KUDOS
Rob,
Sir I just wanted to give you some feedback/testimonial to your USAF pt program. I took my pt test this morning and scored a 98.3 maxing out everything portion of the test except for pushups. Here are my scores from 5 weeks ago and today:
May 20th June 24th
1 min pushups: 41 1 min pushups: 49
1 min situps: 44 1 min situps: 59
1.5 mile run: 10:05 1.5 mile run: 8:59
Again I was only able to complete 5 weeks of the program but for the most part followed the program to the T with only a few minor adjustments. Also note the version I had was not the most recent updated one but last years version. Leading up to starting the program I was following Atomic Athlete programming. Thank you sir for the program I will definitely be purchasing the most recent version for next years pt test.
– W.
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QUESTION
Coach,
Again, thanks.
On another I’ve heard rumors, unconfirmed, that there’s an Army Dive Course in Hawaii. If this rumor is proven to be true and if I can get a slot a year to eighteen months or so from now I’d like to do so. To prepare for it my intention is to use the onramp program when I get to Hawaii, then move on into either Base Fitness or Operator Sessions, then use either the USAF PJ/CCT/CRO program or BUD/S Program to ready myself for Dive School’s rigors. Which program would you recommend for someone intending to put themselves through the Army Engineer Diver Course?
Regards,
– C.
ANSWER
I’m sorry – can’t help you here – I’m not sure what the demands of the dive course are. I’m pretty sure the CCT plan would be too intense and involve way too much rucking, etc. The BUD/s plan may be more appropriate, but again, I’m not sure what the demands of the course are.
– Rob
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QUESTION
Dear mr. Rob,
My name is A., I come from an EUFOR country called Slovenia.
I’m a 20 year old who has a love for hunting, martial arts and all things military, I also have a strong military heritage. . I am currently going to college as an IT professional, however, after I finish my three year course, I would like to join the armed forces. I have about 2 years before I attend selection for officer school (if I fail that I’ll enlist), so hopefully I’m not too late.
I’ve been looking through your site and I’ve concluded that you really know what you’re doing. This is why I’m contacting you for help. Where do you think a beginner should start? I’m 5 feet and 10 inches tall, and I weigh about 143 pounds. My body type is meso-ecto (my body is relatively well shaped with muscles clearly defined but I’m skinny). I mainly do sports which require aerobic endurance like basketball, hunting, cycling, so I’m sorely lacking in strength. I would ultimately like to achieve a strength level where I can comfortably follow the operator sessions you’re offering without much difficulty.
I’m not really sure how much information you need to give me an educated suggestion, I will gladly give more if need be.
Yours sincerely,
– A.
ANSWER
I’d like to see you with about 25 pounds of added muscle. I’d recommend starting with our hypertrophy program – it’s designed to build strength and muscle mass: http://militaryathlete.com/page.php?page_ID=12&cart_category_ID=55&&cart_ID=35
– Rob
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QUESTION
Rob,
I have a SSG that is pushing overweight. It is all in the gut, it isn’t
a beer gut as we are 7 months into the deployment, the food on the COP
doesn’t have any real choices for fruits and veggies that are fresh
mostly cans (once in a while we get apples and such). The goal is to get
him down and drop a DSS packet.
I am looking to get him on a strong workout program that will rip it off
him and thought of you. Where should I start? Should I toss him into the
Operator sessions with me or will that push his core out even more?
Look forward to hearing from you.
– J.
ANSWER
I’d recommend the APFT Training Plan: http://militaryathlete.com/page.php?page_ID=12&cart_category_ID=51&&cart_ID=30
It’s focused on the APFT events, but is no joke, and the overall volume is less than some of our other plans. There’s plenty of running – which will help him get up to speed.
Diet – 80% of body fat is diet-related. Cut his sweet carbs, and bread/wheat intake, and he’ll shed weight.
– Rob
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QUESTION
Coach –
When doing sandbag getups at the start of a session to warmup, how many reps should I be getting? I weigh 195# and I’m guessing since I’m doing the getups fresh instead of at the end of Operator Ugly, I should be getting more than I would on the test. I would guess 70 or so in the 10 minutes, is that anywhere close?
– L.
