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Tactical Barbell: Definitive Strength Training for the Operational Athlete?
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> Another thing: is "Incorporating Deadlifts" supposed to be somewhere in the book?
Yep, got the whole Chapter 13, (starts on page 83), dedicated to it.
> Seems like that's yet another difference between our versions.
Make sure this is the one you have:
Tactical Barbell: Definitive Strength Training for the Operational Athlete, 3rd Edition
I guess its really more of a methodology than a program, because it kinda just teaches you how to make your own program with certain goals in mind. https://www.amazon.com/Tactical-Barbell-Definitive-Strength-Operational-ebook/dp/B01G195QU2 I bought this ebook and really the only one you need. I bought the conditioning one too but its not as necessary. Didnt get as much out of it
https://www.amazon.com/Tactical-Barbell-Definitive-Strength-Operational-ebook/dp/B01G195QU2
r/tacticalbarbell
great, simple program and templates. They have a specific template, The Fighter, that was made for people focusing on combat sports that still want to strength train. Great sub, too
You might like the book Tactical Barbell, which provides several templates for lifting while still leaving enough room and energy for your 'main activity', climbing in this case.
I haven't tried it myself yet, as I'm completely new to weight lifting (I have only done bodyweight strength training), but I read about a climber who used the 'fighter' template, which is the most minimalistic one, in addition to climbing. I read the book and I'm considering to give it a go myself.
Cool, I'll try to read both Bechtel articles this evening and try to construct some kind of a routine after that. Of course I still might return to this thread with new questions, but these articles really seem to be a goldmine of information.
I heard about the campus board being a dangerous one, so I kept my distance so far. I'll look up the Simple & Sinister program; I've been looking for such 'supplementary' programs and also read some good things about Tactical Barbell, although I'm not sure whether many climbers have tried it out yet (I think someone on this Reddit metioned it though, using the 'Fighter Template' from the book).
Thanks for all the help, I really appreciate it.
I was in your exact situation, except it was the time between two jobs. I did the effortless superhuman program in Tim Ferris' 4 hour body 3 days a week and did treadmill sprints for 20 minutes the other 2 days. I definitely got stronger doing it.
If I was doing it again, I'd do Tactical Barbell. Its a similar program in that it is minimalist with a focus on lower rep compound exercises, but has a better programing structure in my opinion. It was designed for military people who had a strength need, but had other demands on their time and conditioning. I ran 2, 6 weeks cycles during a cut and still got stronger.
You could either do 3 exercise clusters (say Squats, Bench and pull-ups) 3 days a week, or two exercise clusters twice a week for 4 days lifting and do cardio on the other days. Feel free to ask any follow-up questions
Tactical Barbell is king in this category imo. It's strength & conditioning for military operators, cross-training athletes and the like. Combines simple undulating periodised strength templates with a structured approach to conditioning which includes aerobic base building, strength-endurance, work capacity and HIIT.
TB1 = strength book (covers max-strength + strength-endurance)
TB2 = conditioning (cardio, energy systems, base-building)
https://www.amazon.com/Tactical-Barbell-Definitive-Strength-Operational-ebook/dp/B01G195QU2
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0143HDCWS/ref=series_dp_aw_ca_2
Buy them. Read them. Utilize the information.
I’m in Canada and bought Forever. Yea it was like $100 total. Worth it though. However, if you want a book on conditioning and pairing it with weight training I’d look at the tactical barbell books. Book 1 is about weight training but Book 2 is all about conditioning. You can get the ebooks pretty cheap on Amazon.
I sound like a shill but check out Tactical Barbell, books 1 and 2. I can't find the exact comment now but a Marathon runner on the army sub (which btw, has much more running advice than this sub; so I'd look into it) recommended. Boils down to lifting 2-3 times a week and conditioning 3-4 times a week; but there's a lot to it and I don't want to just give it all away in a Reddit post. Definitely worth the like $10 a pop.
Your current starting point changes where you start (who'da thunk), so if you're starting from absolute zero I'd start with C25K like the other guy recommended. After finishing that I'd recommend picking up Build Your Running Body. It pretty much touches on everything; though I'd recommend getting the physical version instead of the kindle version. If money's tight; I'd get TB over BYRB. BYRB didn't tell me much that I didn't learn just from searching online for free; but it's nice having everything in one place, and I would recommend picking it up eventually.
Kind of a TL;DR on running is:
- Build distance/endurance before speed.
- Don't advance so quickly you injure yourself.
- Endurance work is running for time/distance; at a certain pace or a certain Heart Rate. In general you should be running at a pace that you can comfortably have a conversation. This was barely more than a walk when I started.
- Speed work is mostly sprints. 30/60's or 60/120's (run/walk in seconds), 200/400/600m resets, fartleks.
- Stretch post-workout.
- After changing your training, you're supposed to roll with it for several weeks as your body adapts to it, before you further change your plan.
Since you're 2 years out; I'd train for 5K/10K over just your 1.5mile; at least until you're 4-6 months out from your ship date. So some of your bigger goals might be something like:
1: Running 5k 3x a week.
