Research

By Emmett Shaul, MTI CoachBLUF We tested MTI’s Working Strength methodology over a short, three-week cycle to see the effects it has on improving max effort strength. Athletes progressed by adding reps in their working sets while keeping the load the same as the previous week or increasing if possible. Both Michael and Emmett improved […]

BLUF (Bottom Line Up Front) Climate change is shortening ski seasons and reducing natural snow. Low-elevation resorts are hit hardest, leading to operational problems and closures. Skier satisfaction and loyalty drop; trips and overnight stays decline; regional economies absorb losses. Resorts turn to artificial snowmaking and year-round diversification; skiers substitute destinations, timing, or activities; governments […]

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, […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]