing energy. The end result is that performance is improved. Increased
temperature also improves the elasticity of connective tissues (tendons and ligaments),
so that they are more prone to stretch under load, rather than break. While moving the
56
joints through a wide range of motion, pick movements that warm up the muscles that
you are going to use in training.
3. Mimic the movements that you are going to use in training - This allows you to
practice some movements with a light load (or unloaded) prior to getting under load.
Because strength training is loaded movement, practicing quality movement cannot be
over rated.
4. Time to get your head in the game - The warm up gives you an opportunity to
mentally transition from whatever you were doing prior to your workout, to the right
mindset for a productive workout.
Don’t take too long with the warm up. A well-executed warm up can be completed in 5-
10 minutes. Start with gentle range of motion exercises. For example, you can do
circles with the arms, neck (minimize extension) wrists, torso, hips, knees and ankles.
Then move to more dynamic movements like lunges, rolls, or crawling. The key is
smooth movement. Do not do static stretches. You can use some postures that you
would normally put in your flexibility program but during the warm up do not hold the
stretched position. Simply flow through the movements slowly. Finally, move to more
dynamic moves like jumping, bounding, and sprinting (70-80%). This is a good place to
put some plyometric work (i.e., box jumps, hops, skips, bounds). So the flow is gentle
movement  dynamic movement  explosive movement. Evaluate how your muscles
and joints feel and begin to get your head in the game. End your warm up with a light
sweat and a solid plan for the workout.
The proper sequence of events is warm up  work out  stretch.
References:
1. The impact of stretching on sports injury risk: a systematic review of the literature,
Thancer SB, Gilchrist J, Stroup DF, and Kimsey D, Med & Sci in Sport and Exer,
Vol. 36, No. 3, pp. 371-378, 2004.
2. Janda’s Philosophy:
http://www.jandaapproach.com/the-janda-approach/philosophy/#sthash.f6gQzc0Y.dpuf
57
Speed
No tactical athlete needs to be convinced of the importance of speed, whether it is
sprinting to apprehend a suspect, or to find cover in a fire fight, speed is vital. Many
athletes believe that speed is genetic and cannot be trained. This is not correct. Speed
can and should be trained. There are two major determinates of speed, technique and
muscle qualities. The figure below breaks these down in a bit more detail.
Sprinting from an upright position (as would be done in combat or a tactical situation)
involves a forward body lean and initially a short stride length and quick foot turnover.
Once up to full speed, the body becomes more upright and the stride lengthens. Most
of these adjustments happen automatically with sprint practice. A detailed description
of sprinting technique is beyond the scope of this book.
However, tactical athletes should practice sprinting as a part of a well-rounded training

program. Caution should be taken to warm up thoroughly and to avoid overtraining by
avoiding sprinting too often and moderating sprinting volume. Plenty of rest should be
provided between sprint intervals or speed will be adversely affected and the sprint
training session will turn into an aerobic capacity session, rather than a sprint speed
session. Additionally, military personnel may be required to carry a large amount of
equipment in combat. Training to sprint with this equipment is important as it will affect
balance and sprinting technique. As with all training, warm up thoroughly and start
slowly. Remember to program for progressive overload and avoid overtraining.
58
As stated previously, sprint speed depends on technique and muscle qualities. The
muscle qualities are strength, power and reactive strength.
Strength: Strength training for sprinting speed should focus on the major posterior
chain muscles. Three exercises to consider are traditional deadlifts, stiff legged
deadlifts and squats. Strength training appears to especially enhance performance of
the acceleration phase of sprinting and is especially effective for less well trained
athletes. Highly trained athletes need large strength gains in order to translate extra
strength to sprinting speed. Because the average tactical athlete would not be
considered a highly trained sprinter, strength training, especially a posterior chain
focused strength program, should result in significant improvements in sprinting speed.
Also consider that in a combat situation, the warfighter will likely have to sprint while
carrying a load, making strength training especially relevant.
Power: The most common power exercises included in a sprint training program are the
hang power clean the kettlebell swing, and the barbell snatch. These are technical lifts
that require a good deal of skill and practice to perform correctly. Do not perform them
or coach them without obtaining the necessary expertise to ensure proper execution.
Of the three, the kettlebell swing is the easiest to learn and the snatch is the most
difficult.
Reactive Strength: Plyometrics are what are referred to as “stretch-shortening cycle”

exercises. A countermovement jump is a good example. When you squat down in the
countermovement phase, the muscles are stretched and loaded. Then you explode
upwards in a jumping motion. The countermovement is the “stretch” part and the jump
is the “shortening” part. Putting the stretch immediately before the jump pre-loads the
muscle and results in a recruitment of a greater percentage of available muscle fibers
due in part to the stretch reflex. Plyometrics are a way to translate the strength you
gained in the weight room to increased power and explosiveness. There is a large skill
component to plyometrics. It is important to practice proper posture and landing
position, including foot placement. By practicing plyometrics with good body
mechanics, the theory is that these improved landing mechanics, along with the
strengthening of the ligaments and tendons from the impact loading, will lead to fewer
injuries. For our purposes, we are primarily concerned with preventing injuries in the
ankles and the knees, a common site of operational injuries. A simple plyometric
program for that purpose might include 3 different plyometric exercises.
1. Box jumps - A soft, padded box is best to prevent shin injuries. Start with a low
box and work your way up. You should land in the same position as your jump
start (countermovement position). If you have to tuck your feet too far under you
to get on the box, the box is too high.
2. Vertical jumping - This is perhaps the simplest plyometric movement and should
be the first one placed in a program. Simply perform a countermovement squat
and immediately jump up vertically. Practice good landing mechanics.
59
3. Horizontal jumping - This can be added after an athlete has some experience
with vertical jumping and is demonstrating good mechanics. The athlete should
stick the one foot landing and work on balance and good foot position.
The National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA) recommend a strength

threshold of 1.5 X bodyweight squat before beginning a plyometric program. This
ensures that there is adequate knee and hip strength and stability to perform the
mechanics properly. Additionally, the NSCA recommends performing plyometrics 1-3
times per week and to avoid performing them on heavy leg strength days. A good
choice would be to include them after a warmup on an endurance training day. The
table below is the NSCAs recommendation on plyometric training volume based on
experience.
Plyometric Experience Volume (# foot contacts)
Beginner 80-100
Intermediate 100-120
Advanced 120-140
Agility
Agility is a special type of speed. Many tactical athletes make the mistake of training
straight line sprint speed only. Tactical situations almost always involve some change
of direction. Not only does this type of speed require different movement patterns, it
loads the tissues differently and if not trained properly can lead to injury in a tactical
situation. Training this ability is vital. Fortunately agility training does not need to be
complex. Two simple agility drills will suffice for most tactical athletes. T-tests or
shuttle runs incorporated once or twice per week would be plenty. These agility
workouts can be programmed as stand alone workouts or can be incorporated as part
of a strength and conditioning session.
60
The figures above show how to set up the T-test and shuttle run. Four to 5 rounds
through the T-test or 2-3 through the shuttle run would be sufficient for an agility training
session. Ideally tactical athletes should complete at least 3-4 weeks of straight line
sprint training before beginning agility training. Upon starting agility training the straight
line sprinting can be eliminated or a combination of agility and straight line sprinting can
be done. As with sprint training, a warm up should precede any agility training.
Speed and agility training can be integrated into a more comprehensive training
program 1-3 times per week. These sessions can be added to the end of a strength
session as a METCON finisher, or can be used as stand-alone training sessions. The
first few sprints should be done at no more than ¾ speed with no more than 3-4 done at
top speed. Sprinting with gear (i.e., body armor, pack) should be done cautiously. Use
a progressive approach to loading and volume and be conservative. My preferred
approach is to add sprinting once per week initially, and then move to 2-3 times per
week (which includes agility training). Once that is sustained for at least 6 weeks, some
progressive loading with gear is added on one of those sessions per week. I rarely
recommend loaded sprinting more than once per week. It is too risky. In many cases, I
prefer to reduce sprint training frequency to 1-2 times per week when gear loading is
used. Hill sprints are a safer way to simulate loaded sprinting but they can never
completely replace loaded sprinting due to the difference in biomechanics when a load
is added.
References:
1. A Review of Agility: Practical Applications for Strength and Conditioning, Young, W.,
Strength and Conditioning Journal, Volume 28, Number 5, pages 24–29, 2006.
2. Essentials of strength training and conditioning, Chapter 16, Plyometric Training,

National Strength and Conditioning Association, Baechelle, T., & Earle, R., editors,
2008.
61
METCON
The term “metabolic conditioning” or METCON is an unfortunately vague term.
Frequently, when two people are speaking about METCON, they are thinking about
completely different concepts. Generally (and this is not always true) what is meant by
METCON is a training session that is high intensity and results in a heart rate in zone 4
or 5 (in the 5 zone system we discussed earlier). There are three important facts to
know about METCON. The first concerns the sites of physiological adaption (physical
changes due to training). The second concerns transfer of training effects and the third
concerns the adaptation timeline (how fast fitness develops).
METCON: Where do the adaptations occur?

Although the reality is a bit more complex, it is useful to think of there being two
adaptation sites for METCON training, central and peripheral. The primary central
adaptations are cardiovascular. The heart becomes stronger (greater stroke volume).
There are also some hormonal changes. The peripheral changes occur in the specific
muscles that are in use during the METCON. Only the muscles that are recruited and
used adapt. Furthermore, some muscles are used to a much greater extent, so they
adapt more. Think of a METCON exercise like the “thruster.” The biceps are used a
little, but not nearly as much as the deltoids and gluteus (if you are doing it right!), so the
biceps will not adapt much to that exercise. There is a specific pattern of adaptation that
depends on how much specific muscles were recruited, how long they were used, and
the pattern of use (i.e., intervals, or on/off cycles). This makes the peripheral
adaptations very mode specific (mode refers to the type of exercise used.). The central
adaptations are very general and the peripheral adaptations are very specific.
METCON: Transfer of training effects

This brings us to the concept of the transfer of training effects. Does one METCON
exercise make you better at another METCON exercise, or a real life challenge? The
central adaptations have a high degree of transfer. After all, it is the same
cardiovascular system being used no matter what exercise is performed. So the
improvement in cardiovascular capacity is expected to result in improvements across a
wide range of training and life challenges. However, the peripheral adaptations are very
mode specific. There is little transfer from one exercise or mode to another. The
transfer effect is proportional to the extent of overlap in muscles used. Even if there is
lots of overlap in muscles used, there may be little training transfer because the weak
link muscles may be different. For example, an athlete may have done tons of
“thrusters” but when they transition to “sumo deadlift high pull” they may find that they
can’t do many because their grip gives out. Grip strength is not trained significantly with
“thrusters.”
62
The real issue here is that most of the training effect is peripheral, not central. Central
adaptations account for only a small part of the training effect. Therefore, the concept
of improving general work capacity is a flawed one. There really is not “general” work
capacity. If I want to improve a wrestler’s work capacity do I have him swing a sledge
hammer and row a Concept 2, or do I have them grapple? Specificity matters, a lot.
Everyone knows that strength is mode specific. A big bench press does not necessarily
mean you have a big squat. However, other fitness modes are very mode specific as
well (i.e., METCON, endurance, flexibility). Exercise programming should take this into
consideration. METCON, if needed at all, should closely mimic known job demands.
Where job demands are unknown but likely to be intense, METCON should focus on
movements that are most likely to be encountered such a gripping, pulling, lifting,
throwing etc.
METCON: Adaptation timelines

The third important fact about METCON is that fitness adaptations happen quickly.
Anyone who has trained and measured METCON performance knows that significant
improvements can happen after only 2-3 specific METCON workouts. What you may
not know is that although results happen quickly, they plateau quickly as well. Three to
6 weeks can get an athlete very close to their max METCON performance at their
current level of strength. METCON fitness is built quickly. This is good news and bad
news. Athletes can expect big improvements quickly. However, pretty quickly results
will taper off with little improvement to follow unless they get stronger. This has
programing implications. Doing METCON year round, or starting it too early may be a
mistake. If you are training for a specific school, selection or deployment, you may be
better served by saving your METCON training for the last couple of months prior, and
focusing on fitness qualities that take a long time to develop in the months or years prior
to that (i.e., strength and hypertrophy). Also, METCON incurs a high recovery cost and
can directly interfere with strength and hypertrophy gains. Both are very important
considerations that are rarely discussed. Depending on the athlete’s goals, it may make
sense to minimize METCON training until it is needed.
METCON Programming
Incorporating METCON into a strength and conditioning program should consider the 3
facts above. Unless METCON is the only focus of an athlete’s training program (which
would be very unusual), athletes who are training for other qualities as well should not
be doing frequent or long METCON sessions. Remember, METCON can interfere with
strength and hypertrophy and carries a big recovery burden. Experience has shown
that METCON sessions should be 5-15 minutes in length and should be done 2-3 times
per week if part of a more comprehensive strength and conditioning program. Fatigue
tends to break down exercise technique. Therefore, high risk lifts (i.e., Olympic lifts)
and exercises that put the joints in a potentially compromised position (i.e., kipping
pullups) should not be part of a METCON program. Recall the discussion on risk in a
previous chapter. Ignore this at your peril.
63
These 5-15 minute METCON sessions can be placed at the end of a strength session,
or done separately. Those tactical athletes who are also doing endurance sessions,
rucking, swimming etc., are probably better served by placing the METCON session at
the end of your strength session. Because these METCON sessions are so short, they
should be hard. Sessions that employ the “as many rounds as you can” or XX done as
quickly as possible are productive ways to employ these short METCON sessions.
Below are some sample METCON sessions.
3 rounds: No rest
 Kettlebell swings: 25 reps
 Plank 2 minutes
 Burpees 15
10 minutes of:
Kettlebell swings and sit-ups.
Do 10 kettlebell swings (heavy), and then finish the minute with sit-ups.
Repeat every minute for the 10 minutes.
10 minutes of ½ bodyweight sand bag getups AMRAP
300 yard shuttle run

Push-ups to failure
300 yard shuttle run
The potential list is endless. Recall that the primary site of adaptation is peripheral, so
METCON is mode specific. With this in mind, select METCON exercises that will likely
improve performance of tactical skills. For example, training for fire and maneuver may
involve something like:
10 minutes, AMRAP
 25 yard sprint
 5 burpees
 body weight sand bad drag 10 yards
This would simulate running for cover, firing, reloading, or some other task. Then
moving a casualty and repeating. The specific tasks do not always need to be
simulated, but the basic movements and modes should be considered. How would you
train for a foot pursuit, followed by grappling with and subduing a suspect? 50 yard
sprint followed by buddy take down drills? 50 yard sprint followed by kettlebell swings?
Both examples have some utility. In some cases, doing the actual tactical skill is best.
For example if you are training to breach a door with a sledge hammer, perhaps
swinging a sledge hammer is a good choice. In any case, the specificity issue warrants
some serious consideration. Remember, the point is to improve tactical performance,
not performance in the gym.
64
Skinny Guys, METCON is Probably Ruining Your Training
Skinny guys, you probably like doing METCON workouts because you are good at
them, especially bodyweight METCONs. METCON fitness improves rapidly. It does not
take long to get good at METCONs. They are hard and make you feel like you
accomplished something. They develop mental toughness and great cardio capacity. I
get all of that. Here is the problem. If you are trying to get big and strong, you are
working against yourself. I'll keep it simple:
1. METCON reduces the amount of weight you can lift during a session. Running sprints
between sets of squats will keep you from going as heavy as you could.
2. METCON workouts interfere with muscle recovery between heavy workouts.
3. METCON workouts burn lots of calories (great for weight loss) that could be diverted
to getting bigger.
4. METCON workouts can produce a catabolic response (through cortisol) that can
result in losing muscle.
5. Most METCON workouts are not loaded heavy enough to stimulate muscle growth or
strength in all but novice and untrained individuals.
6. Excessive METCON contributes to systemic fatige. Rest and recovery is vital when
striving for strength/hypertrophy gains.
Sure, there are plenty of big guys who do METCON frequently. They are either much
more physically gifted than you, or they were already big and strong when they started
doing METCON. If you are a skinny guy who wants to get big and strong, focus on what
has worked for the last 50 years or more. Move progressively heavier weights with good
form, consistently, week in and week out, for years. Doing something just because it is
hard or because you are good at it does not guarantee that it will produce the results
you want. It is easy to be "hard" but it is hard to be "smart."
65
Rucking
There has been quite a bit of research conducted on the appropriate training for load
bearing marches. The first part of this chapter will summarize and interpret the
research findings. The second part will discuss how to apply the findings to a ruck
training program, and the third part will provide sample ruck training programs. Two
sample programs are provided in the appendix. The first program is more complete and
is closer to optimal. The “80% solution” program is a minimalist program for those with
minimal time to train. It is primarily a maintenance program, designed to maintain
fitness. It is possible to improve, and certainly possible to maintain performance on this
minimalist program, but it is not optimal. It will do the job if you have very little training
time available.
The load carried by the average foot soldier in combat is very heavy. The table below is
from the NATO scientific technical report on load bearing marches (1):
The loads are not getting lighter. The same report provides the table below from
Afghanistan. Note that the loads are in kilograms:
66
Note: these loads are reported in kg, not lbs.
Foot soldiers should be trained to be able to carry, at a minimum, 40% of bodyweight

efficiently, and should be able to handle up to 75% of bodyweight for short periods of
time. This type of fitness is not likely to happen without significant planning. Left on
their own for program design, soldiers are not likely to build the type of fitness to
accomplish this task.
What factors lead to improved ruck performance according to the available research?
1. Height is an advantage. Taller soldiers take longer strides. They can also walk
faster before having to change to a jog or run.
2. Strength is an advantage. This is perhaps the biggest factor, especially for
heavy loads. Upper body strength and lower body strength both are very
important. For the upper body, core stability/strength as well as shoulder
67
strength are important. For the lower body, hips are the most important, followed
by strength around the knee joint and ankle.
3. Aerobic fitness is an advantage, but not at the expense of strength. In this case,
it is absolute, rather than relative aerobic capacity that is important. Relative =
relative to bodyweight. Those who can produce the most power in non-load
bearing activities (i.e., rowing, cycling) would likely do well at rucking. Skinny,
fast runners are not likely to do well when loaded down with a ruck.
4. Body fat reduces performance.
5. Lean body mass improves performance (but reduces run performance). This is
different from running, where increasing lean body mass does not help
performance.
6. Unloaded running ability is not important. This might seem counter intuitive
but when you combine #s 2, 3 and 5 from above, this makes sense. However,
most research used relatively heavy loads to test the relationship of running with
ruck ability. It is likely that as loads get lighter (i.e., less than 20% of
bodyweight), running ability is much more relevant.
What type of training has the most impact? Dr. William Kraemer, one of the leading
researchers in the field of strength and conditioning, conducted a study looking at
strength training and aerobic training on performance of a 3.2 KM ruck with a 45 kg load
(2). The table below summarizes his findings.
Aerobic training alone was useless. Strength training alone provided some benefit. The
best results involved total body strength training and aerobic training, however, upper
body strength training accounted for the majority of the strength training affect, a
conclusion also reached by Knapik et. al (3) in a review of the research literature. Keep
in mind that “core” strength is considered upper body. Also, note that the Kraemer
study used a heavy load and a short distance. It is important to emphasize that upper
body strength cannot be ignored in a good ruck training program.
The figure below shows the predicted relationship between load carried and the relative
contribution of strength and aerobic fitness to ruck performance. The percentage
contributions are notional and would vary from individual to individual. The important
point of the figure is that at heavier loads, strength matters more than aerobic fitness.
Training for heavier loads would place an emphasis on strength training and heavy
rucks. At lighter loads, aerobic fitness matters more than strength. Training for lighter
68
loads would place an emphasis on running and lighter, long duration rucks.
Somewhere in the middle, they are both very important. Where that “middle” occurs will
vary depending on the training of the individual. Any load above 15% of bodyweight is
going to start to require additional strength. By 30% of bodyweight, the strength
requirement starts to become significant and a dedicated strength training program is
recommended, as well as ruck training.
Contribution of Strength and Aerobic

Fitness to Ruck Performance
Relative Contribution
Aerobic
Strength
0.05 0.25 0.45 0.65

Percent Bodyweight Carried
Now we know that strength training and running can improve ruck march ability and the
heavier the ruck, the more important is the strength portion of the program. What about
just training with a ruck? Other research showed that adding load bearing marches to a
strength and aerobic training program further improved performance. It is hard to beat
training specificity and ruck training is as specific as you can get to ruck performance.
The optimal frequency of load bearing march training has also been investigated. Twice
per month was better than once per month but 4 times per month was not significantly
better than twice. Keep in mind that this was within the context of a training program
that also included running and strength training. The minimum recommended
frequency of load bearing marches in a program, if accompanied by a suitable strength
and aerobic training program, is every two weeks. It is likely that if ruck training only is
used (no running or strength training) more frequent rucks would be beneficial (i.e., 3 X
weekly).
69
What do we know about ruck training frequency and intensity for a ruck program? The
NATO report also discusses a study comparing weekly VS every two weeks and a
program focused on duration VS one focused on intensity. The figure below shows the
results.
The best results were obtained by rucking weekly, and focusing on heavier loads,
carried as a series of intervals, over a shorter distance, rather than long duration, lighter
loaded rucks. It is important to note that the performance criteria involved relatively light
loads (17 KG) and a short distance (3.2 KM). What conclusions can we draw from this
research?
1. Training programs should consist of both strength and aerobic training.

2. Ruck training should be added at least 2 times per month, but once per week is
better.
3. Heavy, interval ruck training improves the ability to ruck heavy, and also the
ability to ruck lighter loads fast.
4. Improving performance over short distances with heavy loads is best trained with
an intensity program (heavy loading, short interval distances, i.e., 15 minute
intervals with short rests).
5. It is still unclear if heavy, interval ruck training is optimal for rucking moderate
loads over long distances. If combined with a run training program, this effect is
likely.
6. Rucks should be progressively loaded (increase loading and distance over time).
7. Strength training should focus on the whole body, not just the lower body.
8. A mixture of long, lighter loaded rucks, as well as short, heavy loaded rucks is
probably best if training for all distances and loads is desired.
9. If a strength training and running program are also incorporated, rucking once
per week is enough. It is still unclear if there is additional benefit to rucking more
often in that context.
10. If a ruck only program is employed (no strength training or running), rucking
several times per week is likely to be better than once per week but the research
literature is unclear on this issue.
70
As a final note with regards to #9 above, we cannot throw out the principle of specificity
based on two studies. The safest conclusion we can draw from the NATO report is that
ruck training once per week is enough to significantly improve. Whether more
significant improvements would occur from rucking more often (i.e., 3 times per week) is
unknown. We do know that with strength training and endurance training, once per
week is not optimal so we might conclude the same with rucks. Also, the principle of
specificity would compel us to consider replacing most or all of our running with ruck
training if rucks are our objective, since unloaded run performance is not predictive of
ruck ability. Hopefully more research will be conducted in this area in the future. Until
then, replacing some running with additional rucks may be a good idea. If it is not
logistically feasible, then a run program, supplemented with one ruck per week will do
the job as shown by the research.
Ruck Speed
Field manual 21-18 states that an infantry company with gear can march on unimproved
roads at:
4 kilometers per hour (2.5 mph, 24 min mile)

32 kilometers in 24 hours
96 kilometers in 48 hours
These estimates minimize stragglers and ensure that most of the group will be combat
ready at the destination. Moving much faster will result in more stragglers and many
soldiers being too exhausted to effectively perform combat duties at destination.
Pandolf developed equations for predicting maximum sustained performance based on

load, bodyweight and terrain. For prolonged (>5 hours) marches, the average
sustainable rate of energy expenditure was 430 Calories per hour. This is for an
average soldier (about 75 Kg) with average conditioning (VO2 max of 53 ml/kg/min, or a
predicted 1.5 mile run time of 10:15). Using that estimate, the figure below can be
plotted. It estimates maximal sustained speed with different loads on two different
surfaces. Notice that the surface has a larger impact than the load. Sand was one of
the worst surface measured. Snow was the most difficult. Pandolf used old (1960s)
estimates for the average soldier size. The reality is that the average soldier today is
significantly heavier, and would probably exceed both the Calories/hour and velocities
reported below by approximately 10%. Bigger, stronger and more fit soldiers will go
faster but the Army Field Manual 21-18 estimates are good numbers to work with for a
group.
71
The tables below show the predicted maximum sustained speeds for a 75 kg male and
60 kg female. These are predictions for medium and long duration (2.5 - 6.5 hour)
rucks. This is on the most ideal surface, a black top road.
Note:
5.5 km/h = 3.4 mph, or 17:30 per mile
72
Pandolf also measured energy expenditure on two surfaces at different speeds and
loads. The data are in the figure below. Expenditures of 800-1000 Calories per hour
would only be sustainable for 5-10 minutes for most soldiers. The 600 Calorie/hr line
might be sustainable for 1-2 hours, while 300-400 is more reasonable for long duration
rucks (>5 hours).
Finally, putting all of that information together, the table below can be constructed. It
shows predicted time in minutes for different loads and surfaces.
73
Again, there will be significant individual variability but these estimates can help you get
in the right ballpark. The only way most soldiers will be able to sustain a rapid pace (> 6
km/hr or approx 4 mph) is by carrying a lighter load (<35% bodyweight) or by rucking
shorter distances (<2 hours).
Injuries
As with any endurance activity, overuse or biomechanical injuries are common. Knapic
et. al. (1996) provided the table below after reviewing the literature.
74
75
The one thing that they do not mention in the table that is always recommended by
experienced soldiers is to make sure that your boots fit and that they are broken in
properly. The boots should be roomy enough to allow your feet to swell slightly but not
so loose that your feet move around in them and cause blisters. Fitting boots for loaded
marching takes expertise and patience. Boots are not always immediately comfortable.
Frequently, comfort is increased once the boots are broken in. For leather boots, the
break in period can be shortened by soaking the boots in the bathtub and then wearing
them around the house for a few hours, with frequent sock changes. Then apply polish
or leather treatment. Synthetic boots do not need as much of a break in period. Liberal
application of foot powder and frequent changes of socks is helpful during a ruck. Many
find the use of moleskin or duct tape on spots that frequently blister to be helpful. If you
are not sure, it is wise to bring both, along with extra socks, just in case.
Walking gait should be natural, despite the load. Many have developed a "lazy gait"
due to tight hip flexors and poor posture. This results in a forward pelvic tilt and
excessive arch in the lower back. This tends to result in a pronounced heel strike at
foot fall with a locked knee. This type of gait exaggerates the impact forces of the load
and is not efficient. Flexible hip flexors and a higher cadence gait will result in a more
natural, mid foot strike with soft knees. This is the preferred gait when walking under a
load. The way to achieve this is to focus on putting a slight tension in the abdominal
muscles to rotate the pelvis to the correct position (posterior rotation), stand with a tall
spine and chin tucked, then walk with a faster cadence and land with a slightly bent
knee (softly).
Ruck Training
Strength Considerations: Strength coach Dan John likes to say that the body is not
segmented, it is one flexible piece. A training program that is based on that philosophy
is movement based. Strength training is loaded movement. In this type of program,
movement is more important than loading. Loading is important, but we never load bad
movement. Movement quality is first, loading is second. There are essentially 6 basic
human movements:
2. Upper body vertical push

3. Upper body horizontal push
4. Upper body pull (vertical or horizontal)
5. Hip hinge
6. Squat
7. Core / carries under movement (This is an integration movement that combines
many of the above.)
This type of training program will involve performing just a few high value movements,
and training the whole body in each workout, 2-3 days per week. With good exercise
76
choices, this can be achieved with just a handful of exercises. The key is to pick big,
whole body movement exercises (i.e., standing overhead press with a barbell), rather
than isolated, segmented movements (i.e., seated dumbbell lateral raises). This is not a
bodybuilding program where we are trying to isolate muscle groups. This is an athletic
program, where we are trying to train movements.
The graphic below illustrates the basic loading plans prescribed by the National
Strength and Conditioning Association:
For most tactical athletes, the most important loading plan for our purposes is going to
be the Muscular Strength block. Emphasize that quality over all others. In reality, both
strength and hypertrophy will result from either loading scheme. The “bread and butter”
of most productive strength training programs is sets of 5 repetitions, done with 2-3
minutes rest between sets, using basic, big movement exercises (i.e., standing military
press, squats, deadlifts). Very skinny athletes might consider spending some time
focusing on eating big and hypertrophy loading, before moving to strength. This could
be done in a 4-6 week block, before beginning the muscular strength phase.
Alternatively, one training session per week could focus on hypertrophy and the others
strength.
The basic ruck strength training program consists of one big movement exercise for
each of the 6 basic movements, performed as 3-5 sets of 5 repetitions, loaded as "sets
across" done 3 times per week on non-consecutive days. The goal is to lift heavy with
good form.
Endurance Considerations: In a classic endurance training program, progressive

overload is achieved by manipulating intensity and volume (distance). In the case of
running programs, intensity is achieved by running faster. The situation for ruck training
is a bit different. Running speeds can vary from a 4:00 mile to a 13:00 mile. For ruck
marches, the range of paces is not that great (15-20:00 mile). It is not advised to run
with a ruck in training. Therefore intensity is generally achieved by adding weight, rather
than speed. Therefore, we generally employ two types of training, endurance rucks and
intensity rucks. Endurance rucks are done as increasing duration rucks with up to 30%
bodyweight. As with running programs, the distance should not be increased more than
10% per week. Intensity rucks are done as increasing weight rucks, done as intervals,
with up to 70% bodyweight. The load should be increased gradually. The target speed
in both cases is 4 mph if on ideal terrain. The basic ruck program consists of 2-3 runs
77
plus a ruck or 1-2 runs plus 2 rucks. The rucks alternate between endurance and
intensity rucks, with intensity rucks no more than once per week.
Rucking: Rucks should be done at least weekly. You may substitute a run for the
Thursday ruck if logistically it will be difficult to get in a second ruck. Although the
research literature has not sorted out the training frequency issue yet, the principle of
specificity dictates that rucking, rather than running would be optimal. However, the
research is clear that significant improvements are possible with one weekly ruck if
supplemented with a running program. If training for all ruck distance (short and long),
alternate endurance and intensity sessions or include both during the week. The
endurance sessions should focus on increasing duration with a fixed load (i.e., 20-30%
of your bodyweight). Because these rucks are relatively light, aim for 4 mph or a 15:00
minute mile pace. Go faster if you can but do not run. The intensity sessions should
focus on adding loading for shorter, interval focused workouts (i.e., 3-4 intervals of 10-
15 minutes with 2-5 minutes rest). The interval times can be increased, as well as the
number of intervals. However, the emphasis is on increasing the loading, not the
duration. Do not sacrifice loading for more duration. Start with a load that is about 10
pounds heavier than your endurance ruck day and gradually increase the load over
time. Supplement the rucks with 1-2 runs per week. A sample ruck plan is provided in
the back of this book.
Strength Training: Any reasonable, whole body strength program will work as long as
it includes the 5 fundamental human movement patterns (push, pull, squat, hip hinge,
core). A sample program is provided. This is a program that we tested at the US Naval
Academy with good results. This is a simple, stripped down strength training program.
When you are training for multiple qualities (i.e., strength and endurance), your strength
training program needs to be simple. Simple does not mean easy. Push hard and use
meaningful loads (with good form). Monday and Friday consist of two types of lifts,
heavy grinds (i.e., deadlifts, bench press, pull ups, presses) and heavy quick lifts (i.e.,
heavy kettlebell swings, heavy kettlebell snatches, and Olympic lifts). On the strength
days, you should focus on heavy lifts and the 3-8 repetition range. Varying the
repetition range within this bracket makes sense. Sometimes you should focus on
heavy singles and doubles for the quick lifts and heavy triples for the grinds, and other
times you should use lighter weights (but still heavy) for 5-8 reps. The loading should
be “wavy.” This can be done rather randomly as you feel, or systematically. Pick one
exercise for each movement. 3-5 sets are about right. If you are doing singles, you
may do more sets (i.e., 10 X 1). Don’t rush through these workouts. Take plenty of rest
to ensure that you can move big weights with proper form. Heavy ab work belongs on
the strength days as well: ¼ get-ups with a big kettlebell, hanging leg raises, hard style
sit-ups, loaded carries etc. Wednesday will consist of metabolic conditioning
(METCON).
Monday: 4 movements, squat, vertical push, pull, core

