QUESTION
Coach,
Quick question for you I’ve been following the Operator Sessions for a year now. I am 5’8" 175lbs. My SRM’s are as follows;
1 mile run 5:05
Bench Press: 225
Back Squat: 245
Power Clean: 170
Military Press: 125
Deadlift: 325
As an Operator what should my ideal weight be? What are the "standard" numbers for Operator SRM’s?
ANSWER
You’re about right for weight Brian. Here are our strength standards. "BW" = Bodyweight. – Rob
LIFT MEN WOMEN
Front Squat 1.5x BW 1.0x BW
Dead Lift 2.0x BW 1.5x BW
Bench Press 1.5x BW 1.0x BW
Push Press 1.1x BW .7x BW
Squat Clean 1.25x BW 1.0x BW
Squat Clean+ Push Press 1.1x BW .7xBW
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QUESTION
Rob,
Good morning, hope you are doing well. My name is Kevin and I used your military athlete program for a few months while I was getting ready to run an ultra. The idea was that your plan would get my legs strong enough to handle the pounding and I would be able to stay strong on the race. The training paid off immensely. My legs felt good and I finished the Bryce 100. Unfortunately, I think I developed some muscular imbalances, probably because I didn’t spend enough time stretching. I was wondering if perhaps you had any advice or if you have seen something like this before. My legs feel strong when I run but the areas around my knees get a little sore. I feel like I am running a bit out of whack. My alignment or posture is not quite right. Any ideas or recommendation would be greatly appreciated. I saw the sports therapist here and they aren’t exactly sure what it is. I’m pretty sure I am just inflexible and a bit unbalanced. I know this is a bit random but I was hoping that with your experience you might have seen something like this.
– K.
ANSWER
‘m not a doctor so I can’t diagnose you K., and haven’t seen this here ….
A couple possible ideas ….
– Overuse injury from running too much. Your knees are telling you to pull back.
– Quads are overly strong compared to hamstrings. One prescription might be our Hamstring Hell complex.
– It’s not inflexibility. I can pretty much guarantee you stretching won’t cure you.
– Rob
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QUESTION
Rob,
Good morning from Reno, NV. After 12 years I left the Marine Corps and moved out here. I have been doing the 5/3/1 program for the past 12 weeks. My 1 rep max numbers are as follows:
Squat 260
Bench 185
Press 165
Deadlift 240
My last PFT on June 1st was 23:58 (3 miler), 99 crunches, and 16 pull-ups.
I am joining the reserves (6th ANGLICO) and may have to go to jump, SERE, and JTAC.
My flexibility is awful and I would like to get better. According to my fitbit scale I am 159lbs with 19.5% body fat.
I am building a garage gym with Rogue rack, matador dip bar, I have Kbs up to 1.5 pood and a treadmill.
I love to work out with weights but I need a training program that can also help me run and cycle. As you probably know I am an hour from Lake Tahoe and my wife and I love to be outside.
Sorry for being all over the place but I’ve tried many programs and always seem to hit a plateau. I am ready for something different that will last me a long time. Any suggestions on what program(s) to purchase would be greatly appreciated.
Semper Fi,
– R.
ANSWER
Our day to day training for military athletes and others is the Operator Sessions.
The idea is as an athlete has a school/mission/selection/PFT, etc. coming up, he or she drops out of the Operator Sessions, and completes one of our sport specific training plans to prepare specifically for the upcoming event.
After the event, the athlete drops back into the Operator Sessions.
Some athletes, instead of doing this, would rather string together the training plans we offer.
My first suggestion to you is to do the Operator Sessions.
If you’d rather not do that, then I’d suggest one of the training plans from the website store – a good place to start would be the Bodyweight Plan, or the Work Capacity cycle. Another route you could go would be to one of the sport specific plans at our sister site, Mountain Athlete (mountainathlete.com). Many of these plans are sport specific for mountain sports, and we have one for mountain biking, peak bagging, etc. There’s a whole world of interesting efforts there.
I wouldn’t worry about your flexibility. A body fat of 19.5% is high, though. Fix your diet and this will come down. I’d like guys to be no higher than 12%, and 10% would be better.
– Rob
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QUESTION
Rob,
I apologize if you covered this in a blog post. What can I substitute for suicide drills and short distance running? My gym is small and flanked by busy city streets. I saw you have 30 step ups equals 100 meters. Does this mean 120 equals 400? Could I do 100 jump ropes for a 100? I can do 400s on the treadmill but I find that with shorter distances the tread is just warming up as I finish the distance. Thanks and happy 4th!
– G.
ANSWER
Best to think of time – so a 200m run in the middle of a circuit is going to last 45-60 seconds. Do something about the same amount of time, etc. – 25x step ups for example.
Treadmill – If possible, leave the treadmill running at a fast pace – and you can run on it for short distances.
– Rob
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QUESTION
Hey Rob,
My name is Eric, I’m a junior at George Washington University NROTC and I’m hoping to go to BUD/S when I graduate. I’m a huge fan of your site, thanks for all the tremendous training materials you guys put out, it’s all top notch.
My question is primarily about nutrition. I’m 6’1" and just a hair over 165, so I’m tall and skinny and have had trouble putting on muscle. Over the past 12 months I’ve managed to put on about 5 lbs, but I’d love to jump start the process. My goal is to be at 185-190 by the time I graduate. Is this a good goal for my body type?
I’m planning on starting the Hypertrophy program this week, so any input would be much appreciated.
Thanks,
– E.
ANSWER
Yes on the Hypertrophy Plan. In general, college age guys generally seem to turn the corner somewhere during their college years and their bodies fill out – so you may just be struggling against that timeline.
Then again, some guys are just tall and skinny and always struggle to put on mass.
The Hypertophy Plan is designed to add mass – it’s no joke either. To get the most out of it, you should pretty much be eating all the time – protein, veggies, nuts, milk, etc. Avoid crap, but don’t restrict your caloric intake when it comes to good food. Another thing you could do is drink a whey protein shake before and after each training session.
– Rob
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