QUESTION
I saw the operator version was under 1st SFOD-D so maybe that with Direct Support right next to it? lol they dont really say much and also im not in the army so hard to find out what takes place until I go. Its in May for me
ANSWER
Our Ruck-Based Selection Training Plan includes APFT programming.
You’ve got 13 weeks until May 15. Here’s what I recommend:
1-5.
Fortitude – 1st 5 Weeks of this 7-week Plan
“Flex” Fortitude as needed for your exact schedule. You’ll want to complete all 8 weeks of the RBSTP directly before arriving.
Good luck!
– Rob
QUESTION
I’m 40 y/o, male, and weigh 173 lbs.
I’ve been doing Tactical Barbell, 5/31 and other programs like Stronger by Science, etc. for about 8 years. Besides lifting, I love playing soccer and I’m currently playing indoor soccer once a week.
I lift 3x or 4x a week, and do conditioning (run, soccer, airdyne bike) 3x a week. I want to improve my conditioning while still continuing to improve my strength since I’m getting older. When I play soccer, I tend to run a lot and I want to remain competitive for my 30+ league.
I’ve been thinking about doing Tactical Barbell (I’m currently doing 5/3/1 BBB but it’s too taxing) but given it’s very repetitive I’ve had some overuse injuries. What I like about 5/3/1 is the assistance work, which TB lacks. I have a bad knee and I use Bulgarian Split Squats often as assistance work which helps me a lot with my knee.
What MTI program would you recommend for me to do? I’d like to dedicate 3 days to lifting and 3 days to conditioning.
I’ve done one of the MTI hypertrophy programs and I loved it, but it’s too many days per week and too taxing for my conditioning.
ANSWER
Multi-modal plan with strength, work cap, chassis integrity and endurance. It’s a 5 day/week plan, and if you’re not playing a lot of soccer one week, you could add in a long, easy pace (zone 2) run on Saturdays – 60-120 minutes.
– Rob
QUESTION
I have been with MTI on and off for the past 4-5 years so I might’ve already asked this before but do not remember.
Has there ever been any thoughts on creating a hockey specific training program? With other sport specific ones, I was just curious. Many of the programs are cross compatible with hockey but there are still a lot of aspects that I always found with hockey specific training missing from the programs (mainly emphasis on lateral movements/lifts, single leg movements/lifts).
Just a question I thought I’d ask. Love your guys’s programs!
ANSWER
Hockey-specific is a little out of my lane. I’ve worked with pro and semi-pro hockey players before, but they just jumped in with my pro skiers. They would do the strength in the summer, then the dryland ski plan pre-season.
They reported back that the programming transferred very well – esp. the lactate tolerance threshold and strength from the leg blaster progression.
The Touch/Jump/Touch to Box is isn’t single leg, but it’s killer. I had hockey players do it, or skater hops to angled boards – but honestly the t/j/t to box I think worked as well as the skater hops.
The leg blaster complex includes single leg work.
– Rob
QUESTION
I purchased your program – “USMS Academy Training Plan” – and will be attending the week of April 20th, 2025. With more than 7 weeks what would recommend for the extended time? Also, I purchased and began the – “1.5 Mile Run Improvement Training Plan” – and am doing it along side the USMS academy plan. Would this be recommended or is this an overload of work on my body?
I appreciate your assistance in this matter and look forward to your response.
ANSWER
Don’t double up.
You’ve got 9 weeks until the academy. Start the USMS Academy Plan and repeat weeks 3 and 6 in the plan to stretch it to 9 weeks … so do week 3 twice in a row before moving to week 5 and do week 6 in the plan twice in a row before doing week 7.
– Rob
QUESTION
Hope mows not a bad time.
I was wondering how plans like the SF ruck plan work. It’s a year long plan of many sections, but don’t you lose what you gain after time of always switching it up every month? Or does this slowly build you better and better if I was to do 2 years of this plan? Thanks!.
ANSWER
The goal is to build a high level of “base fitness” – relative strength, work capacity, chassis integrity, endurance (run, ruck) prior to completing the last training plan in the packet – the Ruck Based Selection Training Plan (RBSTP), which our selection-specific plan for SFAS.
The RBSTP is super intense, SFAS-specific, and athletes would overtrain if they did this again and again. It’s designed to have you at “peak” SFAS-specific fitness directly prior to actual selection.
Could you do the packet two years in a row? Yes.
– Rob
QUESTION
Reaching out with a training question- I am currently in preparation for SEAL Officer Assessment and Selection this summer. I have about 16 full weeks left to prepare, which I want to use in the smartest way possible. The big graded events I know of at SOAS are a long ruck run, 1 mile fin swim, navy PST, and of course log PT and running under boats.
I just took my application PST last week, it was: 8:32 swim, 97 pushups, 96 sit-ups, 19 pull-ups, 9:22 run. I believe my big areas of improvement need to be the run and pull-ups: I’d like to get up to 22-25 pull-ups, and cut my run to at least 8:45 if not hopefully faster in order to be competitive for selection. With that being said, how would you recommend I structure my training for these next 4 months, keeping in mind the other requirements to succeed at SOAS (durability, strength, etc).
Thank you for any assistance!