Wednesday: Conditioning
Friday: 4 movements, hip hinge, horizontal push, pull, core
78
The most effective exercises for these movements are below. Those with an * are the
best of the best.
Upper Body Vertical Push: Squat:

*Back squat
*Standing Barbell Military Press (officially Front squat
called the "Press") Lunge
Overhead dumbbell or kettlebell press Split squat
Handstand pushup Box step up (loaded if necessary)
Push press Overhead squat
Jerk Zercher squat
Goblet squat
Horizontal Push: Clean squat
*Loaded or ballistic pushups
Bench press Hip Hinge:
Dumbbell press *Deadlift (sumo and regular)
Pushups (loaded if necessary) Stiff legged deadlift
Dips Romanian deadlift
one arm dumbbell bench press *Heavy kettlebell swing
Glute Ham
Upper Body Pull: Hyperextensions
*Pullups Good mornings
Dumbbell or barbell rows Powerclean
Batwings Snatch (bar and kettlebell)
Body rows
Standing cable column rows Core
*Loaded carries (i.e. Suitcase carry,
farmer's walk)
*Plank
Windmill (kettlebell or dumbbell)
Turkish get up
*Ab wheel roll out
Dead bug or hollow rock
Hanging leg raise
Chops
Sledgehammer work
Tire flips
Bear crawls
Add a short (5 min) stretching session after the workout. Focus on shoulders,
hamstrings, calves, hip flexors, chest, and gluteus.
Conditioning (METCON): Wednesday are all about high rep ballistics (swings,
snatches, cleans, jerks) and METCON. Barbell Olympic lifts are a risky way to do
METCON. Kettlebell or dumbbell variants are much less risky. Save the barbell
79
Olympic lifts for the strength sessions. “High rep” in this context means 10-20. The
conditioning effect will come from keeping your rest intervals brief. Drive your heart rate
up and keep it there. Always use perfect form. Never compromise movement quality
for effort. Note that the sessions are brief, about 10 minutes. High quality, brief
sessions are best for METCON. Some examples for Wednesday are below. Feel free
to create your own with these principles in mind.
Sample METCON sessions:
Kettlebell one-arm swing—5×10 per arm. 45 lb ruck stair climb (up and down for 10
Kettlebell one-arm jerk—5×10 per arm. min)
US Secret Service 10min kettlebell snatch Barbell complex: clean, lunge, push press
test. (2 X 5 minutes)
Kettlebell double snatch—5, 20, 10, 15. 1 minute jump rope, 30 seconds pushups
Kettlebell double C&J—3 x (10, 15). (X 8)
Double kettlebell jerk—2 x (10, 15, 20). Car push (8 X 1 minute with 30 seconds
Double kettlebell clean—2 x (10, 15, 20). rest)
10 Burpees, sprint 45 yards (x 4) Turkish get ups (10 minutes)
Bear crawl (2 X 5 minutes) Box jumps (8 X 1 minute with 15 seconds

rest)
Sand bag get ups with ½ bodyweight (2 X 5 sand bag get ups, 25 pushups (X 6)
5 min)
You get the idea. These are whole body, “strength integration” movements. Feel free
to create your own. When you are done with this short workout, spend 10-15 minutes
stretching from head to toe. Focus on shoulders, hamstrings, calves, hip flexors, chest,
and gluteus. You might also add some foam roller work. This part is just as important
as your workout. Maintaining joint mobility is essential for long term joint health.
80
References:
1. Van Dijk J. Chapter 3 - Common Military Task: Marching. Optimizing Operational

Physical Fitness.RTO-TR-HFM-080.NATO Research and Technology Organisation.
2009.
2. Kraemer, WJ, Vescovi, JD, Volek, JS, Nindl, BC, Newton, RU, Patton, JF, Dziados,
JE, French, DN, and Hakkinen, K. Effects of concurrent resistance and anaerobic
training on load-bearing performance and the Army Physical Fitness Test. Mil Med
169: 994–999, 2004.
3. Knapik, J., Reynolds, K., Santee, W. R., Friedl, K., & Borden Institute (U.S.). (2010).
Load carriage in military operations: A review of historical, physiological,
biomechanical, and medical aspects. Washington, D.C.: Borden Institute.
4. US Army Recruiting Command Pamphlet 601-25.
5. US Army Field manual 21-18.
6. Pandolf, K.B., Givoni, B., Haisman, B. and Goldman, R.F. (1977). Predicting energy
expenditure with loads while standing or walking very slowly. Journal of Applied
Physiology, 43: 577-581.
8. Knapik, J.J., Johnson, R., Ang, P., Meiselman, H., Bensel, C., Johnson, W., Flyn, B.,
Hanlon, W., Kirk, J., Harman, E., Frykman, P. and Jones, B. (1993). Road marching
performance of special operations soldiers carrying various loads and load
distributions. Technical Report T14-93, United States Army Research Institute of
Environmental Medicine, Natick, USA.
81
Weight (Fat) Loss
When a tactical athlete mentions a goal of weight loss what they almost certainly mean
is fat loss. Fat loss requires a calorie deficit. This is not a controversial idea. It is
estimated that there are 3500 Calories in one pound of fat. Therefore a calorie deficit of
3500 Calories should result in a 1 pound weight loss. In the real world things are never
this precise.
Is a calorie a calorie regardless of the source? The calorie content of the three major
macronutrients (fat, carbohydrates, and protein) is reported based on the Atwater
factors. The kcal (kilocalories but we just call them Calories) per gram is an AVERAGE
value that varied depending on the food source. So not all carbohydrates are 4 kcal /
gram.
Additionally, digesting and processing food costs energy. This is referred to as the
thermic effect of food. Replacing carbohydrates with fat or vice versa does not impact
the thermic effect of food significantly, but increasing protein does. Increasing protein
intake from 15% of Calories to 35% of calories increases the thermic effect of food by
82
about 70 Calories per day. This does not sound like much but it could account for 4
pounds of weight loss per year.
Another factor that is relevant is satiety. Satiety refers to the amount of food necessary
in order to be satisfied and no longer hungry. The figure below is the most often quoted
source of satiety data.
Of the carbohydrate sources, potatoes (boiled) and oatmeal were the highest. Most
protein foods scored high in satiety. Is it any wonder that higher protein diets generally
result in spontaneously lower calorie consumption? Also note the low satiety value of
white bread and snacks & confectionery (junk food). As it turns out, if you eat junk food,
you will spontaneously increase your calorie consumption due to low satiety per calorie.
83
A related quality of food is called palatability (how good it tastes). It turns out that
palatability and satiety often have an inverse relationship (see figure below).
It follows that if you eat primarily low satiety, highly palatable food (junk food, fast food)
that you will have a weight problem. Below is a graph of obesity rates and calorie
consumption in the U.S. from 1961-2009. Notice how the obesity and calorie
consumption lines increase together.
84
USDA economic research data shows that in that same timeframe Americans began
consuming fewer meals at home and more fast food meals (highly palatable, low
satiety).
Liquid calories are another problem. When research subjects drank soft drinks with a
meal, they reduced their subsequent calorie consumption but they only reduced it by
about 18 Calories on average, which was way less than the calories they consumed in
the soda. Liquid calories consumed with a meal almost always result in
overconsumption. The exception is milk, which has a satiating effect due to the protein
content.
Putting all of this information together we can make a few simple and non-controversial
dietary recommendations in regards to fat loss:
1. Focus on simple “real food” rather than junk food or fast food.
2. A small increase in protein intake might be helpful.
3. Carbohydrates should come from high satiety sources like vegetables and
oatmeal.
4. Limit white bread.
5. No liquid calories (especially soft drinks) with meals except for milk.
6. Increased fiber intake helps (think vegetables).
85
Strength and conditioning Coach Dan John put it best, “Eat like an adult” (from his
excellent book Intervention).
Before we move on to the exercise piece, let’s focus on one more important point. You
cannot out PT a bad diet! Trying to lose fat with exercise alone is a fool’s errand.
Even if you have a bit of success in the short term, it never works in the long term.
What happens if you get injured (and you will)? Consider the following:
 At my weight (175lbs) I burn approximately 135 Calories per mile when I run (100
Calories per mile walking).
 A can of soft drink is about 140 Calories
One of these can be finished in less than 1 minute while sitting on the couch watching
TV, the other 5 minutes if you are in really good shape but it is going to hurt, a lot. How
many miles of running does a slice of pizza cost? What about a big “belly washer” soft
drink? Probably more than you want to run that is for sure.
I firmly believe that exercise is for fitness and nutrition is for weight loss. Those who are
ignoring nutrition (because it is too hard!) and focusing on exercise for weight loss are
not going to have long term success. However, if the nutrition piece is dialed in, there
are some exercise strategies that can help. There is a well-documented affect post
exercise that is called EPOC, which stands for excess post exercise oxygen
consumption. Oxygen is used to “burn” carbohydrates and fat. Therefore the rate of
oxygen consumption is proportional to the rate of calorie consumption. The figure
below shows a typical EPOC.
It takes 1-2 minutes for oxygen consumption to gear up on the front end of the exercise
session. If exercise intensity is held constant, oxygen consumption will be constant.
When you stop, it takes some time for oxygen consumption (and metabolism) to return
to resting levels. This period after exercise is the EPOC. The larger the EPOC, the
larger the “after burn.” Many claim that the key to weight loss is to maximize this after
burn by performing high intensity exercise (HIT), stating that HIT training ramps up your
metabolism for hours post activity.
In reality, the after burn calories are not usually very significant. For example:
Tabata Protocol: In the first example, the workolad was near all out maximal for 30
seconds, with a 15 second rest interval. This was repeated 7 times. This is a typical
86
high intensity interval session, similar to the popular Tabata protocol (20 seconds 175%
VO2 max, 10 second recovery). The after burn was only 50 Calories.
Track Sprint Repeats: In the second example, the interval duration was longer (2
minutes), which resulted in a greater after burn, but it was only 80 Calories total.
Neither are significant enough to cause significant weight loss. However, some studies
have shown significant after burn effects from heavy strength training protocols utilizing
heavy weights for 8-12 repetitions, with little rest between sets.
Heavy Strength Training: In a study using heavy bench press (8-12 reps, 2 minutes
rest completed as circuits), Powercleans and squats an after burn of approximately 500
Calories was noted! A second study compared traditional weight training (70-75% 1 rep
maximum, 4 sets of 8 different exercises with 1 minute rest) to a high intensity version
which used a rest pause technique (80-85% 1 rep max to failure, rest 20 seconds,
perform 2-3 more reps). In this case the high intensity version resulted in a much
greater after burn effect (see figure below). The increased after burn effect was
approximately an additional 450 calories over 22 hours (could be higher if a longer
period was measured).
Fat utilization is maximized at a relatively low exercise intensity. Below is a snapshot of

some data measuring fat versus carbohydrate utilization in men and women during
exercise of different intensities.
87
Note that fat burning peaks at about 45% VO2 max, which is equivalent to a slow jog.
This physiological phenomenon is why most trainers have traditionally recommended
long, slow cardio for weight loss. The theory is sound, but it does not hold up to real
world experience. In a recent review of the research literature comparing high intensity
exercise to long, slow cardio by Dr. Stephen Boutcher the following conclusion was
stated, “The effect of regular aerobic exercise on body fat is negligible; however, other
forms of exercise may have a greater impact on body composition. For example,
emerging research examining high-intensity intermittent exercise (HIIE) indicates that it
may be more effective at reducing subcutaneous and abdominal body fat than other
types of exercise.” For weight loss, high intensity training works. If we factor in after
burn calories, heavy weight training, particularly if performed in a high intensity manner
(circuit or rest-pause) is especially effective. Based on these research data we can
make the following recommendations for fat loss training:
 Perform heavy, compound movement exercises like squats, Powercleans,

deadlifts etc.
 Train to failure.
 Use intensity techniques like circuits, low rest between sets or rest-pause.
Note that this looks nothing like the general recommendation of long, slow cardio.
Remember, these recommendations are for fat loss. Long, slow cardio has a purpose,
but fat loss is not it. Also remember that fat loss is primarily driven by diet and not by
the training program. None of this will work without attention to diet.
References:
1. Bucholz, AC and Schoeller, DA., Is a calorie a calorie, Am J Clin Nutr 79 (suppl):

899S-906S, 2004.
88
2. Holt, SH, Miller, JC, Petocz, P, and Farmakalisdis, E, A satiety index of common
foods, Eur J Clin Nutr, sep;49(9): 675-690, 1995.
3. Guyenet, SJ, Seduced by food: Obesity and the human brain, boingboing.net, 9
March 2012 (http://boingboing.net/2012/03/09/seduced-by-food-obesity-and-t.html)
4. Tordoff, MG, Alleva, AM., Effects of drinking soda sweetened with aspartame or high
fructose corn syrup on food intake and body weight. Am J Clin Nutr, 51: 963-969,
1990.
5. Drewnowski, A, and Bellisle, F., Liquid calories, sugar and body weight, Am J Clin
Nutr 85:65-61, 2007.
6. McNeely, E., The role of EPOC in weight loss programs, National Strength and
Conditioning Association Hot Topic Series, 2010
7. Tabata I, Nishimura K., Kouzaki M., Hirai Y., Ogita F., Miyachi M., Yamamoto K.,
1996 Oct;28(10):1327-30.Effects of moderate-intensity endurance and high-intensity
intermittent training on anaerobic capacity and VO2max., Med. Sci. Sports Exerc.
8. Schuenke, M.D., Mikat R.P., and McBride, J.M Effect of an acute period of
resistance exercise on excess post-exercise oxygen consumption: implications for
body mass management, Eur J Appl Physiol (2002) 86: 411-417,.
9. Venables MC, Achten J, and Jukendrup, AE, Determinants of fat oxidation during
exercise in healthy men and women: a cross sectional study, J Appl Physiol 90: 160-
167, 2005.
10. Paoli, A, Moro T, Marcolin G, Neri M, Bianco A, Palma A, and Grimaldi K, High
intensity interval resistance training influences resting energy expenditure and
respiratory ratio in non-dieting individuals, Journal of Translational Medicine 10:
237, 2012.
89
Swimming
Some would argue that swimming is just another endurance activity and that you can
train for swimming in the same way that you train for running or cycling. I disagree.
What is different about swimming is the high skill component. In fact, for running and
cycling, your ability to go fast over any given distance is more than 90% determined by
fitness, with skill contributing just a little. Swimming is much different. In fact, the Naval
Health Research Center determined that swim skill was the primary determining factor
in swim times on a 500 yard swim test.
Correlation Between Swim Times and Aerobic Fitness
The Naval Health Research Center tested 60 volunteers to determine if 500 yard swim
times correlated with aerobic fitness, as determined by VO2 max (maximum aerobic
capacity). What they found were the correlations below:
VO2 max and 500 yd swim: R = .32

Swim Skill and 500 yd swim time: .83
A correlation coefficient of 1 (R=1.0) is a perfect correlation and indicates that the first
variable is a perfect predictor of the second variable. In the case of the the data above,
a value of R=.83 means that the first variable is a strong predictor of the second
variable. In this case, swim skill was primarily what determined 500 yd swim time. The
value of R=.32 indicates a poor prediction. Aerobic fitness did not predict 500 yd swim
times very well at all.
Does this mean that improving an individual’s aerobic fitness will not help them to swim
faster? No, it does not. What it means is that in a group of individuals with varying
amounts of swim experience, the more skilled swimmers will generally swim faster,
regardless of their fitness level. A person who spent years swimming competitively
while younger will always be very fast in the pool compared to a less skilled swimmer,
even if that less skilled swimmer is swimming regularly. If you don’t believe me, try
challenging a former competitive swimmer to a race! Many of my fellow Navy water
survival instructors felt like they were doing well when the worked their way to an 8:00
min 500 yd swim. That time would not be competitive for the 11-12 year old girls age
group in a competitive swim meet. Skill rules in the water.
If your goal is to swim fast and you don’t have much swim experience (or skill), you are
better served working on skill, rather than swim fitness. Fortunately skill work also
develops fitness, especially in poorly skilled swimmers.
Validity of the 500 yard swim and 5 kilometer stationary cycle ride as indicators of
aerobic fitness, Buono, MA, 1987. Naval Health Research Center Technical Report 87-
27. http://www.dtic.mil/dtic/tr/fulltext/u2/a189303.pdf
90
In most cases tactical athletes will be swimming with fins. However, some selection
tests do involve non-fin swim events, so some program will require proficiency with and
without fins. Below are some considerations for both.
Training for Non-Fin Swim Events
Discussing the intricate details of swim stroke mechanics is beyond the scope of this
book. There are plenty of good books and videos available for this purpose. Check out
the Total Immersion series or Swim Workouts for Triathletes. The popularity of
triathlons has resulted in a large number of people learning swim proficiency as adults.
This is fortunate for the tactical athlete attempting to build swim proficiency because it
means that there are lots of resources available. Check with your local triathlon club.
Many of the books, videos and seminars aimed at triathlete swimmers would be useful
to tactical athletes as well. What follows are some considerations for structuring swim
workouts for those without a competitive swim background.
The typical swim training session for a swimmer without a competitive swim background
would consist of a 5-10 minute warm up (easy swimming) , 50-75% of the yardage
completed as swim skill drills, followed by 30-50% of the yardage completed as
conditioning sets, and an easy swim cool down. A typical session might look like:
300 yard easy swim

3 X 50 yd kickboard sets
3 X 50 yard catch up drill
6 X 50 yard pull buoy
4 X 25 swim golf
6 X 100 hard
250 yd easy cool down
Don’t worry about deciphering the meaning of the specific drills in the example. Pick a
system (i.e., Total Immersion) and work your way through the drills in the manner that is
prescribed. There are many effective systems for building swim skill. The drills you
choose should correspond to the aspects of your swim stroke that need work (i.e.,
kicking power, balance in the water, breathing without lifting the head). For the
conditioning part of the workout, focus on sets of 25, 50, 100, or 200 yd intervals using
the swim strokes that will be tested or that you are expected to execute in your tactical
program. Try to keep your rest periods between intervals equal to or less than the time
it took you to swim the interval. These should be hard efforts.
When developing a skill, frequency is more important than duration. More frequent,
shorter workouts would be more effective than less frequent, longer workouts if skill is
the goal. Try to get in the water frequently (minimum of 3 times per week) if you need
lots of skill work.
If you are training for a specific non-fin swim test (i.e., a selection test), continue to work
through your swim workouts in the manner described above. However, when you are
91
approximately 6 weeks out, you can begin to focus on fitness almost exclusively and
may want to do only a few drills as a warm up. In that case, 75% or more of your
yardage would be conditioning intervals of various durations.
Training for Swimming With Fins
Although swimming with fins is a skill, it is a skill that is developed quickly. Becoming
proficient as a non-fin swimmer takes years. Becoming proficient with fins can be
achieved in a few weeks with consistent training. Specific fin swim drills are not
necessary. An easy swim warmup of 5-10 minutes is necessary because of the high
muscular forces produced by fins. After that, simply construct a fitness focused
workout. If training for longer swims, some longer intervals would be helpful (i.e., 500-
1000 yard intervals). If your primary testing and training mode will include fins, it makes
sense to do most of your training with fins. However, you do want to develop some
non-fin swimming proficiency just in case.
After 3-4 weeks of swimming with fins (with proper instruction), technique should be
improved to the point that fitness, rather than skill, will be the primary determinant of
swim speed over any give distance. From that point forward, training (with fins) should
be structured like any other endurance training program. The chapter on endurance
training program is relevant. Consider especially the information on race distance and
training zones. For example, lots of longer, steady paced swims would be ideal if your
tactical job calls for primarily longer steady paced swims. However, if you require high
effort bursts (i.e., open ocean rescue swimmer), then hard intervals would be more
appropriate. For many, a mixture of both is ideal. The endurance training template
discussed earlier is a good approach.
Strength Training For Swimming
Researchers at Ball State University investigated the impact of strength training on

swim power and swim performance. There was a swim only control group and a swim
+ strength training group (12 intercollegiate male swimmers in each group). The groups
swam together 6 days per week but the strength group engaged in 8 weeks of
resistance training, 3 days per week. The strength group increased the resistance used
during their training sessions by 25-35% over the 8 weeks. Despite these gains in
strength, their improvement in swim power, distance per stroke, and swim performance
was not different from the swim only group. They got considerably stronger, but it did
not help their swim performance.
This should not be surprising given what we already discussed about the contribution of
skill to swim performance. Additionally, swim performance is related more to metabolic
fitness (fatigue resistance) in the muscles than it is to muscle strength. Specificity is
important.
Tanaka H, Costill DL, Thomas R, Fink WJ and Widrick JJ, Dry-land resistance training
for competitive swimming, Med Sci Sports Exerc, Aug:25(8):952-9, 1983.
92
Priorities and
Programming Risk
Building a body that is built to endure and hard to break is simple, but not easy. It
requires constant reevaluation of your program to ensure that you are prioritizing what
you should (assess, prioritize, program). Most tactical athletes prioritize wrong. They
emphasize what is a lower priority and leave the highest priority items completely off the
table. This is common. You may be able to get away with this in the short term when
you are young, but it will eventually catch up with you and drag down your performance
or worse, end your tactical career. Here is my take on prioritization, from most to least
important:
1. Rehabilitating injuries: This must be #1. No compromises. In the tactical

professions you are only as strong as your weakest link. Due to the unpredictable
nature of the job, you simply cannot count on being able to compensate for an injury.
An injury can compromise the mission and put you and your teammates in jeopardy.
You must make this your top priority. Your entire conditioning program should be
organized around rehabilitating any existing injuries. When NFL great Adrian Peterson
tore his ACL, he made rehabilitation the #1 priority in his conditioning program (and
perhaps #1 life goal as well). As a result, his recovery was phenomenal. How do you
think he would have fared had he just continued his usual conditioning program?
2. Injury prevention: Using another football analogy, NFL players have a saying, "built
like Tarzan but plays like Jane." They know that football performance is not built
primarily in the weight room. It is built primarily on the field, doing football stuff. The
same is true for tactical athletes. As a result, the primary focus of your conditioning
program should be injury prevention, with most performance benefits coming from
practicing your tactical trade. Strength and conditioning coaches who work with athletes
in collision or fight sports focus on injury prevention first, and performance second. The
focus should be on spine stability (strength) and mobility, strong shoulders, hips and
core. Take a look at your tactical profession and see where most injuries happen on the
job. Most injuries do not occur from horizontal pushing (i.e., bench press) movements.
Build your program around preventing those injuries.
3. Strength: Strength is the quality that takes longest to achieve. Initial strength gains
come quickly in novice lifters due to neurological adaptations. Beyond that, gains come
more slowly, especially in experienced athletes. Because of this fact, strength training
should be a constant, long term focus. The best strength training programs focus on the
fundamental human movements, push, pull, squat, hip hinge, and carry/core.
4. Endurance/stamina: When we use the term "endurance" we are generally talking
93
about sustaining an activity for an extended period of time. Stamina generally refers to
the ability to recover from intermittent work over an extended time. A long ruck is
endurance. Fire and maneuver is stamina. Endurance is generally built with endurance
training. Stamina can be built with a combination of endurance training and work
capacity (metabolic conditioning - METCON) training. If you need both endurance and
stamina, you need to train both.
5. Work capacity: Work capacity, or the ability to perform high intensity work, is most
often trained using METCON. METCON ability is built quickly. You can just about max
out your METCON fitness with 4-6 weeks of METCON training. Additionally, too much
METCON interferes with building strength and hypertrophy. Because of this
interference, and the ability to ramp up quickly, it is a much lower priority. Also,
METCON is potent medicine. A little bit goes a long way. It should be thought of as a
"side dish" in a training program and not a "main course."
Risk: There are three traits that are common among tactical athletes that can be
disastrous in the gym. People with an affinity for taking risks are often drawn to tactical
professions. Tactical athletes also like to test themselves to ensure that they are
keeping their edge. Finally, tactical athletes are predominantly type A personalities
(overachievers). These personality traits are a mixed blessing of course. Combined
with a high level of motivation, they lead to high levels of success. However, in the
gym, these traits have to be restrained in order to avoid disaster.
Tactical athletes would be well served by learning the lessons that have been learned
the hard way by countless strength and conditioning coaches. Strength coaches who
work with athletes are very risk averse. If you start injuring athletes as a strength
coach, you get fired, quickly. The world of training athletes for sport is a world of
minimizing risk. But……you might say…..”Athletes play injured all the time.” Yes, that
is true. But the injures are primarily sustained while playing and practicing the sport, not
in the weight room. For the sports athlete, just like the tactical athlete, the job is risky
enough without introducing more risk in the conditioning program. Strength and
conditioning training for the job should not increase the risk of injury significantly. If you
do a serious risk evaluation and discover that your greatest current risk of injury is your
conditioning program, you are doing it wrong. Successful strength and conditioning
coaches are always looking for lower risk alternatives for training. If jump squats will do
the job, why risk doing snatches? Do I want to risk an athlete’s shoulder doing muscle
ups? Do I really want this group doing handstand pushups or can I get the job done
with the press instead? These are the kinds of questions that good strength and
conditioning coaches wrestle with, and the successful ones always err on the side of
caution, within reason. Like Dan John says, “Remember to keep the goal the goal.”
Strength and conditioning coaches also understand that performance on the field of play
is all that matters. Remember the football saying that expresses this idea well, “Built
like Tarzan, but plays like Jane.” They know that it is all about performance. Everything
94
they do is measured against improving performance and reducing the risk of injury.
They understand that the true test of the athlete is on the field of play, and not in the
gym. They also understand that if the athlete is too tired or too sore to perform on the
field, the strength and conditioning program is excessive. I know several high level
triathlon coaches. They all agree that the biggest problem they face in dealing with
motivated, type A personality clients is keeping them from doing too much. The
personality traits listed above are going to always make that a challenge. Testing
yourself daily in the gym is a mistake. Coach Pavel has said that a typical periodized
intensity program looks like, “heavy, heavier, injured, light….repeat.” The real answer
for those who need to perform outside of the gym is moderate, moderate, moderate and
occasionally heavy.
There is an old Marine Corps saying, “It’s easy to be hard, but it’s hard to be smart.”
Training smart involves keeping the big picture. Keep the goal the goal! Don’t make the
obvious mistakes. Here are some of the most obvious:
1. Testing yourself too often in the gym. You are going to test yourself more often
than is productive. As a tactical athlete it is in your DNA. However, you don’t have
to prove anything. You have already made the selection, passed the school, and
made the cut, which is the real test. You belong. Testing yourself occasionally is
OK, just don’t do it daily, or even weekly.
2. Picking risky exercises when safer versions will work. There are lots of YouTube
sensations who are known for performing some impressive looking feats in the
gym. Be aware that there is a difference between demonstrations and training.
Your job is dangerous enough. Keep the training low risk. Demonstrate your
worth on the job, not in the gym.
3. Pursuing heavier weights too aggressively. Strength happens slowly. The joints
and tissues need time to adapt. Laying down structural tissue (i.e., ligaments,
bone) takes time. Rushing the issue most often results in compromised form and
too much stress on the tissues. Moderate loading is the key. Moderate loading
ensures that you are able to execute each rep correctly. Strength training is
loaded movement. Never sacrifice movement to add load. Also consider, is
adding 100lbs to your deadlift going to make you better at your job? Maybe, but
maybe not. This is a risk management decision. Remember, you are training for
tactical performance outside of the gym.
4. Confusing the means with the end. If the goal is better tactical performance, then
performance in the weight room is a means, not an end. Athletes intuitively know
this. “Does it make me play better?” They know that if the answer is “no” that it is
just added work that is taking away from sports practice and is of little value.
British track cycling went from mediocre to world dominance by asking one simple
95
question over and over, “Does it make the bike go faster?” Like coach Dan John
says, “Remember to keep the goal the goal.” Don’t compromise tactical
performance for better gym performance and don't take excessive risks in training.
If you break yourself aiming for some arbitrary gym goal what will that do for your
tactical performance? One more question to put it all in perspective. Take a look
at your current lifestyle, activities and training. Considering all of it, what is your
most likely source of injury? If the answer involves anything you are doing in the
gym, it is time to reevaluate your program.
96
Tactical Periodization
Periodization is often described as the process of moving from less specific general
training, often called general physical preparation (GPP) or base fitness, to more event
or sport specific training over a series of training blocks. People often ask, “Why do
GPP or base training at all? Why not do only sport/event specific training all the time?”
There are specific reasons for a periodized approach, especially for tactical athletes.
This chapter will explain each of the phases of periodization for the tactical athlete and
discuss considerations and provide recommendations for each phase. Rob Shaul
provides an excellent online lecture on these concepts at www.militaryathlete.com. Rob
is one of the best at tactical program design. Do yourself a favor and spend a little time
browsing his site.
Tactical Athlete Periodization Model
Above is the Tactical Athlete Periodization Model. This is classic periodization model
that progresses from base training or general physical preparation (GPP) to more
specific training, and finally peaking for performance. A classic periodization model is
appropriate if you are training for optimum performance at a specific date in the future.
For example, you may be training for a deployment, school, or selection test on a
specified date. In this case, classic periodization would provide the most effective path
to reaching your goal. In this case, you should plan at least 2-3 weeks of tactical
specific in the field training, 6-8 weeks of tactical specific in the gym training, and 6
weeks or more of tactical base training.
97
Many tactical athletes are not training for performance on a specific date. They are
training for a high level of day-to-day performance. In that case a different periodization
model is more appropriate. This model is called non-linear periodization. Non-linear
periodization involves training all of the capabilities in the pyramid above,
simultaneously, rather than sequentially. That way you get a bit of tactical base, tactical
specific in the gym, and tactical specific in the field each week. A non-linear
periodization model is presented in the “Tactical Training Template” document and will
not be discussed in this document.
Tactical Base Fitness

