QUESTION
I’m starting up the HRT training program in mid December and I need a program do until then. I just finished Hector. What do you recommend? Should I start Hector over again? Is there a program that you recommend as a build up to the HRT program? Thanks very much
ANSWER
I’d recommend
Fortitude next. The HRT Plan has a significant endurance component (run, ruck) and Fortitude has a significant endurance component.
– Rob
QUESTION
Hey guys, I tore both of my meniscus on an airborne jump. Had surgery and am doing physical therapy to get back on track. I already plan on completing the post-rehab leg injury plan when I am able. What would you recommend plan wise as a bridge from the post rehab to your ranger school plan.
ANSWER
Fortitude …. depending upon how we’ll your knees are feeling after the Post Rehab Training Plan.
– Rob
QUESTION
I am in the military and plan on submitting a special operations package in about a year and a half. I am good at running and solid at bodyweight exercises but I am small and need strength and weight. What program do you recommend?
ANSWER
– Rob
QUESTION
I ran across your website after a friend of mine I’m the Army shared it on Facebook. I’m a 22 year old Male with no injuries and have been working out consistently in the gym for about 5 years. I would consider my current training tailored to an athletic style of workouts focusing on strength, power, athleticism, and slightly less endurance. I would consider myself at an above average level of fitness with the experience I have. I’d like to know where you might recommend I start within your programs for a program to enhance my overall fitness (as I am not in any military/etc).
ANSWER
Our
Country Singer Plans deploy MTI programming for civilian athletes and are what I’d recommend. Start with
Johnny – the first plan in the series, which concurrently trains strength, work capacity, endurance (running) and chassis integrity (functional core).
– Rob
QUESTION
I’ve looked through several of your GoRuck training plans, but I’d like to train for a GoRuck 50 mile Star course next year. I’ve got about 8 months to train but would like to do several 26.2 star courses leading up to it. I’ll also do some trail half marathons. Any specific plans I can use?
ANSWER
8 months = 34 weeks. Here’s what I recommend
Weeks Plan
1-7
Fortitude – multi-modal plan which trains strength, work capacity, endurance (run/ruck) and chassis integrity. Great plan for your “base fitness” and durability.
21-23 Repeat Weeks 1-3 of Fortitude
For the rucking in all these plans, use the same load you’ll carry at your events.
– Rob
QUESTION
I’ve run several milers and ultras but never on a specific plan or with a coach. I am looking at the 8 week plan.
It’s thirteen weeks until my miler.
I’ve never touched a gym but thinking joining a CrossFit. Suitable?
I’ve no clue about gym jargon but I do my own yoga/Pilates routine.Haphazardly.
I’m older (56) so need to think recovery. I’m coming off a season age grade racing 10-half marathons.
I’m trusting a full explanation of work out activities?
ANSWER
The strength work in the
100-Mile Ultra Plan plan requires a rack, barbell, plates, and dumbbells. Any commercial gym should work. The strength work is secondary to the running in the plan. The first week is a 50-mile week including a 16-mile effort.
The strength work isn’t complicated, but it will take you a couple of sessions to learn the exercises and figure out the flow. Click the “Sample Training” tab at the link above to see the entire first week of programming. You can try it before purchase.
– Rob
QUESTION
I have a question regarding which program would best suit my needs. I plan on taking the Marine Corps PFT in two months for the OCS board. I can already easily max the pull-up and crunch portion of the exam. However, my three mile run time is at about 18:50. I of course am aiming for at least 18 minutes. My question is, which one of your programs would be beneficial for me, your Marine Corps pft program or a more running specific plan. I look forward to hearing your opinion.
