Military

War Without End: The Pentagon’s Failed Campaigns in Iraq and Afghanistan, Small Wars Journal
Beating Them at Their Own Game: The Economic Dimension of Competing With China, War on the Rocks
Radical Islamist English-Language Online Magazines: Research Guide, Strategic Insights, and Policy Response, Small Wars Journal
Is Russia’s Military Better Than America’s?, The Interpreter
Pivoting to the Pacific, The Strategist
A ‘weakness of the West’? UK defense minister warns of lack of grand strategy, Defense News
When Would Russia’s Cyber Warfare Morph Into Real Warfare? Refer To The Tallinn Manual, In Homeland Security
At War: How South Koreans Are Reckoning With a Changing American Military Presence, NY Times
The U.S. Air Force Is Working Harder to Retain Female Officers, and Here’s How, Rand Corp.
WATCH: China’s Military Just Released a New Video Showing Off Its Most Powerful Weapons, Test Feed
The Insider Attack In Syria That DoD Denies Ever Happened, Real Clear Defense
How Russia Plans to Get Turkey on Its Side, The National Interest
At War: War Without End, NY Times
Looking Beyond Professional Military Education to Evaluating Officers, War on the Rocks
Think Space Force Is a Joke?: Four Major Space Threats to Take Seriously, Real Clear Defense
Why Germany’s Army Is in a Bad State, The Economist
Pentagon Triples Support to Philippines Through MARSOC, MC Times
Navy to Force Out Poor Performers, USNI News
How the Rangers Got into SOF – Barely, Small Wars Journal
Why Germany Should Get the Bomb, The National Interest

First Responder / Homeland Security / Wildland Fire

Border Arrest Data Suggests Trump’s Push To Split Migrant Families Had Little Deterrent Effect, In Homeland Security
Oregon Deputy Uses Naloxone to Save K-9 from Accidental Overdose, Police Magazine
Denver Police to Roll Out New Use-of-Force Policy, Police One
Trump’s Border Wall Could Waste Billions of Dollars, Report Says, NY Times
As School Year Approaches, Police Begin “Saturation Patrols” Around Schools, Police Magazine
Sacramento police create new policy for chasing suspects, Police One
Preventing Struck-by-Vehicle Duty Deaths, Police Magazine
The Strengths, Dangers Of Technology On Patrol, Officer.com
Terrorism Defined and Why It Matters, Small Wars Journal
Deputy’s widow sues after he drowns during training, Police One

Mountain

According to Design Experts, These Are the Best Outdoor Products of the Year, Gear Patrol
Jimmy Chin’s Alex Honnold ‘Free Solo’ Film Trailer Drops, Adventure Journal
Outside Names Five of the Most Dangerous Peaks in the U.S., Adventure Journal
2018 Piolets d’Or Winners Announced, The Adventure Blog
Jeremy Jones Explains Why K2 First Descent Was Epic On Many Levels, Unofficial Networks
Our 7 Favorite Packrafting Trips, Outside Magazine
An Unofficial Guide To Ski Sidewall Construction, Unofficial Networks
Whitney Has Turned Into an Overcrowded Catastrophe, Outside
Making Homemade Dehydrated Meals for Backpacking Trips, Bowhunting.com
It Just Dumped a Foot in Italy – While a random snowstorm dropped on Sardinia amid record heat, wild weather elsewhere scorches planet, POWDER Magazine
Nepali Municipality Bans Use of Helicopters at Annapurna Base Camp, The Adventure Blog
Yellowstone Visitor Arrested After Taunting Bison, The Adventure Blog
NEW ZEALAND: Massive Avalanche Rips Chairlift Tower In Half (Nearly Kills Two Workers), Unofficial Networks
Opinion: Down With Cairns, Backpacker Magazine
North Ridge of Latok I finally climbed after 40 years of attempts, Alpinist
Alex Honnold Talks to Tim Ferriss About Fear and Risk, Outside

