QUESTION
I used to have a subscription with you guys back in the day and it seems like you guys have gone pretty far since then. I was looking to see if you had a program that could increase muscle mass and VO2 max at the same time that I can keep my 3 mile time runs under 21 minutes. If it leads to me subscribing to you guys again that be great. I’ve honestly have ran to a lot of blocks with personal trainers and even trainers within NSW. Active duty and have five years left until I retire. Look forward to hearing from you.
ANSWER
Max Effort Strength + 3-mile Run is going to be ideal for you. If you’re a tactical athlete within NSW, consider using a trap bar for the deadlifts … slightly safer, same result, better for high-mileage guys like yourself. Let me know if you have any questions.
QUESTION
I’m a new subscriber and I’m excited to start your meathead marathon program for a 25 mile trail run in June. I have BJJ Wednesday nights from 1730 to 5 and I’d love to continue going if possible. What’s the best way to incorporate that into the program?
ANSWER
No problem with that. Wednesday’s are strength sessions in the Meathead Marathon plan, which is perfect to pair with BJJ class. Ideally, do your lift session in the AM, and your BJJ training in the PM at your normal class.
QUESTION
Just curious how long a few programs should take to complete, specifically the Dutch, John Wick, and Gladiator programs. Particularly how long do the in gym sessions last? For example, your BDFG plans say 35-45 minutes, but I didnt see an estimate for the ones I mentioned.
ANSWER
The sessions from those plans are designed to be 60 minutes.
QUESTION
Do you guys have any programs that are mobility/injury prevention focused? Or reccomendations for programs that offer a lot of good mobility training. I saw something from last summer where you were looking for lab rats to test a Tactical Mobility Training Plan, but I dont see an actual plan yet.
ANSWER
Not at the moment. We were testing it but struggled to develop a reasonable plan. Still working on it!
QUESTION
know most of your programs are geared towards 5 day cycles, but I was curious which programs would be best for more of a 2 or 3 day setup. Right now I do BJJ two days/week, I try to do 2 cardio days/week, I do 2 lifting days/week and I try to do a day of core/mobility. Ive kinda modified the Effiecient Strength Program to fit that, but was curious if there were any other that kinda landed themselves well to that.
ANSWER
You can “spread out” any of our plans to balance it with your BJJ training. For instance, Sessions 1-3 Week 1, Session 4-6 Week 2, etc.
Sometimes you’ll need to move things around based on the program. If you pick a specific plan, I’m happy to give you some guidance there.
QUESTION
I’ve been doing this plan for a week now, and I have to say it kicks my ass (in a good way). Thank you for suggesting this plan. I do have some questions.
1) Is there a good substitute for burpees? Unfortunately, two injured shoulders later, burpees are painful and wreck my shoulders.
2) There are no prescribed rest times during grinds or most of the circuits. Is it just rest as needed? Do you have any recommendations for rest periods?
3) As embarrassing as this is to admit, I can’t get through the push-up circuits without doing kneeling pushups toward the end. Is that okay? Is there a good pushup variation that is a little easier you might suggest for when I can’t do standard pushups anymore?
Thank you in advance for your help.
ANSWER
Glad you’re enjoying it. Answers below.
1) You can try 8-Count Body Builders. Essentially a burpee, but without jamming your shoulders as you sprawl to the ground.
2) No rest during grinds… they’re intended to be done back to back at a workmanlike pace. You shouldn’t ever be panic breathing, just working at a hard but doable pace. If you need to take a break, take 3 deep breaths and get back to it. It’ll get easier as you get more fit.
3). Kneeling push-ups are completely fine. That’s what we have all athletes do when they are approaching muscle failure. So if you can feel yourself getting close to it, transition to the kneeling push-ups.
QUESTION
I am looking toward buying your Smoke Diver prep program. I plan on attending Florida Smoke diver in 2026 and I would like to get ready. Therefore, I have way more than 9 week and was wondering how you could accommodate the program. For now, I am looking toward doing 4 training sessions a week, and I obviously will bump it up to 5-6 times when I will get closer of Smoke diver.