ANSWER
– Rob
QUESTION
I am not sure what I need but seen that you have programs for a lot of LEO components. I currently work for ICE and 2 weeks ago I tried out for SRT and failed. We had 2 days of shooting, running, carrying sandbags, working out and getting smoked. I got to the 3rd day and had to complete the PFT. 1.5 miles under 12 min, drag a 185 lb.. dummy 25 yards, 20 push ups in a minute and climb a 6″ wall. I completed the run in 11:47, completed the push-ups but failed the wall. The next tryout will be Feb/March/April so want to be ready. There is talk of a new fitness standard of 1.5 mile run, 1-10 pullups, push-ups & sit-ups in a minute and 300 meter sprint. I don’t know how many and but some say there’s a sliding scale and I need to be at 90%. They are also talking about doing pullups for the first 2 days of tryouts. I understand that I may not need to prepare for what isn’t but I want to be ready. My challenge now is that I can’t do 1 pullup. What program(s) would you recommend? I have access to a weight room at work and near my home and what I don’t have I am willing to purchase.
ANSWER
There are just 15 weeks between now and March 1. Here’s what I recommend:
Weeks Plan
8 Total Rest
Not sure your height/weight, now, but that you can’t do a single pull up tells me you’re overweight. Cutting fat will make everything better – you’ll be faster, stronger, etc. Immediately start following our Nutritional Guidelines
HERE. If you’re serious, skip the “cheat day” and eat clean 7 days/week. Know there are no caloric restrictions, so you should never be hungry, you just can’t eat crap.
Humility is an intense, limited equipment training plan – it’s no joke. Just. Keep. Grinding.
– Rob
QUESTION
My wife is interested in your programs/plans, she is basically getting off the couch. She is coming off a running injury, but that has been 6-8 months ago now, she has never truly trained hard however, just some running and small weights through the years. She is 45 yrs. old. How would you advise someone in her situation to get going, consider her completely new to training. Any advice you can spare would be greatly appreciated!
I personally have been rock climbing, ice climbing & slogging up Rainier for years. I love what you guys do, and recently bought your “Athletes Subscription”.
ANSWER
We don’t have programming for deconditioned people, but from what we do have I’d recommend the
Bodyweight Foundation Training Plan as a place for your wife to start. This plan deploys an initial assessment and then the follow-on progressions are based on the assessment results … in this way the plan automatically “scales” to the incoming fitness of the athletes.
– Rob
QUESTION
Hope all is well. I am in need of some suggestions for workouts. I have looked at your website but wanted to reach out to you personally and get your input. I am at a place in life where I would like to tone, lose some extra pounds and maintain a level of fitness that will allow me to increase training intensity when I want to train for a particular activity. An example of this would be a possible trip back to Fremont Peak next summer, likely a three or four day trip. I want to maintain a level of fitness year round that will allow me to increase intensity when the time is right. Running is something I can do but input on intervals would be greatly appreciated. Core strength is one thing I have never been real strong in and would like take to the next level and get very strong in.
I would like to subscribe and sign up on your website but if you can give me a some guidance on what you feel would be the best route for me would be greatly appreciated. I have limited access to equipment at this time and so that is another thing that is playing into all of this. The last trip that I trained for I pretty much ran and did some heavy pack walks.
Like I said I want to get some workouts I can do that are going to make this something that increases my overall fitness year round, helps me lose the extra I have, helps me tone up and strengthens my core like I have never had it. I would also like to increase my running endurance over time as well.
Any direction you can point me would be greatly appreciated.
Again hope you are doing well and look forward to hearing from you.
ANSWER
This plan concurrently trains strength, work capacity, chassis integrity (my core strength methodology) and endurance (loaded running).
It’s a limited equipment training plan – you’ll need a 60# sandbag, pair of 25# dumbbells, pull up bar, and 25# weight vest or a 25# back pack.
It’s an intense training plan – and prefect to jumpstart your fitness.
Extra weight? 90% of fat is diet related. Fix your diet and you’ll shed weight.
Here are our nutritional recommendations. There are no caloric restrictions here … you should never be hungry. Just eat “clean” 6 days/week and it’ll make a huge difference.
Email questions.
