The Fitness Mountain: MTI’s Programming Framework

By Rob Shaul

MTI began as “Mountain Athlete” in a garage gym I opened in Jackson, Wyoming, in late 2007. I aspired to train mountain guides, alpinists, professional skiers, and other high-level mountain athletes. Jackson—sitting in the shadow of the Tetons with their short approaches and steep granite—was the perfect place for “lab rats”^.

I was a self-taught strength coach transitioning from another career, and I made a lot of mistakes early on. The biggest of which was deploying general physical preparation (GPP) programming to prepare athletes for the alpine ski season^.

It turns out that heavy back squats and deadlifts don’t have much transfer to alpine skiing. I quickly realized the need for pre-season, sport-specific programming. But skiers can’t train intensely for skiing all year long; they’ll burn out or overtrain. They needed day-to-day fitness programming for the rest of the year to lay the foundation upon which sport-specific training could be built.

The Military Connection

In 2009, U.S. Soldiers and Marines participating in the Afghanistan surge were getting smoked on mountainous patrols and reached out to me to build an Afghanistan Pre-Deployment Training Plan.

There was no “season” to prepare for in this case, but rather a specific event: deployment to mountainous terrain with the immediate need to be physically fit for patrols⁹. “Event-specific” programming joined Sport-Specific programming in my budding conceptualization of how to program for these unique athlete groups.

It was on the military side that I was pushed to develop MTI’s “Base Fitness” programming concept. Military SOF athletes requested professional programming while in garrison, between deployment train-ups. However, this “Base Fitness” needed to be tied to the mission-direct fitness demands of their jobs as soldiers, yet not be as focused as an event-specific train-up.

The Problem with “Getting Smoked”

By this time, MTI’s event and sport-specific programs had evolved to be highly focused and efficient. These were designed for the fitness demands of the sport or event, not the incoming fitness of the individual athlete.

Because they were so intense, military athletes starting one of my event-specific plans would often get smoked out of the gate. They would either quit or have to endure 2–3 weeks of significant soreness while they tuned up. The typical military PT—push-ups, sit-ups, and running—wasn’t preparing them for my event-specific programming.

I needed a solution: a programming protocol to build a mission-direct “base” level of fitness. This led to the birth of the Operator Sessions—day-to-day Base Fitness programming for Military SOF and Infantry.

The Lightbulb Moment

In 2010, I began receiving requests to teach programming courses. By then I had developed the two types of MTI programming—(1) Base Fitness and (2) Event/Sport-Specific Fitness—but I hadn’t formally developed how they fit together from the 10,000-foot level.

I still remember the late night alone in the darkened gym, hovering over my notebook trying to conceptualize MTI’s programming framework so I could teach it to others. I tried to use a tree with roots and branches, but it didn’t fit.

Next, I tried the idea of a mountain… and it worked. Hence MTI’s conceptual programming framework: “The Fitness Mountain.” 

1. The Foundation: Base Fitness

At the bottom of the mountain lies Base Fitness. This is the Mountain or Tactical athlete’s day-to-day training.

MTI’s Base Fitness is designed to prepare athletes for 90% of the mission-direct physical demands of their daily job or lifestyle. It is not “general strength and conditioning” in the traditional sense; rather, it trains specific fitness attributes in the exact proportions required by the athlete’s specific discipline or occupation.

The Methodology: Fluid Periodization

Conventional strength and conditioning fails the multi-modal athlete. Unlike team sport athletes, many tactical athletes and mountain professionals can’t program their training calendar around pre-determined off-season, pre-season, and in-season periods. Because of the unpredictable nature of tactical mission sets and mountain emergencies, they must be fit across a wide spectrum of fitness attributes at all times.

To solve this, we use Fluid Periodization. This proprietary methodology allows us to train Strength, Work Capacity, Endurance, and Chassis Integrity concurrently while maintaining detailed, mathematical progressions. We do not have an “off-season.” You need to be capable across all domains, all the time.

Visually, Base Fitness is represented by vertical “columns” supporting the mountain. While the specific attributes change depending on if you are an Alpinist, an Infantryman, or a SWAT Officer, the columns generally represent:

• Strength
• Work Capacity
• Chassis Integrity (functional core)
• Tactical Agility (for tactical athletes)
• Endurance (Run, Ruck, Swim or Uphill Movement)

2. The Middle Layer: Durability

Resting directly on top of the Base Fitness columns is Durability.

MTI is significantly contrarian in our consideration of durability. It is fashionable today to link durability to mobility, flexibility, soft tissue, patterning work, etc. There is an entire industry built around these techniques, but research and our experience has shown that thesse do not equate to improved durability in the field.

Instead, we believe the best thing any strength and conditioning coach can do to improve his athletes’ durability is to get them mission-specifically fit.

A solid level of Base Fitness combined with mission-specific preparation provides the armor necessary to withstand the rigors of the job. Mission-specific fitness yields the greatest return on durability.

3. The Peak: Event & Mission-Specific Fitness

At the top of the mountain is Event and Mission-Specific Fitness.

This programming is distinct from Base Fitness. It is designed for a clearly identified mission, event, or selection where the specific fitness demands are known and the athlete has a set time to prepare.

Tactical Examples: Combat deployments, SFAS, Ranger School, SWAT Selection, or PFTs.
Mountain Examples: A specific expedition, peak attempt, or ski season.

This training is laser-focused and intense. Because the goal is so specific, there is limited variability in the programming. Ideally, this peak is built upon a solid foundation of Base Fitness. Without that base, athletes will suffer in the early weeks of specific cycles and will not gain as much from the programming.

The Training Timeline

The Fitness Mountain is not just a diagram; it dictates the schedule.
Day-to-Day: Athletes train Base Fitness year-round until they are within a 6–12 week window of their event.

The Switch: At 6–12 weeks out, the athlete drops Base Fitness and switches entirely to Event/Mission-Specific programming. The length of the Event/Mission specific training cycle depends on the fitness demands of the event. 

Less intense events (like a standard PFT) may require only 6 weeks of specific preparation, while intense events (like Special Forces Selections) require an 8–12 week specific build-up.

By adhering to the Fitness Mountain, athletes ensure they possess the broad foundation required for daily performance and the sharpened tip of the spear required for mission success.

Questions?
Email rob@mtntactical.com