By Emmett Shaul, MTI Coach BLUF: For July, 2025, followed a strict carnivore diet—meat, fat, and salt only—for 35 days. I’m 30 years old, and started the diet weighing 198 pounds. During my 35 days on the diet: I lost around 8 pounds and leaned out I rarely felt hungry and often had to force […]
Emmett Shaul
Mini-Study: Climbing Gains Despite Constraints — MTI Tests Adapted July Climbing Program
By Sam Johnson BLUF (Bottom Line Up Front) Over four weeks in July, four MTI Lab Rats followed a climbing-focused training cycle aimed at improving performance on the vSUM climbing assessment. The original program included structured campus board work and a finger strength progression via Maximum Added Weight (MAW) Hangboard protocols. However, due to gym […]
Mini-Study: Loaded vs. Unloaded Mobility — MTI Finds No Change in FMS Scores After 4 Weeks
By Sam Johnson BLUF (Bottom Line Up Front) Over a 4-week cycle, four MTI Lab Rats tested a mobility training protocol to explore the effectiveness of loaded vs. unloaded dynamic mobility exercises. Mobility was assessed via a modified FMS Overhead Squat test, using increasing heel elevation to gauge range of motion (0–25 lb plates). Despite […]
Mini-Study: MTI’s Swim Progression Improves 500m Freestyle and Combat Sidestroke Times — Treading Protocol Needs Refinement
By Sam Johnson BLUF (Bottom Line Up Front) Swimming is a required skill for many military and tactical populations, yet standardized progression models for building swim performance and water confidence are limited. Drawing from MTI’s success with interval-based improvements in running, this four-week mini-study explored whether similar progressions could enhance swimming endurance and comfort in […]
MTI Mini-Study: 10-Minute Sandbag Get-Up Progression Increases Get-Up Performance but Fails to Sustain Broader Chassis Integrity Gains
By Jackson Mann BLUF (Bottom Line Up Front) MTI tested three sandbag get-up progression models over four weeks to determine which most effectively improved 10-minute max-rep performance. All four athletes significantly improved their get-up totals—ranging from +24% to +123%. However, when comparing July’s chassis integrity reassessment with June’s end-of-cycle results, athletes showed declines across all […]
Mini-Study Results: July Geek Cycle – Consistent Strength Gains Observed Across All Participants Using Velocity-Based Training
By Seung Choi BLUF (Bottom Line Up Front) Four MTI Lab Rats completed a 4-week mini-study designed to examine the potential of a velocity-based approach to improving 1RM back squat performance. The participants were divided into two groups: one followed the RAT 6 intensity scheme using velocity as an auto-regulator, while the other used prescribed […]
Mini-Study Results: 2/1 Interval Strategy Faster and Mentally Easier Than Continuous Ruck Run
By Jackson Mann, MTI Intern BLUF (Bottom Line Up Front) Over a 4-week mini-study, MTI compared a continuous ruck run versus a 2-minute run / 1-minute walk interval (2/1) strategy over six miles with a 60-lb ruck. All four participants tested both methods in a crossover design. Results showed that the 2/1 interval strategy yielded […]
35 Days on the Carnivore Diet: Performance, Energy, and Health Changes
By Jackson Mann, MTI Intern I spent 35 days on the carnivore diet, a nutritional approach that eliminated all plant-based foods in favor of animal products. Going into it, I didn’t have any specific goals or expected outcomes—I was simply curious to see if I could stick to such a highly restrictive regimen. In the […]
Can You Lift Heavy Without Carbs? A Closer Look at Carnivore Diet and Strength Training
By Seung Choi, MTI Intern Throughout my academic journey—from earning my bachelor’s in exercise science at Temple University to pursuing my master’s at the University of Colorado Colorado Springs—one principle was consistently reinforced: carbohydrates are essential for high-intensity performance. While explosive and strength-based movements primarily draw on phosphocreatine (PCr) for energy, this energy system is […]
Sport as Conditioning: Why Playing Might Be the Best Cardio You’re Not Doing
By Sam Johnson, MTI Intern Last week, a few of us interns hit the local rec center for a pickup soccer game. One of our guys—a powerlifter who doesn’t do much traditional cardio—ran nonstop for nearly two hours. Sprinting, defending, getting beat, recovering, laughing, doing it all over again. He pushed himself harder in that […]