The Tactical Base Fitness or GPP phase is too important to minimize. There are some
fitness abilities that are much better built during this phase than during any subsequent
phase. This phase is not about developing nonspecific fitness as many believe. It is
about developing a deep base in specific fitness attributes. Let’s start by discussing the
4 components of the Tactical Base Fitness phase.
Strength: Strength is loaded movement. In this case, we are interested in increasing

the amount of weight we can lift with proper movement. We never sacrifice movement
quality for more loading. As the well-known physical therapist and movement specialist
Grey Cook likes to say, “Never put loading or speed on top of dysfunctional movement.”
That is a recipe for injury. When we are building base strength, we are trying to
increase force production in the 5 basic human movements:
1. Upper body push

2. Upper body pull
3. Squat
4. Hip hinge
5. Core
During the base phase, we want to increase strength until we meet certain threshold
goals, or until it is time to move to the next training phase. If you are already very
strong, great! You get to spend more time in tactical specific phases. Your base phase
can be very short. For everyone else, spending significant time in the base phase,
getting strong, is vital. The threshold goals are strength benchmarks that ensure that
we are strong enough that tactical performance is not going to be limited by strength.
There is quite a bit of debate about how strong is strong enough. Many will argue that
you can never be strong enough. The reality is that training for the tactical athlete is
about compromises. When you are maximizing one fitness element (i.e., strength), you
are compromising another (i.e., endurance). The fact is, that at some point, you are
going to be strong enough that more strength is not going to appreciably improve your
tactical performance, especially considering the fact that it will come at the expense of
other qualities. Fitness is a means to an end. That end is better tactical performance.
If you always keep that in mind, it will help you make more rational decisions about your
training. Strength is the foundation for athletic prowess. In this phase, our goal is to get
98
"strong enough." How strong is "strong enough?" The table below provides a couple of
points of view from two very smart strength and conditioning coaches.
How Strong is Strong Enough?
Dan John’s List Rob Shaul’s List
Upper Push: Front Squat 1.5x BW 1.0x BW

Expected = Bodyweight bench press
Game-changer = Bodyweight bench Dead Lift 2.0x BW 1.5x BW
press for 15 reps
Bench Press 1.5x BW 1.0x BW
Upper Pull:
Expected = 5 pullups Push Press 1.1x BW .7x BW
Game-changer = 15 pullups
Squat Clean 1.25x BW
Hip Hinge:
Expected = Bodyweight to 150% Squat Clean+ Push Press 1.1x BW
bodyweight deadlift
Game-changer = Double-bodyweight "BW" = body weight
deadlift
Squat:
Expected = Bodyweight squat
Game-changer = Bodyweight (on bar)
squat for 15 reps
Core:
Expected = Farmer walk with total
bodyweight (half per hand)
Game-changer =Bodyweight per hand
As you can see, there is some disagreement among coaches on this subject. There is
no right answer. However, somewhere in this ballpark is where we should set our
benchmark goals. Base strength training is simply a phase in which we are striving to
achieve these benchmarks. Base strength training looks a lot like a simple powerlifting
program. That is because a simple powerlifting program is the most effective way to
build strength in the 5 basic movements. During base phase strength training, the goal
is to find those exercises that allow you to move big weights. Below is a list of the best
candidates:
1. Upper body push: Standing barbell overhead press, bench press

2. Upper body pull: Barbell rows, pull-ups or chin-ups
3. Squat: Barbell back squat
99
4. Hip hinge: Deadlift
5. Core/carries/everything else: Beginner level - planks, bridges, bird dog, superman
etc..., Advanced level - Ab wheel, loaded carries, chops, land mines, Turkish getups,
windmills etc...
These are big, dynamic, whole body exercises that allow you to move lots of weight.
They are the best tools for the job. You could get strong using other exercises but why
not use the best tool for the job? Sure, you could get stronger using kettlebells, TRX,
gymnastics rings, or bodyweight exercises. However, they would not be as effective or
fast at building the kind of whole body strength we are looking for in the base phase.
Notice that there are no sledge hammers, big tires, sandbags, kettlebells, TRX or other
tools. Later, in the "tactical specific in the gym" phase, you will get much more exercise
variety, including some of these tools. In the base phase we are focusing on pure
strength in the basic 5 movements. Yes, it can be a bit repetitive and boring, but
building "foundation" strength in the basics takes some time focusing on the basics.
There is no getting around that issue.
Detailed programming is beyond the scope of this document but there are plenty of
good powerlifting programs available. Some good choices are Starting Strength, 5 X 5,
the Texas method, Wendler’s 5,3,1, and Westside Barbell. You will find plenty of
information about all of these programs on the internet. Any of these would be an
excellent choice for a basic strength building powerlifting program. There is not a ton of
variety in this strength phase. In this case, the lack of variety is an advantage.
Consistency and progressive overload are the keys to strength development. Contrary
to popular opinion, “muscle confusion” can be counterproductive in this phase. There
must be enough repeatability of the basic movements in order to progress. A basic
powerlifting program is best for achieving that goal.
You should remain in the tactical base strength phase until you have reached your
“strong enough” goals, or until it is time to move to the tactical specific in the gym
phase.
Endurance: For the tactical athlete, endurance generally means moving on foot. This
can be either loaded or unloaded. In a tactical environment, movement is almost
always loaded. At a minimum, a bullet proof vest and weapons (plus some gear) will be
carried for a minimum load of 20-35 pounds. Combat loads are much higher. Unloaded
endurance movement (running) is generally used for testing (i.e., physical screening
tests) or during tactical course training. As a result, endurance training involves either
training to pass a run test or multiple runs during a course, or moving distances under
light loads, or rucking heavy loads. Fortunately, for all of these tactical goals, tactical
base fitness begins with the same type of training.
The base fitness for all of these endurance tasks is a moderate volume (20-50 miles per
week) of steady paced running (not loaded). Steady pace is at about 75% of your
maximum heart rate. If you use heart rate to gauge intensity, make sure that you are
using a measured maximum heart rate and not a calculated maximum heart rate. The
100
max heart rate prediction equations are notoriously inaccurate. This is a comfortable
pace. There are no hard runs performed during this phase. The reason that run
intensity is kept low is so that you can add more volume. Any intensity that we would
add would take away from our ability to add volume. Volume = miles per week. In this
phase, we are striving for a volume overload. We are looking for specific physiological
adaptations that tend to take more time to develop like increased capillary and
mitochondrial density, as well as leg durability. You cannot shortcut these adaptations
with intensity. For some tactical training courses (i.e., BUD/S) you may need to run 10+
miles per day. In these cases, spending time building leg durability is a necessity if you
want to survive.
The structure of the run program during this phase is simple. Start with a conservative
weekly mileage and increase by about 10% per week. If you are a novice runner, take
a “back off” week (reduced mileage) every 4 weeks. The types of adaptations we are
trying to achieve depend primarily on the total mileage per week and not on how that
mileage is structured. However, recovery is easier if the mileage is spread out, rather
than concentrated in a few runs. For example, 5 X 6 miles is easier to recover from
than 3 X 10 miles. If you need to train for load carriage, you can substitute one run per
week for a ruck. Keep the load light for now (15% - 25% of bodyweight) and gradually
increase the distance of the ruck. Count ruck mileage like run mileage. There is no
“strong enough” endurance equivalent in this case but certainly you do not need to
exceed 50 miles per week. Stay in this endurance phase until it is time to move to the
tactical specific in the gym phase.
Durability: Strong + good endurance base + few injury compensations (you move well)
= durable. A big part of durability is already covered with the strength and endurance
parts of tactical base training. However, there are other considerations:
 Current injuries. This is the #1 durability priority during tactical base training.
Get some professional help if available. Have your injury evaluated by a physical
therapist and follow the therapeutic recommendations. The therapeutic
exercises or stretches can be incorporated into the strength training program and
done as either a warm up, between sets, or afterward. For example if you have
a tight hamstring, you can stretch it thoroughly between sets of squats or after
the workout. This is the time to aggressively deal with any mobility (flexibility)
and stability (strength) issues. It may require additional exercises to be added to
your program. Try to add them in to your program in a way that does not
interfere with your overall goal (getting stronger in the basic lifts).
 Injury history: If you have a history of a particular type of injury, you will want to
address this proactively during tactical base training. For example, if you have a
shoulder that is prone to popping out of socket, some kettlebell windmills and get
ups with light weight can be done as part of your warm up prior to your strength
training session. If you have a tendency to develop hamstring strains, you would
101
want to include some hamstring strengthening as part of your strength training
program.
 Tactical Injury potential: This consideration is a lower priority than the first two
but it is still important. If you can identify the common types of injuries
experienced during the tactical training, test, deployment, or event that you are
training for, now is the time to start addressing those injuries through proactive
training.
There are way too many injury possibilities to make specific recommendations in this
document but we can provide some general guidance in terms of what to address and
when.
 Faulty movement patterns: These are best addressed during a warm up.
Exercises like goblet squats or Turkish get ups that are designed to train you to
move better under load are best done as a warm up.
 Stability or strengthening: This is best addressed during the strength training
session. Place the exercises so that they do not detract from the performance of
your basic lifts.
 Mobility or flexibility: This is best addressed after your strength training session.
Flexibility training is more productive when the muscles and joints are warm.
Summary: Tactical base fitness is the simplest phase. Drive up strength in the basic
lifts until you are either “strong enough” or until it is time to move on to the tactical
fitness in the gym phase. Do an increasing amount of steady paced running, including
a once per week ruck if applicable. Add in any special strength or mobility exercises to
address injury concerns. That is it. No fancy stuff yet.
Tactical Specific in the Gym

The tactical base fitness phase builds a foundation of basic fitness but does not address
specific tactical fitness needs. In the real world you will never lift anything as balanced
and stable as a barbell. The real world is unstable and unpredictable. There are also
considerable metabolic conditioning demands that have not been addressed yet. In the
tactical specific in the gym phase we will start to fill in these tactical gaps. Tactical
specific in the gym fitness is best laid on a foundation of tactical base training. Six to
eight weeks is just about enough time for this phase. Most tactical athletes will shell
themselves if they extend this phase any longer.
Strength: In the real world the body is used as one piece and not segmented into body
parts. If you are stacking sand bags, carrying a casualty or climbing a wall with a pack
on, you are not thinking about which specific muscles you are using. The weight room
is well controlled with safe, balanced, easy to use machines and barbells that are
designed to minimize the involvement of stabilizer muscles and to target specific muscle
groups. This is the opposite of what we want to employ in the “tactical specific in the
gym” phase. This phase is about getting you stronger while moving in as many
102
different planes, directions and movements as possible and ensuring that there are no
weak links in the chain. This is the time to explore a variety of movements and to try
unconventional strength implements (i.e., kettlebells, tires, TRX, sandbags, atlas
stones, sledgehammers). The possibilities during this phase are endless.
Consideration needs to be given to specific tactical needs (i.e., mountainous terrain,
carrying heavy loads). Each program is going to look different due to the fact that each
situation and each individual are different. However, we can provide some basic
considerations. Below are some tactical considerations that should guide you in
preparing your strength training program:
Strength Session Tactical Considerations
 Include single arm and single leg work, for example, single arm bench presses or
split squats. The single limb versions are inherently less stable and force your
whole body to engage to control the weight.
 Include loaded carries. Carry heavy objects (dumbbells, sand bags, stones, logs,
workout partners) in a variety of positions. Nothing engages whole body strength
and balance like loaded carries. This is perhaps the most tactically specific
strength move available in the gym, but it is often the most ignored.
 Include neck bridges. Wrestlers have figured out that without a strong neck, you
are much more vulnerable to injury.
 Grip strength cannot be over emphasized. Your body will not allow you to pull
what your grip cannot handle. Many people will be able to increase their pull-up
strength by increasing grip strength. Grip strength is much more tactically
relevant than bench press, but it is often prioritized inversely.
 Train your hamstrings. Forget about lying hamstring curls. Use good mornings,
stiff legged deadlifts, glute-ham machine, hyper-extensions or hill sprints.
Hamstrings are a common site of injury, especially when sprinting under load.
 The most important pressing ability is overhead pressing, not bench pressing.
Overhead pressing is balanced about the shoulder and promotes shoulder
health, mobility and balance. The same cannot be said for bench presses.
 Do not load bad movement, and never, ever put speed or explosiveness on top
of dysfunctional movement. Strength coach Dan John likes to say, "Fundamental
movements are well.....fundamental. Strength training is loaded movement and
the movement should be graceful."
 You should consider including the basic barbell lifts at least once per week each,
especially if you have not achieved your "strong enough" goals. If you are plenty
strong, you can emphasize this less. The bottom line is that until you are "strong
enough," strength trumps everything else.
 Loading is important. You will not achieve meaningful loading with burpees and
air squats alone. Load like you mean it. This is especially true of the "odd" lifts
(i.e., lifting stones or sand bags).
103
 Some cross body loading is useful. Exercises like cross body chops, land mines,
and heavy sledge hammer work are good choices.
 Do some sprinting, loaded and unloaded. Include some agility drills. Hill sprints
are also a good choice. Sprints make a great metabolic conditioning finisher.
 12. Pick things up off the ground. Try sand bags, logs, atlas stones, rocks,
dumbbells, kettlebells or any odd object. Variety is the key here.
Tactical in the gym strength session design
 Start each strength session with a mobility warm up. Consider moves like
lunges, goblet squats, overhead squats, shoulder dislocates, Turkish get ups,
windmills etc. The warm up should take 5-15 minutes. Focus on any problem
areas. Some of the movements in the strength training tactical considerations list
can be included here.
 Spend no more than 40 minutes on your strength portion. If you are going longer
than that you are probably doing body part training or sacrificing quality for
quantity. Incorporate one of the basic barbell lifts and as many of the
considerations from the tactical considerations list above as you can within 40
minutes. The session should be more of a steady grind than an "as many rounds
as possible" approach.
 Add a 5-10 minute metabolic conditioning finisher to the end of the workout. The
purpose of the finisher is not strength, but conditioning. Push it hard and drive
your heart rate up. Some of the movements from the strength training tactical
considerations can be accomplished here.
 Perform a little flexibility work at the end. Focus on pecs, shoulders, hips,
hamstrings and calves.
Endurance: After building a good base of endurance fitness in the "tactical base
phase," it is now time to get more specific. The adjustments that you make to your
endurance program in this phase depend on your specific tactical goals. Some specific
considerations are discussed below.
Post Exercise Protein Supplementation Improves Health of Military Recruits
Many “boot camp” or “selection” programs place recruits in a physically demanding,

stressful environment for a prolonged period of time. This typically results in higher than
normal injury and illness rates. A group of researchers followed 6 platoons of Marine
Corps Recruits through basic training at Paris Island. They compared recruits who
consumed a placebo to those who consumed a protein supplement (8g carbs, 10g
protein, 3g fat) immediately post exercise for the 54 day training course. The results
were impressive. The protein supplement group had 33% fewer medical visits, 28%
fewer visits due to bacterial/virus infections, 37% fewer visits due to muscle/joint aches
and 83% fewer visits due to heat exhaustion. The mechanisms responsible for these
improvements are unknown. The authors speculate that improved protein synthesis
(repair) post exercise could have been a factor. Muscle soreness was reduced by
protein supplementation compared to placebo, supporting that contention.
104
Flakoll PJ, Judy T, Flinn K, Carr C, and Flinn S, J of Appl Physiol, Vol 96 no. 3, 951-
956, 2003. Postexercise protein supplementation improves health and muscle soreness
during basic military training in marine recruits
Rucking
Rucking once per week is plenty if supplemented with a running and strength training
program. The Army has done a considerable amount of research on rucking. It turns
out that heavy-short rucks transfer well to light-long rucks but the opposite is not true.
Therefore, time constrained athletes can get away with just heavy-short rucks. When
they have to go light-long, it will be no problem. However, the best solution is to do both
and to alternate weekly. As with all fitness programs, progressive overload is important.
The pace is generally the same for all rucks (4 miles per hour ± .5 miles per hour). For
the light-long rucks, keep a fixed weight and increase the distance over time. For the
heavy-short rucks, keep a fixed time (i.e., 40-60 minutes) and increase the load over
time. Never run with a ruck in training. You may need to do so as part of a selection
course, or in a real tactical situation, but running with a ruck in training is way too risky.
If you are training with a heavy ruck, when you need to run, you will be ready. The
exceptions are a very light ruck (25 pounds or less) or short sprints (< 50 yards). For a
more detailed discussion of rucking, as well as a detailed program, refer to the rucking
document.
Run testing
The most common run testing distances are 1.5 miles, 2 miles and 3 miles. Some
programs use 6 miles or a 10K. Fortunately, there is not much difference in training for
these varied distances. All of these distances would be run at a pace that exceeds the
lactate threshold. During this phase, 3 runs plus a ruck are recommended. Good
runners could get away with 2 runs plus a ruck. Two weekly run structures are
proposed below based on run test distance.
Endurance Training for 1.5 - 2 Mile Run Test

First 2 Weeks Tempo VO2 Max Tempo Ruck
Intervals
Last 6 Weeks VO2 Max Tempo VO2 Max Ruck
Intervals Intervals
Endurance Training for 3-6 (or 10K) Run Test

All 8 Weeks Tempo VO2 Max Tempo Ruck
Intervals
See the "Endurance Training Programming" chapter for more information on how to
structure tempo and VO2 max runs. VO2 max intervals (typically 800 yd or meter
intervals) are run at your best mile pace. Tempo intervals are run at your 10K race
105
pace. As with all fitness programming, include progressive overload in your plan.
Increase the amount of tempo and the number of VO2 max intervals during your run
sessions. Most people should top out at 40 minutes of tempo and 6-8 VO2 max
intervals.
Run intensive school or training
If you are going to participate in a run intensive selection or course, it is vital that you
maintain excellent run leg durability. A small adjustment to the run plan above should
be more than adequate. Good runners, who are not worried about their run test times,
should replace one of the runs above with a long run (up to 2.5 hours max). Those who
still have some work to do on the run should ideally find time in their schedule to add in
a longer run (up to 2 hours) to the program above. Again, progressive overload should
apply. Gradually increase the length of the long run. The long run can be split (i.e., 1
hour in the morning, and 1 hour in the afternoon). The long run is done at a "steady"
pace (see the "Endurance Training Programming" document).
Tactical Specific in the Field

This is the phase that is going to be most variable. The idea is to move towards real
world, in the environment, tactical training, using real equipment and tactics.
Presumably during this phase you are doing something looks quite a bit like your real
world tactical job. If this phase is a selection course, hang in there and enjoy the ride. If
you were smart and planned well in the last two phases, you showed up in shape, with
a durable body. If this phase is just a bit of top off training (i.e. pre-deployment work
ups), then there are a couple of considerations to think about.
1. It takes much more work to gain fitness than it does to maintain it. You can afford to
cut way back on your training while you focus on sharpening your tactical skills. All
of that hard work over the last few months built quite a bit of fitness and it is not
going to disappear easily.
2. Let the course or training take care of whatever fitness components it will and focus
on maintaining what it does not. For example, if you are practicing patrols in the
mountains, you probably don't have to worry about any extra endurance training.
You might consider adding a bit of strength training (a scaled down version) twice
per week. If your course involves rock climbing, rappelling and rucks, you might not
need to supplement at all. Spend a bit of time looking at the demands of this phase
and consider carefully before you supplement with additional physical training.
Remember, you don't need as much to maintain fitness that you have already built.
To quote strength coach Dan John, "Remember to keep the goal the goal." Building
fitness for a tactical athlete is a means to an end. The end is tactical performance.
Fitness is just one piece. During this phase maintain what fitness is necessary but don't
let fitness training interfere with acquiring tactical skills.
106
Conclusions: There are a lot of details left to fill in and the devil is in the details. What
I have attempted to do here is to give you a basic framework for setting up a tactical
periodization plan. If you follow the framework, you are unlikely to mess up the details
too badly. In general, motivated tactical athletes are almost always going to try to do
too much. When you write out you plan, do it in pencil, and then use your eraser
liberally. Just know in advance that whatever you plan, it is probably too much and will
need to be cut back a bit. I did not mention anything at all about the other half of this
program, recovery. If you are trying to manage your energy ups and downs with sugar
and caffeine, it is a recipe for disaster. If you feel like you need a stimulant to work out,
you are not managing your energy properly. Half of your success will depend on getting
enough sleep and eating well.
Non Linear Tactical Periodization

How should a tactical athlete periodize when they are not training to peak for a specific
course, selection, or deployment? How do you program when you may need optimal
performance on any given day? In this case, classic periodization falls short. A non-
linear periodization approach is what is called for. In a classic linear periodization
model, the focus is on one or two fitness qualities at a time for 4-8 week blocks. In a
non-linear periodization model, all fitness qualities are trained simultaneously. There
may be different points of emphasis on different days, but all qualities are generally
trained week in and week out.
In the Sample Programs section of this book is a “Tactical Template” that meets the
non-linear periodization requirement. It is heavily influenced by Pavel Tsatsouline’s
“Total Package” strength and conditioning template (www.strongfirst.com). This is for
the tactical operator who needs strength, conditioning (metabolic conditioning or
METCON), and endurance. When you are training several fitness components at once,
you must simplify. This is a simple, but effective template that will allow you to excel at
all 3 fitness components without overtraining. This is a “quality over quantity” approach.
The program template is sustainable, over the long haul, while leaving enough energy
to work on the numerous other training and operational contingencies of the tactical
athlete. If your conditioning program leaves you too exhausted or too sore to do your
day to day job, it is time to reevaluate! Also, for the tactical athlete, the strength and
conditioning program should not be the training element with the highest risk for injury
day in and day out. The job is hazardous enough without adding a high risk
conditioning program. The template is a good one, but there are other templates that
could be used as long as the fundamentals are addressed. The keys to the
effectiveness of a tactical template are:
1. The right dose of METCON. Excessive METCON will cook your central nervous
system and can interfere with strength gains. METCON in itself is not an effective way
to gain strength. It should be trained separately from strength if possible.
107
2. Big bang for the buck strength. Strength training is loaded movement. If the
movements are chosen carefully, very few exercises are necessary. A program that
uses big bang for the buck lifts for the 5 basic movements (1. Upper body push, 2.
Upper body pull, 3. Squat, 4. Hip hinge, 5. Core) ensures that there are no weak links.
This is not a bodybuilding program. It is an athletic performance program. We don’t
train by body parts; we train movements, loaded movements.
3. Manageable workload overall. You can’t do 2 hour gym sessions, frequent “as
many rounds as possible” or “as fast as possible” METCON sessions, and endurance
training simultaneously without crashing headfirst into stagnation, overtraining, and
injury. Improving your performance (rather than trying to test yourself in the gym every
day) is not about what you can do, but it is rather about what you can absorb and
recover from. The true test of the tactical operator is not how hard he can be in the
gym. The true test is whether he can put his ego aside and commit to a smart training
program. It is easy to be hard, but it is hard to be smart. Be smart.
The sample weekly schedule is below. You may move the Wednesday and Saturday
endurance sessions to Monday and Thursday to free up some off days. If you do this,
perform the endurance portion after the strength portion, preferably later in the day after
a rest period. Two basic templates are below:
7 Day Per Week Template 5 Day Per Week Template
Monday—strength Monday—AM strength, PM endurance

Tuesday—conditioning Tuesday—conditioning
Wednesday—endurance Wednesday—off
Thursday—strength Thursday—AM strength, PM endurance
Friday—conditioning Friday—conditioning
Saturday—endurance Saturday—off
Sunday—endurance Sunday—endurance
The full Tactical Template is in the Sample Programs section of this book.
108
Assessment and Testing
Earlier we discussed that tactical fitness programs should be focused on improving
tactical performance. It follows that fitness testing of tactical athletes should focus on
testing abilities associated with job tasks. In this chapter we will discuss one model for
conducting a job task analysis to design physical fitness testing. This model has been
used with US Navy Explosive Ordnance Disposal personnel, US Navy Divers and US
Navy Search and Rescue Swimmers (work completed by the author of this book).
Conducting a job task analysis involves asking a series of questions:
1. What are the physical tasks associated with the job?

2. Which tasks are critical?
3. What physical abilities are required to do those tasks?
4. How do I test for those physical abilities?
What are the physical tasks associated with the job? To perform a physical fitness job
task analysis you are going to have to compile a list of the physically demanding job
tasks. If you do the job yourself, it is much easier but you should still consider a survey
or interviewing several others because others may have different job experiences. You
might also consider observing or participating in many of the tasks yourself. The goal is
to get as comprehensive a list of physically demanding tasks associated with the job as
109
possible. The list may become very long. That is OK; there is a systematic way of
trimming down the list. Note the level of detail in the sample questionnaire. This is part
of the questionnaire used to develop a list of physically demanding tasks performed by
U.S. Navy Rescue Swimmers.
Once the surveys or interviews are done, you will need to compile a complete list of all
tasks with associated information (i.e., weight of item lifted, distance carried etc.). At
this point the list is likely to be large and many tasks may be unclear. There may be
many duplicated tasks. One way to clarify and refine the list is to use a panel of experts
to go through the list and help to sort out the following issues:
1. Are the weights and distances accurate?

2. Are there duplicate tasks?
3. Are there any tasks that are not applicable?
4. Are there any missing tasks?
5. Is there confusing terminology that needs to be defined?
Once this is complete, you have a good working list that has been “sanity checked” by
experienced experts (people who have been doing the job for a long time) in the field.
The example at the bottom shows two difficult tasks required of Navy Aviation Rescue
Swimmers during an inland rescue. The weights, distances and heights were vetted by
a panel of experienced experts.
Now that you have a good working list, the next step is to prioritize the tasks on the list.
To do this, you can determine the criticality of the tasks. You can do this by obtaining a
criticality rating using a second survey of people performing the job. Criticality ranks
importance, frequency, and difficulty to come up with a composite criticality score.
Those tasks that are very difficult, important and preformed frequently will have the
highest criticality rating. Based on the criticality rating, the tasks can be placed in a
priority order. In this example, a 7 point Likert type scale is used.
110
When you sum up the 3 scores (importance, frequency, difficulty), you get a total
criticality score. Each factor will affect the criticality of the tasks on the list. The most
critical tasks are difficult, important and done frequently. The least critical tasks are
easy, not important, and done infrequently. It is important to sort tasks based on
criticality because inevitably you will have more tasks than you can address with a
fitness test and determining which tasks to include will be important.
Below is an example of a task criticality list from a task analysis completed for the US
Navy Rescue Swimmer Program.
111
At this point you have a list of physically demanding tasks with amplifying detail (i.e.,
weight, distance, time to complete) that has been vetted by experts and prioritized for
criticality. The steps completed so far require no specific expertise on the part of the
person conducting the analysis. They can be completed by a person with no special
skills. The remaining steps require some knowledge of basic exercise physiology and
biomechanics.
The next step is to analyze the tasks. In this case the tasks are analyzed for major and
minor muscles, types of movements and type of conditioning required (strength, speed,
endurance, work capacity etc.). This step takes a bit of expertise and may require
observation of the task or discussion with a tactical operator who performs the task.
Because this portion takes some time, you may want to analyze only the top 10-20 most
critical tasks.
Now that you have a prioritized list of tasks that has been analyzed for fitness
requirements, the next step is to come up with a way to test those fitness requirements.
One way to do this is to have the personnel perform the actual task, if the task can be
measured in a reliable way. If not, perhaps the task can be simulated using a
standardized load or distance. In the example below from the US Navy Rescue
Swimmer assessment, several tasks, including the loaded 2 person litter carry, is
simulated using a dumbbell carry for distance. Important considerations are the
technical difficulty of performing the test, the expense of the equipment required, the
time required to test and the risk to those being tested. Also important is the degree to
which the test measures the physical abilities that you intend to measure. Does good
performance on your test equal good performance on the task that the test is modeling?
112
The final consideration is scoring and cut off scores. In this case, scoring is determined
by weight carried and distance. Establishing a minim performance standard is more
difficult. Scoring standards (i.e., performance categories and minimum scores), should
ideally be selected to motivate participants to do their best, to motivate personnel to
train to attain higher standards, and most importantly, indicate the level and type of
fitness necessary to do the job. Below is the example from the US Navy Rescue
Swimmer analysis.
There are a number of texts that can provide hundreds of standardized physical fitness
tests to choose from. Some include:
 Functional Testing in Human Performance, Reiman and Manske, Human

Kinetics
 Measurement and Evaluation in Human Performance, Morrow, Mood, Disch, and

Kang, Human Kinetics
 Physiological Tests for Elite Athletes, Tanner and Gore, Human Kinetics
113
 NSCA’s Guide to Test Assessments, Miller, National Strength and Conditioning
Association.
 Essentials of Strength Training and Conditioning, Baechle and Earle, National