ANSWER
Weeks Plan
1-7
Madame Cheng – strength for durability, rucking, swimming and running. Repeat week 5 in the plan to stretch it to 7 weeks.
8 Total Rest
Good Luck!
– Rob
QUESTION
I have been using your training plans with great success since 2019 to prepare for outdoor objectives ranging from getting ready for the lift-assisted ski season to climbing the volcanos of the PNW to ice climbing in the Canadian Rockies. About 20 years ago, I was sidelined for about 5 years due to a degenerative disk in my lower back. The way your programming focuses on the entire body (particularly the focus on chassis integrity) is 100% the reason I am able to do hard sh*t in the mountains with close to zero injuries.
I will be purchasing the 50K Ultra Training Plan to prepare for a 50K race scheduled for October 2025 and had a question regarding strength programming. I have a fused L4-L5 and avoid doing back squats in my physical training. What would you recommend as a substitute for back squats? Given the nature of the event I’m training for, I was thinking Leg Blasters would work, however I’m not sure what the progression would look like for a 12-week plan. I’d love to hear your thoughts.
Thank you for your advice.
ANSWER
The plan includes several barbell lifts – back squat, front squat, hinge lift – and I’m assuming all are off limits you?
If not – best would be to follow the plan, but just keep the barbell or dumbbells really light for those exercises which load your back. Don’t increase the prescribed reps, just do what is a safe load for you that day, and do the prescribed reps.
If not – you can replace most of the leg strength training exercises with mini leg blasters and full leg blasters. For the first 3-4 weeks replace each leg strength exercise with a mini leg blaster, and for the weeks 5-on, replace them with a full leg blaster. Replace all loaded leg exercises in the warm up with Air Squats.
So — if the plan calls for …
Warm Up:
3 Rounds
10x Back Squats – do 10x air squats in stead
10x Push Ups
10x Sit Ups
Training:
5 Rounds
6x Back Squat – Do a Mini Leg Blaster instead of the back squats each round.
8x KB Floor Press
3x Pull Ups
– Rob
QUESTION
I just looked through the entire program (Max Effort Strength+Aerobic Base) & only see bench press on days 9, 30 & 51. When say training bench press multiple times weekly, what am I missing??
This plan I purchased also has some sprints (150m shuttle & 4×40 prone to sprint so far).
I just confirmed on the app & on your website that I did purchase the program you recommended. Did you perhaps mean to recommend another one? Please advise.
ANSWER
1) You’ll be training the bench press multiple times weekly – I’m not sure what you want to add, but I’d recommend against it. The bench press programming is aggressive and with extra work I’m not sure you’d make your progressions.
2) No sprints in this plan. All the endurance work is at an easy pace – but you can do this on the assault bike also.
3) Jane Fondas …. Monday and Wednesday
– Rob
QUESTION
I had a question for you. I usually try to run outside on a trail. However, lately, it has either been snowing or the temperature is down to 10 or below and with me having to knock the workout early in the morning the sun isn’t out yet. During those days, I will go to the gym and run on the treadmill. However, the hope is that once daylight saving happens, and it won’t be as dark in the morning or as cold, I will be able to go running on the trail again.
In the meantime, I’m planning on continuing to run on the treadmill, unless you think it would be more beneficial to just tough it out and go run on the trail.
But, my main question is for those days that I am running on the treadmill. How can I make it more realistic to running outside? My outdoors pace is easily around a 7:30 if I’m pushing myself moderately and 7:50-8:30 if I’m just enjoying the run and depending on the distance I am going. However, when I really push myself and it’s short distance I can do a 12:10-12:40 2 mile. On the treadmill I try to keep it at 6:20 or faster for a 2 mile run, when I do interval training at .5 mile bursts I do it at a 5:58-5:56 minute pace with 1% incline and 2:20 minute break inbetween with each week I take 15 seconds off. For long distance runs on the treadmill I try to maintain a 7:30 to 7 minute pace and will keep the 1% incline for the first 5 miles then afterwards or when I feel like I can’t maintain that pace I will take the incline off since I want my body to get used to feeling the energy needed to maintain that pace outdoors. What do you think of this or what would you do differently?
ANSWER
For guys who have to run on a treadmill – and know they do – I’ll have them complete the assessment on the treadmill, and then all of the prescribed paces will correspond.
If you do the assessment outside, you can’t assume the prescribed paces will work inside on the treadmill – so you can’t compare them.
Options – 1) Do the assessment on the treadmill and use the assessment result for your follow on prescribed pacing.
2) Use heart rate – so 70% Max HR for easy runs, 80-85% for moderate runs, and 90%+ for threshold work.
3) Use RPE – how it feels, and just don’t worry about pacing.
4) Suck it up and run outside – though know the ice/snow/cold might impact your prescribed pacing.
There’s no perfect solution – other than the treadmill assessment. I’m sorry.
– Rob
QUESTION
I am looking to get a monthly subscription.
I am currently a 47-year-old male who works as a firefighter/paramedic.
I was at a CrossFit gym for 8 months and am not a fan of the gymnastics movements.
I am in decent shape and have access to a full gym.
Should I choose the firefighter, the 45+, or the busy dad stream?
ANSWER
Start with the first session in February.
– Rob
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