Q&A 5.16.24

by Mintra Mattison

QUESTION

I compete in the tactical games and have been looking to change up my training regimen. Do you have customers who compete in this? If so what plan do you recommend?

ANSWER

We have had athletes compete in the Tactical Games. Two primary options:

We have the Tactical Shooting Competition Training Plan, which includes strength & and conditioning and shooting drills. This is a good pre-event plan to be completed directly prior to your competition.
The other is our Daily Operator Sessions. This is year-round base fitness, which is our foundational training for tactical athletes.

QUESTION

Long time MTI fan. I’m plateauing at 20 pull-ups for my max set. And really would like 23 to max the USMC PFT. My test is in about 3-4 weeks. What would be the best progression plan to hit the goal?

ANSWER

The USMC PFT Plan is going to be your best bet. It includes a density pull-up progression, trained 3x/week.

QUESTION

I was trying to find a training program that would  increase my endurance , address strengthing my upper and lower body, core and lower back to stabilize the muscles around my feet and knees so that I don’t expierence pain while running. I have flat feet and I’m doing stretching and have orthotics. But I feel I haven’t found a proper workout plan that can address my needs, because alot of plans have running in them which I causes me alot of pain on the outside of my knees. I’m very active, and have had to cut running out my routine.

ANSWER

What’s simplest is to replace any run training with a stationary bike, assault bike, or rower. The Daily General Fitness programming sounds like would be the best choice and will give you multiple options from the monthly cycles (we keep up ~6 months of programming per Daily Stream).

 Utilize this Substitution Chart to translate run training into the conditioning tools you have available.

QUESTION

Do you have a relative strength chart for over 50 athletes?

ANSWER

Relative strength is the same regardless of age… do you mean relative strength standards for over 50 athletes? If so, not at this time, although it may be something we take a look at in the future.

QUESTION

I recently finished the expedition ice/mixed program as prep for a climb in the Ruth Gorge. It went well.
What next?
I’m looking to build strength, rehab (I’m 44), while maintaining good alpine and rock capacity. I feel like there isn’t a program that could accomplish all those goals, but wondering what your suggestion would be. I know this is an issue for a lot of us- we want to perform while still training and somehow build strength in there too. I can commit to probably 2-3 days/week ( I work 13 hour days in the ER)

ANSWER

Glad the climb went well! The best option is the Daily Mountain Elite programming. This is base fitness programming to develop strength, work capacity, and endurance for alpinists/general mountain athlete demand outside of expeditions/trip prep.

2-3 days a week is no problem, just complete the programming sequentially. You can structure the gym training around field training. We’ve had good feedback thus far on the programming from our Mtn Athletes.

QUESTION

What would you recommend as a good substitute for the “TAC SEPA” drill if you don’t have the space to really perform it properly at the gym? I have a good bit of room but with it being a public gym I can’t take up the room necessary for all the sprints and box work.

ANSWER

Those are tough drills in commercial gyms. Generally TAC SEPA is sprinting, lateral movement, or level change (or a combination). If you identify it as a lateral drill, a simple 2x 10-yard shuttle will work, focusing on good foot placement, cutting, and sprinting out of the direction change.

If you have specific TAC SEPA drills that you’re looking for a substitute for, shoot them my way and we can figure something out that will work for you.

QUESTION

I’m about to start week 3 of Mountain Base Helen V3, but I’m traveling this Wednesday through next Monday and won’t have access to a gym. What should I do to just kind of tread water for that week until I can resume the program?

ANSWER

You can rearrange the week to make it work for you. I’ve outlined the days, and the session you should do (which will be slightly out of order from how the programming is written).

  • Monday – Session 11
  • Tues –  Session 14
  • Wed – Session 12 (1-Mile Interval work)
  • Thurs – Simple bodyweight strength training… Leg Blasters, Push Ups, Pull Ups etc.
  • Friday – Session 15 (Step Ups)
The following week, knock out the 1-mile interval work on Monday while you’re still traveling.

 

 

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