Fitness / Nutrition

The Economic Cost of America’s Obesity, NY Times
The Best Diet for the Inflammation of Aging, Nutritionfacts.org
Rebranding Motherhood, NY Times
Low Testosterone? You Could Be Overtraining, Breaking Muscle
What You Should and Shouldn’t Eat Before a Run, Outside Magazine
4 Simple Moves That Will Help Fix Your Bad Posture, Men’s Journal
Do “sin taxes” work? The Economist
7 Moves You Should Avoid in Your Back Workouts, Muscle & Fitness
Omega-3 for Health: What the Latest Research Shows, Mark’s Daily Apple
The Best Food for Acne, Nutritionfacts.org
Clues to Your Health Are Hidden at 6.6 Million Spots in Your DNA, NY Times
Which Is Healthier: Coleslaw vs. Potato Salad, Men’s Health
The Hydration Packs Pros Prefer, Outside Magazine
How cannabis and cannabis-based drugs harm the brain, Science Daily

Interesting

Why the Left Is So Afraid of Jordan Peterson, The Atlantic
The Ingredients For Civil War, Hoover Institution
For most U.S. workers, real wages have barely budged in decades, Pew Research Center
The New Star Trek Show Is a Chance to Last Jedi the Hell Out of Captain Picard, Gizmodo
How 20 Seconds of Courage can Change Your Life. Nerd Fitness
Wearable ‘microbrewery’ saves human body from radiation damage, Science Daily
Male Birth Control Could Be Hitting the Shelves Soon, Men’s Health
The list is here: The largest defense companies on the globe, revealed, Defense News
How Jeff Bezos Hires Great People, Hoover Institute
Elaborate hack turned Amazon Echo speakers into spies, Endgadet

By Derek DeBruin

I sat quietly in the back of the Subaru, speeding home through the darkness, exhausted from a day of difficult sport climbing. My compatriots in the front seats were debating the merits of different makes and models of carabiners for their ease of clipping. This seemed like an insignificant detail to me. As long as the gate was bent or made of wire, I thought they all clipped just fine.

It was then that I realized I must not have been climbing hard enough for it to matter—the clipping action on the carabiner clearly was not the thing keeping me from sending hard routes. As the conversation turned to weight and durability, my friends agreed this didn’t matter as much in sport climbing, but was certainly consequential in alpine climbing. It seemed reasonable to take a lightweight kit on big routes, but I thought counting grams was overkill. Clearly, a couple extra pounds in the pack wasn’t what was holding me back.

But as I’ve grown in my climbing, I consistently find that the closer to the limit the more these small things matter. And when there’s real consequence involved, managing the details is everything.

In The World Until Yesterday, Jared Diamond introduces the idea of “constructive paranoia,” a seemingly obsessive and unnecessary preoccupation with mundane details as a way to manage the risk of low-probability events. As one piece of evidence, he cites native peoples of Papua New Guinea. During one of many stints doing field work there, he was struck by how consistently his hosts refused to sleep under or near any “widow makers”—standing dead trees or limbs. This seemed absurd as the likelihood of a particular individual being struck by dead fall while sleeping was quite low. However, Diamond soon noted that on any given day he would witness or hear dead fall at least once, often multiple times. He realized the aversion to sleeping under dead limbs was completely rational if living in these forests every day. Sleeping under widow makers was simply a numbers game that was far more likely to catch up with a local than a Westerner visiting for a few weeks or months. This bit of information created a cultural norm that New Guineans only dared violate at their own peril.

When I worked for the Outward Bound school, we typically slept under tarps (away from widow makers). On one of my first courses, my co-instructor and I built our shelter hastily and, frankly, poorly. I was concerned this would prove problematic, but my desire to get to sleep allowed me to write it off. Because the mountains are a great teacher, I awoke the following morning soaked by rain with a sleeping bag that wouldn’t be fully dry again for another five days. From that point forward I emphasized to my students that if they were going to make a shelter, they should really make a shelter. Anything less than a bomb-proof set up was simply wasted effort. I was beginning to collect my own set of rules and habits for success in the mountains. This particular rule about making shelter paid off one day after climbing in 70mph gusts in Red Rock, Nevada when we returned to the campground to find that ours was the only tent still where it had been left. Anyone else not sleeping in a vehicle was picking up scraps out in the cactus.

