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. […]
Emmett Shaul
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 […]
12 New Tools for Your Mission: MTI’s Latest Training Plans and Updates
By Emmett Shaul, MTI Coach Over the past month, MTI has created and released many new training plans. Below is a summary of these training plans, and the rational behind the programming: 1) Military Athlete Flex: Strength Emphasis 18-session training cycle built for tactical athletes who can’t maintain a 5–6 day/week schedule due to unit […]
Research Review: When More Strength Won’t Make You Faster
BLUF (Bottom Line Up Front) In trained male soccer players, two tests—isometric mid-thigh pull (IMTP) peak force relative to bodyweight and standing broad-jump (SBJ) impulse—best predicted 20 m and 40 m sprint times. Speed improved as those metrics rose until about IMTP ≈ 2.0 × bodyweight and SBJ impulse ≈ 0.29 m/s; beyond those levels, added strength or impulse showed little additional benefit for […]
Research Review: Leg Muscle Size and Sprint Timing in D-I Football
By Emmett Shaul BLUF (Bottom Line Up Front) In Division I football players, leg muscle size relates to sprint timing—stance time (foot on the ground) and swing time (leg in the air)—and the pattern differs by position group. Across all athletes, larger vastus medialis (inner quad) and soleus (deep calf) were linked to longer stance and swing times. Within each position group (Skills, Mids, Bigs), some […]
Solving the Bomb Suit Problem: Programming for EOD Attrition Events
By Emmett Shaul, MTI Coach Designing a training plan to prepare soldiers for the Army and USMC EOD Bomb Suit Test has been an interesting programming puzzle: train for the physical demands of a heavy, hot, enclosed bomb suit test when the event itself isn’t publicly posted. What is public is clear: the Army’s Phase 1 begins with a […]
Changes We’re Making to 2025’s Backcountry and Dryland Ski Training, and Why
By Emmett Shaul, MTI Coach Background Since incorporating T/J/T to Box into our Backcountry and Dryland Ski plans, we’ve progressed it with intervals. We’ve adjusted and tweaked those over the years, but intervals have a hard limit: there’s no assessment setting the work. The biggest issue was that the work per work interval wasn’t dictated or individualized for each athlete. […]
1 Month of Leg Training Cost Me 40 Pounds on My Bench Press
By Emmett Shaul, MTI Coach We’d just finished MTI’s 5-week King of the Upper Body Lifts Density strength training cycle—three bench press sessions per week. I opened that cycle with a 300 pound 1RM and closed it by matching my all time best at 315. That set a clear marker for where my upper body pressing strength was at that […]