By Rob Shaul MTI Athlete Wyatt Jobe, is an experienced climber and paramedic based in Valdez, Alaska. For the mountain athlete familiar with Alaska’s conditions, Jobe’s approach to climbing, ski mountaineering, and risk management is both pragmatic and relentless. His Climbing ethos is straightforward: endure, adapt, and come back alive. Wyatt was recently on the […]
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Gym-Based Mental Fitness – Does it Transfer to the Real Thing?
By MTI Staff Mental fitness and resilience are increasingly discussed within the worlds of mountain sports, tactical professions, and strength and conditioning. To explore these concepts, Rob Shaul, founder of MTI (Mountain Tactical Institute), hosted a roundtable discussion with members of the MTI athlete team, including Wyatt Jobe (alpinist and wilderness paramedic), Steven Swingle (law […]
MINI STUDY: “Power-Focused” Programming Increases Tactical Power Across 4 Assessments While Also Improving Max Effort Strength
By Rob Shaul, MTI Founder BLUF (Bottom Line Up Front): Four weeks of power-focused programming—incorporating max effort strength, speed strength, ballistic strength, and plyometric/sprint-focused tactical agility drills—improved Tactical Power across four assessments for six remote “lab rats.” Results are detailed below. Background In classic strength and conditioning, “power” is defined as the ability to exert […]
Research Review: Physiological Predictors of Performance in Competitive Ski Mountaineering
By Rob Shaul BLUF (Bottom Line Up Front) A 2021 study of 21 male Austrian SKIMO athletes (including National Team members) found that VO2max, velocity at VT2, and peak lactate levels were the strongest performance predictors in a simulated vertical race. The study also found that in a controled laboratory setting, the elite SKIMO […]
MTB Pros Drill Fundamental Skills to Improve – I Had to Do the Same
By Alex Ackerly, MTI Athlete Team, S&C Coach As a strength and conditioning coach specializing in mountain biking, I’ve spent years helping riders build the physical capabilities to ride harder, longer, and with more resilience. I understand biomechanics, the demands of the sport, and how to develop strength, endurance, and durability off the bike. But […]
Arete 2.5.24
Military, National Defense, Foreign Policy Trump to ‘Post’: Gazan relocation plan will happen, Egypt and Jordan won’t say no, JPost.com How Trump’s ‘Iron Dome for America’ upends four decades of nuclear doctrine, Breaking Defense A Decisive Month for Germany, The National Interest The Taliban Is Selling America’s Lost Afghanistan Arsenal, The National Interest Trump administration […]
MTI Barbell Complex Challenge
Barbell Complex Challenge Results We wanted to see who could meet the standards of our Barbell Complex Challenge. This is a tough one… The lift consists of the following movements… 6x reps of each: You can’t put the barbell down during the complex – it has to be completed in one go. Full hip extension […]
Book Review: Once an Eagle
Written by MTI Athlete Joe Hampton Once an Eagle is a novel of epic proportions that is on almost every military leadership development reading list. However, despite the ubiquity of the book and its common recognition as a pillar novel for leadership development, few people have actually taken the time to read it cover to […]
Best Chocolate Cookie Recipe Ever!
By Rob Shaul I’m no foodie … but my wife is. She swears this recipe is the best she’s found. Enjoy … Ingredients: 2 cups minus 4 Tbs All Purpose flour (put 2 cups in, take 4 tablespoons out) 2 Tbs cornstarch 1 2/3 cup bread flour 1 1/4 tsp baking soda 1 1/2 tsp […]
Arete 1.29.25
Military, National Defense, Foreign Policy Theory to Reality: Defensive Operations Confirm Clausewitz’s Theory, Real Clear Defense Trump Aims To Cut US Force in Europe by 20,000, Stars & Stripes DoD Eyes Tactical Drones for Troops Deployed to the Border, Defense Scoop Is Donald Trump just another hawk?, UnHerd Military Effort to Scrub Diversity Programs Leads […]