Knowledge

By Rob Shaul BLUF Since the introduction of short, shaped “carving” skis in the late 1990s, the overall injury rate in alpine recreational skiing has declined, but the nature and severity of knee injuries have changed. Now, the Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) is the most commonly injured major structure — replacing the former dominance of […]

By Rob Shaul Progression is the cornerstone of strength programming and all strenght and conditioning programming. It’s predictable, trackable, and efficient. MTI has multiple strength progression methodologies, and all follow the same general path. Intitial assessment, a simple progression based on the initial assessment, re-assess, and reset the progression, etc. This path is the most […]

Above: Jackson-based alpinists complete the 15K run assessment final event of the MTI Alpinist Fitness Assessment. By Rob Shaul BLUF A 2025 Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research scoping review analyzed over 600 studies of aerobic endurance programming and found that models emphasizing Zone 1 (low-intensity) training—specifically Polarized and Pyramidal approaches—produce the largest improvements in […]

Have a training question? Email rob@mtntactical.colm. Returning to Fitness After Surgeries and 30 Pounds Overweight. Where to start? ATHLETE:I’ve been out of the military for about ten years. I am 48 y/o and in the last four years, I have a disc replacement in my lower back, a left shoulder surgery to remove arthritic bone, […]

Arete is a hand-picked weekly list of the most thought-provoking articles, essays, and links I come across—curated for mountain and tactical athletes. Not always the newest, but always worth your time. It’s what I’d forward to a sharp teammate or training partner. — Rob Shaul, Founder, Mountain Tactical Institute MILIARY / NATIONAL SECURITY Navy Cancels Constellation-class Frigate […]

Above: Alpinist and former Freeski World Champion, Jessica Baker, Climbing the West Buttress of Denali before a ski descent. By Rob Shaul BLUF A 2024 academic paper surveyed 200 studies on how nutrition, hydration, and supplements affect health and performance in high-altitude mountaineering. The paper, Nutrition, hydration and supplementation considerations for mountaineers in high-altitude conditions: […]

By Rob Shaul BLUF Across multiple sources, including Army Training Brigade data from 2015 (Fivecoat et al.), a 2023 peer-reviewed predictor study (Benedict et al.) which looked at 2015 data, and practitioner insight (Spencer, 2016), a consistent pattern emerges: RAP Week is the decisive filter for Ranger School. Around 50–60% of all Ranger School failures […]

Have a training question? Email Rob Shaul, rob@mtnactical.com ––––––––––––––––––––––– Can You Build Relative Strength Without Carbs? ATHLETE:I emailed you a few months ago regarding fitness and nutrition. My question now is this, do you see military athletes who are able to hit your ideal Bodyweight and strength numbers for bench, Front squat, and deadlift while […]

By Rob Shaul, Founder BLUF A 2024 meta-analysis in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research reviewed 12 randomized controlled trials examining creatine supplementation combined with resistance training (RT) in healthy adults under 50. Across studies, creatine users gained an average of 1.14 kg more lean body mass (LBM) and reduced body fat mass by 0.7 kg and body fat percentage by […]

By Emmett Shaul, MTI Strength & Conditioning Coach We recently received an email from a 66-year-old athlete who highlighted a potential improvement opportunity in our Pre-Season Skiing Training Plans, and all mountain sport-pre-season plans. This athlete reported that the programming was simply intense for him—specifically the Leg Blasters. Currently, weaker athletes often need to stop, […]