2: Completing a 5K in <30 minutes at race pace.
3: Completing a 5K in <20 minutes at race pace.
Tactical Barbell: Definitive Strength Training for the Operational Athlete https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01G195QU2?ref_=cm_sw_r_apann_dp_KVMXCE547JWF3Y67GBF5 this is the one I have. 3rd edition, green protocol I have not read yet.
There's a subreddit on here too. r/tacticalbarbell. The books are not expensive, but that one covers the lifting aspects.
Former military guy here (Army). I've got a bunch of injuries/issues because of my service and what not so it really depends on your goals!
Outside of the mat, I do a lot of physical therapy/rehab exercises both as a warm up and as a workout to address the muscular imbalances/service-related injuries. This is mostly so that I can be as pain-free as possible and keep training and stay on the mats.
In terms of exercises, equipment, etc... I do a lot of single hand club work which I have found to be phenomenal for grip strength and muscular endurance and general rotational strength, mace work with emphasis on anti-rotation and shoulder health. Then I mix in tabata sprints on a indoor bike, kettlebells and barbells for legs/squat variations.
I found this youtube clip to be particularly enlightening - https://youtu.be/7EHeHaUcn9A
As an older slightly broken athlete, I have found high volume lighter weight to be more effective for my longevity and overall mat strength. That being said, periodization is key if you are training for performance and competition.
I also have found tactical barbell to be particularly effective for a training structure and it certainly helps any military/tactical training you might need to do (not knowing your MOS). (https://www.amazon.com/Tactical-Barbell-Definitive-Strength-Operational-ebook/dp/B01G195QU2)
Fighter template is a strength template, so you want the strength book, which is TB1 (currently 3rd Edition).
Off season I lift 3 days a week: squat, overhead press, rows or dead lift on each those three days. I do short high intensity cardio 1-2 days a week (sometimes on my own, sometimes at a boxing class) and endurance cardio 1-2 days a week, usually hiking with weight or backcountry skiing. If the weather is crap I will do step ups inside as I don't have access to a rower or treadmill. I do yoga once a week for 20-60 minutes. I'm a bit flexible with all this so I can make time for skiing or doing things with friends or if work gets in the way but that's my general schedule.
In season I try to lift 2 days a week, but at my current station I don't have a gym so I've been doing bodyweight exercises. I will do high intensity or slow "recovery" cardio during the work week depending on how physical we are on the job. If we have a really demanding day I will usually just stretch or do yoga, so I end up doing yoga 2-3 days a week usually. Sometimes I just fall asleep right after dinner though haha.
For lifting and conditioning work I have been following templates from the books "Tactical Barbell: Definitive Strength Training for the Operational Athlete" and Tactical Barbell 2: Conditioning. It is geared towards military and first responders but I think the jack of all trades approach to fitness outlined in these books is good for trail work too. A lot of the programming assumes that you have a physical job and can't be going all out in the gym everyday so I find that is useful in season especially, but also off season when I want to balance training with fun physical activities like skiing. Tactical Barbell assumes you have some familiarity with barbell based weight training or kettlebells, so if you don't have experience with those tools it would be less useful but you can still adapt a lot of the programming to bodyweight or using dumbbells/sandbags/whatever.
For yoga I use the Down Dog app. It has a yearly or monthly fee but for me it has been worth it and is pretty cheap if you do the year. Also free if you are a student or teacher. It makes a yoga workout for you based on parameters you enter like time, intensity, focus, and skill level. You can download workouts for offline use too.
Anyway that was a long answer but that is what works for me. I've noticed I don't get injured as much and have an easier time at work the more I work out in the off season. Hope that helps!
If you intend on training martial arts and want to add in some strength and conditioning, I would look into Tactical Barbell. The E books are cheap and come with several low-volume templates that you can run simultaneously while doing martial arts. It shows a good way to periodize stuff. Another option would be a low volume 531 Template but I really prefer Tactical Barbell. I currently run the Zulu template with front squats, romanian deadlifts, weight dips, and weighted pullups in the morning and train in the evenings.
If you want to explore things outside of barbells and really challenge your conditioning, I would look into Ross Enamaits stuff. Infinite Intensity introduced me to a lot of different workout ideas.
https://rosstraining.com/blog/infinite-intensity/
People may recommend something like Starting Strength but it would be really difficult to run it as written in conjunction with martial arts training given your current fitness level.
Tactical Barbell Operator Template
I'd approach it with a 3-day per week lifting schedule and treat calisthenics skills as accessory work. Hit your main power lifts and bodybuilding exercises on those days, and on days in between practice pseudo plank pushups, ring work, and flags.
Alternatively, you could just add calisthenics to the end of your lifting sessions. Lift heavy on bench, squat, etc. then finish with pushups/dip variants, single leg squats, levers, etc.
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I would recommend the Tactical Barbell books, which lay out a great, effective strength training program that can be trained alongside other athletic skills. Also the Bioneer's Youtube videos on cross training are fantastic resources.
Hey
Its very easy, buy this 2 first. You dont need Mass yet.
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When you got both books. Read the conditioning book first.