– Rob
QUESTION
I find that your plans (BIG 24, TLU, Resiliency, & Run improvement plan) are effective, so I am seeking your advice.
First off, let’s take for example, the handstand pushup (HSPU) and compare it with the push press as a strength exercise. Should the former be used as a complex exercise as part of a complex circuit, for example, 5x Push Press followed by 2x HSPU, as in the TLU Strength Design? Further, could it warrant enough consideration to be used as an upper-body strength exercise such as the weighted pull up as in the BIG 24?
Second off, do you find exercises such as the front lever & muscle up effective for strength training? I don’t see them implemented that often into your strength plans whereas rope climbs & pull ups are… could that be because as in the results from your mini study on the difficulty of pull ups to rope climbs to muscle ups to pegboards, etc., that muscle-ups are more difficult (26x more) than pull ups I believe..but are working the wrong muscle groups? And if you do think muscle ups and front levers, warrant more consideration for strength training, how could they be implemented into strength training programming?
ANSWER
HSPU as a complex? No … it’s too intense/heavy. Complex exercises need to be fast and explosive. Clapping push ups would be better.
Front Lever & Muscle Up? Both exercises involve gymnastic skill as well as fitness – and while both take strength, the skill level removes them from my programming. As well, muscle ups require one more piece of equipment (rings) and unless you want to bonk your head, you need to hang them from a super high bar or ceiling. Some Muscle ups often involve kipping, as well.
For these reasons I don’t deploy them in MTI programming. I prefer simple, exercises which train fitness transferable to the field.
– Rob
QUESTION
I was shot back in August while deployed to Iraq. I had a tibia/fibia break on my right leg, shot through the left ankle, and shot twice in the butt resulting in a lot of soft tissue loss. My goal is to return to active duty in the socom community; do you have a particular program, or programs, you would recommend for someone essentially starting back from square one that would get my run, ruck, and strength times back to what they need to be?
ANSWER
– Rob
QUESTION
I’d like my step son to begin focusing on push ups and pull ups. Is it best to employ the two work out plans that you designed specifically for these exercises, or is there a general/all around plan you can recommend?
ANSWER
– Rob
QUESTION
I’m finishing up Valor/swim in the BUDS training packet, and I was looking at my schedule and noticed I have a 6-7 week gap between Valor and when I need to start the PST training portion of the packet for when I enlist in the Navy. I’ve contracted before and shipped this past April, but was injured and that got me medically separated. However, I’m healed up and good to go now. For that 6-7 week gap I was considering doing Run Improvement weeks 11-15 or Military Athlete Endurance. I really want to be a hardened runner, since Im a taller/bigger guy and I want to build up that endurance foundation before I contract, because they’re giving guys 2-4 weeks till you leave for basic once your picked up for your special warefare job. I got 4 weeks last time. So I just thought I would ask you to see if you had any recommendations. Thanks.
ANSWER
I wouldn’t want you to get far from the pool – so here are a couple options:
Captain Morgan – multi-modal plan which includes gym-based strength, long swims, and a 6-mile run assessment and progressions. No rucking.
– Rob
QUESTION
I’m doing the Run Improvement plan and looking for a good gym based strength plan to compliment it.
It seems most plans incorporate running. Should I take running days on the gym based plan and just use my Run Improvement plan or is their a plan that pairs well with the Run Improvement program?
ANSWER
The
Running Improvement Training Plan does include 2 days/week of
bodyweight strength for the lower and upper body, and chassis integrity work. You could replace this with a free-weight based strength work, but not do both.
If you want to replace it, I’d recommend the strength sessions only in the
MTI Relative Strength Assessment Training Plan …. This plan trains strength Mon/wed/Friday …. but you’d only want to do these sessions on Tues and Thurs. Follow the sessions in order … don’t skip ahead … as they are progressive. Again, if you do this, drop the strength/core training from the Running Improvement Training Plan.
– Rob
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