QUESTION
How would you advise training in the am after getting up? Should I be eating first or would you recommend working out fasted? I’m starting a remote job and want to do my workouts in the am.
Also, is it ok to repeat the whole workout once I am done?
ANSWER
This is personal. I generally just train on coffee. Others have a light snack – 1/2 apple with peanut butter works.
– Rob
QUESTION
I am an active duty Army soldier. I am looking for a plan to really focus on my ACFT 2 mile and getting it down to about 14 min. Could you recommend some plans to me? I have a decent strength base with low 90s high 80s in the other categories. Currently running it at about 19 mins for my 2 mile.
ANSWER
– Rob
QUESTION
Do you have any programs that work specifically increasing push-ups, sit-ups, pull-ups, and a 1.5 mile run time?
ANSWER
The
DSS PRT Plan will work. Change the situps in the plan to pull ups – including the assessment and all the progressions.
– Rob
QUESTION
I am currently looking at your athlete subscription but I am not sure if you have a workout plan that will suit my needs. I am a retired us army soldier, 48 yo, that would like to improve my core, legs, and balance quickly in order to ride horse better, longer and through the mountains. What would you recommend? I do have a small garage gym with mostly what I think I need.
ANSWER
Fitness programming I’d recommend the plans/order in the
SF45 Packet – beginning with
SF45 Alpha. This programming is designed for athletes ages 45-50, and have a significant chassis integrity/functional core component, as well as training strength, extended work capacity, and endurance. Sessions are super efficient and to the point.
– Rob
QUESTION
I found MTI through the mini-studies and info you share on Instagram. I’ve been doing the GORUCK daily WODs for about a year and have completed a handful of their events (former Crossfit, former backcountry hiker/snowboarder). Also, I’m 6’2″, 250lb, very good at Grinds and Strength-based tasks, but less good at speed (especially on runs).
In ’23, I will complete a series of events from GORUCK and GBF, all of which are training for
My plan with MTI is to focus on the Ruck-Based Selection and GoRuck Selection programs backing into each event. Not entirely sure what to do immediately. I’m going through the Mountaineering prep and Hybrid PushUp packets – thinking about the mountain warfare school program or RASP after that, but open to your suggestions.
I’m 39. No pool, treadmill, bench or squat rack. I’ve got plates, barbell, step-up box, sand bags #30 and #60, ruck plates / ruck (up to #55), kettlebells, #10 sledge, battle rope, weight vest, pull up bar – plenty of trails nearby. I’ve also got a canoe and paddles FWIW.
Thanks for any advice you can provide.
ANSWER
You’ve got 22 weeks. Here’s what I recommend:
Weeks Plan
1-5
Valor – first 5 weeks
Also – at 6’2″,
I’d like you down at 195#. Not sure if you’re packing extra fat or muscle, but the effect is the same when rucking – and extra 55# of weight.
– Rob
QUESTION
I’m coming back from about a year and a half of various injuries (achilles strain, shoulder labrum tear, undiagnosed knee injury in the vicinity of the MCL) so I’m basically starting over from scratch. I’ve got plenty of experience in mountain and rock climbing, road marathons and mountain ultras, and tactical fitness (successfully completed SFAS a long time ago, spent years in the infantry, still in but in a non-physically demanding MOS). 6’2″, 205ish these days (optimal weight is ~190). I have access to a fairly well-equipped gym.
With all that being said, what’s your advice for a plan to just rebuild base fitness before specializing? I’m probably going to do some spring mountaineering before I go back to any distance running so I think I want to focus on work capacity and chassis strength but I’d love to get your thoughts.
ANSWER
Start with
Mountain Base Helen -the first plan in our Greek Hero packet for multi-sport mountain athletes.
– Rob
QUESTION
I was at the Q Course and then had a significant injury and tore my right labrum in my hip. I had a successful surgery, I started running at 16 weeks and doing PT twice a week. I am looking for guidance on what program to start following for my return, tentatively I will be returning to Bragg in June and taking a class up PT test in 11 weeks (As of now Pushups, Situps, Pullups an 2 mile run) but still need to be able to Ruck and run the 5 miler by that time as well. Any and all advice is appreciated, and I used your program to get ready for SFAS as well. Love your content!
ANSWER
You’ve got 11 weeks. Here’s what I recommend:
Weeks Plan
– Rob
QUESTION
I really enjoyed your art of manliness podcast
I am asking for a favor
I am giving a talk to the residence this coming Tuesday.
These are physicians in training. They have incredibly busy schedules. Very little time.
Long ago I had adopted a very basic “functional” version of exercise. My goal as a middle-age father was to be able to survive a mugging or at least punch without my wrist collapsing, and escape my house if it was on fire, hopefully rescuing at least one family member.
My exercise became very limited to
– punching a heavy bag
– taking it down and crawling around dragging it across the floor around couches etc
I don’t have delusions that this was “enough” – my goal was “I don’t want the first time to be my first time”
– I didn’t want a mugging to be the first time in one, three, five, 10 years that I’ve thrown a punch against resistance.
