Intern “Geek Cycle” Explores the King of Upper Body Lifts, Beep Test, Grease the Groove, Broad Jumps, and a Chassis Integrity Assessment

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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:

1. The King of Upper Body Lifts – Which upper body press provides the best strength transfer to other pressing movements?
2. Broad Jump Development – Can a hinge lift (strength), a power clean (power), or loaded broad jumps best improve broad jump performance?
3. Beep Test Progression Validation – Comparing MTI’s classic assessment-based model with a fixed, non-assessment progression.
4. Chassis Integrity Assessment – Developing and validating a functional assessment for chassis integrity.
5. Grease the Groove Pull-Up Progression – Testing the neurological training strategy of high-frequency, submaximal pull-up work in trained athletes.

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Background

The King of Upper Body Lifts

In a past “King of Strength” mini-study, MTI tested back squats, deadlifts, and thrusters to determine which lift had the greatest strength transfer across a range of lifts. This new cycle applies the same concept to upper body pressing movements — specifically, the Bench Press, Military Press, and Push Press. The aim is to identify which upper body press best improves performance across the others.

Broad Jump Development

This cycle draws inspiration from MTI’s Geek Cycle on explosive power, which explored the effect of loaded versus unloaded vertical jump training. The current cycle focuses on the standing broad jump, a fundamental field assessment for lower-body power, and will test how different training modalities — strength (hinge), power (clean), or plyometric loading (broad jump) — influence broad jump performance.

Beep Test Progression Validation

MTI’s existing beep test progression is assessment-based, with sprint volumes customized to an athlete’s tested capacity. We are re-testing this progression to see if it still holds up. This study also seeks to determine if a standardized interval progression can match the effectiveness of our individualized, assessment-driven approach.

Chassis Integrity Assessment

Founder Rob Shaul has long emphasized the importance of “chassis integrity” — the mid-section strength and durability needed to perform in real-world tactical and mountain environments. However, an MTI-standard assessment for chassis integrity has yet to be developed. This cycle will test a multi-modal approach incorporating flexion, extension, rotation, and isometric tension to determine if such an assessment is practical and valid.

Grease the Groove Pull-Up Progression

The concept of Grease the Groove (GTG) comes from Soviet strength coach Pavel Tsatsouline. The principle: perform a specific movement frequently throughout the day at submaximal effort, reinforcing neural pathways and improving skill execution without inducing fatigue. GTG is less about muscle hypertrophy and more about increasing neural efficiency.

Previous MTI trials saw GTG outperform density-based pull-up training for untrained individuals. This cycle tests its utility in trained athletes — those with solid technique and established pull-up capacity — to see whether frequent, neurologically focused volume can still yield meaningful improvement.

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Cycle Design

Upper Body Lifts

• Movements: Bench Press, Military Press, Push Press
• Protocol: MTI Density Strength Progression – 6 rounds every 90 seconds using progressive percentages of 1RM
• Assessments: Initial, Mid-cycle, and Final for all three lifts

Broad Jump Protocols

• Initial Assessment: Max standing broad jump (best of 3 attempts)
• Groups:
  • Hinge Lift: 8×2 @ Hard But Doable
  • Power Clean: 8×2 @ HBD
  • Loaded Broad Jumps: Begin with 6 rounds unloaded/2 rounds loaded, progressing to all 8 loaded rounds

Pull-Up: Grease the Groove

• Initial Test: Max pull-up reps
• Protocol:
  • 8 rounds of pull-ups daily
  • 1 round per hour across 8 hours
  • Reps based on a fixed percentage of max test
  • Weekly progression in % or difficulty

Beep Test Progressions

• Assessment-Based: 10 rounds of 20m sprints every 2 minutes, number of sprints determined by initial assessment
• Non-Assessment-Based:
  • Week 1: 60s sprint / 60s rest
  • Week 2: 70s / 50s
  • Week 3: 80s / 40s
  • Week 4: 85s / 35s

Chassis Integrity Assessment

• Movements:
  • Sandbag Sit-Ups (Flexion)
  • Good Mornings (Extension)
  • Keg Lift (Rotation)
  • Elevated Planks in 25# Vests (Isometric)
• Progression: Density based progression based on initial assessment results

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Final Thoughts Before Results

I’m leaning toward the Bench Press or Military Press emerging as the dominant upper body press — movements that isolate upper-body strength without lower-body contribution.

I’m cautiously skeptical of the Grease the Groove method in this context. While it has shown promise in skill development for novice athletes, will its neural benefits translate to trained individuals already proficient in the movement?

For the Broad Jump component, I suspect the highest transfer will come from broad jumps themselves — but I’m curious to see how strength (hinge) and power (power clean) influence the broad jump.

Lastly, the Chassis Integrity Assessment poses a structural challenge: is testing isolated movements the right path, or would an integrated total-body movement offer more operational insight? That question may fuel a future study.

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