When I learned to paddle whitewater, I was fortunate to fall in with a crew of serious Class V boaters almost immediately. Despite the fact that they had boats someone else paid for and I had a dry top that didn’t actually keep me dry, they were happy to run rivers with me simply because they loved paddling that much. On my third day of paddling, after a series of hypothermia-inducing swims, my friend noticed the non-locking carabiner on my PFD. He admonished me. His system was simple. Carabiners go in zippered pockets. If a carabiner must be exposed on your PFD (such as on a quick-release harness), it is a locker that always stays locked.

It would only take one time with an unlocked carabiner accidentally clipped to a rope or tree branch while underwater to learn this lesson, if that experience didn’t kill you first.

I nodded, shivered violently a bit more, and stuffed the carabiner in a pocket. New rule: locking carabiners only on the river.

Years spent working in the Southeast meant days on end with wet feet, and that meant immersion foot was a real concern for me and those in my care. On an expedition, one’s feet might be the only realistic way out of the backcountry, emphasizing the importance of treating them properly. I quickly learned the system to manage this from a more experienced guide. Every morning started with donning the driest pair of socks available. The midday lunch break doubled as a blister check. Socks were dried against the chest all day. The evening routine included at least 15 minutes of bare feet followed by judicious application of lotion on hot spots. Clients and students were instructed in the same. Diligence was a requirement and these daily chores were not optional. As a result, when working one season with 26 straight days of rain, no one had a foot injury more severe than a blister.

When learning to ski, a patroller taught me a basic tenet of ski patrol: never stop above someone. When pulling into the safe zone at the end of a run, stop below your partner. It would be a pretty shitty day to accidentally let loose a sluff or take an uncontrolled slide that sent a co-worker downslope just because you stopped above them. A long-time avalanche forecaster and field observer taught me another: at the bottom of the run, get out of the way and put your skins back on immediately. At the base of the slope, it’s much harder to search for someone if there’s an avalanche, and having skins on skis could be a life-or-death difference. “10cm and 10mph” is the succinct rule for closing uphill traffic at my local ski resort. When I’ve asked about this, the assistant director of mountain safety gives a straightforward answer based on decades of experience on that hill. Wind greater than 10mph is fast enough to transport snow and four inches of fluffy white stuff is plenty to form all manner of slabs. If both those conditions are met overnight, the ski patrol will be throwing charges in the morning, meaning no inbounds uphill travel. While it may seem unnecessarily conservative to always follow these rules, all three of these professionals follow these maxims religiously. They each also have at least one story where not heeding these rules cost them dearly.

Many strong alpinists have similar rules and habits. Conrad Anker is incredibly diligent with foot care. Steve House always carries mittens when climbing so his hands are guaranteed to work if he needs to bail. Colin Haley habitually wears a nose protector on his sunglasses because looking cool is less important than not getting sunburn (or skin cancer). Rolando Garibotti weighs every piece of gear to the gram and writes the weight directly on the item. Will Gadd has pretty strong opinions about racking with a gear sling. Reinhold Messner maintained a daily diet that was the same as he would eat on expeditions, so there was never a need to transition diets and he was always assured a regular morning bowel movement.

The common thread among all of these anecdotes is in the consequence for breaking the rules. These are not idle whims, nor are they meaningless compulsions. Each habit is based on an axiom that serves to decrease risk in an unforgiving environment. It might seem obsessive to count grams. However, attempting cutting-edge alpine style routes on big mountains with little margin for error by definition does not leave any margin for unnecessary weight. The clipping action of a carabiner is no longer an inconsequential detail when you factor in icy ropes, gloves, fatigue, and difficult, runout climbing. It could be the difference between sending or not, or even making it home. Inadequate shelter might only mean an unpleasant night out, until the one time it means death by exposure.

Consequently, nearly all of the guides, climbers, and other outdoor professionals I respect the most have strong opinions on the manner in which they conduct themselves in the mountains. They follow their own rules diligently and use habits they can’t always explain. They are of course open to learning new systems and engaging with new ideas, but each moment of an expedition from initial research to logistical preparations to execution of a climb is the result of a certain carefulness born of years of near misses, close calls, and shiver bivies. Everything is done with purpose, nothing is left to chance. The mountain is already unpredictable—that shouldn’t be exacerbated by doing this haphazardly. I’m wary of those who haven’t figured out the rules yet. I just hope I’m following the correct ones.