Strength and Conditioning Association.
Is Timed Run Testing Appropriate for Predicting Ruck March Capability?
Researchers from the Navy and the University of Portsmouth tested 12 runners on a
treadmill test to exhaustion with and without a 18kg external backpack load at 9.5 km/h
(5.9 mph). What they found was interesting but not unexpected.
Mass
85
80
75
70
65
60
55
50
40 45 50 55 60 65 70
The chart above relates lean body mass in kg to VO2 max (maximum aerobic capacity).
In this case, maximum aerobic capacity is being reported as milliliters of oxygen
consumed per minute / kg of bodyweight. So it makes sense that heavier subjects
would have a lower ratio of aerobic power (ml oxygen per minute) divided by
bodyweight because the denominator of that equation would be higher. The trend is for
heavier subjects to have a lower VO2 max. VO2 max (aerobic capacity) is a good
predictor of performance on the run portions of military fitness tests (see “”What is my
VO2 Max” in the Basic Exercise Physiology chapter.
Now here is the more interesting part. What happened when they compared body mass
to time to exhaustion with the 18kg load? We might predict that time to exhaustion was
less because of what we see above (lower VO2 max in heavier subjects) but this was
not the case.
114
Mass
90
85
80
75
70
65
60
55
50
45
40
20 30 40 50 60 70
In this case we see that larger mass trends towards better performance (greater time to
exhaustion). In other words, subjects with more lean body mass tended to have a
lower VO2 max (aerobic capacity) but could perform better with a load of 18kg.
The researchers conclude, “ ...the results of the present study show that fitness tests
that determine aerobic power in units relative to body mass (e.g., 2.4 km run; multistage
shuttle run test) incur a systematic bias against heavier personnel. Such tests are
therefore inappropriate when predicting he ability of personnel to work in occupations
that encompass load-carrying tasks.”
An Army infantry Soldier once told me, “Big strong dudes might suck at running but they
will crush you on a ruck march.”
Consider these questions. How much unloaded running do we do in combat? Should

unloaded running be our primary means of testing endurance or aerobic capacity?
Perhaps not.
Bilzon JLJ, Allsopp AJ and Tipton MJ, Assessment of physical fitness for occupations
encompassing load-carriage tasks, Occup Med (Lond) 51(5):357-361, 2001.
115
Is the Military Stuck With the Circumference Method of Measuring Body Fat?
Measuring body fat is technically difficult. It is a very hard technical challenge. About the
best thing out there right now that is reasonably available is the Dual Energy X-ray
Absorptiometry (DEXA) device. Unfortunately it is prohibitively expensive, so it is not an
option for military units. The Bod Pod (air displacement) has known issues with
accuracy, but again at approximately $50k and over 15 minutes per test, it is not an
option for testing of hundreds of thousands of military personnel. Bioelectrical
impedance is showing some promise with the new devices by General Electric. They
are MUCH better than the consumer models that cost $100. At about $18-15 k, they
might be a reasonable alternative, but it is easy to cheat bioelectrical impedance. It is
accurate only if subjects comply, which they won't if their career is on the line. Finally,
there is hydrostatic weighing. Hydrostatic weighing takes way too long and some
subjects cannot be weighed due to lack of comfort in the water (subjects have to be
totally submerged for a few seconds). So the expensive, but reasonably accurate
technology does not appear to be the answer. What about the less expensive
techniques?
Well, what is left is skinfold calipers and anthropometric measurements (measuring

body circumferences in this case). The Navy has been using circumference
measurements for quite a long time. The graphic below shows a plot of the raw data
from the original study conducted by the Naval Health Research Center to establish the
Navy's circumference measurement of body fat.
The line is called the "line of identity." At points along the line, circumference
measurements were equal to hydrostatic weighing (underwater weighing, which was the
116
"gold standard" for body fat measurement for decades). You can see the in general,
there is a pretty good agreement. The correlation coefficient is 0.90, which is pretty
good statistically. However, there is a problem. Each dot represents a person tested. All
of the dots below the line are people who will be measured too lean by the
circumference measurement. All of the dots above the line are people who will be
measured too fat by the circumference measurements. Some people will be
unintentionally cheating the system and some will be cheated by the system. The
system is not perfect. This has led to numerous outcries to revamp the system but
inevitably the expense and challenge of measuring hundreds of thousands of people
means that we are stuck with the only two reasonable low tech approaches,
circumference and skinfold caliper measurements.
So...what about those skinfold calipers? The Navy tested 505 active duty personnel and
compared the 3 well known skinfold equations, the Navy circumference method, and
bioimpedance to determine which was more accurate. Again they used hydrostatic
weighing as the "gold standard" reference. What did they find? here is a quote from the
study, "The Navy's body fat estimation equation (circumference) predicts body fat of
Navy men better than the 3 well-known skinfold equations and two bioimpedance
equations. "
Many people want to continue to believe that skinfold caliper measurements would be
better but the data says otherwise. I suppose that it just "seems" like it would be more
accurate because it is using what looks like more sophisticated technology. But it is not
in this case. A further complicating factor that the Navy discovered is that taking
consistent circumference measurements is relatively easy. That is not the case for
skinfold caliper measurements. Even after being thoroughly trained (with considerable
practice) Sailors demonstrated much greater measurement variability when using
skinfold calipers than with a simple tape measure circumference. So it is likely that there
would be much more error with the calipers. The skinfold calipers are not a suitable
substitute for circumference measurements. They will produce less accurate results.
So the military is in an unfortunate situation. Our challenge is that we have hundreds of

thousands of personnel to test and some of them are on ships, submarines, in the
desert, overseas. We have a method of measuring body fat that is the best of the "not
so good" methods, but it is the only reasonable alternative given the challenge. Until
better technology comes along that is quick, cheap and accurate, we are stuck with
circumference measurements. The Navy got it right in 1984.
A prediction of percent bodyfat for US Navy men from body circumferences and height,
Hodgdon JA, and Beckett MB, Naval Health Research Center Technical Report No. 84-
11, 1984.
Comparison of circumference and skinfold-based bodyfat estimation equations, Kujawa

K, and Hodgdon JA, Naval Health Research Center Technical Report No. 98-34.
117
Physiological Profile of Special Forces Soldiers
A group of researchers surveyed highly experienced and skilled Australian special

forces operators in order to determine the importance of several physical capabilities for
performing combat missions. The physiological capabilities surveyed were:
 Aerobic endurance: The ability to conduct low intensity physical work over a long
period of time (generally over 30 minutes.
 Anaerobic endurance: The ability to undertake high intensity work for a short
period of time (not more than 2 minutes)
 Strength endurance: The resistance to fatigue in strength tasks that involve more
than 15 repetitions.
 Maximum strength: The ability to produce high muscular forces.
 Rapidity: The ability to move the body rapidly in various movements.
 Reaction speed: Reaction time.
 Coordinative ability: Efficient, smooth movement. Ability to learn new motor skills.
 Constitution: Body size and ruggedness (i.e., big and muscular).
The Special Forces personnel were Officers and Non-Commissioned Officers with
considerable experience (i.e., 3000 jumps, diving instructors with 1000 hours under-
water experience). They rated each ability with a Likert like scale. First they took a
look a specific combat sub-specialties and came up with the data below:
118
By combining the scores for the different specialist designations in each physiological
ability category (assumption that an operator should be able to do all of those jobs),
they developed a profile of the importance of those physical abilities according to
experienced Special Forces Operators. Coordination, reaction speed, strength
endurance and aerobic endurance came out on top. These are the abilities rated most
important by operators doing the job.
Eisinger GC, Wittels P, Enne R, Zeilinger M, Rausch W, Hotzl T., Dorner G, and Bachl
N, Evidenced based job analysis and methodology to determine physical requirements
of special military occupations, in: Optimizing Operational Physical Fitness, NATO
Research and Technology Organization Technical Report TR-HFM-080, 2009.
Tested Physical Ability Profile for Special Forces Soldiers VS Others
Eisinger reported on the physiological findings from testing special forces soldiers
versus others (recruits, NCOs, officers etc.). The data is presented with a score of 0
119
being the mean (average across all groups tested) and 1 being one standard deviation
from the mean (Google it). The interesting part of the data is to compare the special
forces soldier (olive green) to everyone else. As you can see from the figure, a wide
range of tests were used to survey all of the physical abilities identified in the previous
figure (maximum strength, strength endurance etc.). Consititution (body size and
musculature) was rated low by the operators and testing proved this to be the case.
You might expect that special forces soldiers are all big, physically imposing physiques
but this is not the case.
Note that the special forces soldiers especially excelled at muscular endurance and
strength compared to others.
Eisinger, G Ch, Sportmotorische anforderungsprofile von spezialiensatzsoldaten des

Osterreichischhen bundessheers, Dissertation Universitat Wien, (2006)
120
Can you Assess Your Program by Measuring Long Jump and Body Weight?
It turns out that the answer is probably yes. Researchers at the Naval Health Research
Conter tested 102 Navy men and women on a wide range of physical tests, and also
measured body composition. Upon completion they calculated correlation coefficients
between various measures. One correlation really stood out. The correlation was
between what was called broad jump work and lean body mass. Work is = force X
distance. In this case force = body weight and distance = distance jumped. So broad
jump work is simply body weight X distance jumped (units of measure do not matter).
The calculated correlation coefficient was .93. A correlation of 1.0 is a perfect prediction
so you can see that is is a pretty impressive correlation. Broad jump work is a good
estimate of lean body mass. From an assesment perspective, if broad jump work
increases, you can feel pretty good about your program. You have probably improved
lean body mass and athleticism. Increases in jump work can happen a variety of ways:
1. Improved broad jump with no change in weight: In this case you probably increased
lean body mass at the expense of fat.
2. No change in broad jump but increased body weight: In this case you probably
gained both muscle and fat, but it did not decrease your athleticism. Strength would
be greater but performance may be a wash for load bearing activities (i.e. rucking,
pullups).
3. Significantly increased broad jump and lighter body weight: In this case there was
likely a significant increase in lean body mass and decrease in body fat.
If you see a decrease in broad jump work, it is likely that the ratio of fat gain to muscle
gain is such that weight bearing performance will suffer. Tactical professions place a
premium on the strength to weight ratio. This simple test is a great way to assess your
program and can be used to test a large number of personnel quickly.
Beckett MB, and Hodgdon JA, Lifting and carrying capacities relative to physical fitness
measures, Naval Health Research Center Technical Report 87-26, 1987.
121
The Older Tactical
Athlete
As Laird Hamilton turns 50 years old he is still known as the best big wave surfer in the
world. Laird has commented that although his physical abilities may not be what they
once were, his knowledge and skill continue to improve, so he expects to get better
every year. The same can be said for the tactical professions. The young tactical
athlete can often afford to “bull” their way through challenges on pure strength and
stamina but the older tactical athlete needs to be smarter than that.
"I look at my career as following two lines on a graph," says Hamilton. "One line
shows my physical systems, stuff like VO2 max and fast-twitch muscle fibers, either
flattening or very gradually declining. The other line shows the intangibles--maturity,
experience, judgment, passion, perspective--steadily rising. The two lines cross at
an interesting place, and I regard that place as my peak. It's not a point, but a
plateau. Your peak isn't really a product of your body, but of your enthusiasm. I
intend to live on that plateau for a long, long time."
Source: http://www.menshealth.com/celebrity-fitness/laird-hamilton-workout
The figure below shows the decline in world record performances with age for an
endurance event, a skill-endurance event, and a skill-power event. Note the sharp
declines after 30.
122
Some of this effect can be explained by training status. Beyond 30 years old few
athletes can train and compete full time. However, there are some physiological
changes that occur with age. With that in mind, here are the priorities and
considerations for the aging tactical athlete:
1. Skill and knowledge compensation. In keeping with Laird’s theme above an aging
tactical athlete should be focusing on sharpening their skills and knowledge in order to
continue to improve. This even applies to highly physical tasks. For example, can I get
through the obstacle course more quickly by sharpening my skills on each of the
obstacles rather than relying on pure strength and power? Skills are very durable and
are very resistant to detraining, so any time invested in skill acquisition is time well
spent. Research has shown that physical, speed-based and “natural tasks” (real life
tasks required by the individual like typing, flying, driving, and various occupational
tasks like shooting) are more resistant to decay. Cognitive, artificial (artificially imposed
tasks that are not part of the job or required for life), and accuracy based tasks are more
prone to decay over time. Job experience has likely taken care of the former but the
later can be a significant area of improvement with practice. Examples of these skills
are planning, problem solving, quick calculations, and infrequently performed skills.
Improving both natural and artificial skills along with cognitive and physical skills through
experience and practice can allow a tactical athlete to continue to improve with age
despite some physical decline. For example, despite not being the first up the stairs or
over the wall, an older tactical athlete may be the best team member at tactics and
planning and may be the best shooter. Train your weaknesses but play your strengths.
2. Strength and power: Aging athletes show a reduction in peak power and sustained
high power output with age. Loss of muscle mass only partly explains the loss. There
is a selective loss of fast twitch motor units and the muscles of the aged compared to
the muscles of the young produce less force with contraction, even controlling for
muscle size. There may be less calcium signaling in the muscles of aged athletes.
Strength peaks at about 30, and is well preserved through 50. After 50 years of age
strength starts to decline more rapidly, with steep decline after 60. How much of this
decline can be prevented or reversed is not entirely clear. There is quite a wide range
of strength and power ability among older adults, suggesting that high levels of strength
and power can be preserved under the right conditions. Based on the research, some
practical recommendations include:
 Prioritize muscle hypertrophy to combat the loss of muscle mass. Consider

using either a non-linear approach by adding a hypertrophy session to the
training program weekly, or use a linear approach and have a couple of
hypertrophy blocks planned as part of a yearly periodized training program.
 Consider maintaining some heavy loading (>70% of one repetition maximum) to

engage and recruit all of the large fast twitch motor units to prevent selective loss
of these motor units. Heavy loading between once per week to once every 10
days is probably sufficient, though research data is lacking in this area.
123
 Ensure that protein intake is adequate.
Protein Consumption for the Aging Athlete
The National Strength and Conditioning Association recommend that athletes consume
1.5 – 2.0 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight. This is especially important for
older athletes. For older athletes, not only is the total amount of protein intake
important, but how much is consumed at each meal is also important. It has been
shown that adults require a protein bolus of approximately 30 grams to fully stimulate
skeletal muscle protein synthesis. The effect is driven primarily by the leucine content,
so it varies a bit based on protein source. The two graphs below show the typical,
skewed protein consumption pattern of most adults, versus the optimal pattern. The
optimal pattern provides for maximum protein synthesis 3 times per day vice once for
the typical skewed pattern.
Skewed
70
60
50
40
Max Protein Synthesis
30
20
10
0
Breakfast Lunch Dinner
Optimal
35 Max Protein Synthesis
30
25
20
15
10
0
Breakfast Lunch Dinner
124
The typical breakfast of coffee and a bagel is not sufficient for older tactical athletes. A
significant protein bolus is much more effective and has the added benefit of reducing
hunger throughout the rest of the day.
3. Mobility:
4. Maximum aerobic capacity
I have been working out in gyms since 1983. In that 30+ year period I have made a
pretty consistent observation. Young guys tend to heave heavy weights with
questionable form but the worst offenders in terms of poor movement are the old guys.
They may not be lifting heavy, but they are moving poorly with light weights! The most
common problem is performing half reps or worse. Full range of motion is rare. Of
course there are exceptions but the exceptions are, well, exceptional. Young people
move well. They can scoop things up off the floor, roll and pop back up with no issues.
They can run, jump, do cartwheels and climb trees. They can move freely. We lose
some of that as we age. By the time we hit our prime (20s - 30s), we have lost some of
that movement ability but have gained strength. This is probably the leading cause of
recreational sports injuries. 20 and 30 somethings are strong enough but don't move as
well as they did 10 years ago, so they get injured. Most middle aged guys are losing
both movement competency and strength. Old guys have lost a considerable amount of
both qualities. The loss can be enough to seriously impair quality of life. For an old guy,
movement competency simply must be addressed. It makes sense to work on mobility
and movement competency throughout your lifespan.
Young athletes can sprinkle in some mobility and movement competency as part of
strength training program. They move well already but need to gain strength. This
looks like a basic powerlifting program with Olympic lifts mixed in if the athlete is
inclined. Some tumbling and gymnastics (or martial arts) mixed in is also helpful.
Middle aged athletes: For a middle aged athlete, strength training is loaded
movement. Note the emphasis. Big, whole body movements and treating the body as
one flexible piece (thanks Dan John) should be the basis of the strength training
program. Training middle aged athletes is more complex than training old or young
athletes. Performance can be maintained easily (if uninjured) but improving
performance is more difficult. Movement competency starts to decline, as does muscle
mass if countermeasures are not put in place. A good practice for middle aged athletes
is to have a couple of hypertrophy and strength blocks (about 6 weeks each) in their
program each year. In between those blocks, there should be lots of variety to preserve
movement competency and joint function across a wide range of movements (as long
as the “body is one piece” philosophy is followed). For example, an 24 week period
might look like:
125
Hypertrophy TRX and Strength Bodyweight
Kettlebells Training
 8-12 reps  Swings, getups,  Basic  Various
 higher volume clean and powerlifting bodyweight and
 less rest press, goblets program like gymnastics
between sets  TRX rows, Starting moves
 train to failure single leg
Strength or the
squats, push
ups Texas Method
This is just one example. It is simpler to program and execute if done in blocks rather
than integrating all of these focus areas into day to day training. It is easier for the
athlete to focus and improve if done that way. Ideally, a middle aged athlete should
have at least two hypertrophy blocks per year. Ideally two hypertrophy and two strength
blocks should be programmed. This results in about half of the year having structured,
programmed blocks. The remainder can be more open to experimentation but ensure
that a wide variety of movements are used.
It is possible to eliminate the block system entirely and integrate the whole thing on a
day to day basis. The Tactical Template that is provided in the sample training
programs section of this book is one example. It has a bit of strength, hypertrophy,
METCON and lots of varied movement, all in one program.
For old athletes, mobility and movement competency is the strength training program!
For an old guy, getting up off the floor, or getting out of a chair with no hands can be
very effective strength training. How about loaded carries? For old guys this means full
range of motion exercises. Preserving the ability to move the joints through a full range
of motion, pain free, is the ultimate goal. You will never get there by half repping! Older
tactical athletes need to constantly ask, "How can I restore strength and mobility
through a full range of motion?" You are not going to get there with machines and half
reps. You might start there but the goal is to move past that point. You might have to
sacrifice some loading for mobility but if done correctly, it will be temporary.
References:
1. Foster, C, Wright G, Battista RA, and Porcari JP, Training in the aging athlete,
Current sports medicine reports 6: 200-206, 2007.
2. Arthur W, Bennett W, Stanush PL, and McNelly TL, Factors that influence skill decay
and retention: a quantitative review and analysis, Human performance, 11(1) 57-101,
1998.
3. Deschenes MR, Effects of aging on muscle fibre type an size, Sports Med 34:(12)
809-824, 2004.
4. Campbell B, Protein needs for athletes, NSCA Hot Topic Series
126
5. Layman DK, Dietary guidelines should reflect new understandings about adult protein
needs, Nutrition & Metabolism, 6:12, 2009.
127
Sleep
Sleep is a vital physiological need, like food and water. However, it is rarely treated as
a need. Total sleep deprivation would result in steadily declining physical and
psychological performance, incapacitation and finally death. Temporary sleep
deprivation (or sleep debt) results in measurable declines in performance (and health)
across a wide range of skills and abilities. Sleep ensures that you are alert, recovered
and fully functional. Let’s discuss some of the basics.
Alertness
Alertness is a state of high physical and mental functioning. In many ways it is the
opposite of being sleepy. There are two processes that control the level of alertness, 1)
the sleep battery, 2) circadian rhythms.
The sleep battery: The battery analogy is often used when discussing sleep needs
and alertness. When the battery is fully charged, alertness is high and there is little
sleep drive. When the battery is discharged, alertness is compromised and sleep drive
in increased. Sleep charges the battery. Being awake discharges the battery. If you
have not slept enough on any given day to fully charge the battery, you have incurred a
sleep debt. The greater the sleep debt, the poorer the performance. Below is a
snapshot of some data from a study published in the journal Occupational and
Environmental Medicine. It compares performance in the same individuals with sleep
debt versus measured doses of alcohol. The chart shows the average hours awake
necessary to cause the same performance decrement as a .1% blood alcohol
128
concentration across a wide range of performance tests. This exceeds the legal limit for
intoxication and would result in a Driving Under the Influence (DUI) violation in all U.S.
states. Clearly, after being awake for 17-19 hours performance is significantly
degraded.
In an article published by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine entitled, “Ongoing

study continues to show that extra sleep improves athletic performance,” sleep experts
report that ongoing research is highlighting how increased sleep can significantly
improve day to day, and competition performance of athletes. Sleep researcher Dr.
Cheri Mah of the Stanford Sleep Disorders Clinic reports that, “It is interesting to note
that many of the athletes in the various sports I have worked with, including the
swimmers in this study, have set multiple new personal records and season best times,
as well as broken long-standing Stanford and American records while participating in
this study.” Dr. Mah’s recommendations to athletes include:
 Make sleep a part of your regular training regimen.

 Extend nightly sleep for several weeks to reduce your sleep debt before
competition. (Think in terms of selection, deployments, or missions.)
 Maintain a low sleep debt by obtaining a sufficient amount of nightly sleep (seven
to eight hours for adults, nine or more hours for teens and young adults).
 Keep a regular sleep-wake schedule, going to bed and waking up at the same
times every day.
 Take brief naps to obtain additional sleep during the day, especially if drowsy.
Many tactical athletes believe that they can train their body to need less sleep by using
sleep deprivation. Sleep is a vital physiological need like food and water. You cannot
train your body to need less food and water by eating and drinking less. The same is
true for sleep. All that is accomplished with restricting sleep is degraded performance
and health. While it is true that tactical athletes will often be required to perform while
sleep deprived, training under sleep deprivation conditions does not lead to better
performance during real world tactical situations involving sleep deprivation. Training
day-to-day under sleep deprived conditions serves only to degrade performance, and
reduce improvement and adaptation. The goal should be to optimize performance day-
to-day so that when performance is compromised due to lack of sleep in a tactical
situation, it is reduced from a much higher baseline.
Circadian Rhythms
The word “circadian” means “about a day” and in this context it refers to physiological
rhythms that occur on an approximately 24 hour basis. Most physiological process
have a circadian rhythm for example, body temperature, heart rate, blood sugar, and a
whole host of performance measures like reaction time, strength and alertness. All of
these circadian rhythms are set by an external signal, in this case, exposure to sunlight.
Sunlight acts as a signal that resets all of the circadian rhythms. Scientists have shown
that a host of performance measures, including alertness, tend to follow the circadian
rhythm of body temperature, which is shown below.
129
Note that most performance measures track well with body temperature. This does not
mean that you can improve performance by increasing body temperature. When the
body’s metabolic processes are running at a higher level, body temperature is higher
and performance is better across the board. This is a timing effect that is controlled by
exposure to sunlight as discussed above. These rhythms can shift in either direction,
depending on daily schedule. Early risers will shift the whole rhythm earlier due to
earlier exposure to sunlight. There are two important time points to consider in the
daily circadian rhythm:
1. Early morning dip: The early morning dip occurs sometime between 0200-0700
(depending on the individual and specific performance metric measured). This is a very
deep dip in performance and alertness. Trying to perform during this time (physically or
130
mentally) is likely to be very difficult. There is a significant risk of falling asleep at
inappropriate times during this low. Remember, the timing of this low is set by exposure
to light. You cannot get rid of it, but can move it 2-3 hours (max) by shifting early
morning light exposure.
2. Afternoon peak: Many performance measures peak later in the afternoon (1700ish).
Most people will find that they have productive workouts around this time. This is
typically after the post lunch dip and before the pre-bed time decline due to drain on the
sleep battery.
The circadian rhythm poses special problems for those who perform shift work. Shift
workers who work nights will find that they are working through the early morning dip
and trying to sleep during the afternoon peak. Night shift workers have reversed their
sleep-work cycles to be out of phase with their circadian rhythms. They do not adapt
physiologically (reverse their circadian rhythms) no matter how long they are on night
shifts. They learn to cope and adjust behaviors to make the shift work more tolerable,
but they don’t adapt. Night shift workers on average get about 2 hours less sleep per
night than day shift workers. This is because of the out of phase timing of their
circadian rhythms and the demands of their shift schedule. This is devastating to their
health and performance long term. This condition is known as circadian
desynchronosis. Long term it can have a devastating impact on health.
Jet lag is similar to circadian desynchronosis. In this case we are getting light and dark
signals at an appropriate time but the body’s circadian rhythms have not adjusted yet.
Our bodies are still running on home time. Eventually the circadian rhythms will catch
up but it will take time. It typically takes 1 day per time zone shifted. Adaptation is
accelerated with increased exposure to sunlight. Jet lag is a feeling of fatigue
accompanied with difficulty in falling asleep at an appropriate time and persists until
your body has adapted to the new time zone. Many people believe that the fatigue they
are feeling is due entirely to sleep deprivation. This is not the case. Even if you
manage to get enough sleep, you will probably still not feel 100% until your body clock
is reset. A good strategy is to adjust to a local schedule as soon as possible, including
meals and bedtime. Get as much sun exposure as possible because sunlight is the
primary signal for adjusting circadian rhythms. Also, exercise, especially in the morning,
seems to help with adaptation.
It is generally easier to adapt after traveling west than traveling east. Consider the
example of a person flying from New York to San Diego. They would likely have little
difficulty getting up for a 0700 meeting the next morning. Because their body has not
adapted to local time yet getting up at 0600 feels like 0900. Also, they probably had an
easy time getting to bed early as 2100 local time would feel like 2400. In relation to
their circadian rhythms (and home time) they are staying up late and sleeping in, which
is easy for most people. A person traveling from San Diego to New York would have
the opposite experience. Getting up at 0600 for a 0700 meeting would feel like getting
up at 0300. Trying to go to bed at 2100 would feel like going to bed at 1800. As a
result, they would likely stay up until their body feels like it is their normal bed time,
131
which would be after midnight local time. They would get less than 6 hours of sleep and
get up when their body felt like it should still be sound asleep. They would likely have a
difficult time getting up for a 0700 meeting. It is always easier to stay up a little later and
then get up later (traveling east to west) because you can force yourself to stay awake
but you cannot force yourself to be sleepy.
Some strategies for dealing with circadian disruptions
Jet Lag
1. Get on the new time zone schedule as soon as possible.

2. Exercise first thing in the morning helps.
3. Strategic use of caffeine (moderate amounts in the morning, none in the
afternoon/evening).
4. Maximize sunlight exposure, especially in the morning.
5. Shift meals to local time.
6. Ensure quality nutrition and hydration.
7. Get plenty of sleep before you travel.
Night Shift Work
1. Avoid sunlight exposure in the morning after a night shift. Use dark sunglasses and
close window shades.
2. Bright light exposure (special light boxes) between 0100-0430 may be helpful. Four
exposures of 15 minutes has been shown to be effective at delaying the circadian low
until after the night shift is complete.
3. Pay particular attention to proper nutrition, especially avoiding sugar and high
glycemic starches.
References:
Williamson, AM, Feyer, A-M, Moderate sleep deprivation produces impairments in

cognitive and motor performance equivalent to legally prescribed levels of alcohol
intoxication, Occup Environ Med, 2000: 57: 649-655.
McCann K, Ongoing study continues to show that extra sleep improves athletic
performance, http://www.aasmnet.org/articles.aspx?id=954, accessed 23 June 2015.
Monk TH, Buyssee DJ, Reynolds CF, Berga SH, Jarrett DB, Begley AE, and Kupfer DJ,
Circadian rhythms in human performance and mood under constant conditions, J Sleep
Res. 6, 9-18, 1997.
132
Sample Programs
The Tactical Template
Tactical Grip Training
6 Week Navy PRT
14 Week USMC PFT
25 Pull-ups
Pushup / Pull-up Program
3 Day/Week Simple Strength Program
Minimum Equipment Strength Training
Your First Pull-up
Ruck Training Program
SEAL Screener / BUD/S Training Program
133
The Tactical Template
The sample weekly schedule is below. You may move the Wednesday and Saturday
endurance sessions to Monday and Thursday to free up some off days. If you do this,
perform the endurance portion after the strength portion, preferably later in the day after
a rest period. Two basic templates are below:
7 Day Per Week Template 5 Day Per Week Template

Monday—strength Monday—AM strength, PM endurance
Tuesday—conditioning Tuesday—conditioning
Wednesday—endurance Wednesday—off
Thursday—strength Thursday—AM strength, PM endurance
Friday—conditioning Friday—conditioning
Saturday—endurance Saturday—off
Sunday—endurance Sunday—endurance
Strength
Monday and Thursday consist of two types of lifts, heavy grinds (i.e., deadlifts, bench
press, pull ups, presses) and heavy quick lifts (i.e., heavy kettlebell swings, heavy
kettlebell snatches, and Olympic lifts). On the strength days, you should focus on heavy
lifts and the 3-8 repetition range. Varying the repetition range within this bracket makes
sense. Sometimes you should focus on heavy singles and doubles for the quick lifts
and heavy triples for the grinds, and other times you should use lighter weights (but still
heavy) for 5-8 reps. The loading should be “wavy.” This can be done rather randomly
as you feel, or systematically. Pick one exercise for each movement. 3-5 sets are
about right. If you are doing singles, you may do more sets (i.e., 10 X 1). Don’t rush
through these workouts. Take plenty of rest to ensure that you can move big weights
with proper form. Heavy ab work belongs on the strength days as well: ¼ get-ups with a
big kettlebell, hanging leg raises, hard style sit-ups, loaded carries etc.
Monday: 4 movements, squat, vertical push, pull, core
Thursday: 4 movements, hip hinge, horizontal push, pull, core
The figure below is from the strength periodization chapter. For the strength sessions,
the focus will be on the two blocks below.
134
The most effective exercises for these movements are below. Those with an * are the
best of the best.
Upper Body Vertical Push: Squat:
*Standing Barbell Military Press (officially *Back squat
called the "Press") Front squat
Overhead dumbbell or kettlebell press Lunge
Handstand pushup Split squat
Push press Box step up (loaded if necessary)
Jerk Overhead squat
Zercher squat
Horizontal Push: Goblet squat
*Loaded or ballistic pushups Clean squat
Bench press
Dumbbell press Hip Hinge:
Pushups (loaded if necessary) *Deadlift (sumo and regular)
Dips Stiff legged deadlift
one arm dumbbell bench press Romanian deadlift
*Heavy kettlebell swing
Upper Body Pull: Glute Ham
*Pullups Hyperextensions
Dumbbell or barbell rows Good mornings
Batwings Powerclean
Body rows Snatch (bar and kettlebell)
Standing cable column rows
Core
*Loaded carries (i.e. Suitcase carry,
farmer's walk)
*Plank
Windmill (kettlebell or dumbbell)
Turkish get up
*Ab wheel roll out
Dead bug or hollow rock
Hanging leg raise
Chops
Sledgehammer work
Tire flips
Bear crawls
Add a short (5 min) stretching session after the workout. Focus on shoulders,
hamstrings, calves, hip flexors, chest, and gluteus.
Conditioning (METCON)
Tuesdays and Fridays are all about high rep ballistics (swings, snatches, cleans, jerks)
and METCON. Barbell Olympic lifts are a risky way to do METCON. Kettlebell or
dumbbell variants are much less risky. Save the barbell Olympic lifts for the strength
sessions. “High rep” in this context means 10-20. The conditioning effect will come from
135
keeping your rest intervals brief. Drive your heart rate up and keep it there. Always use
perfect form. Never compromise movement quality for effort. Note that the sessions are
brief, about 10 minutes. High quality, brief sessions are best for METCON. Some
examples for Tuesday/Friday are below. Feel free to create your own with these
principles in mind.
Sample METCON sessions:
Kettlebell one-arm swing—5×10 per arm. 45 lb ruck stair climb (up and down for 10
Kettlebell one-arm jerk—5×10 per arm. min)
US Secret Service 10min kettlebell snatch Barbell complex: clean, lunge, push press
test. (2 X 5 minutes)
Kettlebell double snatch—5, 20, 10, 15. 1 minute jump rope, 30 seconds pushups
Kettlebell double C&J—3 x (10, 15). (X 8)
Double kettlebell jerk—2 x (10, 15, 20). Car push (8 X 1 minute with 30 seconds
Double kettlebell clean—2 x (10, 15, 20). rest)
10 Burpees, sprint 45 yards (x 4) Turkish get ups (10 minutes)
Bear crawl (2 X 5 minutes) Box jumps (8 X 1 minute with 15 seconds

rest)
Sand bag get ups with ½ bodyweight (2 X 5 sand bag get ups, 25 pushups (X 6)
5 min)
You get the idea. These are whole body, “strength integration” movements. When you
are done with this short workout, spend 10-15 minutes stretching from head to toe.
Focus on shoulders, hamstrings, calves, hip flexors, chest, and gluteus. You might also
add some foam roller work. This part is just as important as your workout. Maintaining
joint mobility is essential for long term joint health.
Endurance
For the tactical athlete, endurance generally means moving under load. You never
move in a tactical situation in shorts and running shoes. Loaded movement is primarily
about strength, but you need some run ability also. The foundation of the run program
is two run sessions and 1 ruck. There are two weekly run structures that are alternated
in an A/B/A/B/A/B fashion.
Run Plan A VO2 Max Intervals Tempo Run Long Ruck

