By Adam Scott, MS, CSCS For a previous Mini-Study, we had our athletes complete a simple snapshot study using trekking poles around a standard 1/4 mile track. This time, we stepped things up a little (literally) and loaded our athletes with approximately 40% of their body weight (between 50-75 lbs). Then we took them to the […]
Research
Moving Uphill, a 10% Grade Cuts your Speed by 1/3…Not 1/2
By Adam Scott, MS, CSCS A couple of years ago we published our Five Rules of Rucking. The article has been one of our most cited and reproduced works – appearing on, among other things, Backpacker Online. Although the rules were based on previous academic findings we were never quite comfortable with […]
Are We There Yet? Part 1: Developing A Tool To Estimate Ruck Times
Adam Scott, MS, CSCS “The standard for success of a foot march is very simple to measure: did the unit arrive at the destination at the prescribed time with the Marines in condition and required equipment present to accomplish the mission?” – US Marine Corps Reference Publication (MCRP) 3-02A […]
Do Trekking Poles Make You More Efficient?
Part I: Previous Research and Mini-Study #1 Adam Scott, MS, CSCS One of the many things which Military and Mountain Athletes have in common is the requirement to move over ground (typically under load). This prevailing operational demand is a critical component in the MTI training philosophy. As long as this demand remains, MTI is going […]
Mini-Study: Muscle-Ups, Rope Climbs, Peg Boards…Which is Harder?
By Adam Scott, MS, CSCS After teaching a few of our Advanced Programming Courses over the past few months I know better than to enter into a debate for one type of pull-up over another. So, in no way is this an argument for or against any exercise. This mini-study is simply a […]
Study Results: No Easy Answer On Pull-Up Improvement
By Adam Scott, MS, CSCS What is the best way to improve pull-ups? In July 2015 we conducted a Pilot Study trying to answer that very question. Building on our little study, twelve weeks ago, Dr. Eric Martin of California State University Monterery Bay (CSUMB) started a much larger, academic experiment using athletes from […]
The Best Way to Improve Push-Ups: Mini Study Results
Adam Scott, MS, CSCS Push-Ups are abounded not only in tactical but also in the fitness world. They are used in fitness tests (1,2). They are used during training programs (3,4). And they are even used to predict injuries and job performance (4). So, we set out to examine four commonly used methods for improving Push-Ups. […]
Airsoft Mini-Study Results: Better than Dry Fire, but not much Traction
By Rob Shaul The staff at Mountain Tactical recently completed a “Mini Study” to assess the affects airsoft target has on actual marksmanship. A follow up to our Dry Fire Mini Study a earlier this winter, we were hoping working with airsoft rifles, indoors, and getting actual target shot placement feedback, would transfer to the […]
Day Two with Professional Skier, Forrest Jillson: Hitting the Side-Country for More Peril
Adam Scott, MS, CSCS Four weeks ago we strapped one of our new Zephyr Bioharnesses on professional Freeskier, Forrest Jillson, during a day of Freeskiing and Jackson Hole Mountain Resort (JHMR). Amazed at what we found, we decided to do it agin…but this time we had Forrest split his time between in-bounds runs and side-country […]
Arm or Leg Injury? Train the Other Limb to Build Strength in Both
By Adam Scott, MS, CSCS A study from the University of Copenhagen found that just 2 weeks of inactivity in a limb can lead to a 33% loss in strength – a decline which was equated to aging 40-50 years. The study’s disheartening news didn’t stop there. The researchers also found that the fitter the […]