By Rob Shaul
Two new plans completed this week – both are available for individual purchase. As well, access to both, along with 50+ other plans, comes with a subscription.
First is our Sapper Leader’s Course Training Plan.
This is a focused, course-specific 8-week, 6 day/week program is specifically designed to prepare athletes for the Sapper Leader Course. The plan includes a 1-week taper, and is designed to be completed the 8 weeks directly prior to the course start week.
This program gets progressively harder each week, until week 8, when the training tapers down into the start of selection. Don’t skip ahead!! The plan is designed to build upon itself. If you have to miss a training day, start up back where you left off.
This plan is “sport specific” to the specific fitness demands you’ll face the Sapper Leader Course – specifically rucking, running, calesthenic-based “smokers,” upper body strength endurance, etc. The plan includes:
- Extensive rucking and running
- Testing and progressive training for the APFT
- Testing and progressive training for the 12 mile Ruck, and a 6 mile run
- Short (10-20 minute) mulit-modal work capacity events
- Intense core, mobility, and stabilzer strength training for durability
- Long, intense, Saturday “mini events” lasting from 2 to 4.5 hours designed to prepare you physically and mentally for the long days you’ll face during the Sapper Leader Course
Here is the general weekly training Schedule:
- Monday: AM – APFT Work & PM – Heavy Ruck intervals (2-a-day)
- Tuesday: Short Work Capacity, Core Strength, Durability
- Wednesday: AM – Sandbag Get up Intervals & PM – Running Intervals
- Thursday: AM – APFT Work & PM – Heavy Ruck intervals (2-a-day)
- Friday: Work Capacity, Low Back Fitness
- Saturday: Mini-Event
Required Equipment
- 60# Sandbags
- Stopwatch with repeating countdown timer
- Ruck – same ruck you will use at selection, 45# of filler, 10# Rubber Rifle (No rifle? Use a 10 lb sledge hammer or a 10# dumbbell)
- Pull up Bar
- Climbing Rope
- Foam Roller
- Recommended – GPS-enabled Stop Watch with repeating countdown timer (Garmin Forerunner 10 is recommended ) A GPS enabled watch will make measuring run and ruck distances much easier.
Second is Fire/Rescue “Leopard.”
Leopard is the first in 4-6 “big cat” series training plans and deploys my latest tactical programming theory for Fire/Rescue Athletes. The theory in general is built around training 5 mission-direct fitness attributes:
- 1) Relative Strength – strength per bodyweight
- 2) Work Capacity – horse power for short, intense, dangerous events
- 3) Chassis Integrity – mission-direct midsection training which transfers to the job
- 4) TAC SEPA – Tactical Speed, Explosive Power and Agility
- 5) Stamina – Staying power, both mental an physical, for long firefighting or rescue evolutions or multiple missions over a long duty day
Leopard is a 6 week, 4 session/week (24 Total Training Sessions) plan with an emphasis on Strength and Work Capacity. Chassis Integrity, TAC SEPA and Stamina are also trained, but the emphasis for Leopard is strength and work capacity.
Here is a typical weekly training schedule:
- Day 1: Strength, Chassis Integrity
- Day 2: TAC SEPA, Work Capacity
- Day 3: Strength, Chassis Integrity
- Day 4: Strength, Work Capacity
Required Equipment:
- Barbell, Rack, Plates and/or a Full set of Dumbbells or Kettlebells
- Sandbags (40/60/80 Pound)
- Flat Bench
- Bench/Box for Step Ups
- Parking Lot/Open Garage Bay for Sprints
- Old Backpack
- Foam Roller
*** Note: Many of the weight training exercises in the plan can be completed with either a barbell and plates, or dumbbells/kettlebells. For example, if the session calls for power cleans, and your station doesn’t have a barbell/plates, you can substitute dumbbells and complete hang power cleans instead.