– I didn’t want my first house fire to be the first time in one, three, five, 10 years that I had to stop drop and crawl and drag.
With this in mind, can you think of any exercise regimen you would add to mine particularly with a goal to be
– survive or optimize a household hazard ?
– Practice a movement that is unusual in day-to-day life, but could be life-saving?
For residents, it would be optimal any strategy could be body, weight-based, or use common objects, and be portable, usable in the hospital, or at home, or on the road, and time efficient.
If you had any ideas, you thought I could safely present them as a general audience I would be happy to give you credit / links to see if any of them want to get formal coaching.
In particular if you think the fire crawl/ drag has merit but should be done a specific way thag would be golden to me.
ANSWER
– I’d change your bag drag to
Sandbag Getups – you can use a heavy bag, or a 60# sandbag. Do 10 minutes straight for reps.
But, the problem with limiting your training to these 3 events is (1) accommodation (i.e. soon you’ll plateau), and staleness.
– Rob
QUESTION
I’m an H2F SCC and have experience in research from when I worked at Georgia Southern University. I want to start off by saying I like your study and see how it can be highly relevant to the tactical strength and conditioning community. I have also seen your conclusion supported in my soldiers who run a constant 100/200m training protocol. I did have a few questions.
Was there a control group who did your standard programming to compare to?
I noticed in your 2 groups there was a big disparity in average 3 mile run time pre testing. The strength training groups average time was greater by a good bit. Why were the groups not organized in a way that the average run times pre were closer?
Second you said your athletes don’t sprint with full recovery often, could the decrease in 3 mile time be because a new stimulus has caused adaptation and do you think the sprint protocol would work as well with a group that does sprint regularly already? And how long do you think you can run this sprint protocol before 3 mile time plateau?
Lastly what was the difference in total run volume between the squat group and the sprint group?
Sorry for all the questions. I really do like your study format and the experiment it’s self. My team has found speed work and short sprint work to be highly effective for our 2 mile run test and has low injury risk when compared to the overuse injuries we have recorded for lots of distance running.
ANSWER
1) No. Though I’m not sure how a control group would be used in this study.
2) No. Athletes were randomly assigned to the groups.
3) No idea. Focus here was on programming effect. Many athletes, esp. tactical athletes at line Army and Marine units, either don’t have much lifting experience and/or access to equipment in crowded on base gyms during PT training times is an issue. If we can have athletes do sprints – where there is no equipment or experience issues – and have the same or better effect as back squats for running – it’s a win and valuable information.
4) Both groups did the exact same 3-mile run programming, so the only difference would be the run volume from the sprints – which would be minimal.
– Rob
QUESTION
What is the recommended length of rope for Panther? I was going to substitute hanging towels on the pull up bar, but pull-ups are already an integral part of the program. Now I’m looking for a suitable tree of about 20’ and a climbing rope but that isn’t looking plausible either. What say you?
ANSWER
18-20 feet for a rope, and there is no good sub for it.
– Rob
QUESTION
Hey rob, just have a question on what plan to use in training for SFAS, I don’t exactly have a timeline except that I’d like to enlist and go by the end of the year (roughly 8month from now) so far I’ve just been doing the SFRE training program over and over again the past four months or so but I find im adding in a lot of BJJ/lifting sessions throughout the week and have 3 training sessions most days because I feel like the volume in the SFRE training program isn’t enough of its own, I guess what im asking is if you’d recommend any other of the programs that MTN tactical offers in conjunction with the SFRE Training plan?
I’d greatly appreciate any insight you could give me, and thank you so much for your time!
ANSWER
I wouldn’t recommend repeating the SFRE Plan again and again indefinitely – you’ll plateau or over train.
What I’d recommend until you get a timeline for SFAS is the plans/order in the
Virtue Packet – beginning with
Humility.
Email back when you get a date for SFAS.
– Rob
QUESTION
I’m looking for some advice on timing and program recommendation. I am tentatively scheduled for Ranger School mid-July. The eight weeks prior I should be have access to the right conditions and equipment to complete the Ranger School program as designed.
My dilemma is for the next four-six weeks I’ll be in the field with access to the following:
– 60-lb sandbag
– rucksack
– running shoes/trail/Garmin
As of this morning my RPA scores are:
– 41 push ups
– 59 sit ups
– 40:18 five mile
– 6 pull ups
– 35/67″/160-lb
Because of the high RPA fail rate at Darby and my own room for improvement I’m inclined to run the RPA program out in the field, but I’m a bad coach for myself so I defer to your expertise. Thanks for your your help.
ANSWER
We have a specific plan for the RPA – click
HERE.
There is specific programming for the RPA in the Ranger School Plan as well – in addition to a lot of other stuff – so could focus on the RPA events now, and go into the school prep with passing scores you could maintain.
– Rob
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