About the Author

By Rob Shaul

• Echo
• Foxtrot
• Golf
• Hotel

“SF45” is an acronym for “Strength and Fitness 45” and this programming is designed for older tactical and other high impact athletes in the 45-55 age range. SF45 Programming has the following general characteristics:

Heavy, Low Volume Strength – think heavy barbel and 1-4 reps per set. The goal is to increase or maintain relative strength (strength per bodyweight) in the most efficient manner possible. Some SF45 cycles will feature bodyweight strength training, but none will include moderately loaded free weight strength training in the 5-12 reps per set range. This is to avoid unnecessary joint impact. Alpha, Bravo, and Charlie deploy this type of strength training. SF45 Delta steps away from the barbell and deploys bodyweight strength training. 

Endurance – Recreationally, most activities for athletes in this age range are outside and have a strong endurance component – biking, hunting, trail running, hiking, alpine climbing, etc. As well, for experienced athletes who’ve spent decades throwing iron around in gyms, the appeal of training inside wanes. Endurance programming includes assessment based intervals at a threshold pace, long distance intervals at an easy pace, and gym-based endurance training. This programming may include rucking and ruck running, as well as loaded step ups. Specific to this plan, SF45 Bravo, the athlete will be able to choose between running and biking.

Chassis Integrity – MTI’s mid-section training methodology aims at building transferable mid-section strength and strength endurance. Four movements are emphasized: Rotation, Anti-Rotation, Total Body, and Extension. Chassis Integrity can be trained in focused circuits, as well as in complementary gym-based endurance events.

Non-high Impact Work Capacity – In this age group, gone are the days of hard, intense, high impact multi-modal gym-based work capacity programming. For day to day training, the interest and need for this type of fitness is not worth the joint impact. Work capacity training is limited to lower impact gym exercises and shuttle sprints.

Minimal Deep Loaded Squats – For the most part these training plans avoid heavy, loaded deep squatting movements to acknowledge knee and other joint issues. There are a couple of exceptions.

BUY NOW

SF45 Packet II Training Plans

Four SF45 plans are included in this packet: Echo, Foxtrot, Golf, and Hotel. Each SF45 plan is a 6x/week, 7 week training plan. Week 7 of each plan is an unload week, so the plans may be run back-to-back.  See the chart below for specifics on each plan.

COMMON QUESTIONS

What Equipment is Required?

• Fully-equipped functional fitness gym including barbells/dumbells, plates, bumpers, rack, bench, plyo boxes, sandbag (40/60/80 pounds)
• Stopwatch with countdown interval timer.
• Optional – GPS running watch to make finding running/biking distance easy

Can the plans be purchased individually?
No – the plans can only be purchased with this packet.

Can I see sample training before purchase?
Yes, click HERE and then hit “Sample Training” to see the entire first week of programming for each training plan

How do I access the plan?
You can access the plan via username and password either through our website or through our app (Mtn Tactical Fitness) available for IOS and Android.

Can I print out sessions to take to the gym?
Yes – you can print a week of programming at a time

More Questions?
Email: coach@mtntactical.com

By Derek DeBruin

Within a year of beginning to climb, I was enrolled in the Single Pitch Instructor course, a program for aspiring climbing instructors. In three short days the curriculum made quite clear how little I actually knew about climbing. Something as simple as belaying from above directly off the anchor blew my mind. I had a lot to learn.

A few months later, with my first season of rock guiding under my belt, I took the Single Pitch Instructor exam. By that point, I had a firm grasp on how to belay from above directly off the anchor. But when the examiner asked me why I’d used a “rabbit runner” system with a static rope to build an anchor, the best I could do was stammer about needing to connect three pieces that weren’t very close together. To be honest, I’m not sure I even knew at the time what other options I might have used.