ANSWER
Since you have such a long time until your Smoke Diver, I would recommend doing the following:
This will establish a stone base of fire/rescue-specific fitness. Stay on the programming until you’re ready to begin the
Smoke Diver Training Plan 7 weeks out from the course start date. As an FYI, the
Athlete Subscription will give you full access to all of this programming.
QUESTION
I am currently working on the Ultimate Meathead Cycle and had a couple questions.
My gym here does not have boxes or sandbags. What is a replacement exercise that I can do for the Keg lift?
Considering the program does not have any cardio specific days and I need to keep working on it, which day (s) would be best to run for 30 – 60 minutes?
ANSWER
You can use a kettlebell instead of a sandbag for the keg lifts. Here’s a
Sandbag Exercise Substitution resource… it’s found in the exercise menu. Tuesday’s and Thursday’s are going to be ideal for extra aerobic conditioning.
QUESTION
I am currently running the Military On-Ramp Program and supplementing with Strong Lifts 5×5. I’ve traditionally always worked out alone when people try to work out with me I have trouble adjusting my workout for their level of fitness and motivation so I don’t anymore.
I have a friend that aspires to go the FBI Academy. I know that there is a FBI academy plan. I don’t know how the fitness test is scored. I’m worried my training may be too intense with me doing 2x a day workouts. The goal is to train to be FBI academy excellent, but if she loses a few inches too, she’s happy.
My questions are how would I go about establishing current level of fitness and building a base level of fitness without altering my training too much? Could I just have her do Military On Ramp too? If she can’t do a pull up, should I replace the exercise with a pull up progression or a different back exercise entirely?
I think I’m overthinking about it but I’m asking because I know how far I’m willing to push myself personally and I don’t want to break or discourage this person because it’s too hard too early on.
ANSWER
You could certainly have her do the Military On-Ramp training plan with you, but you would need to start over from Day 1 in order to knock out the assessments. As you know from doing the programming, it will scale the rest of the plan to the individual, so you don’t lose any training intensity and it’s appropriate for her.
If she can’t do a pull-up, she can substitute
eccentric pull ups or band-assisted pull ups.
After the Military On-Ramp, your friend is going to want to start the
FBI SA PFT Training Plan to start getting prepared for the pre-offer PFT that is required for all FBI applicants.
QUESTION
Just wrapped up Fire Rescue Jaguar. I had 3 fires toward the end of the plan and was very pleased with my performance.
Urban Fire Rescue
Height – 5’-10”
Weight – 175 lbs
Plan Results
Max Front Squat: 230 -> 280+ (I ran out of room on my bar with the weights at home)
Max Bench Press: 200 -> 230
Max Pull Ups @ 25lbs: 7 -> 11
Sandbag Get Ups at 60lb for 10 min: 84 -> 106
Fire Rescue Sandbag Clean and Step Over at 60lb for 10 min: 52 reps (104 total step overs) -> 64 (128 total step overs)
Feedback from the plan:
Improvement in all areas was very steady throughout the entire plan, except my max bench press weight. I increased to 230 by the Week 4 reassessment, but did not increase again at the end. I was unable to finish the “5 rounds at 85% every 90 seconds“ as intended without modification of breaks or weight, even after staying at the same weight for the remaining weeks.
Overall, I’m still happy with the results! This is the fittest I have been in my life. I just have the nag in the back of my mind of falling below the established MTI standards for strength on bench press for my height and weight.
With all of this info, my question is what plan next?
Do I continue in the Big Cat series? Take a strength training cycle?
I’m open to your recommendation and coaching feedback.
ANSWER
Great improvements – nice job!
I think you would be best served by continuing the Big Cat plans. Frankly, the Bench Press is the least important lift in terms of performance. It’ll continue to come up as you get generally stronger.
Your Sandbag Get Up numbers are really strong… next time it comes up, consider moving up to 80#. It’s a soul-breaker!
Subscribe to MTI's Newsletter - BETA
