BLUF (Bottom Line Up Front) Two MTI athletes completed a 3-week shuttle sprint progression and improved performance in a short, multimodal work capacity assessment. Even with just five sprint sessions across the cycle, both athletes showed measurable improvement — Emmett cut 4 seconds, and Michael cut 10 seconds. Background Work capacity, as MTI defines it, […]
Emmett Shaul
Touch Jump Touch to Box Intervals: MTI’s Most Intense Work Capacity Event?
Above: US SKi Team Downhiller, Tommy Beissemeyer completing a 20:40 round of Touch/Jump/Touch to Box intervals. By Rob & Emmett Shaul Development of Touch Jump Touch to Box Intervals followed classic MTI design method: Identify fitness demands of the sport or event, identify exercises that train to that demand, and then interate and simplify. […]
Research Review: Elastic Band Squats Deliver Extra Explosiveness Without Strength Trade-Off
BLUF (Bottom Line Up Front) In college basketball athletes, adding elastic bands (about 30% of total load) to barbell squats for 8 weeks produced a greater improvement in squat jump performance compared to traditional barbell squats. All other jump, sprint, and strength measures improved similarly in both groups. Max strength gains were equal, and eccentric […]
Lessons Learned Climbing the South and Middle Tetons in One Day
By Emmett Shaul, MTI Coach We started at 5 a.m. with headlamps, and the parking lot at Lupine Meadows was already packed, busier than I’ve ever seen it in past years. The first stretch up to the boulder field went quickly and smoothly. I used trekking poles during this section, and they worked extremely well […]
Muscle Fiber Type Shifting—Myth or Misinterpretation?
By Seung Choi The idea of muscle fiber type “shifting” is widely accepted in fitness culture and even illustrated in many academic texts. However, this concept oversimplifies the underlying biology of post-mitotic skeletal muscle. In reality, what is often described as “shifting” is better characterized as functional remodeling rather than a complete reprogramming of fiber […]
My Own Obsession: The Relentless Pursuit of Podium Performance
By Seung Choi As I near the end of my graduate program, the question of “what’s next” feels more real than ever. For me, the answer is clear: I want to work in a traditional strength and conditioning facility, alongside a renowned coach in strength or power sports — someone capable of guiding elite-level athletic […]
The Carnivore Diet for 35 Days: Weight, Strength, Digestion, and Energy Changes
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 […]
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 […]