Run Plan B Long Run VO2 Max Intervals Heavy Ruck
136
If you are approaching a run testable event (i.e., PFT or PRT) and want to sharpen up
performance for the run, drop the ruck for 4-5 weeks and substitute a long run for the
long ruck and a tempo run for the heavy ruck. When the run test event is over, go back
to the original template.
Long Run: This is a steady pace effort. It is not hard and it is not easy. It is the natural
pace you would fall into if you went out for a long but comfortable run. This is not easy
pace. If you had to constantly hold yourself back, that would be easy pace. Steady is
comfortable but you would not describe it as easy. For those who train with a heart rate
monitor, steady would be approximately 70-80% of your maximum heart rate. With
steady paced runs, you don’t run harder over time, you run faster at the same effort
level. You can do this by keeping your heart rate in your target “steady” zone. As you
become fit, you will have to run faster to achieve the same heart rate. If you don’t have
a heart rate monitor, you will have to pace based on effort. Keep the effort “steady” and
eventually your “steady” pace will get faster and faster. Remember; do not increase the
effort of steady runs. Steady pace is also 1:35 to 1:45 (minute: seconds) per mile
slower than your best 3 mile run pace. Gradually stretch the distance of the long run.
The length depends on your overall run goals.
Tempo: This is 10K race pace. This is definitely harder than steady pace but not your
max pace. It is also sometimes described as threshold pace. It is about at 90-95% of
your max heart rate. This is about :25 -:35 (:seconds) per mile slower than your best 3
mile run pace. You can either use heart rate to pace your tempo intervals, or you can
periodically race a 10K and use pace. The effort should feel hard but it is not a maximal
effort. A tempo run consists of some easy running and some time spent at tempo pace.
This is usually done as easy, tempo, easy, tempo, easy. The total time spent at tempo
pace for a run ranges from 10 minutes to 40 minutes with tempo intervals from 5
minutes to 40 minutes (i.e., 2 X 15, 5 X 5 min, or 2 X 20 min). Start with 10 minutes at
tempo pace (i.e., 5 min easy, 5 min tempo, 5 min easy, 5 min tempo, 5 min easy) and
work your way to 40 minutes (i.e., 4 X 10 min with 5 min easy recovery jog in between
or 2 X 20 with 5 min easy recovery jog in between).
VO2 max Intervals: Lots of people call these track intervals. That is because they are
usually done on the track. Heart rate is a poor way to pace these intervals because
they are too short. It takes your heart rate 2-3 minutes to reach steady state at a new
run pace. As a result, you will be done with your interval before your heart rate catches
up. That is why it is best to do these on the track or on a course with marked distances
and use pace to deliver the right intensity. The most common distances to do these are
¼ and ½ mile repeats. These are done at your 1 mile race pace. They are tough! VO2
max intervals are done with a 1/1 work/rest ratio. For example, if the work interval takes
3 minutes, the rest period is 3 minutes. What should you do during your rest interval?
You should rest! Seriously, you can jog slowly or walk or whatever it takes for you to
recover. The point is to recover. Run these hard and push the pace. However, the
ideal session would have your pace on your first and last intervals the same. If you are
fading in your last intervals, you are going too hard. Always leave a little gas in the tank
and finish felling like you could have done another one or two. VO2 max intervals are
137
potent medicine. You don’t need many. These intervals are best done on a track. If
you don't have a track, mark out a 3/4 mile straight section of road. Mark every 1/4
mile. Find a friend with a bicycle that has a bike computer/odometer if you do not have
a GPS or measuring wheel. Your car odometer is not accurate enough. If you are in the
military and on base, you can usually borrow a measuring wheel from base gym. An
appropriate number of ¼ mile intervals for a training session would be 6-8. For ½ mile
intervals, an appropriate dose would be 3-5. More than that would likely be
counterproductive. Intervals are potent medicine. Just a little is enough.
Rucks
The ruck plan alternates a heavy ruck and a long ruck. The idea is to use progressive
overload to increase the distance and the load. We never run with a ruck in training,
even if we expect to have to run with a ruck in testing and in a tactical situation.
Running with a ruck is just too risky. The exception is a few short sprints at the end of a
ruck session. If you do some sprints, do only a handful and start slow then build. The
standard ruck training pace is 4 miles per hour (15 minutes per mile). Go a bit faster if
you can. Research studies have shown that heavy rucks transfer performance to long
rucks but long rucks do not transfer much performance to heavy rucks. The best plan is
to alternate heavy and long rucks. However, if you are time constrained, just do the
heavy rucks, because much of that fitness will still transfer when you have to go long. A
sample ruck training progression is provided on the next page.
138
Sample Ruck Plan (week 1-19)
Week Week 1-3 Week 4-5 Week 6-7 Week 8-9 Week 10-11 Week 12-13 Week 14-15 Week 16-17 Week 18-19
Long Ruck 20% 20% 25% 25% 25% 30% 30% 30% 30%
bodyweight, bodyweight, bodyweight, bodyweight, bodyweight, bodyweight, bodyweight, bodyweight, bodyweight,
60 minutes 70 minutes 60 minutes 70 minutes 80 minutes 80 minutes 100 minutes 110 minutes 120 minutes
Heavy 30% 35% 35% 35% 40% 40% 40% 40% 40%
Ruck bodyweight, bodyweight, bodyweight, bodyweight, bodyweight, bodyweight, bodyweight, bodyweight, bodyweight,
3 X 10 min 2 X 10 min 3 X 10 min 3 X 10 min 2 X 10 min 2 X 10 min 3 X 10 min 3 X 12 min 3 X 15 min
intervals intervals intervals intervals intervals intervals intervals intervals intervals
with 2 min with 2 min with 5 min with 2 min with 5 min with 2 min with 5 min with 3 min with 2 min
rest. rest. rest. rest. rest. rest. rest. rest. rest.
Note: Go fast without running on the rucks. The idea is to move swiftly, but efficiently with a heavy load. Do not run. If
you experience any aches or pains, drop the load and build back up slowly.
Sample Ruck Plan (week 20-37)

Long Ruck 30% 30% 35% 35% 35% 35% 35% 35% 35%
Heavy 40% 40% 45% 45% 45% 50% 50% 50% 55%
3 X 15 min 3 X 15 min 2X 10 min 3 X 10 min 2 X 15 min 4 X 5 min 2 X 10 min 2 X 10 min 4 X 5 min
Note: If you are experienced and are currently training with a ruck, you can start somewhere after week 1. Where you
start depends on your current condition. Highly conditioned individuals might start with week 20.
139
A sample week looks something like:
 Monday—Back Squat, Barbell Overhead Press, Weighted Pull-ups: 4 X 5 reps,

Plank (2 min hold X 2), 5 min stretch
 Tuesday—US Secret Service 10 min kettlebell snatch test, 10 min stretch, foam
roller
 Wednesday—Run 7 X ¼ mile intervals
 Thursday—Heavy Kettlebell Swings, Weighted Pull-ups, push-ups with
resistance bands: 5 X 3 reps, Loaded carries: 3 X 30 steps, 5 min stretch
 Friday—10 Burpees, sprint 45 yards X 4, 10 min stretch
 Saturday—Run 5 min easy, 10 min tempo, 5 min easy, 10 min tempo, 5 min
easy
 Sunday—Ruck 35% bodyweight 150 minutes
This simple structure leaves time and energy for you to work on tactical skills (i.e.,
climbing, swimming, shooting, martial arts etc.). Remember, this program is about
building fitness, not testing yourself in the gym. This is not about what you can do, but
rather about what you can absorb and recover from week in and week out.
Notes: For tactical athletes it makes sense to focus on various versions of pull-ups for
the upper body pull. You should be training pull-ups like any other strength exercise
and adding weights as necessary to stay in the proper rep range. However, if you have
a pull-up test coming up, you can drop the weight 4 weeks out and focus on increasing
repetitions. Although bench presses are a great upper body push exercise, loaded
push-ups are much better for tactical fitness. Push-ups also include whole body bracing
and core strength. The disadvantage of push-ups is that they are more difficult to load.
Elevating your feet, wearing a weighted vest, using resistance bands or moving to one
arm pushups are all good strategies to effectively load pushups. If your job involves
jumping out of perfectly good airplanes, it makes sense to add some plyometric jumping
to your program. They can be added to either the conditioning days or the strength
days. It is OK to turn it up a notch beyond this template from time to time to train for a
school, an operational contingency, or to attempt a particular fitness goal. A 4-6 week
intense focus period from time to time is beneficial. However, returning to a sustainable
template after that time period makes sense. If you want your body to last, you must
take a long term perspective on fitness. A long term perspective is not incompatible
with performance, and in fact, it is necessary for sustained performance. One last
thing…… Don’t eat junk. High quality training requires high quality fuel. It is literally half
the battle.
140
Tactical Grip Training
A tactical athlete needs both excellent grip strength and grip endurance. Whether you
are training for a selection course or doing the job day to day, grip strength/endurance is
going to be one of the most important qualities you can develop. People are routinely
limited by grip strength on obstacle courses and tactical challenges. There is a
physiological reflex that shuts down your pulling muscles when your grip is about to go.
It takes considerable concentration to overcome this reflex, so most people never notice
it. As a result, in many lifts (like pull ups) people are limited by grip strength, even
though it feels like the pulling muscles are giving out. Don’t believe me? Try doing pull-
ups with wrist straps and see what happens. Did you do better than usual? I thought
so. Increasing grip strength makes you stronger overall, in a very real world, tactical
sense. This is usable strength. "But I train with barbells and have a double bodyweight
deadlift. I should have enough grip strength/endurance, right?" No, not really. Barbells
and dumbbells (and most other strength equipment) are designed to be as easy on your
grip as possible. Consider the diameter of the bars, the knurling, and the balance.
They are designed NOT to challenge your grip, so that you can lift more weight.
Nothing in real life is that easy on your grip. In real life you are pulling and dragging odd
shaped objects like the collar of somebody's shirt, a rope or some odd shaped piece of
gear. You are pulling up on tree branches, ropes, fences, walls, windows etc. If you
can't hold on to it, you can't lift it, drag it or climb it. Because this could be a life or death
situation for a tactical athlete, dedicated grip strength/endurance training is important.
One could argue that it is the most important strength/muscular endurance quality for a
tactical athlete.
There is nothing unique about training the grip. We train grip just like we train any other
movement. If we want to train pressing strength and muscle endurance (think bench
press and pushups) we would focus on heavy loading and higher repetitions
simultaneously in our program. We will do the same thing here. Remember, there is a
link between strength and muscle endurance but they are different. Research has
shown, for example, that the correlation between bench press strength and pushups
performance is rather poor. You need to train both qualities if you want to excel in both
qualities.
Grip Strength
The first step in training for grip strength is to throw away your wrist straps. As a tactical
athlete you are concerned with tactical performance, not gym performance. Sure, your
lifts may go down a bit without wrist straps. But you will not have wrist straps in a
tactical situation. The second step is to incorporate 2 of the 4 methods below into a
workout done 3 times per week. Pick only two per workout but mix them up.
Remember, this is strength training, not muscular endurance training so 3 times per
week is plenty. You can add this workout on the end of your normal strength training
program, or do it later as a separate session. If you do this at the end of your strength
training session, your muscles are already warmed up and ready to go. If you do this as
141
a stand-alone session, use a light resistance gripper and do 2-3 sets of 10-15 reps per
hand for a good warm up before you start. This is critical.
Hanging: Simply, hang from a bar, a rope, a ledge, anything that you can hold on to.
Mix it up. You are going to really have to load up to make this a strength session. You
should not be able to hold on for more than 10 seconds. If you can, you need more
load. A backpack full of sandbags works great. Aim for 3-5 sets of 6-10 seconds. Add
load as you start to exceed 10 seconds and repeat.
Pinching: Pinching is a bit different than holding. The smaller muscles of the fingers
get involved to a much greater degree. In this case you are holding a heavy object by
pinching it between your thumb and the remaining 4 fingers. Weight plates work well
but you can use anything really. Try some thin objects, some thick objects and some
odd shaped objects. Again, if you can hold it for more than 10 seconds, add load. Just
like hanging, aim for 3-5 sets of 6-10 seconds.
Crushing: The best tool for crush grip training is a good gripper. Do yourself a favor
and just buy a good gripper right away. Cheap grippers do not last and their spring
tension starts to decline over time. The best grippers in my opinion are the Captains of
Crush grippers by Iron Mind. They will last you a lifetime. They come in many different
resistances and you cannot max out their number 4, unless your name is Magnus
Samuelson. For gripper training, make sure you are warmed up (again, 2-3 sets of 10-
15 with a lightweight gripper works great), then perform 3-5 sets of 3-8 repetitions. You
will have to increase reps when you get stronger until you get a stronger gripper. 3-8
reps is ideal for strength. You will still get strength benefits up to 12-15 reps though.
Aim for failure on the last set or two. When you can do more than 15 reps with a
gripper, it is time to get more resistance. That is it. Don’t do more than that. This is
strength training.
Ballistics: Ballistics that challenge the grip like heavy one arm kettlebell swings or
kettlebell snatches or barbell snatches have the advantage of training grip as well as
other qualities. If you are using one of these methods during your normal training
program, consider adding only 1 of these grip strengthening methods. However, in this
case we are not talking about high rep ballistics. For grip strength, low rep (3-8 reps)
ballistics are best. For example, doing heavy one handed kettlebell swings with a load
that allows you only 5 reps before your grip gives out develops grip strength. Doing
sets of 20 kettlebell swings develops grip muscular endurance more than grip strength
(though there is a little carry over). Kettlebells work great because of the fat handles.
Wrap a towel around the bell handle or use an oven mitt to increase the challenge. You
can turn an "endurance" kettlebell into a "strength" kettlebell by soaping up the handle.
Be careful though and do this outside! Perform 3-5 sets of 3-8 repetitions.
Grip Muscular Endurance
The mistake that most people make in training for grip endurance is that they keep the
rep range or hang/pinch time too close to the strength range. In this case we want to
142
steer well clear of that range. If we are too close to the strength range this has the
effect of adding another strength session. This can lead to overtraining, tendonitis and
sluggish results. I provide a bit of guidance on muscular endurance ranges below. If
you are training grip strength 3 times per week, you only need to train grip endurance 2
times per week. Three times would be OK. This can be done on off days without
affecting your strength workouts if you keep the reps/time in the muscular endurance
range and do not overdo it. Pick two of the methods below for each session. Mix them
up.
Hanging: Hang time needs to exceed 60 seconds. 2-3 minutes is ideal. If you cannot
hang for that long, you need to find a way to lighten the load or you will be running too
close to the strength training range. If you are going to be doing 2-3 minute hangs, two
sets is plenty. Again, try handing from many different objects and surfaces.
Pinching: Just like hanging, aim for a load that you can hold for more than 60 seconds.
Again, 2-3 minutes is ideal and two sets is plenty.
Crushing: Use a gripper that you can get in excess of 20 reps with. 30-50 reps is ideal.
Perform 2-3 sets of 20-50 with each hand. No need for a warm up since the loading is
light.
Ballistics: 20+ rep ballistics are great for grip endurance. 2-3 sets work great.
Putting it all together
If you were doing strength training on Monday, Wednesday and Friday you might add
the grip strength training to the end of your session and do grip endurance on Tuesday
and Thursday. If you were training 4 days per week (i.e., Monday and Thursday upper
body, Tuesday and Friday lower body), you might consider doing grip strength on
Monday, Thursday and Saturday and grip endurance on Tuesday and Friday.
Remember, pick only two of the methods above and stick to the loading plan. Be
cautious about adding more because the hands can be delicate and can develop
tendonitis quickly. You may not be able to do your job with tendonitis. Start slowly and
build volume and load carefully. Grip strength develops quickly when you start to target
it directly.
Tools
What follows are some ideas about tools for grip training just to give you some ideas to
work with. Some of these are homemade, some are commercially available. There is
no need for anything fancy though. A couple of grippers and stuff you have hanging
around the house will be enough. Some of these items can be made at home.
Hanging: Pullup bars work great but there are plenty of other options. Consider door
frames, tree branches, swing set chains, towels draped over a bar, beams or ropes.
Rogue fitness sells several different hanging devices. Rock climbing wall attachments
143
also make a great choice and can really focus on finger strength. A wide variety of
hanging implements and surfaces is best.
Pinching: Weight plates at the gym work well. Try stacking together a handful of 5lb
plates or a couple of 10lb plates. Stacks of wood and rocks work well also. Several
companies including IronMind sell pre made “blobs” for this purpose.
Crushing: The best “crush” trainers are grippers. IronMind makes the best grippers on
the market. Another choice are fat bars.
Ballistics: Kettlebells and t-handles make great ballistic grip trainers. Swings,
snatches, and cleans are a good way to train ballistic grip. Sledge hammers and clubs
can be used to train unique ballistic grip angles.
144
6 Week Navy PRT
This program is purely about Physical Readiness Test (PRT) performance. It is not a
full fitness program. The program applies the principles of specificity and progressive
overload in a structured way to ensure that the training load is optimum for quick gains
in fitness. It has been tested with great success by hundreds of Midshipmen at the U.S.
Naval Academy. It is a stand-alone PRT program. Nothing else needs to be added.
Pushups and Sit-ups
The pushup and sit-up portions of the PRT measure muscular endurance, not strength.
Muscular endurance can be trained frequently. Muscular endurance responds well to
lots of sub-maximal volume. This means that we do lots of sets but stop short of failure
on each set. By stopping shy of failure, we are able to do much more volume, which is
the key to improvement. Training to failure on every set is really hard on the shoulders
over time. This prevents you from training as frequently as you could. Think about how
much your repetitions trail off when you push sets to failure. You would be lucky to get
half of your initial max after a set to failure. For the next set, you would be lucky to get
half of that. This really reduces the amount of volume that you could do. Also, the
recovery cost is high. It takes a couple of days to recover from even a couple of sets to
failure, especially if you do them over and over. If you were training for a marathon,
you would not train by going out and running as fast as you could until you had to stop,
over and over again. Instead, you would use a submaximal, sustainable pace because
marathon running is about endurance. The same is true for pushups. Pushups are
muscular endurance, not strength. Like marathon running, volume and frequency are
the keys to improvement.
I used the pushup/sit-up plan below with hundreds of Midshipmen at the U.S. Naval
Academy. It was very effective at increasing pushup and sit-up numbers. Perform the
workout 3 times per week or every other day. Choose nonconsecutive days (i.e., Mon,
Wed, Fri). Do a set of the pushups, then sit-ups, then pushups etc. There is no rest
between sets. Continue in this fashion until you have completed all sets. You should
be able to complete the sit-up/pushup workout in about 10 minutes.
Always execute perfect form on every repetition. Start with your hands directly under
your shoulders, or up to 3 inches wider per side. Keep your head in a neutral position.
Do not let your head drop down and don't hyper extend your neck. Keep it neutral.
Your torso should be straight. Do not let your hips sag. This places the task of
supporting your body on the bony structures of your spine, instead of your core
muscles. Rotate your pelvis back to avoid hyperextending your back. Your entire body
should be rigid and should go up and down as one unit. Go down until your upper arms
are bent to a 90 degree angle (minimum). Remember to breathe. Many people hold
their breath while performing pushups. You can pick any breathing pattern you want, as
long as you are breathing. Some people find it helpful to hold their breath during the
exertion because it helps to stabilize the core. If you do this, breathe at the top of every
pushup.
145
Start at the top by selecting the column that represents your current 2 minute max sit-up
or pushup performance. Perform the 5 set workout for that day. If you get all of the
reps, move down to the next workout set in the column for your next workout. When
you complete a column, move to the right one column. When you get to the end, you
are ready for 150 sit-ups and 100 pushups.
Sit-Up Chart
146
Pushup Chart
Remember, use perfect form on the sit-ups and pushups. If you do partial range of
motion during training, you will have a hard time doing a full range of motion on the test.
It is better to reduce your numbers a little bit initially and do them right. It is possible to
work up to a significant number of partial range of motion pushups only to find that you
cannot do a single full range of motion pushup during the test. Do them right during
training and you will never have a problem.
Run Plan
The run program uses 3 running tools:

Steady: This is a steady pace effort. It is not hard and it is not easy. It is the natural
147
become fit, you will have to run faster to achieve the same heart rate. If you don’t have
a heart rate monitor, you will have to pace based on effort. Keep the effort “steady” and
eventually your “steady” pace will get faster and faster at the same heart rate or effort.
Remember; do not increase the effort of steady runs.
your max heart rate. Most people will run these 30-45 seconds per mile slower than
VO2 max interval pace. You can either use heart rate to pace your tempo intervals, or
you can periodically race a 10K and use pace. The effort should feel hard but it is not a
maximal effort.
¼ and ½ mile repeats. However, in this program we will be using a range of interval
distances in order to work on pacing. These are done at your 1 mile race pace or
slightly faster than PRT race pace. They are tough! What should you do during your
rest interval? You should rest! Seriously, you can jog slowly or walk or whatever it
takes for you to recover. The point is to recover. Run these hard and push the pace.
However, the ideal session would have your pace on your first and last intervals the
same. If you are fading in your last intervals, you are going too hard. Always leave a
little gas in the tank and finish felling like you could have done another one or two. VO2
max intervals are potent medicine. You don’t need many. These intervals are best done
on a track. If you don't have a track, mark out a 3/4 mile straight section of road. Mark
every 1/4 mile. Find a friend with a bicycle that has a bike computer/odometer if you do
not have a GPS or measuring wheel. Your car odometer is not accurate enough. If you
are on base, you can usually borrow a measuring wheel from MWR.
You can do your runs on the treadmill. However, you must always use a 1-1.5% grade
on the treadmill to simulate outdoor running. At the end of this workout document there
is a miles per hour / minutes per mile conversion chart that you can use on the treadmill.
Weekly Run Structure

Mon Tue Wed Thur Fri Sat Sun
VO2 Max 30 min Steady Tempo Run 30 min Steady VO2 Max - -
Intervals Run Run Intervals
You can do the sit-up/pushup workouts on the same day as the run or on different days.
Monday and Friday VO2 Max Intervals: These intervals are done twice per week as
part of your run training program. The intervals are shown on the chart on the next
page. In the # of intervals column there is a range. I have consistently used the lower
148
end of that range with hundreds of Midshipmen with great success. Intervals are potent
medicine. You do not need many. Start the interval progression 7 weeks prior to the
PRT. The intervals are not all out. They are done at slightly faster than your goal PRT
pace. This pace is going to be the same as your treadmill pace for your 3rd quarter
mile. If you are fading and your last interval is significantly slower, you are going too
fast on your first intervals. The goal is to achieve a consistent pace on all intervals. If
you are finishing your intervals feeling good and are hitting all of your split times, you
can increase the pace of your intervals for the next workout, but do so conservatively.
Do a warm up lap or two before the intervals.
Wednesday Tempo Runs: These are done as 5 minutes easy, 10 minutes at tempo
pace, 5 minutes easy, 10 minutes at tempo pace, then 5 minutes easy. The biggest
mistake that most people make is running the easy part too hard and the hard part too
easy. Make sure that the easy part is easy, so the hard part can be hard. The only
mistake you can make on the easy part is to run too fast. You can walk a little if you
need to but get back to a slow jog as soon as you can. Keep a steady pace on the
tempo intervals. Don't start too fast and fade. The goal is a steady, consistent pace
throughout.
Tuesday and Thursday Steady Paced Runs: Keep these runs relaxed and do not
exceed the steady pace. Try to work on running with good posture and a relaxed upper
body. One of the steady paced runs is optional. You can skip it or, if you are feeling
good, you can do the run. You should probably skip it if feeling fatigued though.
Interval Distances
Week Distance # Intervals Rest Period
1 ¼ mile 6-8 1-1.5 times work interval
2 ¼ mile 6-8 Long as work interval
3 ½ mile 3-4 Long as work interval
4 ¾ mile 2-3 Long as work interval or less
5 1 mile 1 N/A
6 1 mile and ½ mile 1 each 2 minutes
7 PRT Run fast!
This is your interval schedule. These interval workouts are done twice per week. Start
this program 7 weeks prior to the PRT.
Sample Pacing Chart For Intervals

Interval 8:00 9:00 10:00 11:00 12:00 13:00 14:00 15:00 16:00
PRT PRT PRT PRT PRT PRT PRT PRT PRT
1/4 mile 1:20 1:30 1:40 1:50 2:00 2:10 2:20 2:30 2:40
1/2 mile 2:40 3:00 3:20 3:40 4:00 4:20 4:40 5:00 5:20
3/4 mile 4:00 4:30 5:00 5:30 6:00 6:30 7:00 7:30 8:00
1 mile 5:20 6:00 6:40 7:20 8:00 8:40 9:20 10:00 10:40
These are the interval times for each distance on the left, that correspond with the pace
per mile on top. For example, if you wanted to run a 10:00 min/mile pace and you were
doing 3/4 mile intervals, your time goal would be 5:00 min.
149
Miles Per Hour to Min/Mile Conversion
MPH Min/Mile
4 15:00
4.5 13:20
5 12:00
5.5 10:55
6 10:00
6.5 9:14
7 8:34
7.5 8:00
8 7:30
8.5 7:04
9 6:40
9.5 6:19
10 6:00
10.5 5:43
11 5:27
11.5 5:13
12 5:00
12.5 4:48
13 4:37
Use this chart to convert miles per hour on your treadmill to pace in minutes per mile.
150
14 Week USMC PFT
This program is purely about PFT performance. If you are looking for additional fitness
qualities, you will have to supplement this workout. The program applies the principles
of specificity and progressive overload in a structured way to ensure that the training
load is optimum for quick gains in fitness. It has been tested with great success by
hundreds of Midshipmen at the U.S. Naval Academy. It is a stand-alone program for
PFT performance. Nothing else needs to be added.
Sit-ups Tool
The sit-up portion of the PFT measures muscular endurance, not strength. Muscular
endurance can be trained frequently. Muscular endurance responds well to lots of sub-
maximal volume. This means that we do lots of sets but stop short of failure on each
set. By stopping shy of failure, we are able to do much more volume, which is the key to
improvement. I used the sit-up plan below with hundreds of Midshipmen at the U.S.
Naval Academy. It was very effective at increasing pushup and sit-up numbers.
Perform the workout 3 times per week. Choose nonconsecutive days (i.e., Mon, Wed,
Fri). Do a set of the pushups, then sit-ups, then pushups etc. There is no rest between
sets. Continue in this fashion until you have completed all sets. You should be able to
complete the sit-up/pushup workout in about 4-7 minutes. Start at the top by selecting
the column that represents your current 2 minute max sit-up or pushup performance.
Perform the 5 set workout for that day. If you get all of the reps, move down to the next
workout set in the column for your next workout. When you complete a column, move
to the right one column. When you get to the end, you are ready for 150 sit-ups and
100 pushups. See the sit-up chart on the next page.
151
Sit-Up Chart
Use perfect form on the sit-ups. If you do partial range of motion during training, you
will have a hard time doing a full range of motion on the test. It is better to reduce your
numbers a little bit initially and do them right. Do them right during training and you will
never have a problem.
Run ToolsThe run program uses 3 running tools:
Steady: This is a steady pace effort. It is not hard and it is not easy. It is the natural
152
become more fit, you will have to run faster to achieve the same heart rate. If you don’t
have a heart rate monitor, you will have to pace based on effort. Keep the effort
“steady” and eventually your “steady” pace will get faster and faster. Remember, do not
increase the effort of steady runs. Steady pace is also 1:35 to 1:45 (minute:seconds)
per mile slower than your PFT run pace.
your max heart rate. This is about :25-:35 (:seconds) per mile slower than your PFT
pace. You can either use heart rate to pace your tempo intervals, or you can
periodically race a 10K and use pace. The effort should feel hard but it is not a maximal
effort. A tempo run consists of some easy running and some time spent at tempo pace.
This is usually done as easy, tempo, easy, tempo, easy. The total time spent at tempo
pace for a run ranges from 10 minutes to 40 minutes.
¼ and ½ mile repeats. However, in this program we will be using a range of interval
distances in order to work on pacing. These are done at your 1 mile race pace, which is
faster than PFT race pace. They are tough! VO2 max intervals are done with a 1/1
work/rest ratio. For example, if the work interval takes 3 minutes, the rest period is 3
minutes. What should you do during your rest interval? You should rest! Seriously,
you can jog slowly or walk or whatever it takes for you to recover. The point is to
recover. Run these hard and push the pace. However, the ideal session would have
your pace on your first and last intervals the same. If you are fading in your last
intervals, you are going too hard. Always leave a little gas in the tank and finish felling
like you could have done another one or two. VO2 max intervals are potent medicine.
You don’t need many. These intervals are best done on a track. If you don't have a
track, mark out a 3/4 mile straight section of road. Mark every 1/4 mile. Find a friend
with a bicycle that has a bike computer/odometer if you do not have a GPS or
measuring wheel. Your car odometer is not accurate enough. If you are on base, you
can usually borrow a measuring wheel from MWR.
You can do your runs on the treadmill. However, you must always use a 1-1.5% grade
on the treadmill to simulate outdoor running. At the end of this workout document there
is a miles per hour / minutes per mile conversion chart that you can use on the treadmill.
153
Pull Ups Tool
The pull up chart below is designed to provide a reasonable load and progressive
overload plan. Start somewhere in the chart where you are certain that you can perform
all of the reps for that day. Be conservative. Work your way through the chart, day by
day. Be sure to take the off days. If you fail to complete all of the reps for a day, do not
move to the next day. Stay on that day until you can perform all of the prescribed reps.
Nobody will be able to run through all 84 days without missing a rep. Most will stall
several times. It is OK to take some additional off days from time to time. An
occasional additional off day will not have a negative effect on the program and in many
cases will be beneficial. Individual recovery ability will vary. Some people will need
more off days. If you are stalling often, alter the program to take off every 6th day. If
you are still stalled, move to every 5th, then 4th. The program is still effective if done
every other day. The goal is to find the right frequency of training to match your
recovery ability. Start with the program as written. Most will be able to handle this
frequency for the first month before stalling.
Pull Up Chart
Note: Perform push-ups between sets. Sets of 50% of your max number of would work
well. It is important to do some pushing to balance all of the pulling on this
program.
154
The Schedule
The sit up program is done 3 non consecutive days per week (i.e., Mon, Wed, Fri). The
pull up program is done 6 days per week unless you have modified the program to
include more off days. It does not matter which days you do pull ups and sit ups and
the days that you choose do not have to be consistent from week to week. The key is
to get in the volume each week. You may do the pull up and sit up workouts on the
same day and during the same training session if you want. They may be done before
or after your run workout. It does not matter. Just get the work done. The run workout
is a bit more structured. The plan has 3 phases and uses all 3 run tools. The days of
the week can be changed. The charts below are just examples. However, the order of
the runs should be preserved.
Weekly Run Structure Week 1-4

20-45 min Steady 20-45 min 20-45 min 30 min steady - -
Run Steady Run Steady Run Run
All runs are done at a steady pace. No hard running yet. Just get in the time. Your
pace should get faster at the SAME EFFORT LEVEL. Most people should start with 20
minutes and build the time over the 4 weeks.

