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, […]
Emmett Shaul
Research Review: Five-Minute Rest Between Sets Increases Force and Total Work Compared to Two Minutes
By Emmett Shaul BLUF A Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research study compared 2-minute vs 5-minute rest intervals between sets during heavy isometric knee extension in 8 young, recreationally active adults. With the same exercise, sets, and reps in both conditions: In this lab setting, 5-minute rest intervals produced more and better-quality work with less neuromuscular fatigue, even though the sessions felt just as hard […]
Different by Design: Inside the MTI Daily Operator Stream
By Emmett Shaul Background MTI’s Daily Operator Sessions are year-round, day-to-day base military training for special operations personnel and those aiming for that level of fitness. The goal with the Operator Stream, and all of our “Base Fitness” programming, is to meet 90% of the Mission-direct fitness demands the athlete will face in real life. […]
Research Review: Supersets vs. Traditional Lifting — Same Gains, Less Time
By Emmett Shaul BLUF Across the studies reviewed, superset training—alternate agonist–antagonist pairings (AAPS), reciprocal supersets (RSS), and total-body supersets (TBSS)—produces similar long-term gains in strength, hypertrophy, power, and muscular endurance compared to traditional straight sets (TRAD), while finishing sessions in about half the time. Acutely, supersets raise cardiovascular/metabolic load and perceived effort, and can slightly reduce bar velocity […]
Comprehensive Guide to Ruck Training Techniques
Above: GRAFENWOEHR TRAINING AREA, Germany — U.S. Army Soldiers assigned to the 278th Armored Cavalry Regiment, Task Force Saber, Joint Multinational Training Group–Ukraine, participate in a 12-mile ruck march during a Spur Ride event, Oct. 8, 2025. The ruck march tested each Spur candidate’s endurance, discipline, and determination as they carried full combat gear across […]
10 Updated Tools for Your Mission: MTI’s Latest Training Plan Refinements
By Emmett Shaul 1) Pirate Training Packet 1: 5× Base Fitness + Fin/Swim Plans 2) Barbossa: Balanced Base Fitness + Swim Intervals 3) Black Beard: Balanced Base Fitness + Fin Intervals 4) Captain Morgan: Balanced Base Fitness + Swim Endurance 5) Madame Cheng: Balanced Base Fitness + Fin/Run 6) BORTAC Selection Training Plan 7) BORSTAR […]
A Midnight Elk Packout in the Late October Wyoming Mud & Rain
Adam retrieving the Elk Head the following morning By Emmett Shaul At 6:44 p.m., with dinner in the oven, my phone rang. Connor was calling—Adam needed help packing out an elk he had just shot. Earlier in the season, Adam had helped me and Connor pack out Connor’s elk; this was us returning the favor. […]
Research Review: Grip Strength Correlates with Police Academy Outcomes
By Emmett Shaul BLUF In 169 Australian police recruits, stronger handgrip was linked with better TACOPS (Tactical Options Assessment) performance and higher handgun marksmanship scores; there was no link with the SIM (simulation) assessment. Recruits with very low grip struggled on TACOPS—only 44% passed when right-hand grip was under 30 kg, compared with 86% passing when over 55 kg. Weaker left-hand grip showed a small but statistically significant association with […]
Research Review: Collagen Supplementation Reduces Joint Pain and Soreness
By Emmett Shaul BLUF Across two randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trials, daily collagen supplementation reduced activity-related joint pain in athletes (10 g/day for 24 weeks) and lessened soreness while speeding jump performance recovery after a muscle-damaging workout (20 g/day for 9 days). Doses in the 10–20 g/day range are where benefits were observed. Studies Methods Findings […]
Building MTI’s Downhill & Enduro Mountain Bike Plans: What We Programmed and Why
By Emmett Shaul Designing a training plan for Downhill (DH) and Enduro riders starts the same way we approach any new plan at MTI: define the sport’s real physical demands, then build training that directly targets them. Below is how we did that for DH and Enduro—what the research says about the sport, what we […]