That didn’t matter, though—I passed the exam. Somehow, I’d managed to go from having my mind blown to knowing everything in a few months. I failed to grasp that regurgitating a few basic technical systems on command was not the same thing as good guiding. Soon, I found myself at a hanging stance atop a single pitch of climbing attempting to coach a client to rappel through a tangled mess of ropes. It appeared that at least some of the time, I didn’t even really have “regurgitating a few basic technical systems” dialed. 

Luckily, the lesson of tangled ropes was not lost on me and I worked rapidly to tighten my systems up. I poured hours into anchor building, rescue drills, rope management, reading, and research until I could employ almost any obscure technical system as desired. What was a weakness had become a point of pride. Unfortunately, there was another lesson that hadn’t quite hit home.

My client had struggled mightily to the top of that pitch, struggled again at the hanging stance I’d used, and struggled further to rappel through my mess.

He probably didn’t get too much out of that rappel lesson. Nor did he ask to learn that skill. What might have been value-added was a major distraction not only due to inadequate technical skills, but also poor application of those skills even if I’d mastered them.

On a later rock guiding course, this point finally coalesced. I led our party of three up a pitch of vertical crack climbing. The instructor climbed first, as is often the case, and I told him he could remove any gear that would be convenient for him. He was pleased by this as it made his life much easier. During our debrief of the day, he mentioned that the technical skills I’d demonstrated seemed solid, but real craftsmanship grew from using technical skills as a client care tool. I’d recognized that directional protection on the pitch of crack climbing was irrelevant and had used this knowledge to make the climb easier for my follower. He encouraged me to apply this paradigm—technical skills as a client care tool—as often as possible. My clients wouldn’t always be able to figure out why, but they’d have less fatiguing, more enjoyable days (and maybe even tip accordingly).

Armed with this new knowledge and a positive appraisal of my technical skills, my next problem was consistent temptation to employ rope tricks unnecessarily. One of my students in an anchor building clinic was clearly well-read and had some experience placing gear, so I expected him to do quite well. However, he kept missing the mark just a bit. His anchors were unnecessarily complex, which caused him to make errors. I finally made the connection with my own work. While a mountain professional should have a number of tools in the box, the simplest, most common solution is simple and common for a reason. The Pareto principle or “80/20 rule” would guide me forward. A small set of techniques (perhaps 20% of the tools in the box) would solve most problems most of the time (80% or more). This fundamental point was underemphasized in my training as a guide. We learned a host of technical skills, but rarely was it made clear that while we should probably be familiar with 20 or 30 different transitions, we’d normally use the same 5 or 6 day in and day out in our work. In reality, there was a minimal set of skills worth the most effort to master.

This idea of minimal skill set was made clearer still when I began to teach the Single Pitch Instructor course that had once expanded my horizons so considerably as a young climber. I gave a lesson on protection and anchors to the students on the course. During debrief at the end of the day my co-instructor and mentor methodically disassembled my lesson. What did these students really need to learn if they were going to be solid instructors? Teaching them how to place a cam was irrelevant since it was a prerequisite skill. If the students hadn’t already mastered this, that was their fault, not ours. What they needed to understand was the full suite of anchor building options, when to use them, which ones would be used most often, and which ones to teach students of their own. With limited time and attention to devote to any given lesson, I needed to learn to teach the minimum. Reducing a lesson to its most essential components meant more time spent on the most important topics, more hands-on practice, and students who would actually retain knowledge.

John Long has asserted in a few of his climbing “how to” books that an entire climbing career can be made from the knowledge of a very minimal set of knots. He’s not wrong. I’ve certainly been happy to have the right knot for the job many times, but there’s some hyperbole in the idea that an autoblock and a prusik are really so different. If I had to boil it down, a climber can get by with just five knots and hitches: the figure-8, the overhand, the clove hitch, the munter hitch, and the prusik. The figure-8 secures the rope end to objects (such as a harness). The overhand family is used to join rope ends for rappelling and clipping the middle of the rope to a carabiner. The clove hitch creates adjustable attachments. The munter can be used for belaying and rappelling when other tools aren’t available. The prusik is an incredibly reliable rope grab. There may be more elegant solutions in some cases, but this small set of knots will get the job done, even in complex multi-rope transitions or challenging rescue systems.