Tempo Run 30-45 min 30-45 min Tempo Run - -
Steady Run Steady Run
Use the tempo table below to structure your tempo runs. Use this structure for both
tempo runs each week. The numbers in the cell are minutes at each pace.
Tempo Table - Minutes Run at Each Intensity

Easy Tempo Easy Tempo Easy
Week 5 5 10 5 5 5
Week 6 5 7 5 7 5
Week 7 5 10 5 10 5
Week 8 5 12 5 12 5

Tempo Run 30-45 min VO2 Max 30-45 min Tempo Run - -
Steady Run Intervals Steady Run
155
Use the tempo table below to structure the tempo runs. Use the VO2 max interval table
for your interval session. Use the pacing chart for intervals to time your intervals. Use
the pace associated with your goal PFT pace. Be realistic about your goal PFT pace.
Tempo Table - Minutes Run at Each Intensity

Easy Tempo Easy Tempo Easy
Week 9 5 12 5 12 5
Week 10 5 12 5 12 5
Week 11 5 15 5 15 5
Week 12 5 15 5 15 5
Week 13 5 15 5 15 5
Week 14 5 15 5 15 5
VO2 Max Interval Table

Interval # Intervals Rest
Week 9 1/2 mile 3 Long as interval duration
Tempo Runs: The biggest mistake that most people make is running the easy part too
hard and the hard part too easy. Make sure that the easy part is easy, so the hard part
can be hard. The only mistake you can make on the easy part is to run too fast. You
can walk a little if you need to but get back to a slow jog as soon as you can. Keep a
steady pace on the tempo intervals. The tempo portion is run at tempo pace (10K race
pace, or slightly slower than PFT pace). Don't start too fast and fade. The goal is a
steady, consistent pace throughout.
VO2 Max Intervals: The most common interval distance is 1/2 mile. The reason that
they are so popular is because they work! Use a 1/1 work to rest ratio. The intervals are
not all out. They are done at slightly faster than your goal PFT pace. If you are fading
and your last interval is significantly slower, you are going too fast on your first intervals.
The goal is to achieve a consistent pace on all intervals. If you are finishing your
intervals feeling good and are hitting all of your split times, you can increase the pace of
your intervals for the next workout, but do so conservatively. Do a warm up lap or two
before the intervals.
Pacing Chart For Intervals

Interval 16:00 18:00 20:00 22:00 24:00 26:00 28:00 30:00 32:00
PFT PFT PFT PFT PFT PFT PFT PFT PFT

1/2 mile (4) 2:30 2:50 3:10 3:30 3:50 4:10 4:30 4:50 5:10
156
These are the interval times that correspond with the PFT run time on top.
Tuesday and Thursday Steady Paced Runs: Keep these runs relaxed and do not
exceed the steady pace. Try to work on running with good posture and a relaxed upper
body. One of the steady paced runs is optional. You can skip it or, if you are feeling
good, you can do the run. You should probably skip it if feeling fatigued though.
You can do some (or all) of the runs on a treadmill. If you use a treadmill, make sure
that you use a 1-1.5% grade (incline) so that the work rate is equivalent to running
outdoors. The chart below converts miles per hour to minutes per mile pace.
Miles Per Hour to Min/Mile Conversion
MPH Min/Mile
4 15:00
4.5 13:20
5 12:00
5.5 10:55
6 10:00
6.5 9:14
7 8:34
7.5 8:00
8 7:30
8.5 7:04
9 6:40
9.5 6:19
10 6:00
10.5 5:43
11 5:27
11.5 5:13
12 5:00
12.5 4:48
13 4:37
157
25 Pull Ups
This is a program that I developed while on staff at the US Naval Academy. We tested
and tweaked it over a 3 year period. It produced many successful attempts at 25+ pull
ups. Prior to beginning, make sure that you fully understand how to do a proper pull up.
Proper biomechanics is essential with a high frequency, high volume program. The
program includes some pushing to balance all of the pulling. You can superset the
pushups and the pull ups. The pushups chart is from our “100 Pushups” workout and
has proven to be a very effective program for driving up pushup numbers. If you are
using this pull up workout as part of a more comprehensive program that includes
pushing, the pushup portion is not necessary.
The pull up chart is designed to provide a reasonable load and progressive overload
plan. Start somewhere in the chart where you are certain that you can perform all of the
reps for the day. Be conservative. Work your way through the cart, day by day. Be
sure to take the off days. If you fail to complete all of the reps for the day, do not move
to the next day. Stay on that day until you can perform all of the prescribed reps. You
can complete the sets with the standard 2-5 minutes between sets, or you can do them
spread throughout the day “grease the groove” style. We tested it both ways and have
had success with both approaches. In fact, overall performance was very similar with
both approaches. What primarily determined success with the program was
consistency.
Nobody will be able to run through all 108 days without missing a rep. Most will stall
several times. It is OK to take some additional off days from time to time. An
occasional additional day off will not have a negative effect on the program and in many
cases will be beneficial. Individual recovery ability will vary. Some people will need
more days off. If you are stalling often, alter the program to take off every other day.
The goal is to find the right frequency of training to match your recovery ability. Start
with the program as written. Most will be able to handle the frequency for the first
month before stalling.
158
Those who need to start at day 13 or earlier should be performing additional pulling
exercises to ensure adequate pulling volume. Those who are past day 13 can skip the
additional pulling exercises and focus on pull ups only. The additional pulling consists
of horizontal and vertical pulling exercises. The reason that both horizontal and vertical
pulling is used is because research has shown that neither pull downs, nor horizontal
rows completely recruit all of the musculature used in a simple pull up. However, both
of them combined recruit all of the necessary muscles. Pick one exercise for vertical
pull and one for horizontal pull and perform 3-4 sets of 5-8 repetitions. Do these pulls in
addition to the pull up chart sets until you can complete day 13 successfully, then just
stick to the pull up chart. Include pushing as well (the pushup chart is a good choice).
159
Additional Pulling Exercises
Vertical Pulling Horizontal Pulling
Lat pull downs Barbell row
 parallel grip Dumbbell row
 palms forward Seated cable row (one or two handed)
 palms facing back Body rows
 one arm pull downs TRX row
Note: this is not a complete strength training program. This program addresses pull
ups and a bit of pressing. A more complete program would include vertical pressing,
squatting, hip hinging and core work.
160
Pushup / Pull-up Program
This is a simple combination of my 25 pull-up program and the 100 pushup program.
The program is done 3 X week or every other day. Alternate sets of pushups and pull-
ups. Take as much rest as you need initially but after a few weeks, try to move through
without too much delay. If you throw in a set of single leg squats, squat jumps, goblet
squats or sprints (especially hill sprints) into the rotation, you have a complete workout.
Nothing else will be needed. You can add some variety to the program by using
different pull-up grips and pushup variations. For example, you might do regular
pushups on Monday, diamond pushups on Wednesday, and dive bomber pushups on
Friday. You could do chin ups on Monday, pull-ups on Wednesday, and towel pull-ups
on Friday. There are endless possibilities with this simple program.
Pull-up Workouts: The pull up chart below is designed to provide a reasonable load
and progressive overload plan. Start somewhere in the chart where you are certain that
you can perform all of the reps for that day. Be conservative. Work your way through
the chart, day by day. If you fail to complete all of the reps for a day, do not move to the
next day. Stay on that day until you can perform all of the prescribed reps. Nobody will
be able to run through all 72 days without missing a rep. Most will stall several times.
161
Push-up workouts: Start at the top by selecting the column that represents your
current 2 minute max pushup performance. Perform the 5 set workout for that day. If
you get all of the reps, move down to the next workout set in the column for your next
workout. When you complete a column, move to the right one column. When you get
to the end, you are ready for 100 pushups.
162
3 Day / Week Simple Strength Training
The basic 3 day per week barbell training workout has been popular since the 60s for
good reason. It works! It is a time tested, simple (but not easy) way to get brutally
strong without spending hours in the gym each workout. There are many versions of
this workout, but all of them follow the same fundamental principles. Don’t let the
simplicity of this workout fool you. Simple does not mean easy. If you are lifting heavy
and challenging yourself with these basic movements, it is plenty. Quite frankly, if you
find these workouts are not challenging enough, you are either not loading heavy
enough, or are not doing the exercises properly. This training plan is about quality, not
quantity. This is a higher frequency program, which precludes the use of high volume
and multiple sets to momentary muscular failure. It is the type of program favored by
those who work with athletes, especially strength athletes. Also remember that the
purpose of strength training workouts is not to make you tired, give you a great "pump,"
or to make you sore. The purpose is to make you stronger. You could do a lot more
volume, but it would be less effective. This simple plan has been delivering results for
more than 4 decades. Keep a log to monitor progress and judge for yourself.
This basic workout includes the 6 fundamental human movement patterns: upper body
vertical push, upper body horizontal push, upper body pull, squat, hip hinge, and an
additional movement that is not really a single movement, integration
work/core/conditioning. By focusing on the fundamental human movements, we ensure
that there are no weak links in the chain. Pick one exercise for each of the 6
movements and perform 3-5 sets of 5 repetitions for each exercise with 2-4 minutes rest
between sets. Beginners should start with 3 sets of 5 and eventually work their way to 5
sets. Consider performing fewer sets and perhaps also using an easier loading scheme
on at least one day per week. This will be necessary when you get stronger because
bigger weights stress your recovery reserves. Workouts are done on any 3
nonconsecutive days. The pushing and pulling movements can be done as a superset
(i.e., bench press and pull ups, done back to back for the required sets). What about
exercise order? Do squats before hip hinge exercises so that your back does not
become a weak link during squats. I like to do the squats and hip hinge work first while
I am still fresh. The order of the other exercises does not matter. Save the
integration/core/conditioning work for last.
What about bicep curls and calves? This is not a bodybuilding workout. This is a
strength training workout. We are concerned with building strength in the basic
movements. If that results in bigger biceps, great. But that is not our concern. As you
get stronger, you will likely get bigger everywhere because these basic movement
patterns require all of the muscles in your body and stronger is bigger/bigger is stronger.
However, if you must, you can add a couple of sets of curls in there once per week.
Just don't overdo it.
163
There are 3 options for loading:
1. Ascending: Increase weight each set until you reach a max set of 5 (i.e., 135X5,
145X5, 155X5, 165X5). Try to get as close to failure as possible on the last set. It is
OK if you only get 4 reps on the last set. Move up in weight when you get 5 reps.
2. Sets across: Use the same weight for all work sets (i.e., 155X5X5). Once you can
complete 5 repetitions for all of the required sets, increase the weight. For
exercises where even small weight increases would likely reduce the repetitions
performed below the target 5 repetitions, wait until you can complete 7 repetitions for
at least 3 of the 5 sets (and at least 5 for the remaining) before increasing weight.
4. Descending: Perform a max set of 5, then decrease weight each set (i.e., 165X5,
155X5, 145X5, 135X5)
Descending is the most difficult because each set is going to be performed at or near
failure. Reduce the load each set as much as you have to in order to get 5 repetitions.
This will take some trial and error. This loading scheme is not used as frequently for
strength training programs. It is more appropriate for pure hypertrophy training where
low volume, high intensity workouts are done at a lower frequency (i.e., HITT training).
Ascending is the easiest because only the last set is performed to failure. The safe bet
is to use sets across as your predominant mode of loading and use the others to
modulate intensity as needed. If you find that you are not recovering adequately, you
might switch one day to an ascending loading scheme to reduce fatigue. Novice lifters
are generally best served by using sets across. Intermediate lifters will need to de-load
a bit on one or two days per week because they are now strong enough to seriously tax
their recovery reserves. Two intermediate examples are shown below. The second is a
modification of the "Texas Method," a popular powerlifting program. Intermediate level
programming is enough for most athletes. Only athletes competing in strength sports
(i.e., weight lifting, powerlifting) need more advanced programming.
Novice
Monday Wednesday Friday
3X5 sets across 3X5 sets across 3X5 sets across
Intermediate (two different options)

Monday Wednesday Friday
5X5 sets across 3X5 ascending 5X5 sets across
5X5 sets across 3 X 5 across with 10% less 4 X 3 ascending
wt than Monday
When using this simple plan, you should increase load whenever you are able to
achieve the target repetitions. For example, if today's workout calls for 4 sets of 5
repetitions with 200 pounds, and we are able to complete all of the repetitions, we need
to increase the load for the next workout. This is called simple linear progression. The
key to linear progression is to keep your weight increases small so that progress can
continue for a long period of time. If you get too greedy, you will stall too soon. A
164
challenge with this type of progression scheme is that most gyms do not have weight
plates smaller than 5 pounds, therefore 10 pounds is the smallest weight increase that
you can apply. This is probably OK for squats and deadlifts, but almost certainly too
much for most other exercises. You can get around this by purchasing your own small
plates (2.5 pounds and 1 pound), or you can increase repetitions before increasing
weight. For example, if you were just able to complete 4 sets of 5 with 200 pounds, but
the last rep was very difficult, it is unlikely that you will be able to complete 5 reps, even
for 1 set with 210 pounds. In this case, if you do not have small weight plates available,
you can do 3 sets of 5 repetitions and a final set of 6 repetitions for the next workout. If
that goes well, you might aim for 1 set of 5 and 3 sets of 6 repetitions for the following
workout. Once you are able to complete 4 sets of 7 with 200 pounds, you are probably
ready to make the 10 pound jump to 210 pounds and go back to 4 sets of 5 repetitions.
Both methods work (small weight increase and repetition increase). The main point is
to always strive to increase.
Eventually you will stall and fail to make progress. One or two bad workouts are no
concern at all. If you stall for 2 weeks or more, it is probably time for a reset. To
perform a reset, back off on the weight and keep your repetitions the same. Then begin
progressing as before. This is a "one step back, two steps forward" type of approach. If
you find yourself stalling often, it is time to consider adjusting your loading scheme so
that 1-2 days per week are loaded less aggressively (i.e., ascending, or sets across with
10% less load than normal). By de-loading once or twice per week, you will allow more
recovery. As you get stronger and push heavier weights, you will need greater recovery
in order to continue to progress. Also, as you move from novice to intermediate, you
might consider making your loading more “wavy.” The Texas Method is one proven
method of using “wavy” loads. “Wavy” means using different relative loading (relative to
your one rep max) throughout the week. Most novices can stick with this simple plan for
a year or more, moving to the Texas Method after approximately 6 months of training.
Patience and consistency are the keys to success with this type of program. Most do
not have the patience to stick with this type of programming and will switch to something
more dynamic and exciting before they really have a chance to make significant
strength gains. This is one reason why significant strength gains in the gym are rare.
Stick with it. Be patient. It will pay off in time.
Although designed for 3 days per week, not much effectiveness is lost if you train only 2
days per week. If you choose a 2 day per week option, consider using descending sets
for one of the workouts. 2 times per week might be more appropriate for those who are
participating in a sport (especially in season) or those who are training seriously for
additional fitness components (i.e., endurance training).
Because few exercises are used, focusing on basic multijoint exercises makes sense.
Unless you are a powerlifter, you may cycle through different exercises for your
workouts as long as you are performing the 6 basic movements. The exercise table
shows some of the more effective exercise choices. Powerlifters should stick with
bench press for upper body horizontal push, deadlifts for hip hinge, and back squats for
squats.
165
Integration/core/conditioning: This is included as a 5-10 minute conditioning finisher.
If you choose the exercises carefully, it provides more than just conditioning. It is a
good time to work on weaknesses or movements/patterns that are particular to your
sport, hobby, goals etc. For example, a football player might focus on sled/prowler work
or loaded carries. A combat athlete might focus on sledge hammer work or cable
column chops. A military athlete might focus on loaded carries. The purpose of the
finisher is to work on strength integration, the core and to provide some conditioning.
Movements in this category are whole body moves that involve transferring force from
upper body to lower body (or vice versa) through the core. These exercises are also
great for some metabolic conditioning work. You can do up to 10 minutes but for many
people, quality will suffer with longer sessions. 5 minutes is plenty for most. Focus on
good posture and graceful movement, and intensity.
Most Effective Exercises for Each Movement: This is a list of some very good
choices for each of the 6 fundamental movements. Exercises marked with an * are
generally accepted as the most important in each category. You should do them often.
Notice that there are no machine exercises. We want whole body strength with no
weak links in the chain so most exercises are done standing up with a barbell in our
hands.
Upper Body Vertical Upper Body Pull: Hip Hinge:

Press: *Pull-ups *Deadlift (sumo and regular)
*Standing Barbell Military Dumbbell or barbell rows Stiff legged deadlift
Press (officially called the Batwings Romanian deadlift
"Press") Body rows Heavy kettlebell swing
Overhead dumbbell or Standing cable column Glute Ham
kettlebell press rows Hyperextensions
Handstand pushup Good mornings
Push press Squat: Power clean
*Back squat
Horizontal Press: Front squat Integration/Core/Conditioning:
*Bench press Lunge *Loaded carries (i.e. Suitcase
Dumbbell press Split squat carry, farmer's walk)
*Pushups (loaded if Box step up (loaded if *Sled or prowler
necessary) necessary) Plank
Dips Overhead squat Windmill (kettlebell or dumbbell)
one arm dumbbell bench Zercher squat Ab wheel roll out
press Goblet squat Dead bug or hollow rock
Hanging leg raise
Chops
Sledgehammer work
Tire flips
Bear crawls
Tumbling
166
Sample Training Plan: This is just one sample plan that follows the basic principles.
There are many other possible combinations. In this example, Wednesday is a less
intense day with reduced volume and an easier loading scheme. Many people will find
that going a bit easier one day per week is helpful.
Mon Wed Fri

 Front Squat 5 X 5  Deadlift 3 X 5  Kettlebell Swing 3-5
 Romanian Deadlift 5  Split Squat 3 X 5 X 5 (heavy)
X5  Incline Press 3 X 5  Walking Lunges 5 X
 Bench Press 5 X 5  D-bell Row 3 X 5 5 steps each leg
 Pull Ups (weighted)  D-bell overhead  Dips 5 X 5
5X5 press 3 X 5  Pull Ups (different
 Overhead Press3- 5  Bear crawl 4 X 1 min grip from workout 1,
X5 with 20 sec rest weighted) 5 X 5
 Plank 2 x 2 min  Push Press 5 X 5
Loading: ascending  Suitcase carry 7 X 30
Loading: sets across sec
Loading: sets across
167
Minimal Equipment Strength Program
If getting to the gym is a problem and you don’t want to spend a fortune on a home gym,
you can still get a very effective workout with just a few tools and a small investment.
This is a solid program that covers all of the basic fundamental human movements
(push, pull, hip hinge, squat, core) effectively. It is better than what 90% of gym
members are doing at the club. Your workout will be done in less time than it takes
most people to get dressed and drive to the gym.
Tools: 1 kettlebell, figure 8 resistance tube, pull up bar. Optional: weighted vest or
backpack with a load in it. In shape males should generally start with a 24Kg bell and
females a 16Kg bell. Big strong guys may try the 32Kg. The figure 8 tubing is cheap.
Color indicates the resistance. Buy a few in different colors and you will be set for a
long time. You should be able to get all of this for under $200.
Warm up: Unloaded or very light Turkish Getups, goblet squats, 3 rounds of 5 reps
Workout A: start with 1 set of 5 reps and work towards 5 sets of 5. Once you get 5
sets of 5 begin to increase reps when you can. When you can get 15 reps with good
form on all of the exercises and sets, increase the weight of the kettlebell. Do left side,
then right. Do not put down the kettlebell between exercises. Don’t underestimate the
difficulty of this simple workout.
Single Kettlebell clean and press

Single Kettlebell snatch
Single Kettlebell reverse step split squat (vest or backpack can provide extra
resistance if needed)
Workout B: start with 1 set of 5 reps for the pushups and pull-ups, and work towards 5
sets of 5. Use whatever resistance is necessary to achieve challenging loading initially.
Once you achieve 5 X 5, start to increase reps when you can up to 15 reps. For the
swings, start with 1 set of 10 (two arm, 1 kettlebell) and work your way to 5 sets of 10.
Then increase gradually to 5 sets of 25. Once you can do that, switch to one arm
swings (5 sets of 5 left and right) and start increasing reps again.
Pushups with figure 8 tubing for resistance (you can elevate your feet or wear
vest/backpack for more resistance if necessary)
168
Pull-up (backpack for more resistance if necessary)
Single kettlebell swing
Do pushups and pull-ups back to back and save the swings for last. You can increase
the reps on the swings if you can perform all sets of 5 with very good form.
Alternate workout A and workout B either every other day, or 3 days per week. The
swings will progress faster than the other lifts. When you can get 5 X 15 on the
clean/press and snatch and 5 X 25 one arm swings, it is time for a heavier kettlebell.
When you can get 5 X 5 on the resistance tube push-ups, it is time to add a backpack or
a heavier resistance tube. Most people should see significant muscle hypertrophy in
the arms, shoulders, traps and pecs before they need to make the weight increase.
Also, the volume is high enough that the calorie burn is significant. Impressive weight
loss results are not uncommon.
169
Your First Pull-up
The purpose of this program is to take you from 0 to 3 pull-ups (or chin-ups). The
program is a stand-alone pull-up program and not a whole body strength training plan.
You can integrate this program into a whole body strength plan by using this program to
take care of all of your pushing and pulling movements. Throughout this document I will
use the term pull-up. However, you can substitute chin-ups for pull-ups. Pull-ups are
performed with wider hand spacing and with your palms facing away from you. Chin-
ups are performed with narrower hand spacing and with your palms facing towards you.
If you have a choice, try chin-ups first. Most people are going to be stronger using chin-
ups than pull-ups. Later, once you can perform 3 or more chin-ups, you can start
working on pull-ups. If you are training for a test that requires pull-ups, stick with pull-
ups for now.
I have used this program dozens of times as a personal trainer and also as the director
of remedial fitness programs at the U.S. Naval Academy. It has not failed yet. Stick to
the program, work hard, have faith and you will succeed. Once you are able to
complete 3 pull-ups, you can move to an intermediate program.
There are 2 phases to this program. To determine if you need to start in phase 1 or
phase 2, try this simple test:
Test
Use a chair or stool to get into the upper position of a pull-up. Without using the chair or
stool, hold this position for 10 seconds, and then lower yourself down slowly. It should
take 5-6 seconds to lower yourself all the way down. If you can lower yourself under
control, you can skip phase 1 and go directly to phase 2. If not, you will need to stay in
phase 1 until you can accomplish this test.
Phase 1
The goal of phase 1 is to give you enough strength to be able to do a flexed arm hang
and a slow pull-up negative. To do so, we will employ several exercises to work the
muscles of the arms, shoulders, back and forearms. We will also include some pushing
exercises because when you pull, you should also push so that you will have balanced
strength. Balanced pushing and pulling strength is important for preserving the health
of your shoulders.
Body Rows: Level 1 body row is shown on the left. This version uses a TRX, rings, or
any similar system. Simply pull until your thumbs are in your arm pits and squeeze
your shoulder blades together. Level 2 takes a more acute body angle (center picture)
to increase the difficulty. Level 3 is shown on the right. Pull your body up until your
chest touches the bar and squeeze your shoulder blades together. Start with level 1,
then move quickly to level 2 and then level 3. To make the bar version even harder,
elevate your feet by placing them on a bench.
170
Level 1 Level 2 Level 3
Push-ups: Your body should be absolutely rigid and form a straight line from head to
toe. No sagging hips! Your hands should be directly under your shoulders or up to 3
inches wider per side. Go all the way down. No partials! Level 1 is hands elevated.
Level 2 is a normal push-up. Level 3 is feet elevated. Start with level 2 if you can.
Level 1 Level 2 Level 3
Pull Downs: Choose the same grip that you are using for your pull-ups (either a pull-up
or palms facing away or a chin-up grip or palms facing you). There are no levels.
Simply choose an appropriate resistance.
The program: On 3 non-consecutive days (i.e., Monday, Wednesday, Friday) you will
perform the workout. Each workout will consist of two parts.
Part 1 – Body rows, followed by push ups. Perform a set of body rows, then
immediately perform a set of push-ups. Then rest 1-2 minutes before starting the next
round. Do 2-4 rounds of 5-8 repetitions each. Use whatever level and loading is
necessary to make 5-8 repetitions challenging. Perform the repetitions in a slow,
controlled manner.
Part 2 – Pull downs, followed by push-ups. Perform a set of pull downs, then
controlled manner.
171
Once per week on the final workout day of the week, perform the test before you start
your workout. Once you can successfully perform the slow negative pull-up test, move
to phase 2.
Phase 2
The program: On 3 non-consecutive days (i.e., Monday, Wednesday, Friday) you will
perform the workout. Each workout will consist of two parts.
Part 1 – Pull-ups (or negatives), followed by push ups. Perform a set of pull-ups (or
negatives), then immediately perform a set of push-ups. For the pull-ups, start with
level 1 and work your way down (see the level chart on the next page). When you can
perform all of the prescribed repetitions in a pull-up level, move to the next level. Each
level consists of 5 sets. Then rest 1-2 minutes before starting the next round. Do 5
rounds of 5-8 repetitions each (total of 5 sets of pull-ups and 5 sets of push-ups). Use
whatever level and loading is necessary to make 5-8 repetitions challenging. Perform
the repetitions in a slow, controlled manner.
Part 2 – Body rows, followed by push-ups. Perform a set of body rows, then
controlled manner.
If you have not gotten 1 pull-up yet, once per week on the final workout day of the week,
try to do a pull-up. Once you can do a pull-up, move to the workout that starts with 1
pull-up. Each pull-up workout consists of 5 sets. The pull-up levels chart is on the next
page.
Pull-up (or chin-up) Level Chart
Level Set Set Set Set Set

1 2 3 4 5
1 N N N N N
2 1 N N N N
3 1 1 N N N
4 1 1 1 N N
5 1 1 1 1 N
6 1 1 1 1 1
7 2 1 1 1 1
8 2 2 1 1 1
9 2 2 2 1 1
10 2 2 2 2 1
11 2 2 2 2 2
12 3 2 2 2 2
13 3 3 2 2 2
172
There are 5 sets in each workout. N = Negative pull-ups. To perform a set, do 3
repetitions of a 10 second hold, followed by a slow negative. It should take 5-6 seconds
to lower yourself down. Where you see a number in the cell, perform that many regular
pull-ups. When you are able to complete all of the required sets and repetitions in a
level, move to the next level for your next training session. If you fail to complete the
specified repetitions, remain at that level until you can do so. Once you can complete
level 11, you should be able to do 3 pull-ups. When you can complete level 13, you are
ready for the “25 Pull-Ups Program.”
173
Ruck Program
These are sample programs only. Use the strength exercise table from the ruck chapter
to design your own. There are many popular strength training programs that can be
used in this context (i.e., Starting Strength, the Texas method, Wendler’s 5, 3, 1,
Westside, 5 X 5 and more). The strength training portion can be reduced to twice per
week without losing that much. This would be especially appropriate when time
becomes scarce due to operational commitments. The purpose of the sample program
is to give you a template to work with. If logistic concerns make 2 X week rucking
difficult, the Thursday ruck can be replaced by a steady paced run. In that case,
alternate long rucks and intensity rucks on Saturday.
Week 1
Mon Tue Wed Thurs Fri Sat Sun
Strength: Tempo Conditioning: Intensity Strength: Long Ruck Sleep
Pull Ups 3 X ? Run Barbell complex: Ruck Deadlift (3 X 5) 20-30%
Military Press (4 X 5) Dumbbell rows (4X5) bodyweight,
Squats (4 X 5)
5 min clean, lunge, push Start with 30% Run:
One Arm Dumbbell increase distance
Planks (2 X max easy, 10 press (2 X 5 bodyweight, 3 X Press (4 X 5) optional
min tempo minutes) 10 min intervals by 10-20% per
hold) Suitcase Carry (4 X 20 easy 30-
X3 with 2 min rest. seconds) week or follow
60 min
Increase loading sample plan below
weekly according
to the sample
plan below
Week 2
Strength: Tempo Conditioning: Intensity Strength: Long Ruck Sleep
Pull Ups 3 X ? Run 10 minutes Kettlebell Ruck Dumbbell rows (4X5) 20-30%
Push Press (5 X 3) Getups One Arm Dumbbell bodyweight,
5 min Start with 30% Run:
Squats (5 X 3) Press (4 X 5) increase distance
Hanging Leg Raise easy, 10 bodyweight, 3 X Powerclean (4 X 5) optional
min tempo 10 min intervals by 10-20% per
(4 X 8) Suitcase Carry (4 X 20 easy 30-
X3 with 2 min rest. seconds) week or follow
60 min
Increase loading sample plan below
weekly according
to the sample
plan below
One run is a tempo interval run. The tempo intervals should be a minimum of 5 minutes
(i.e., 5-15 minutes) and should be run at 10K race pace. The second run is a steady
paced distance run. Try to increase the duration over time. Some unstructured intervals
can be added to the distance run but do not overdo it. If time is an issue, hill sprints can
be substituted for the distance run if you keep the rest intervals short.
Note: Alternate weeks 1 and 2. Intensity rucks can occasionally be replaced by a run if
you need to recover.
174
Sample Ruck Plan
Long Ruck 20% 20% 25% 25% 25% 30% 30% 30% 30%
Intensity 30% 35% 35% 35% 40% 40% 40% 40% 40%
3 X 10 min 2 X 10 min 3 X 10 min 3 X 10 min 2 X 10 min 2 X 10 min 3 X 10 min 3 X 12 min 3 X 15 min
Note: Go fast without running on the rucks. The idea is to move swiftly, but efficiently
with a heavy load. Do not run, ever. If you experience any aches or pains, drop the load
and build back up slowly.
Sample Ruck Plan

Long Ruck 30% 30% 35% 35% 35% 35% 35% 35% 35%
Intensity 40% 40% 45% 45% 45% 50% 50% 50% 55%
3 X 15 min 3 X 15 min 2X 10 min 3 X 10 min 2 X 15 min 4 X 5 min 2 X 10 min 2 X 10 min 4 X 5 min
Note: If you are experienced and are currently training with a ruck, you can start
somewhere after week 1. Where you start depends on your current condition. Highly
conditioned individuals might start with week 20.
How fast should you go? The excerpt below is from a US Army pamphlet on preparing
for Special Forces training. It compares ruck march time with pass rates. A good goal is
to be able to achieve a 15 minute mile pace for 4 miles with a 45+ pound ruck.
Achieving this standard with a 55 pound ruck would be a notable achievement. A 54
minute time is going to take faster than a 14 minute mile pace. Shorter individuals are
not going to be able to walk that fast without breaking into a jog, which is not advised.
Once you can sustain between a 14 and 15 minute per mile pace, progress by adding
weight (intensity rucks) or distance (long rucks), rather than going faster for any loads
over 30% bodyweight. You would not want to run with anything over 30% bodyweight,
and even then should be cautious about limiting distance and introducing it slowly. If you
are going to be expected to run with a heavy ruck during a testing event, save it for that
test. If you train for rucking properly, you will be able to run with your ruck when
necessary.
175
Ruck Maintenance Program:
Paretto’s law states that 80% of your results come from 20% of your work. This
example is for the busy athlete who has very little time to train but wants to sustain, and
possibly improve performance. Ideally, prior to starting this program you will have spent
some time with the more complete program and built significant ruck fitness. This
maintenance program is plenty to maintain performance and some may see
improvements. This program is not optimal. It is a compromise. If you have limited
time, you cannot expect optimal results. However, with smart choices, much can be
achieved with minimal time invested. The 80% solution training program consists of:
Strength Training: One big movement exercise (see list below)performed as

several sets, done twice weekly (i.e., Mon and Thurs)
Strength exercises (pick one, load heavy):