ANSWER
Between 50-70 – depending on how young you are.
What I mean is at the beginning of a session, my joints are stiff (I’m 45), and I’m moving slow. It takes a few reps to loosen things up. Younger guys can hit it hard right away.
– Rob
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QUESTION
Would your training program for athletes suffering an arm injury work for me since i have a shoulder injury? I have a significant tear in the posterior of my labrum with a piece actually torn off of it and floating around and slight tearing in the front. I play middle linebacker for a semi-pro football team in Minnesota and will be talking to a surgeon in the next month to figure out where I will go from here. Just trying to stay in shape.
– J.
ANSWER
The program works around your injury – so you won’t be working that side at all. However, the plan does include running, jumping, etc. – so while you won’t be using the bad shoulder, you will jostle it around. If you can do that – the program will work. http://militaryathlete.com/page.php?page_ID=12&cart_category_ID=57&&cart_ID=50
– Rob
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QUESTION
Hi Rob, my team is currently deployed and we are working with some guys following your operators sessions. We would like to work our way into these sessions during our down cycle but may not have the time or predictability to start while we are out. We were considering a couple programs on your site and are looking for a little guidance with the goal of moving in to the operator sessions in a couple months. We have a pretty solid endurance base and have looked at the 357 and on ramp programs. There wasn’t too much info about the on ramp but we liked the schedule and description. We have access to plenty of gym equipment but don’t really have a great place to run or do any sort of distance movement for pt. Thanks in advance for your time.
– C.
ANSWER
I’d recommend the 357 Plan. It is strength focused – the sessions are weight room and barbell focused. The plan does include some easy running, which you could replace with treadmill work or step ups. It also includes Olympic lifting exercises. If you and your guys are uncomfortable with these, do the OnRamp Plan. Links:
357: http://militaryathlete.com/page.php?page_ID=12&cart_category_ID=55&&cart_ID=69
OnRamp: http://militaryathlete.com/page.php?page_ID=12&cart_category_ID=56&&cart_ID=87
– Rob
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QUESTION
I had a question about when to start the ranger train up program. We dont have time at IBOLC to get the workouts in everyday due to FTX and such. Should I just do it prior to IBOLC? That would have me complete by August 24th and my ranger date isnt till Jan 6. Just curious what your opinion is on the situation. Appreciate all you guys do! Love the operator workouts. Put on 40 lbs of weight and dropped my 2 mile run, 1 whole minute with you guys.
Repsectfully,
– T.
ANSWER
That’s a tough one – but yes, you could do it before IBOLC. I doubt you’re the only guy going straight from IBOLC to Ranger School – so I’m thinking your IBOLC work will help maintain the fitness the plan gives you.
Thanks for the great note! Glad our stuff has worked for you.
– Rob
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QUESTION
Hi Rob,
Just wanted to take a second and thank you and your team. Just completed Ranger school, going straight through the course with no major issues and without having to repeat any phases. I owe much of that success to you and your training resources, so thank you.
Had a quick question, if you don’t mind, regarding the way forward. I’d like to take advantage of this recovery window and restore (maybe surpass) my previous strength/size. I anticipate getting under a barbell for most of it, but I also enjoy working with kettlebells, as they have traditionally done wonders for my joints. Which of your programs do you recommend?
Again, thank you, and I look forward to hearing back.
All the best,
RLTW
– T.
ANSWER
Congrats T.!
Any of the strength plans on the site would be good.
On the barbell side, I’d recommend the Hypertrophy Program to build back some muscle: http://militaryathlete.com/page.php?page_ID=12&cart_category_ID=55&&cart_ID=35
We also offer a strength plan which uses kettle bells exclusively: http://militaryathlete.com/page.php?page_ID=12&cart_category_ID=55&&cart_ID=93
– Rob
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QUESTION
Hey Rob:
I just purchased the above program and even after just one day, I feel better. I have been going to the gym religiously for the past five years and been plagued by plateaus and lack of motivation at times. What is your best recommendation as far as completing the work capacity / core sessions (i.e. the sprinting) at a commercial gym like LA Fitness. Ideally I would like to run on a track but I don’t have access to one and if I did, bringing equipment to the track to complete the core workout would be difficult. Just wanted to get advice on the best / efficient means of completing these sessions. Thank you.