This is the challenge I consistently struggle to master to this day: the minimum. Additional material in a lesson results in wasted time and attention from students. Inefficient route finding results in wasted breath from clients. Nonessential equipment in the pack results in undesirable extra effort. Unnecessary transitions on a climb result in wasted time. The path to mastery is defined by ruthlessly shedding anything extraneous. Once it’s clear how little is needed, what remains can be honed to perfection of the craft.

About the Author

Military

Inside SecDef Jim Mattis’ $2.5 Billion Plan to Make the Infantry Deadlier, Small Wars Journal
Congress finalizes $717 billion defense budget authorization months ahead of schedule, Defense News
Drone Attacks are Essentially Terrorism by Joystick, Small Wars Journal
Leadership: Expanding the Discussion, Small Wars Journal
US has launched over 500 strikes against the Islamic State since May, Long War Journal
War Stories As They Should Be Told, Modern War Institute
A jet sale to Egypt is being blocked by a US regulation, and France is over it, Defense News
Making America’s Navy Great Again, Small Wars Journal
Russian Navy Preparing to Take on U.S., Real Clear Defense

Homeland Security / Law Enforcement / Fire/Rescue

Facebook says efforts to subvert upcoming US elections resemble ‘new arms race’, intelNews.org
Iran’s Human Geography: The Wicked Problem of People, Places, and Things that Complicates US Strategy, Modern War Institute
America Should Oppose China’s Economic Imperialism, The National Interest
Selling Risk Management Poorly, Backstep Firefighter
Is it Really That Bad? Firefighter’s Enemy
Behind the Badge – What You Don’t See, Law Enforcement Today
Mexican Cartel Tactical Note #38: Armed Drone Targets the Baja California Public Safety Secretary’s Residence in Tecate, Mexico, Small Wars Journal
Senate Passes 1.9% Federal Pay Raise, Police Magazine
How mobile intelligence improves police officer safety, PoliceOne Daily News
United States asking Australian firefighters for help, Wildfire Today
L.A. County Deputy’s Deposition Describes Tattooing of Exclusive Society of Officers, Officer.com
New Rules Shrink Ranks of Alaska Wildland Firefighters, Fire Engineering

Mountain

Four climbs and one person to be recognized at 2018 Piolets d’Or in Ladek, Poland, Alpinist Newswires
Cody Roth: The Undercover 5.15 Crusher Following His Own Path, Climbing Magazine
Peak Resorts makes massive upgrades to Northeastern ski areas, Freeskier.com
6 Pros on How to Have the Perfect Summer, Outside Magazine
No Man’s Land: The Hunt for a Giant Kansas Buck, Outdoor Life
The Ultimate Backpacking Calorie Estimator, Outside Magazine
Elsewhere: Winter In Japan, Powder Magazine
National Geographic Presents 25 of the World’s Most Iconic Mountains, The Adventure Blog
American Cyclists Killed by ISIS In Tajikistan, Outside Magazine

Fitness / Nutrition

The Future Of Food Needs Transparency And Integrity: A Response, Hoover Institution
Muscle ‘switch’ may control the benefits of exercise, Science Daily
The Benefits of Eating with Your Non-Dominant Hand, Breaking Muscle
Eating crickets can be good for your gut, according to new clinical trial, Science Daily
What Are Exogenous Ketones and Who Should Take Them? Mark’s Daily Apple
Shave Seconds Off Your Sprint With Advice From These World-Class Coaches, Men’s Health
Do You Really Need A Lifting Belt In The Gym? We Find Out, Men’s Health
Why Drugs and Diet Can Sometimes Fail in Diabetes, NutritionFacts.org
Why Take Diet Advice From a Cave Man? NYT
10 No Equipment Needed Exercises for Strong Legs, Breaking Muscle

Interesting

The Humanitarian Crisis You Haven’t Heard About, Council on Foreign Relations
Steven Seagal Appointed by Russia as Special Envoy to the U.S., NYT
Opinion: Military Planes Are Ruining Olympic National Park and Violating the Wilderness Act, Adventure Journal
How Emotional Intelligence Boosts Your Endurance, Outside Magazine
French Skier Identified via Social Media 65 Years After Death – Henri La Masne disappeared while in Italy’s Aosta region while storm skiing on his birthday in 1954, Powder Magazine
The Benefits of Eating with Your Non-Dominant Hand, Breaking Muscle
Lessons From Life in a One-Bathroom House, NYT

By Rob Shaul

These two training programs are designed specifically to improve your 2-Mile or 5-Mile Run performance.

