Bottom Line Up Front (BLUF) Beginning in June, MTI will welcome three new interns to join the full-time coach currently stationed in Ogden. Together, they will complete a 5-week Geek Cycle aimed at testing: Background The King of Upper Body Lifts In a past “King of Strength” mini-study, MTI tested back squats, deadlifts, and thrusters to […]
Research
Study Design: Multi-Sport Athlete Strength Maintenance – Minimum Effective Dose with Limited Equipment
Overview With summer arriving in Montana, I face a familiar challenge: balancing high-volume sport training in the form of mountain biking, grappling (Jiu Jitsu), and boxing, while still maintaining the foundational strength required for durability, injury prevention, and performance. My typical weekly summer sport schedule: The cumulative load from these sports taxes my recovery bandwidth and limits my […]
Case Study: Can you improve Max Effort Strength and Loaded Uphill Endurance Concurrently?
BLUF (Bottom Line Up Front) Two MTI Lab Rats completed a 4-week mini study designed to test whether max effort barbell strength and loaded uphill endurance could be trained concurrently. Both athletes improved across nearly all strength and endurance assessments: This study followed a similar format to a previous MTI mini-study—Max Effort Strength + Aerobic […]
Research Review: BMI Doesn’t Reflect Strength or Readiness in Tactical Testing
BLUF (Bottom Line Up Front) This study looked at how body composition—muscle mass, fat mass, body fat percentage, and body weight—relates to performance on two different military fitness assessments. For bodyweight-based events like push-ups and running, candidates with lower body fat and less mass generally performed better. For strength and load-bearing tasks like deadlifts and […]
Research Review: Two Mile Performance and Fat Free Mass – Indicators for 12 Mile Ruck Performance
BLUF (Bottom Line Up Front) This study examined what physical traits and fitness scores predicted success in a 12-mile (19.3-km) ruck march with a 35-lb (15.9-kg) load. Cadets who finished under the Army’s 3-hour standard had lower body fat, greater fat-free mass, and higher Army Combat Fitness Test (ACFT) scores. The strongest predictors of finishing […]
Research Review: Poles Reduce Ground Force by Over 5% and Boost Uphill Performance
BLUF (Bottom Line Up Front) This study tested whether trekking poles reduce leg strain during steep uphill movement. Fifteen trained trail runners performed treadmill and outdoor uphill climbs with and without poles, both at moderate and maximum effort. Using force sensors and metabolic testing, researchers found that poles consistently reduced impact on the legs—especially during […]
Research Review: How Fatigue Alters Movement During Loaded Ruck Marches
BLUF (Bottom Line Up Front) This study examined how fatigue changes soldiers’ movement mechanics during a loaded ruck march. Using wearable sensors during a 7+ mile field march, researchers tracked gait and torso movement among 70 infantrymen from the 82nd Airborne Division. As the march progressed, fatigue led to clear biomechanical changes: stride length shortened, […]
Research Review: Monitoring the Return to Sport Transition After ACL Injury – An Alpine Ski Racing Case Study
Bottom Line Up Front (BLUF) An elite female alpine ski racer’s return-to-sport journey after ACL reconstruction was managed through a comprehensive, individualized, milestone-driven plan designed by an interdisciplinary team. Despite returning to snow within 7 months, neuromuscular deficits and asymmetries persisted for up to 18 months. The case highlights the critical importance of continuous neuromuscular […]
Research Review: In-Season Strength Maintenance Training Increases Well-Trained Cyclists’ Performance
Bottom Line Up Front (BLUF): This study investigated how different maintenance strength training frequencies during the competitive cycling season impact cycling performance. It found that continuing strength training once per week helped maintain and even improve strength and endurance markers in elite cyclists, while completely stopping strength training led to declines. The findings reinforce the […]
Research Round-Up: Asymmetrical Transfer of Strength in Untrained Limbs
BLUF (Bottom Line Up Front) This study investigates whether strength gains from unilateral training transfer more effectively to the contralateral limb on the same (ipsilateral) side of the body than across sides. The researchers explored if training one limb (e.g., left arm) improves strength more in the untrained ipsilateral leg (left leg) or the contralateral […]