Do yourself a big favor, read everything, write some notes. If your insecure every question is probaly asked here allready.
A good tip is, read the full book ( conditioning ) before you start training. Then you will understand why you do everything you do, your question will be answered before you even start training.
When your ready:
First program you do is Base-Building. ( Read the strength book while doing Base-Building ) then you will know where to head after. TB is flexible and give you all the info and training for the next 20 years , if you let it. Welcome to becoming a All around Athlete with a Good Deadlift, Squat, bench, Weighted pull ups. A very good cardio base with nice run times.
Seconding this. Tactical Barbell has flexible training protocols that you can basically ala carte into a strength and conditioning system that works for you. It should be noted that the program isn't really focused on aesthetics, but on functional strength, using a cluster of primary lifts on your Max Strength days, with accessory work as VERY optional. That said, you'll get stronger, which will assist your running.
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Also, you can pick up the kindle versions of both books on Amazon for pretty cheap.
https://www.amazon.com/Tactical-Barbell-Definitive-Strength-Operational-ebook/dp/B01G195QU2 That's the book
There's also a subreddit: /r/tacticalbarbell
Hi /u/wraith5, you're not shadowbanned, but 16 of your most recent 100 comments/submissions were removed. They may be removed automatically by spam filters and not necessarily by human moderators.
Comment (1pts) in Fitness, "Uneven elbows/shoulders during squat", (18 Jun 19):
> Shoulder mobility and/or instability issues on your right side. Fairly normal as we're asymmetrical beings
> Squat University did a quick video on this
> https://youtu.be/X97l9AJflqc
Comment (1pts) in Fitness, "Why is my conventional deadlift so weak compared to...", (18 Jun 19):
> Are you using the high handles on the trap bar?
Comment (1pts) in Fitness, "Single arm farmer's walks", (18 Jun 19):
> 2 handed carries in June, 1 hand carries in July
Comment (1pts) in Fitness, "Single arm farmer's walks", (18 Jun 19):
> That's the beauty of off set loading. You have to do your best to remain upright and not lean away from the weight
Comment (1pts) in Fitness, "Starting Wendler’s 5/3/1 program. How do you optimize this...", (15 Jun 19):
> >I would prefer hitting each compound lift 2x a week if i can recover between workouts. Could this work?
> You might want to look at /r/tacticalbarbell
Comment (1pts) in Fitness, "Hips externally rotate on flexion", (15 Jun 19):
> you're either not squatting properly or have something that a professional needs to see in person. Or both
Comment (1pts) in Fitness, "Is it normal for the upper body to be in more stress than...", (15 Jun 19):
> >If I use light weights my legs won't see any progress from squats.
> Almost your entire body will benefit from squats too include your core and back which are very important to get strong. They will ...
Comment (1pts) in Fitness, "Most Affordable Way To Get HRV & Recovery Readings?", (15 Jun 19):
> https://elitehrv.com/compatible-devices
> App is free
Comment (1pts) in Fitness, "Hips externally rotate on flexion", (14 Jun 19):
> Not a problem
> https://youtu.be/Fob2wWEC72s
Comment (1pts) in Fitness, "Quick question about Romanian Deadlifts", (14 Jun 19):
> RDL's are going to be primarily hamstring with some glute. It's natural to feel mostly hamstring. You could try Brett Contreras' variation called the American deadlift where you posteriorly tuck the...
Comment (1pts) in Fitness, "Deciding on program for aspiring LEO", (14 Jun 19):
> Tactical Barbell was literally written with LEO/Fire/Military/etc in mind
Comment (1pts) in Fitness, "Dumbell version of Trap bar deadlift?", (08 Jun 19):
> Best approximation would be training in a semi-sumo stance. But it really doesn't matter you're not really missing out if you don't have a trap bar
Comment (1pts) in Fitness, "Why is buttwink during a squat attributed to tight...", (01 Jun 19):
> squat university had a good video too about how ankle mobility can contribute to it as well
> https://www.instagram.com/p/BxLLPCnluc7/
Comment (1pts) in Fitness, "Can Bulgarian split squats be implemented in a 5/3/1...", (30 May 19):
> It's fine though it just needs some work to fit it into the program.
> If I was going to program them in for a 5/3/1 block, I'd probably do something like 8/6/4 or 7/5/3 or something like that and aim ...
Comment (1pts) in Fitness, "What is engaged when training with a Bo?", (27 May 19):
> Everything is your body is used when using a bo staff. Your arms, obviously, as they hold it and move it. Your shoulders are part of that. Your back has to help control and stabilize your body whil...
Comment (1pts) in Fitness, "Are your lifts supposed to increase on a every week basis?", (21 May 19):
> There's multiple ways to progress
> You can add weight every week. This can only happen for so long, though
> You can add more reps. Say you start with 3x5. You can progress to 3x8 before adding weig...
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I recently completed a half marathon while running tactical barbell. Hit some pr’s while training even, and ran a 1:50. I lifted 3x/week until the final 4 weeks. Now I’m back lifting (tactical barbell) with no noticeable strength loss.
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