The plans focus on 3 general objectives:

1. Increase speed over ground
2. Increase running-specific leg strength, core strength, and upper body strength
3. Increase running aerobic base and efficiency for longer distance runs

Assessment-Based, Speed over Ground and Aerobic Base Work
Both plans deploy assessments and use the assessment performance for the follow-on progressions. In this way, the plans automatically “scale” to the incoming running fitness and speed of each individual athlete. You’ll train 6 days/week.

Strength Work
The plans also include focused, running-specific leg, mid-section, and upper body strength training deploying bodyweight strength exercises. You’ll train strength twice each week.

WEEKLY SCHEDULE

• Mon: Assessment or Speed over Ground Intervals
• Tue: Strength Training
• Wed: Speed over Ground Intervals
• Thu: Strength Training
• Fri: Speed over Ground Intervals
• Sat: Easy Distance Run

COMMON QUESTIONS

What is the Required Equipment?

• Stop Watch
• Pull Up Bar
• Track, trail or road where 800m, 1- mile, 2-mile and 5-mile distances can be measured

What if I miss a day?
Begin where you left off when you return to training. The programs are progressed – each session builds upon the prior session – so don’t skip a session or skip around. Follow the training sessions in order, regardless.

How Long do the Sessions Last?
60-120 minutes depending upon your running pace. Longest days will be the Saturday long easy run.

What does “5/10x Push Ups” Mean?
Women do 5x Push Ups, Men do 10x Push Ups.

Where do I find unfamiliar exercises?
See our Exercise Library HERE. The Run/Ruck Calculator is listed as an exercise.

What about nutrition?
See our Nutritional Guidelines HERE.

Can I see sample training?
Yes. Click on one of the plans above, then hit “Sample Training” tab to see the entire first week of programming.

How do I access the plan?
You can access the plan via username and password either through our website or through our app (Mtn Tactical Fitness) available for IOS and Android.

More Questions?
Email: coach@mtntactical.com

MTI’s Top Selling Training Plans for July 2018

1. Athlete’s Subscription
2. Bodyweight Foundation Training Plan
3. APFT Training Plan
4. Running Improvement Training Plan
5. Army Combat Fitness Test (ACFT) Training Plan
6. Core Strength Bodyweight Only
7. Chassis Integrity Training Plan
8. Military On-Ramp Training Plan
9. Hypertrophy for Skinny Guys
10. Fat-Loss Training Plan
11. Humility
12. Big 24 Strength Training Program
13. FBI Special Agent PFT Training Plan
14. 3-Week Push-Up & Pull-Up Improvement Training Plan
15. SFOD-D (DELTA) Selection Course Training Plan
16. LE On-Ramp Training Plan
17. Ranger School Training Plan
18. Push-Up Improvement Training Plan
19. USAF TACP Training Plan
20. Rat 6 Strength

Learn more about our Plans and Subscription HERE

Military

Can Trump Get America Out of Afghanistan?, Small Wars Journal
Bomb, bomb Iran, The Interpreter
Shootout: Why the Army Picked Sig Sauer over Glock, The National Interest
The Pentagon Should Be Planning for an Occupation of Iran, Modern War Institute
Has ‘Mad Dog’ Mattis Lost His Influence with Trump? In Homeland Security
Israel Might Have as Many as 300 Nuclear Weapons. And Some Are in the ‘Ocean.’, The National Interest
Mattis: US military teams may go to North Korea to look for more war remains, Defense News
The US Army’s top modernization priority is in jeopardy, Defense News
This Task Force Could be Key to Winning in the Information Environment, Modern War Institute
I Was a US Liaison Officer to Lithuania. Here’s What I Learned., Modern War Institute
ISIS Says It Killed 4 Cyclists in Tajikistan, NY Times