● Powercleans from the floor 4 sets of 5 reps
● Squat clean from the floor 4 sets of 5 reps
● Heavy kettlebell swings 4 sets of 15 reps.
● Barbell thrusters 4 sets of 5-8 reps
● Farmer’s walk 4 sets of 20-30 seconds
● Suitcase carry 4 sets per side of 20-30 seconds
● Snatches 4 sets of 5 reps
● Clean and press 4 sets of 5 reps
Rucking: Progressive ruck done once per week. Increase load and distance
over time. Alternate a distance ruck and an intensity ruck. Distance rucks are
progressively longer rucks with 25-30% of your bodyweight. Intensity rucks are
done with heavier loading (40-50% of bodyweight) and are done as intervals (i.e.,
3 X 15 minutes with 2-5 minutes rest each interval).
This simple plan will sustain fairly high level performance if a reduction in training
time/frequency is required, or it can build performance if not much training time is
available (especially in deconditioned individuals). A big movement exercise like cleans
176
from the floor will load the most important upper and lower body movements necessary
to carry a heavy ruck, and the weekly rucks provide a very specific fitness stimulus.
This simple program is not optimal, but it will easily maintain high level performance that
was previously achieved with a more complete program and it will certainly lead to
considerable improvement in untrained soldiers. It you have minimal time to train, it is
the 80% solution. Viable substitutes for cleans would be heavy farmers walks, or
heavy suitcase carries, and heavy kettlebell swings or any of the exercises in the list
above. An extra run thrown in once or twice per week would also help (though an extra
ruck would be better). If the run is short, make it hard (think intervals or hill sprinting). A
sample weekly schedule is below:
Sample Program
Strength: Strength: Ruck
Long: 20-30% bodyweight,
Heavy Kettlebell Squat Clean (4 X 5) increase distance by 10-20%
Swing (4 X 15) per week
OR Alternate with:
OR Intensity: Start with 30%
Heavy Kettlebell Get bodyweight, 2-3 X 15 min
Deadlifts (3 X 5) Ups (10 per side)
intervals with 2 min rest.
Increase loading 5-10 pounds
per week
177
SEAL Screener BUD/S Prep
Purpose: The purpose of this program is to prepare physically for a SEAL screener, or for BUD/S
and for the SEAL PST. This is not a year-round type of program. It is designed to provide “top off”
fitness before a screener or BUD/S. It has been tested at the US Naval Academy with dozens of
Midshipmen preparing for the SEAL Screener and with US Naval Academy graduates preparing for
BUD/S.
Disclaimer: I am not a SEAL. I have not been to BUD/S. I am a Ph.D. exercise physiologist who
has worked with athletes for 25 years. I have worked extensively with military personnel, including
some who have prepared for BUD/S, as well as active duty SEALs. However, you should not take
what I say about fitness on blind faith. You should only believe results. It either works or it
doesn’t. Later, we will discuss how to measure results. Physical fitness alone will not get you
through the screener or thorough BUD/S. At best, physical fitness will reduce your risk of injury, help
you meet physical test standards, allow you to recover faster and make is suck less. The rest is
personal motivation and mental toughness. This is a generic program. Nothing is better than a
specific program that is tailored to your strengths and weaknesses. For best results, work with a
qualified professional to tailor this program to your specific needs.
Assumptions: This program assumes that you have some weight training experience and that you
are in decent shape to begin with. If not, you will need at least 3 months of basic strength training (try
Starting StrengthTM) and running before beginning this program. If you have not been running
consistently for at least 3 months, with at least 15 miles per week for a minimum of two months prior
to this program, you are not ready yet. You should also be proficient in the breast stroke and combat
side stroke. This is not a couch to SEAL PT program. If you are not at point A (see next page),
forget it. You are not ready for this program yet.
Warning: This program is more than enough. Do not add additional exercise. Don’t take this
program lightly. It is harder than you think. Don’t say I did not warn you. Eat well and get plenty of
sleep. You are going to need it.
Alternate programs: This program was originally designed for a very specific population,
Midshipmen at the U.S. Naval Academy who were preparing for the SEAL Screener. It was designed
to work with their schedule and equipment/facility availability. However, many others have used this
program for various purposes, including BUD/S prep. There are many other sources of programming
for the Screener and for BUD/S. Another option for those with limited access to a gym is the Naval
Special Warfare Physical Training Guide. It is an excellent choice with a proven track record for
success. Stew Smith has a track record of success with preparing tactical athletes. Finally, Rob
Shaul at http://strongswiftdurable.com has some excellent programs.
178
The first step in fitness programming is to identify point A and point B. Point A is the starting point.
Point B is where you want to be, your goal. The SEAL program is difficult but you already know that.
If you are really serious about it, training and preparing for SEAL programs should be you’re “A” goal.
It takes a serious time commitment. Anything else should be a “B” or a “C” goal at best. Strength
coach Dan John likes to say, “The important thing is to remember to keep the goal, the goal.” Stay
focused on what is important.
Let's map out Point A and Point B.
Point B
Point A Physically durable body
Intermediate run fitness Leg durability
No injuries Strong core
Solid strength base Strong/stable joints
12 Weeks No injuries
Some swim skill
High work capacity
Swim speed
Run speed
Endurance
Athletic strength
Point A: The first important consideration is that you need to start this program at Point A. Point A is
not deconditioned. If you are at Point A, you already have a pretty good fitness base. This is a 12
week “finisher” program that puts the finishing touches on fitness that you have been building for
many months. This is not a program that you should do year round. It is not a general fitness
program. It is designed for a specific purpose. What should you do before this 12 week program to
arrive at Point A? Focus on these 3 things.
 Basic strength: Try a simple program like Starting Strength, Star’s 5 X 5, Wendler’s 5/3/1 or
something similar. Focus on basic barbell lifts and getting stronger. No extra fancy stuff.
Don’t destroy yourself, just make steady progress. The goal is to get stronger, not to test
yourself with hard workouts. There is no need to add work capacity (metabolic conditioning -
METCON) yet. Work capacity is developed quickly and excessive work capacity training
interferes with strength development. Keep it simple during this build up phase. Just get
stronger. Ideally you should be comfortable deadlifting 1.5 times your bodyweight for reps
(with perfect form and a pause on the bottom, no bouncing) and able to bench press your
bodyweight for at least 5 reps (ideally 10 or more).
 Run durability: Steady paced running, trying to build some decent running volume with
ABSOLUETLY NO aches or pains. A gentle increase in mileage is the way to lay down good
run durability. Being pain free is the most important part. You must start the 12 week program
completely healthy. Run frequently, so that your total run mileage is achieved in smaller
chunks. Running 5-6 times per week is ideal. Keep the runs short initially and increase
weekly mileage by no more than 10% per week. Don't worry about getting fast yet. You are
simply trying to build some leg durability. The speed will be there when you need it. Keep
your heart rate under 75% of your max heart rate.
 Swim skill: Developing good technique is the key to going faster in the water. Technique is
more important than fitness when it comes to swimming fast. Focus on technique until you hit
179
the 12 week program. Then you will build fitness on top of good technique. If you have little
experience with swimming with fins, you should consider purchasing some fins and
incorporating some finning work into all of you swim workouts. You should also consider using
5-10 minutes of treading water for your swim warm up. If you are proficient at treading water,
practice with your hands above your head.
You should feel recovered, motivated and healthy. You don’t jack hammer your body into fitness.
You gently nudge it along until you can handle larger and larger training stresses. You should feel
good during the process and remain uninjured. If you have executed that simple plan, you should
have arrived at Point A, ready to start working towards Point B. IMPORTANT: This program is a
roadmap from Point A to Point B. If you don't start at Point A, the roadmap will not work!
Point B: Fitness is not the key to surviving the SEAL Screener and BUD/S. However, being fit can
make both a lot less miserable and can reduce your risk of injury. Here are some of the Point B
objectives:
 Leg durability to survive heavy running mileage daily
 Shoulder durability to survive log PT and countless push-ups
 Grip strength, one of the most important upper body strength attributes
 Strong core, neck, and lower back for injury prevention
 Strong shoulders and muscles around the knee for joint stability
 Work capacity for quicker recovery from hard efforts
 Optimal body composition
 Swim fitness
 Strong performance on the Physical Screening Test
The most important goal is to build a physically tough and resilient body that is hard to break, so that
you can survive the wear and tear. The secondary goal is to be able to perform at a high level. Point
B delivers both.
12 weeks is a long time to stay committed to a prescribed fitness program. It is harder than you think.
If this program is worth starting, it is worth seeing through to the end. Make a commitment to finish
what you start.
Measuring Results: Program results will be measured by testing your 3 repetition max in the
standing overhead press and deadlift. These are the king and queen of the strength exercises. You
will also test your max pull-ups. We have an additional test that is a brutal workout in itself. It is the
Unofficial Tactical Screener. It is a complete test of the most important physical abilities you need to
excel as a SEAL. It is also an intimidating test that takes mental toughness to complete. You will
also do frequent 500 yard swims for time. The results of these frequent tests will tell you if the
program is working. You MUST keep a daily workout log to record all workout details. Any athlete
who is serious about training keeps a log. Don't kid yourself. No log = not really serious.
Results are what count. The point of the workouts are not to make you tired. The purpose is to
produce results. Do not judge this program based on how tired you are after your workouts. The
point is to drive progress and get results. You should see progress and results continuously through
this program provided that you eat enough and sleep enough. Do not add any additional training to
this program. Also, don’t overdo the intensity. The Marines have a saying, "It is easy to be hard,
but it is hard to be smart." Be smart!
180
Strength Training
The focus of the strength training program is grip strength, overhead pressing strength, hip hinge
strength, pushing strength and strength of the muscles around the knees. All of these areas are
important for injury prevention. Also, the goal is to have no weak links. Because of the dynamic,
whole body movements and challenges you will encounter, it is more important to have no weak
areas, than it is to have impressive single lifts. Isolation exercises and segmented strength training
will not serve those purposes. That is the primary reason for the inclusion of dynamic, whole body
exercises like squat cleans and barbell complexes. Horizontal pushing strength is just not that
important for tactical performance; however some do have a pushing strength deficit and need to
bench press. The standing overhead barbell press (more correctly called "the press") is a more
relevant pushing movement than a horizontal press (bench press). However, using the press as an
assessment is a big problem. If you read a bit about the history of the press as a contested Olympic
lift, you will understand why it was eliminated as a competitive lift. Therefore, the bench press, while
less operationally relevant, is easier to administer as a test and eliminates many of the issues with
judging the proper execution of a press. A person who arrives at Point A with plenty of bench press
strength (body weight for 15-25 reps) can emphasize dips over bench presses. Dips are a useful
movement to build chest and triceps strength in a more operationally relevant way. Weighted dips
(bar dips or ring dips) are all that we need operationally, but for some, a bit of a focus on the bench
press is a good idea. If bench press strength is there already by Point A, we are much more
concerned with being able to survive lots and lots of pushups. In that case, we have horizontal
pushing strength covered with dips.
Strength training for performance (as opposed to strength training for appearance) is essentially
loaded movement. Proper movement is more important than loading. NEVER load bad movement.
All strength training movements should be done gracefully and athletically. You will notice that we
are not organizing the program around body parts (i.e., biceps and triceps on Monday, back and
chest on Tuesday etc...). This program is about performance, not about building beach muscles.
Although bodybuilders may blitz a muscle with lots of different isolation exercises and then allow a
week for recovery, our goal is not bodybuilding. Research (and real life experience) has shown that
training more frequently (2-3 times per week) is more ideal for building athletic strength. Because
strength is loaded movement, and movement is a skill, there is a significant skill component to
strength. Skill responds to frequency. Two to 3 times per week seems to be optimal. Forget about
what you have read in muscle magazines. This is how strength and conditioning coaches train
athletes.
Loading, unless otherwise indicated, is done as “sets across,” which means that you use the same
weight for all of the sets of an exercise. When you manage to get all of the prescribed reps, you must
go up in weight the next time you do that exercise. If you do not, don’t increase until you do.
Bodybuilders typically continue most sets to momentary muscular failure (inability to perform another
repetition). This is because the resulting fatigue stimulus is important for muscle hypertrophy
(growth). For strength training, it is more important to perform more high tension repetitions than it is
to produce fatigue. For example, if you perform 10 repetitions in the bench press with 185 pounds
and you fail on the 10th rep, you will likely only be able to perform 6 reps on your second set (or will
have to reduce the load to 160ish pounds to get 10 reps again). However, if you stop at 8 repetitions
(2 shy of failure), you will likely be able to get 8 repetitions again on the second set, and the third set.
That is what is meant by performing more high tension repetitions. This is the reason for the "sets
across" loading scheme. It is a simple and effective loading plan that is popular among powerlifters.
Barbell complexes are done as a series of exercises without putting the bar down between exercises.
The point is to move quickly from one exercise to another. Resting a few seconds to catch your
181
breath is OK, as long as you don’t put the bar down. See www.mountainathlete.com and
www.startingstrength.com and www.nsca-lift.org for videos of the exercises. Barbell complexes are
brutal, time efficient, and very effective at ensuring that you have no weak links in your strength chain.
They also provide excellent metabolic conditioning (METCON).
The strength training program is written assuming that you have access to a very basic gym. If you
don't have kettlebells, use dumbbells or sandbags as a substitute. Sandbags can be constructed
from heavy duty garbage bags and duct tape and filled with gravel or sand. Put them in an old duffel
bag so that you have a handle to work with.
Run Training
In our simple program we have only 3 tools: steady pace, tempo, and VO2 max pace. That is all we
need. There is no need for more complexity. Our 3 tools, along with the principle of progressive
overload are the keys to a simple, effective program. Let’s discuss the 3 tools.
Steady: This is a steady pace effort. It is not hard and it is not easy. It is the natural pace you would
fall into if you went out for a long but comfortable run. This is not easy pace. If you had to constantly
hold yourself back, that would be easy pace. Steady is comfortable but you would not describe it as
easy. For those who train with a heart rate monitor, steady would be approximately 70-80% of your
maximum heart rate. We achieve progressive overload during steady runs is by increasing volume.
You don’t run harder over time, you run faster at the same effort level. You can do this by keeping
your heart rate in your target “steady” zone. As you become fit, you will have to run faster to achieve
the same heart rate. If you don’t have a heart rate monitor, you will have to pace on effort. Most
people will run these steady runs too hard. Keep the effort “steady” and eventually your “steady”
pace will get faster and faster. Remember; do not increase the effort of steady runs, only the volume
(mileage).
Tempo (intensive): This is 10K race pace. This is definitely harder than steady pace but not your
max pace. It is also sometimes described as threshold pace. It is about at 90-95% of your max heart
rate. Because we are using a fixed effort level, we achieve progressive overload by increasing the
amount of tempo. You might start with 10 minutes of tempo (i.e., 2 X 5 min) and eventually build up
to 30 minutes of tempo (i.e., 3 X 10 min). You can either use heart rate to pace your tempo
intervals, or you can periodically race a 10K and use pace. Ten minutes is enough tempo work to be
effective but would be considered a light tempo dose. Forty minutes is a heavy tempo dose for a
single session.
VO2 max Intervals: Lots of people call these track intervals. That is because they are usually done
on the track. Heart rate is a poor way to pace these intervals because they are too short. It takes
your heart rate 2-3 minutes to reach steady state at a new run pace. As a result, you will be done
with your interval before your heart rate catches up. That is why it is best to do these on the track or
on a course with marked distances and use pace to deliver the right intensity. The most common
distances to do these are ¼ and ½ mile repeats. These are done at your 1 mile race pace. They are
tough! VO2 max intervals are typically done with a 1/1 work to rest ratio. This means that if your run
interval takes 2 minutes, you rest 2 minutes. What should you do during your rest interval? You
should rest! Seriously, you can jog slowly or walk or whatever it takes for you to recover. The point is
to recover. If doing ¼ mile intervals, unless you are an elite athlete, you don’t need more than 8-10.
Six would be fine for most people. For ½ mile intervals, aim for half of that. Run these hard and
push the pace. However, the ideal session would have your pace on your first and last intervals the
same. If you are fading in your last intervals, you are going too hard. Always leave a little gas in the
182
tank and finish felling like you could have done another one or two. VO2 max intervals are potent
medicine. You don’t need many.
Ruck: You can substitute a ruck march for the Sunday long runs. If you do, gradually increase the
load. There is no need to exceed 30% of your bodyweight on these rucks. Wear supportive shoes
and comfortable socks (no cotton!). A good pack goes a long way towards increasing comfort. Our
experience has shown that the ruck training is optional. Candidates who have followed this program
who ran on Sunday, rather than rucking, have done very well at the ruck events.
The goal of the run training program is to increase PST run fitness, while simultaneously increasing
leg durability. Ideally, you would have preceded this program with several months of nothing but
steady paced running with a consistent, slow increase in running mileage. That build up, along with
this program is ideal for improving performance and durability. An occasional run in boots and utilities
is OK but you should not do this often.
Swim Training
Swim (without fins) performance is determined primarily by swim skill, not fitness. The Naval Health
Research Center tested hundreds of Sailors and found that 500 yard swim time correlated poorly with
aerobic fitness, but was highly correlated with swim skill. The lead in period prior to this 12 week
program should consist primarily of steady paced swimming to work on swim skill. It is hard to think
about proper skill when you are gasping for breath from hard intervals. Once you begin this 12 week
program, you are working primarily on swim fitness. Basically, you are putting fitness on top of
whatever skill you built previously.
Experienced swimmers can probably skip swimming completely in the lead in period prior to this 12
week program. They already have the swim skill and this 12 week period is more than enough to get
them in top shape. For experienced swimmers, focusing on swimming in the lead in period would
provide less return on investment than focusing on strength training or running leg durability.
Swimmers typically have less leg durability due to very flexible ankles and lack of weight bearing
during swimming. Experienced swimmers may also omit 1-2 of the swim workouts per week during
the 12 week program, depending on their level of swim experience.
Swimming with fins is different. Although there is a skill component it is lower than that of swimming
without fins. Fin swimming skill develops quickly. Therefore, fast fin swimming quickly becomes
more of a fitness issue than a technique issue after a short time. For inexperienced swimmers, about
1/2 of your swimming is with fins. For more experienced swimmers, you might consider doing
most, or even all of your swimming with fins.
The optional swims are….optional. Do them if you are a novice swimmer and are recovering well
from the workouts. They can be done at a separate time of the day from the strength workouts, or
they can be done as a cool down from the strength training. Ideally they should be a separate
session though, as the fatigue from strength training can alter your swim form. It does not matter if
this swim stroke work is done before or after strength training.
Body Composition
You don't want to show up at BUD/S or a screener with excess fat. Fat is dead weight that will
decrease performance of any weight bearing activity (i.e., running, pull-ups, and obstacle course).
However, being too lean is also a liability. Some fat to draw from for energy reserves, as well as to
provide insulation from the cold is ideal. Showing up with less than 10% body fat is not advised. You
will suffer if you show up to BUD/S too lean. An ideal body fat percentage would be somewhere
around 12-14%. Slightly higher is OK. Achieving body fat goals is accomplished with a nutrition
program. Exercise is for fitness, not body composition.
183
Measuring body fat accurately is difficult. You probably will not have access to expensive technology
like hydrostatic weighing, DEXA or a Bod Pod. Skinfold calipers, circumference measurements, and
bioelectric impedance are notoriously inaccurate. You are probably going to have to estimate based
on appearance. For most people, the point at which the outline of all of the abdominals just starts to
become visible when flexed is about 12% body fat. When the abdominal muscles are visible without
flexing, body fat percentage is 10% or less. If you have "love handles" or a noticeable belly, you are
probably over 15% body fat. The goal is to get to the point where you have a flat stomach, but not so
lean that your abs are visible when not flexing. That will put you in the ballpark.
Work Capacity
Work capacity (metabolic conditioning - METCON) develops quickly. METCON is the ability to
perform a high quantity of work in a short period of time. This involves relatively light loads, but lots of
reps, with little or no rest. There is no need to do more than 12 weeks of work capacity training.
Forget about doing METCON during the lead in period. METCON interferes with strength and
hypertrophy gains. Consider a simple strength training program, along with some steady paced
running and swimming prior to starting this program. METCON workouts are very physically
demanding and will tap into your recovery reserves. Resist the temptation to do more METCON than
is prescribed in this program. It is enough. The ideal METCON session is 5-10 minutes long.
One Final Thought: Read the notes following each of the weekly workout plans. Some contain
absolutely vital information. Every single item in this program is included for a reason.
184
12 Week SEAL Screener PT Program
Week 1 & 2
Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday
Warm Up: light Run: Max sit-ups, run Warm Up: light Turkish Run: 10 min easy, 10 Warm Up: unloaded Run: Max sit-ups in 2 Run: 80 min steady (or
overhead squats, light 35 minutes steady getup (5 reps per side), min tempo, 5 min walking lunges, light min, run 40 minutes 80 min loaded ruck)
kettlebell windmill (2 goblet squat (10 reps) easy, 10 min tempo, 5 kettlebell swings, Hindu steady
rounds of 10 reps Swim: 5-10 min (Do 2 rounds of each), min easy pushups (3 rounds of Optional Swim: 5-10
each), neck bridges treading water, 200 neck bridges 10 reps each) Swim: 200 Yd easy, min treading water, 5
yard easy warm up. Swim: 5-10 min 500 Yd for time (all X 200 Yd steady pace
Strength: Superset the 5 X 200 Yd hard with Strength: Superset the treading water, 200 Yd Strength: with fins)
pull-ups and pushups 30 sec rest, 200 Yd pull-ups and dips easy, 8 X 100 Yd hard, Powerclean: 5 X 3
 Standing easy, 200 Yd hard.  Deadlifts 500 Yd easy (all with
Overhead Press 5  (week 1), 3 X 5 fins) Barbell Complex - *Optional pushup
X5 *Optional pushup (week 2) 5 X 3 Full squat clean, volume work
 Bench Press BW volume work (see  Dips 4 X 5 (loaded) *Optional pushup followed by push press
X 3 sets notes)  Pull-ups take double volume work 5 X 3 (barbell
 Pull-ups 5 X 50% your single set max complexes are done
of max reps reps and do that without putting the bar
 Pushups 5 X 50% many reps in as few down)
max reps sets as possible
 Front Squat 5 X 5  Pushups 5 X 50% of Pushups: 3 rounds of
max + 1 max set max reps, followed by
Core/Work Capacity: 50% of the # you get on
3 rounds: No rest Core/Work Capacity: the max reps set
 Heavy suitcase 3 rounds: No rest Pull-ups: Ladders until
carry: 15 seconds  Kettlebell swings: 25 you fail on a ladder (one
per arm reps round up and down)
 flutter kicks: 2  Plank 2 minutes
Core/Work Capacity:
minutes  Burpees 15
Stretch and recover
 Turkish getup: 2 OR
minutes (alternate 10 minutes of:
Optional Swim Stroke
sides)  Kettlebell swings
Work: 10-20 minutes of
and sit-ups. Do 10
easy, smooth swim
Optional Swim Stroke kettlebell swings
stroke work followed by
Work: 10-20 minutes (heavy), and then
some stretching
of easy, smooth swim finish the minute
stroke work followed with sit-ups. Repeat
by some stretching every minute for the
10 minutes.
185
Notes for week 1 and 2: Be conservative on your loading in the first week. You have plenty of time. Movement quality is essential.
Accept nothing but perfect form. This will be the key to preventing injury as you progress. You can use a dumbbell or kettlebell for the
Turkish get ups and suitcase carry. You can substitute a dumbbell or sand bag in an old duffel bag for the kettlebell exercises in this
program. You can use 1 handed kettlebell swings if you do not have access to a heavy kettlebell. Find something to anchor your feet
for the sit-ups. Bench press is optional in this program for those who can do more than 15 reps with bodyweight. For bench
presses, use bodyweight and do 3 sets, with the first 2 sets one rep shy of failure and the last set to failure. For the pull-up ladder, do 1
rep, then 2, then 3, then 4...until you fail at a rep, then go back down the ladder to 1 rep. Pick an implement for the standing overhead
press and stick with it for at least 6 weeks (i.e., barbell, kettlebell, dumbbell) and increase weight as you are able. Pick a pull-up grip for
the day and stick with it, but you may vary your pull-up grip from workout to workout. Powercleans are to be done with heavy loading.
Work your way up to heavy weight with good form. For the barbell complex, do a squat clean, then a push press, then a squat clean,
then a push press and finally another squat clean and a push press. This is 1 set of 3 reps, heavy, but with good form. You are doing 5
sets of 3 reps total. You can put the bar down between sets. No hard running during the steady runs. The point is to build leg
durability and mileage. Max sit-ups = 1 set of max sit-ups in 2 minutes. Be conservative on the loading. The optional pushup volume
work is what is often called the “grease the groove” method. This method involves doing multiple sets of submaximal volume
throughout the day. The key is to keep the sets light and easy. Never come close to failure during these sessions and spread them
throughout the day. You can add them in randomly, whenever you think about it. For example, you might add sets of 10-15 pushups
randomly throughout the day to accumulate 150-200 extra pushups. If you incorporate this optional pushup training, slowly increase
volume over time and be cautious about overworking your shoulders. Heed this advice – steer well clear of failure on each set. You
are already doing tons of pushing work with the rest of the workout. If you feel like you can do more during the first 2 weeks, great!
Don't add anything! If you have done a proper lead in to this program, you are capable of pulling off more than you can recover from.
Saturday is your first fitness test, a 500 yard swim for time. Swim hard. Never run with a ruck. For experienced swimmers, doing100%
of your swimming with fins is OK.
Overly aggressive loading and sloppy form will eventually catch up with you. Don't do it! Be smart! Any item in bold is a test.
Record the results for comparison.
186
rd
3 Week
Warm Up: light Run: Max sit-ups, Warm Up: light Turkish Run: 30 minutes Warm Up: unloaded Run: Max sit-ups in 2 Run: 85 min steady (or
overhead squats, light run 30 minutes getup (5 reps per side), steady walking lunges, light minutes, run 55 85 min loaded ruck)
kettlebell windmill (2 steady goblet squat (10 reps) kettlebell swings, Hindu minutes steady
rounds of 10 reps (Do 2 rounds of each) Swim: 5-10 min pushups (3 rounds of
each), neck bridges treading water, 200 Yd 10 reps each), neck Plyometrics: 40 box Optional Swim: 5-10
Swim: 5-10 min Unofficial Tactical easy, 8 X 100 Yd hard, bridges jumps min treading water, 5
Core/Work Capacity: treading water, 200 Screener 500 Yd easy (all with X 200 Yd steady pace
 3 rounds: No rest yard easy warm up. fins) Strength: Swim: 200 Yd easy,
 Heavy suitcase 5 X 200 Yd hard with Barbell Complex - 500 Yd for time (all
carry: 15 seconds 30 sec rest, 200 Yd Hang clean, overhead with fins)
per arm easy, 200 Yd hard. press, barbell row, stiff
 flutter kicks: 2 legged deadlift (4
minutes *Optional pushup rounds of 5 reps per *Optional pushup
 Turkish getup: 2 volume work exercise. Keep it light volume work
minutes (alternate to shake out the fatigue
sides) from Wednesday’s test)
Note: This is an easy Core/Work Capacity:

day in preparation for 10 minutes of:
testing on Kettlebell swings and
Wednesday sit-ups. Do 10 kettlebell
swings (heavy), then
Optional Swim finish the minute with
Stroke Work: 10-20 sit-ups. Repeat every
minutes of easy, minute for the 10
smooth swim stroke minutes.
work followed by
some stretching Optional Swim Stroke
easy, smooth swim
some stretching
187
Notes for week 3: We have a bit of a light day on Monday and Tuesday leading up to the Unofficial Tactical Screener on Wednesday.
The Unofficial Tactical Screener is at the end of this document. It is designed to be completed in about an hour. Then we have a
recovery day on Thursday. If you hit the PT test hard on Wednesday, you will still need to shake out some fatigue on Thursday, so that
is a bit of a lighter day as well. Then we are back to normal on Saturday and Sunday. This week also serves as a bit of a de-load.
Take the easy days whether you feel like you need them or not. We added plyometric jumps this week. Plyometrics can improve run
economy and build strength and durability in the ligaments and tendons. Do not exceed the recommended number. Pay attention to
proper landing mechanics. Pick a stable surface for the box jumps. It does not have to be very high. Most people cheat by tucking in
their knees at the top of the jump. If you don't do that, a 2 foot high surface is plenty. Higher than that will risk hitting your shins on the
platform, a very common plyometric injury. Do the plyometrics after the run. On days were you are running and swimming, you can run
and swim back to back or separate them (for example, run in the morning and swim in the afternoon). Resist the urge to do more than
is written here. You need to build up slowly. The workout volume will be significantly higher and tougher in 4 weeks. If you have been
eating poorly or not sleeping enough, you will be feeling it by now. Correct these issues now, before moving on. If you are having a
hard time recovering, you might repeat week 2 before moving on to week 4.
188
Week 4 & 5
Warm Up: light Run: Max sit-ups, Warm Up: light Curtis P Run: 10 min easy, 15 Warm Up: unloaded Run: Max sit-ups, run Run: 90 min steady (or
overhead squats, light run 45 minutes (see min tempo, 5 min walking lunges, light 50 minutes steady 90 min loaded ruck)
kettlebell windmill, steady mountainathlete.com), easy, 10 min tempo, kettlebell swings, Hindu
kettlebell swings (3 neck bridges 10 min easy pushups (3 rounds of Plyometrics: Week 4 –
rounds of 10 reps Swim: 5-10 min 10 reps each) 50 box jumps, Week 5 Optional Swim: 5-10
each), neck bridges treading water, 200 Strength: Superset Swim: 5-10 min – 40 tuck jumps min treading water, 7
yard easy warm up. pushups and dips treading water, 200 Yd Strength: X 200 Yd steady pace
Strength: Superset 5 X 200 Yd hard with  Deadlifts easy, 8 X 100 Yd hard, Powerclean: 6 X 3 Swim: 200 Yd easy,
pull-ups and pushups 30 sec rest, 200 Yd o 3 X 5 (week 4) 500 Yd easy (all with 500 Yd for time, 200
 Standing 1 Arm easy, 200 Yd hard. o 5 X 3 (week 5) fins) Barbell Complex - easy (all with fins)
Overhead Press 5  Pushups 5 X 50% + Full squat clean,
X5 *Optional pushup 1 max set followed by push press
 Bench Press BW volume work  Dips 4 X 5 (loaded, *Optional pushup 5 X 5 (barbell *Optional pushup
X 4 sets week 4), 2 ladders volume work complexes are done volume work
 Pull-ups 5 X (max up & down (week 5) without putting the bar
reps minus 2)  Pull-ups take triple down)
 Pushups 5 X 60% your single set max
max reps reps and do that Pushups: 3 rounds of –
 Back Squat 5 X 5 many reps in as few max reps, then 50%
sets as possible max reps
Core/Work Capacity: Pull-ups: Ladders until
3 rounds: No rest Core/Work Capacity: you fail on a ladder
 Heavy suitcase 3 rounds: No rest
carry: 15 seconds  Kettlebell snatch (5 Core/Work Capacity:
per arm reps each arm) Stretch and recover
 flutter kicks: 2  Dead bugs or hollow
minutes rock (hold 2 Optional Swim Stroke
 Turkish getup: 2 minutes)
 Mountain climbers easy, smooth swim
minutes (alternate
(20 three count) stroke work followed by
sides)
OR some stretching
OR
 Half bodyweight 10 minutes of:
sand bag get ups  Kettlebell swings
(as many as and sit-ups. Do 10
possible in 10 kettlebell swings
minutes) (heavy), and then
finish the minute
Optional Swim Stroke with sit-ups. Repeat
Work: 10-20 minutes every minute for the
of easy, smooth swim 10 minutes.
stroke work followed
by some stretching
189
Note for week 4 and 5: We increased the pushups, the tempo run, and the Saturday steady run as well as the Sunday swim. For
bench press use bodyweight for loading and do 4 sets, with the first 3 done one rep shy of failure and the last set to failure. Again,
bench presses are optional if you can do 15 reps with bodyweight. 3 rounds of - max reps, then 50% of max reps means that you do a
max set, then do a set of half of that number. You repeat this 3 times. You may us a dumbbell in place of the kettlebell for snatches.
As always, kettlebell swings can be done one handed if you do not have a heavy kettlebell. If you took the easy days last cycle, you
should feel really good in weeks 4 and 5. This is the critical part of the program. You must ensure that your nutrition is on and that you
are getting some extra sleep. Take a nap on Sunday. We move from the less aggressive box jumps to the more aggressive tuck
jumps for plyometrics. Practice good landing mechanics during the plyometrics. Pay attention to foot and knee position. Avoid knee
valgus (google it). For the dip workout on Wednesday, we have a different workout on week 4 and 5. Week 5 is two ladders up and
down. To do this you start with 1 rep, then 2, then 3 etc until you hit failure. Then you reduce the number of reps by 1, each set until
you get to 1. That is one trip up and down the ladder. Do two trips.
190
Week 6
Warm Up: light Run: Max sit-ups, Warm Up: barbell Run: 10 min easy, 15 Warm Up: unloaded Run: Max sit-ups, run Run: 90 min steady (or
overhead squats, light run 50 minutes complex - light weight, min tempo, 5 min walking lunges, light 55 minutes steady 90 min loaded ruck)
kettlebell swings (3 steady clean, front squat, easy, 15 min tempo, kettlebell swings, Hindu
rounds of 10 reps overhead press, row. 3 10 min easy pushups (3 rounds of Plyometrics: 40 tuck
each), neck bridges Swim: 5-10 min rounds of 5 reps., neck 10 reps each) jumps, 5 X 50 yard Optional Swim: 5-10
treading water, 200 bridges Swim: 5-10 min sprints min treading water, 7
Strength: yard easy warm up. treading water, 200 Yd Strength: X 200 Yd steady pace
 Work up to 3 rep 5 X 200 Yd hard with Strength: Superset easy, 8 X 100 Yd hard,  Barbell Complex - Swim: 200 Yd easy,
max standing 30 sec rest, 200 Yd pushups and dips 500 Yd easy (all with Curtis P (clean, 500 Yd for time, 200
overhead press easy, 200 Yd hard.  Kettlebell swings 3 fins) lunge, push press) Yd easy (all with fins)
Note: 1 rep max is X 15 (or stiff legged 15 X 1
estimated by dividing *Optional pushup deadlifts)
3 rep max weigh by volume work  Pushups 5 X 50% + *Optional pushup *Optional pushup
.93 1 max set volume work volume work
 Test max pull  Dips 4 X 8 (loaded) Dumbbell or
ups  Pull-ups take triple
kettlebell snatch
 Split squats 5 X 5 your single set max
 Bench Press 3 X reps and do that 6X2
bodyweight many reps in as few
 Push-ups 5 X 60% sets as possible
max
Core/Work Capacity:  Pushups: 4 rounds
Core/Work Capacity: 3 rounds: No rest of -max reps then
 Car push: push 30  Kettlebell or 50% max reps
seconds, rest 30 dumbbell snatch (5
seconds for 10 reps each arm) Pull-ups: Max set,
minutes  Dead bugs (hold 2 followed by 2 reps
OR minutes) every 20 seconds until
 Half bodyweight  Mountain climbers you fail to get 2 clean
sand bag get ups (20 three count) reps.
(as many as OR
possible in 10 10 minutes of: Core/Work Capacity:
minutes) If no  Kettlebell swings Stretch and recover
sandbag, and sit-ups. Do 10
substitute Turkish kettlebell swings Optional Swim Stroke
getup. (heavy), then finish Work: 10-20 minutes of
the minute with sit- easy, smooth swim
Optional Swim Stroke ups. Repeat every stroke work followed by
Work: 10-20 minutes minute for the 10 some stretching
of easy, smooth swim minutes.
by some stretching
191
Notes for week 6: We are testing for 3 rep max on our 3 benchmark upper body push exercise. Standing overhead presses should be
done with the abs tight and knees locked out. No pushing with the lower body. We are adding some pull-ups this week, and trying a
different pull-up workout on Friday. It should be tough. If you do the car push, you obviously need somebody to steer the car. Don’t do
that by yourself! The barbell complex on Thursday is called “Curtis P” (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uLff8fhPIQg). Do this as a
series of single reps. Put the bar down after each rep. For Friday’s pushup workout perform as 4 rounds. Each round is a max set (to
failure), then a 30 second rest followed by 50% of the number you got on the max set. This number should be less for both sets each
round. Half way through. Get some sleep!
This is about the point that people are tempted to get too aggressive with loading and compromise technique. Don't wreck
everything you have worked for with a foolish choice. Be patient.
192
Week 7
Warm Up: Goblet Run: Max sit-ups, Warm Up: light Turkish Run: run 30 minutes Warm Up: unloaded Run: Run: 20 min Run: 90 min steady (or
squats, Turkish run 30 minutes getup (5 reps per side), steady walking lunges, light easy, 6 X 1/4 mile hard 90 min loaded ruck)
getups (3 rounds of steady goblet squat (10 reps) kettlebell swings, Hindu with a 1/1 work/rest
15 reps each), neck (Do 2 rounds of each), Swim: 5-10 min pushups (3 rounds of ratio. Last interval
bridges Swim: 5-10 min neck bridges treading water, 200 Yd 10 reps each) should be as fast as Optional Swim: 5-10
treading water, 200 easy, 10 X 100 Yd the first., then 5 min min treading water, 7
Core/Work Capacity: yard easy warm up. Unofficial Tactical hard, 500 Yd easy (all Strength: easy X 200 Yd steady pace
10 minutes of: 6 X 200 Yd hard with Screener with fins) Powerclean: 5 X 2
 Kettlebell swings 30 sec rest, 200 Yd Swim: 200 Yd easy,
and sit-ups. Do easy, 200 Yd hard. Barbell Complex - 500 Yd for time, 200
10 kettlebell Plyometrics: 30 knee Hang clean, overhead easy (all with fins)
swings (heavy), *Optional pushup tucks, 20 lateral press, barbell row, stiff
then finish the volume work bounds (per leg). legged deadlift (4
minute with sit- rounds of 5 reps per *Optional pushup
ups. Repeat exercise. Keep it light volume work
every minute for to shake out the fatigue
the 10 minutes. from Wednesday’s test)
Optional Swim Core/Work Capacity:

Stroke Work: 10-20 10 minutes of:
minutes of easy, Kettlebell swings and
smooth swim stroke sit-ups. Do 10 kettlebell
work followed by swings (heavy), then
some stretching finish the minute with
sit-ups. Repeat every
minute for the 10
minutes.

easy, smooth swim
some stretching
193
Notes for week 7: Unofficial Tactical Screener this week. Take the light days.You need the recovery. The whole point of this week is
to do well on the Unofficial Tactical Screener. The TAP test alone is enough workout for the whole week. We started run interval
training on Saturday. These are not all out intervals. They are done at slightly faster than your 1.5 mile PRT run race pace. Your last
interval should be as fast as your first. 1/1 work to rest ratio means that you rest as long as the run interval. What do you do for the
rest interval? Rest! Walk it off and catch your breath. Take a nap on the shorter days this week. You will need it! On Thursday, do
the plyometrics after the swim.
194
Week 8
Warm Up: light Run: Max sit-ups, Warm Up: light Turkish Run: 20 minutes Warm Up: unloaded Run: 20 minutes Run: 60 min steady (or
overhead squats, light run 20 minutes getup (5 reps per side), steady walking lunges, light steady 60 min loaded ruck)
kettlebell windmill (2 steady goblet squat (10 reps) kettlebell swings, Hindu
rounds of 10 reps (Do 2 rounds of each), Swim: 5-10 min pushups (3 rounds of
each), neck bridges Sprints – 5 X 50 neck bridges treading water, 200 Yd 10 reps each) Swim: 200 Yd easy, Optional Swim: 5-10
easy, 8 X 100 Yd hard, 500 Yd for time, 200 min treading water, 8
Strength: Superset Swim: 5-10 min Strength: Superset 500 Yd easy (all with Strength: easy (all with fins) X 200 Yd steady pace
pull-ups and pushups treading water, 200 pushups and dips fins) Barbell Complex -
 Push Press 5 X 5 yard easy warm up.  Work up to 3 rep Full squat clean,
 Bench Press 3 X 5 X 200 Yd hard with max deadlift followed by push press *Optional pushup
bodyweight 30 sec rest, 200 Yd  Pushups 5 X 50% + Plyometrics: Double 5 X 6 (barbell volume work
 Pull-ups 5 X max easy, 200 Yd hard. 1 max set leg hop front – 35, complexes are done
reps - 2  Dips 5 X 3 (loaded) Double leg hop side – without putting the bar
 Pushups 5 X 65% *Optional pushup  Pull-ups take triple 20 each side. down)
max reps volume work your single set max
 Lunges 5 X 5 reps and do that *Optional pushup Jump squats - 15 X 1
many reps in as few volume work
Core/Work Capacity: sets as possible Pushups: 5 rounds of –
3 rounds: No rest max reps, then 50%
 Heavy suitcase Core/Work Capacity: max reps
carry: 15 seconds 3 rounds: No rest Pull-ups: Max set, rest 1
per arm  Kettlebell swings: 25 minute, then do 2 reps
 flutter kicks: 2 reps every 20 seconds until
minutes  Plank 2 minutes you fail to get 2 clean
 Burpees 15 reps.
 Turkish getup: 2
minutes (alternate OR
10 minutes of: Core/Work Capacity:
sides)
Stretch and recover
 Kettlebell swings
Optional Swim Stroke and sit-ups. Do 10
Work: 10-20 minutes kettlebell swings
of easy, smooth swim (heavy), then finish
easy, smooth swim
stroke work followed the minute with sit-
by some stretching ups. Repeat every
some stretching
minute for the 10
minutes.
195
Notes for week 8: We backed off on the runs this week to provide a bit of a de-load. Take the easy week. This is a strategic de-load
that will pay off in the next couple of weeks. No hard running this week! We also added sprint training. Take what recovery you need
after each 50 yard sprint. Keep the speed high. On Tuesday, do the sprints after the run or warm up thoroughly prior to the sprints.
The jump squats on Thursday are done with a lightly loaded barbell. You should use approximately 25% of your max barbell squat.
Simply squat down and jump as high as you can. Rest a few seconds (10-15) and do it again. Make sure you land properly and
execute excellent form. Try to get some extra sleep this week. Check your weight. If you had a weight loss goal, make sure that you
are not dropping weight too rapidly. If you did not have a weight loss goal and you are losing weight, you need to eat more! You
should be trying to get as much sleep as possible. This is the tough part of the program. If you are experiencing lots of fatigue, you
may eliminate two days of workouts this week, but only if you use that time to get extra sleep. If you are feeling fine, push through.
196
Week 9
Warm Up: light Run: Max sit-ups, Warm Up: light Turkish Run: 10 min easy, 15 Warm Up: unloaded Run: 10 min easy, 5 X Run: 90 min steady (or
overhead squats, light run 1 hour steady getup (5 reps per side), min tempo, 10 min walking lunges, light 1/2 mile hard with a 90 min loaded ruck)
kettlebell windmill (2 goblet squat (10 reps) easy, 15 min tempo, kettlebell swings, Hindu 1/1 work/rest ratio.
rounds of 10 reps Sprints: 5 X 50, 3 X (Do 2 rounds of each), 20 min easy pushups (3 rounds of Last interval should be
each), neck bridges 15 neck bridges 10 reps each) as fast as the first., Optional Swim: 5-10
Swim: 5-10 min then 5 min easy min treading water, 5
Strength: Superset Swim: 5-10 min Strength: Superset treading water, 200 Yd Strength: X 200 Yd steady pace
pull-ups and pushups treading water, 200 pushups and dips easy, 8 X 100 Yd hard, Barbell Complex - Swim: 200 Yd easy,
 Standing yard easy warm up.  Deadlifts 3 X 10 500 Yd easy (all with Curtis P – 20 X 1 500 Yd for time, 200
Overhead Press 5 5 X 200 Yd hard with  Pushups 5 X 50% + fins) easy (all with fins)
X5 30 sec rest, 200 Yd 1 max set Dumbbell or kettlebell
 Pull-ups test of easy, 200 Yd hard.  Dips 5 X 3 (loaded) snatch 10 X 2
max reps  Pull-ups take triple Plyometrics: Double *Optional pushup
 Pushups test of *Optional pushup your single set max leg hop front – 40, Pushups: 3 rounds of volume work
max reps volume work reps and do that Double leg hop side – max reps, followed by
 Bench Press 3X many reps in as few 20 each side. 50% of the # you get on
bodyweight sets as possible each max reps set
 2 sets of 50% max *Optional pushup Pull-ups: Ladders
reps of pull-ups Core/Work Capacity: volume work
and pushups 3 rounds: No rest Core/Work Capacity:
 Front Squat 5 X 5  Kettlebell swings: 25 Stretch and recover
reps
Core/Work Capacity:  Plank 2 minutes Optional Swim Stroke
3 rounds: No rest  Burpees 15 Work: 10-20 minutes of
 Heavy suitcase OR easy, smooth swim
carry: 15 seconds 10 minutes of: stroke work followed by
some stretching
per arm  Kettlebell swings
 flutter kicks: 2 and sit-ups. Do 10
minutes kettlebell swings
 Turkish getup: 2 (heavy), then finish
minutes (alternate the minute with sit-
sides) ups. Repeat every
minute for the 10
Optional Swim Stroke minutes.
Work: 10-20 minutes
of easy, smooth swim
by some stretching
197
Notes for week 9: For Friday’s pushup workout, do a max set, rest, then do 50% of that number for a second set. Do this for 3 rounds.
By this point you should be absorbing the workouts fine and you should feel ready for each day’s training session. If not, you need to
look at your sleep patterns and nutrition. You should have seen a significant increase in your basic strength lifts by now and your
steady run pace should be faster at the same heart rate. You should also be significantly faster on your 500 yard swim. If you are
using rucks on Sunday, you should be increasing the weight that you carry. If you are starting to develop any aches or pains, address
them immediately. Take a day off or cut back on loading or intensity. The most important goal of Point B was to be uninjured.
198
Week 10
Warm Up: light Run: Max sit-ups, run Warm Up: light Curtis P Run: 10 min easy, 15 Warm Up: unloaded Run: 10 min easy, 4 X Run: 90 min steady (or
overhead squats, light 1 hour steady (see min tempo, 5 min walking lunges, light ¾ mile hard with a 3 90 min loaded ruck)
kettlebell windmill, mountainathlete.com), easy, 15 min tempo, kettlebell swings, Hindu min rest. Last interval
kettlebell swings (3 Sprints: 5 X 50, 5 X neck bridges 10 min easy pushups (3 rounds of should be as fast as
rounds of 10 reps 15 10 reps each) the first., then 10 min Optional Swim: 5-10
each), neck bridges Strength: Superset Swim: 5-10 min easy min treading water, 7
Swim: 5-10 min pushups and dips treading water, 200 Yd Strength: X 200 Yd steady pace
Strength: treading water, 200  Deadlifts 5 X 3 easy, 8 X 100 Yd hard, Powerclean: 7 X 2 Swim: 200 Yd easy,
 Standing Bar yard easy warm up.  Pushups 5 X 50% + 500 Yd easy (all with 500 Yd for time, 200
Overhead Press 5 5 X 200 Yd hard with 1 max set fins) Barbell Complex - easy (all with fins)
X5 30 sec rest, 200 Yd  Dips 4 X 8 (loaded) Full squat clean,
 Bench Press 4 X easy, 200 Yd hard.  Pull-ups take double followed by push press
bodyweight your single set max Plyometrics: Double 8 X 3 (barbell *Optional pushup
 Pull-ups 5 X (max *Optional pushup reps and do that leg hop front – 40, complexes are done volume work
reps minus 2) volume work many reps in as few Double leg hop side – without putting the bar
 Pushups 5 X 60% sets as possible 20 each side. down)
max reps
Superset the pull- Core/Work Capacity: *Optional pushup
ups and pushups 3 rounds: No rest volume work Pushups: 3 rounds of
 Back Squat 5 X 5  Kettlebell snatch (5 max reps, followed by
reps each arm) 50% of the # you get on
Core/Work Capacity:  Dead bugs (hold 2 the max reps set
3 rounds: No rest minutes) Pull-ups: Ladders until
 Heavy suitcase  Mountain climbers you fail on a ladder
carry: 15 seconds (20 three count)
per arm OR Core/Work Capacity:
 flutter kicks: 2 10 minutes of: Stretch and recover
minutes  Kettlebell swings
 Turkish getup: 2 and sit-ups. Do 10
minutes (alternate kettlebell swings
easy, smooth swim
sides) (heavy), and then
OR finish the minute
some stretching
 Half bodyweight with sit-ups. Repeat
sand bag get ups every minute for the
(as many as 10 minutes
possible in 10
minutes)

Work: 10-20 minutes
of easy, smooth swim
by some stretching
199
Note: Notice that the run interval duration on Saturday is increasing. We are slowly increasing the amount of time you spend at VO2
max intensity without rest, and we are giving you longer intervals to work on pacing. If things are going well, you should be holding
nearly the same pace on your 3/4 mile intervals as your 1/4 mile intervals. After the end of the week, take a look back at your training
log and compare repetitions and weight across the first 10 weeks. You should have seen a steady increase. You are keeping a log,
right?
200
Week 11
Warm Up: light Run: Max sit-ups, Warm Up: light Turkish Run: 30 minutes Warm Up: unloaded Run: 60 minutes Run: 90 min steady (or
overhead squats, light run 30 minutes getup (5 reps per side), steady walking lunges, light steady or easy 90 min loaded ruck)
kettlebell windmill (2 steady goblet squat (10 reps) kettlebell swings, Hindu
rounds of 10 reps (Do 2 rounds of each) Swim: 5-10 min pushups (3 rounds of Plyometrics: Heiden
each) Swim: 5-10 min treading water, 200 Yd 10 reps each) Hop (Google it) – 20 Optional Swim: 5-10
treading water, 200 Unofficial Tactical easy, 8 X 100 Yd hard, per leg, front hop - 40 min treading water, 5
Core/Work Capacity: yard easy warm up. Screener 500 Yd easy (all with Strength: X 200 Yd steady pace
 3 rounds: No rest 5 X 200 Yd hard with fins) Barbell Complex - Swim: 200 Yd easy,
 Heavy suitcase 30 sec rest, 200 Yd Hang clean, overhead 500 Yd for time, 200
carry: 15 seconds easy, 200 Yd hard. press, barbell row, stiff easy (all with fins)
per arm legged deadlift (4
 flutter kicks: 2 *Optional pushup rounds of 5 reps per
minutes volume work exercise. Keep it light *Optional pushup
 Turkish getup: 2 to shake out the fatigue volume work
minutes (alternate from Wednesday’s test)
sides)
Core/Work Capacity:
Note: This is an easy 10 minutes of:
day in preparation for Kettlebell swings and
testing on sit-ups. Do 10 kettlebell
Wednesday swings (heavy), then
finish the minute with
Optional Swim sit-ups. Repeat every
Stroke Work: 10-20 minute for the 10
minutes of easy, minutes.
smooth swim stroke
work followed by Optional Swim Stroke
some stretching Work: 10-20 minutes of
easy, smooth swim
some stretching
201
Notes for week 11: This is another testing week. Do it as prescribed. For the barbell complex, do 5 repetitions of hang clean, then 5
repetitions of overhead press etc.... When complete with each exercise, you will have done one round. You are doing 4 rounds.
Notice that we are still swimming hard during these test weeks. Swimming has a much lower recovery cost. One week left! Get some
sleep.
202
Week 12
Warm Up: light Run: Max sit-ups, Swim: 200 easy, 500 Run: 20 minutes
overhead squats, light run 45 minutes steady steady
kettlebell swings (3 steady The only easy day was
rounds of 10 reps Nap Nap yesterday! ; )
each)
Swim: 5-10 min *Optional pushup *Optional pushup
Strength: treading water, 200 volume work volume work
 Work up to 3 rep yard easy warm up.
max standing 5 X 200 Yd hard with
overhead press 30 sec rest, 200 Yd
 Work up to 3 rep easy, 200 Yd hard.
max deadlift
 Note: 1 rep max is Nap
estimated by
dividing 3 rep max
weigh by .93
 Test max pull
ups
 Bench Press
bodyweight for
max reps
Core/Work Capacity:
 Car push: push 30
seconds, rest 30
seconds for 10
minutes
OR
 Half bodyweight
sand bag get ups
(as many as
possible in 10
minutes) If no
sandbag,
substitute Turkish
getup (35-50 lbs).
203
Note: This schedule assumes a Friday evening start for the screener or Monday following this week leaving for BUD/S. Try not to skip
the naps.
If you are using this as a BUD/S build up, skip everything after Monday. You could even put in an additional down week with no
negative impact on your fitness at all. This is the approach athletes use to taper for a big race or event. After 12 weeks of hard
training, the taper week will improve your fitness by reducing your built up fatigue. Athletes normally bounce back from taper week
(easy week) feeling really good and with improved performance. That is the effect we are looking for. You want to show up fit, but well
rested and recovered. The worst thing you could do is show up tired and over trained. Take the down time.
Remember; you did the training. You are ready.
204
Unofficial Tactical Screener
This test was modified from the Rob Shaul’s “Operator Ugly” fitness test. Rob took the
approach of using fixed weight and scores based on bodyweight. In this modification,
we use bodyweight and multiples of bodyweight for load, so scores can be compared
directly, regardless of weight. It is a complete test of physical strength, speed, stamina,
endurance and mental toughness. A high score indicates a broad base of physical
ability that is applicable to the rigors of combat. This is an unofficial screener designed
as a self-assessment and is not an official screener for any particular MOS or school.
*Rob is brilliant at program design. Visit his sites at www.mountainathlete.com and

http://strongswiftdurable.com/ .
Warm up:
4 Rounds, light weight

Kettlebell (or dumbbell) swing X 10
Pushup X 10
Goblet Squat X 10
Test: The whole test should be completed in one hour. Work thorough it methodically.
When you finish one test, take a minute or two then set up for the next and execute right
away.
(note: For the loaded events, round up to the nearest 5 pounds)
(1) Max Reps Standing Overhead Press @ 70% bodyweight (men), 45%
bodyweight (women),
Protocol: Do two light warm up sets. Then do as many reps as possible with the
assigned weight. You must remain upright, with no excessive body lean. Also, your
knees must be locked to prevent using your legs. This is a strict press. You can rest
with the bar on your chest.
(2) Max Reps Front Squat @ bodyweight (men), 80% bodyweight (women)
Protocol: Do two warm up sets. Then do as many reps as possible with your target
weight. You can "rest" in the standing position, holding the barbell on your chest in the
"rack" position. The athlete must lower the barbell until his thighs are at parallel or
below. If you have a dynamax medicine ball, place it below the athlete, and have him
touch the ball with is butt for the "bottom" position. The top of the range of motion is
standing with the hips locked out at full extension. The athlete may hold the barbell on
his chest which his hands and arms in the "clean" position, or crossed in the "body
building" front squat position. Clean position is preferred, but not required.
205
(3) Max Reps Dead Stop Dead Lift @ 120% bodyweight (men), bodyweight
(women) in 60 seconds
Protocol: Do two warm up sets. Then do as many reps as possible in 60 seconds with
the target weight. NOTE THAT THESE ARE DEAD STOP DEAD LIFTS - NO
BOUNCING! The barbell must stop completely on the floor after each rep. Watch the
clock, and when the second hand hits 60 seconds, stop.
Range of motion starts with the barbell resting on the floor and ends at the top of the lift
with the hips fully extended. The athlete may rest by setting the barbell on the floor and
standing up without it.
Safety - Each athlete is responsible for his safety and proper lifting technique. If you feel
your lower back beginning to "break” or buckle, I strongly advise you set the barbell
down and rest before attempting another rep. However, a full range of motion
determines whether or not a rep counts. "Ugly" dead lifts count, but expect to have a
very sore lower back the next day.
(4) 4 Rounds for total Reps
60 second 25m sprint 60 second rest Protocol: Each full length counts as 1 rep. Each
full round trip counts as 2 reps. No partials! The athlete has to sprint a full length to get
the point for the rep. Even just a step or two from finishing the last rep does not count.
(5) Max Strict Pull Ups
Protocol: These are dead hang and strict, chin above bar pull ups. No kipping, no
chicken necking, no bullshit. The athlete can "rest" while hanging on the bar with both
hands in the bottom position. There is no set warm up for this test. The athlete may do a
couple warm up pull ups if he likes. I would not recommend it though.
(6) Half bodyweight (men) and (women) Sandbag Get up, max reps in 10 minutes
Protocol: Start standing with the sandbag on one shoulder (a sea bag with heavy duty
trash bags of sand, duct taped closed). Lay all the way down, then "get up" any way you
want. The "finish" position is full sanding position, knees and hips at full extension, feet
shoulder width apart. The athlete may or may not switch shoulders with the sandbag as
he wishes. I switched shoulders every 5 reps to help me keep count. Do as many reps
as you can in 10 minutes.
(7) 3 Mile Run wearing Body Armor or 25# Weight Vest within 30 minutes.
Protocol: Start within 10 minutes of finishing the Sandbag Getups. Time the run.
206
SCORING: Here's an example of how to score the
test:
Overhead Press reps x1
Front Squat reps x1 Overhead Press - 10 reps = 10 points
Dead Lift reps x1 Front Squat - 10 reps = 10 points
Sprints x1 Dead Lift - 18 reps = 18 points
Strict Pull ups x1 Sprints - 36 total = 36 points
SBGU /2. Pull ups - 18 reps = 18 points
3 Mile Run: 30 min = 5 points, 5 points for SBGU - 52 reps/2 = 26 points
each minute under 30, subtract 5 points for 3 Mile Run – 29 minutes = 10 points
each minute over 30
TOTAL: 10+10+18+36+18+26+10 = 128
points
SCORING STANDARDS
Minimum passing score is 105
For male and female athletes: 115 is a respectable score, 125 is a good score, 135+ is
a great score.
207
About the Author
Mike Prevost earned a PhD in exercise physiology from Louisiana State University in
1995. He specialized in muscle physiology and metabolism. Throughout his college
years (10 years total) he worked as a personal trainer and coach in various gyms and
fitness centers. He has trained athletes for many different sports including triathlon,
ultra-running, surfing, power lifting, bodybuilding, mixed martial arts, football, basketball
and more. After finishing his PhD, he took a commission in the U. S. Navy as an
Aerospace Physiologist in the Navy Medical Service Corps. While serving in the Navy
he developed human performance training material for the U. S. Special Operations
Command. He developed new fitness standards for Navy rescue swimmers. He
served as a consultant to the USMC in evaluating the safety of the USMC Combat
Fitness Test. He also served on a Navy committee tasked with proposing alternatives
to the Navy physical fitness test. He trained thousands of aviators and aircrew on
survival techniques, physiology, and human performance. He also served as the
Director of the Human Performance Laboratory at the U. S. Naval Academy, where he
performed physiological testing of athletes to improve performance, developed the
Principles of Strength and Conditioning Course for all Midshipmen, and served as the
director of remedial fitness training programs. He has over 25 years of experience in
working with athletes.
208

Built To Endure3

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Built To Endure3

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Built to Endure

Training the Tactical Athlete

Training Philosophy: Einstein said, “Everything should be made as simple as

Other sources of information: My go to sources of information are many but here

The Respiratory System

Respiratory Muscle Training

Respiratory muscle training involves breathing against some type of resistance by

Respiratory Muscle Training in Healthy Humans: Resolving the Controversy,

The Cardiovascular System

Endurance or aerobic training can produce substantial changes in the cardiovascular

The ability to deliver sufficient oxygenated blood to working muscles is a primary

Body Weight 210 175

VO2 max 55 ml/kg/min 64 ml/kg/min

What is My VO2 Max?

A thorough review of the scientific research concerning the use of mathematical

Eccentric Muscle Contractions the Key to Growth and Strength?

Hypertrophy of Slow Twitch Fibers

The Metabolic System

1. 20g per day for 6 days, repeated every month

Although adaptations to the cardiorespiratory system contribute to fitness, a large

Change in peak torque following training at fast VS slow velocity

Effect of isometric contraction training at 3 different joint angles

Fitness Element Specificity Issues

Power Very mode specific

Strength Some transfer to similar movements

Muscular Endurance Some transfer to similar movements, but little

Aerobic Endurance (>30 min) Very mode specific

Flexibility Entirely muscle/mode specific

Muscular endurance: Muscular endurance is the ability to perform repeated

Aerobic endurance: Aerobic endurance is the ability to continue low intensity

Flexibility: Flexibility is the ability to move a muscle/joint through a full range of

1. Training induced alterations in the in vivo force velocity relationship of human

4. An excellent collection of research summaries on specificity can be found on the

5. The Effect of Two Days of Velocity-Specific Isokinetic Training on Torque

6. Essentials of Exercise Physiology, Second Edition, McArdle, W.D., Katch,

7. Physical Fitness of US Navy Special Forces Team Members and Trainees,

8. Essentials of Exercise Physiology, Second Edition, McArdle, W.D., Katch,

9. Essentials of Exercise Physiology, Second Edition, McArdle, W.D., Katch,

Heart rate change from pre-trained to trained (notional example)

Run Speed VS Heart Rate

Norwegian Olympic Federation Intensity Zones

1 60-72 1-6 h 8:00

2 72-82 1-3 h 7:33

3 82-87 50-90 min 7:14

4 88-92 30-60 min 6:55

5 93-100 15-30 min 6:00

Training elite and advanced endurance athletes

Zone % of Training Volume

Zone % of Training Volume

Zone % of Training Volume

4. So, how should I manage this until I heat acclimatize?

Training the novice/intermediate endurance

Treadmill Vs Outdoor Running

Notional Improvement with Weekly Running Mileage

Phase 1 Training Distribution

Phase 2 Training Distribution

Phase 3 Training Distribution

2 months 2 months 1 month 6 weeks 6 weeks

3 3 3 3 6 6 6 6 6 :20 6 6 7 :20 7 :30 :20 :30 10 8X1/4M

S=steady, T=tempo, V=VO2 max, R=Race. :20 = 20 minutes of tempo (i.e., 2 X 10

Novice Runners and the Minimum Effective Dose

Going Long: why it is ok to break up your long run

Lactate Steady States at 6 Run Paces