– B.
ANSWER
Couple options ….
Best: Go outside into the parking lot or side of the building for the sprints (that’s what we often do)
Next Best: use a tread mill.
– Rob
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QUESTION
Hey Rob what routine would you recommend for just getting into really good shape….a ripped look….I did the ultimate meathead and it was great but my run time dwindled afterwards.
– S.
ANSWER
Understand I’m not concerned about your appearance – just your performance. Ultimate Meathead is one of our strength cycles – it’s designed to increase lower body strength and add upper body mass – not improve your run time.
For day to day programming, I’d recommend subscribing to the Operator Sessions.
For a program what includes a strength, work capacity and stamina cycles, I’d recommend Military Athlete for CrossFitters: http://militaryathlete.com/page.php?page_ID=12&cart_category_ID=56&&cart_ID=63
– Rob
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QUESTION
Rob,
I am an infantryman in the National Guard. After I came back from my deployment to Afghanistan, I made the mistake of being lazy and letting myself go, and consequently my fitness levels declined significantly. In an attempt to get myself back on track, I dabbled in a variety of routines and programs, including CrossFit. While CrossFit kicked my ass and I made some noticeable gains, I felt that they weren’t helping me on the military side of things in any significant way. I finally stumbled across your site and after reviewing some of your programing, I think you’re really on to something.
I am seeking some advice on how to best utilize your workout plans in order to reach my goals. My goals, in order of priority, are as follows:
1 – Attain and sustain a level of strength and endurance that allows me to perform my duties as an infantryman as effectively as possible
2 – Progress to doing your operator sessions
3 – Perform well on the APFT (270+)
4 – I would also like to gain a bit of mass (I am 6’5" and 200lbs and could stand to fill out a little bit), but this is purely secondary to my other goals.
My state of fitness right now is admittedly pretty shaky…I could probably pass an APFT right now, but I would struggle and probably barely pass on the run and push-up portions. I’ve traditionally had little problem with road marches, and in fact completed a 12 miler last week with no issue. I can hold my own on typical infantry type movements (i.e., bounding over long distances under load, long movements through rough terrain, 3-5 second rushes in full kit) but I tend to get pretty smoked and I worry that in a real-world, non-training environment I would have issues keeping up. As far as weights go, I have lost a lot of my sheer strength. At my current estimation, I could probably bench about 60% of my BW, deadlift my BW, and squat perhaps 70% of it. Right now, I feel like my two biggest weaknesses are strength and high intensity cardio endurance.
Given my current state of fitness and what I hope to achieve, where do you suggest I begin? I would eventually like to start doing your operator sessions, and so what would be the best progression to get to that point? I have already purchased your ‘On Ramp’ training plan, and it looks great, but quite frankly I think it’s at a level above where I’m at right now, and I struggle to make it through the workouts. Do I need to suck it up and push through it, perhaps scaling it back for starters? Or is there is a better place to start that you could recommend?
Thank you so much for your time, and for what you do.
– B.
ANSWER
Thanks for the note B..
First Option: APFT Plan – This plan automatically "scales" to the athlete’s initial fitness, and is a great place to start for general fitness. You could potentially do this plan for 3-4 weeks, then drop into the OnRamp Plan you already have: http://militaryathlete.com/page.php?page_ID=12&cart_category_ID=51&&cart_ID=30
Second Option: Bodyweight Training Plan – another great plan with is not joke. A little more intense than the APFT Plan: http://militaryathlete.com/page.php?page_ID=12&cart_category_ID=56&&cart_ID=96
Diet – Fix your diet straight away – which means stop eating crap. Here are our dietary guidelines:
6 Days/Week
– Eat ONLY: meat, veggies, nuts, seeds, a little cheese, a little fruit.
– Drink ONLY: Water, Coffee (you can have cream in your coffee), Bubble water.
– DONT Eat: bread, pasta, corn, grain of any kind, tortillas, beans, sugar.
– DON’T Drink: Calories of any kind – including alcohol.
1 Day/Week
Cheat like a mother.
**Note – there is no caloric restriction during the 6 days/week. – Eat as much as you want – but stick to the menu…
– Rob
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