First Responder / Homeland Security / Wildland Fire

Carr Fire burns into Redding, Wildfire Today
Washington Sheriff’s Deputy Stops Suspect Armed With AR-15, Officer.com
Russian Hackers Appear to Shift Focus to U.S. Power Grid, Homeland Security Newswire
Philadelphia to stop giving ICE real-time arrest data, Police One
Why Russian spies really like American universities, Homeland Security Newswire
Ga. officers fired after using coin flip to determine arrest, Police One
Los Angeles Deputies’ Tattoos Probed, Officer.com
2 CA FIREFIGHTERS KILLED, 3 BURNED AT WILDLAND FIRE, Firefighter Close Calls
US-led coalition: 6 Islamic State operatives plotted against Saudi Arabia, Sweden and US, Long War Journal
Dallas PD turns down breakfast, donation from Mavericks CEO after email sparks outrage, Police One
Entire police force suspended after NC chief charged, Officer.com

Mountain

Russian Mountaineer Stuck on Peak in Karakoram, Outside
The Unofficial Ski Town Job Hierarchy, Unofficial Networks
The Best Gear From Summer Outdoor Retailer 2018, Adventure Journal
Best Gear from Summer Outdoor Retailer, Gear Junkie
Best of Summer Outdoor Retailer, Outside
Video: DYI Backcountry Wyoming Mule Deer Hunt, Eastman’s Outdoors
Flowchart: What to Train to Redpoint Your Project, Climbing Magazine
Camping gear for skiers: What to take on your next summer excursion, Freeskier.com
The Land Revolution: The New Age of Wildlife Management and Off-the-Charts Hunting, Outdoor Life
Jesse Gomez dominates the streets of Norway and Bulgaria, Snowboard Magazine
Forget Smokey the Bear: Smart Bombs Put Out Forest Fires, the National Interest
VIDEO: Watch a C-130 Get Up Close And Personal With California’s Massive Wildfire, The National Interest
Brittany Goris is the first woman to free climb historic Todd Skinner testpiece crack City Park, Alpinist

Fitness / Nutrition

Influence of Clothing on Thermoregulation and Comfort During Exercise in the Heat: Erratum, Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research
Ask Well: Do Flip-Flops Protect Against Athlete’s Foot?, NY Times
Energy Cost of Continuous Shuttle Running: Comparison of 4 Measurement Methods, Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research
An Assessment of Running Power as a Training Metric for Elite and Recreational Runners, Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research
The Effects of Beef, Chicken, or Whey Protein After Workout on Body Composition and Muscle Performance, Journal of Strength & Conditioning
20 Reasons Why You Should Be Using Kettlebells, Breaking Muscle
Is Running Before Workouts Detrimental to Muscle Gain?, Muscle & Fitness
How to Avoid the Most Common Sunscreen Mistakes, Outside
The Best DNA Ancestry Test, Wirecutter
The Hype Over Sensory Deprivation Tanks Is Real. Here’s Why., Men’s Journal
What is the Glycemic Index?, Worlds Healthiest Foods
Reduce Acid-Forming Proteins to Protect Kidney Function, NutritionFacts.org
The 4 Best Squat Alternatives, Breaking Muscle
Paleo vs. Keto Diet: Which Low-Carb Diet Is Right for You?, Men’s Fitness
The 15 Best Keto Breakfast Ideas to Power Up Your Morning, Men’s Fitness
What You Should and Shouldn’t Eat Before a Run, Outside
Line Skis debuts 2018-19 lineup, including all-new Chronic, Sick Day and Pandora skis, Freeskier

Interesting

The Best Sports Bras, Wirecutter
When Being a Good ‘Dad’ Gets You Promoted to ‘Mommy’, NY Times
Is Vietnam the New China? Council on Foreign Relations
FIFA World Cup host Qatar ‘used ex-CIA agents to sabotage rival bids’, Intel News
Video: How Nat Geo Photographers Hack Cameras to Capture Wildlife Shots, The Adventure Blog
New Alzheimer’s Drug Slows Memory Loss in Early Trial Results, NYT
Largest king penguin colony has shrunk nearly 90%, Science Daily