QUESTION
I already have a Military Athlete subscription and have been using your programs for a year now which are fantastic. I recently noticed you have LE Athlete which I wasn’t aware of previously. As a member of a specialist LE unit in Australia, this potentially could be a good thing for me to try. Just wondering if you could tell me what the main differences are (if any) with these sites? I have always found use in most of the exercises in the programs from MA except probably the ruck running components but would you recommend me switching my subscription to LE Athlete or is it much the same, in which case I’ll just leave it how it is.
ANSWER
Yes the programming is different. First – the fitness demands are different ….
– LE Athletes don’t need the endurance, specifically running and rucking, required of Military Athletes
– LE Athletes can use more upper body strength and especially, mass. The extra weight from upper body mass can be a detriment to a Military Athlete who has to move the extra weight, but it can be an asset to a LE Athlete for grappling and intimidation
– LE Athletes need even more sprinting and short term explosion
– I general, LE Athletes can have longer operational careers than Military Athletes. Durability and overall health can be even more important.
– From a programming perspective, my work programming for LE Athletes has been almost liberating in a way and helped push and evolve my overall theory. For example, two cycles ago, I designed an entire 3 week cycle with the specific goal of closing a 10-15 yard distance to a bad guy and putting him on the ground. Real interesting design.
– This week the Lab Rats will start a cycle built around a LE Athlete Fitness Test I’m designing.
Here is a more indepth discussion of our LE Athlete programming approach: http://leathlete.com/about/philosophy/
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QUESTION
Any workout plans for first responders who keep the lights on?
ANSWER
From what I’ve got right now, I’d recommend our programming for Law Enforcement Athletes.
A great place to start would be the Patrol Officer Training Plan: http://store.strongswiftdurable.com/collections/le-athlete/products/patrol-officer-training-plan
Another place would be to join and complete the Officer Sessions at leathlete.com
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QUESTION
Do you have any training material that you would recommend using to prepare for the Battle Frog and Bone Frog Obstacle course races? Both are approximately 9 miles long, with obstacles every 1/4 to 1/2 mile. The people I’ve talked to that have done both say that running, grip strength, climbing, and pull-ups are the most important things to focus on in training.
ANSWER
I don’t have anything that fits perfect. Here are the options from what I do have:
Option 1
FBI HRT Training Plan (http://store.strongswiftdurable.com/collections/le-athlete/products/fbi-hrt-selection-training-plan) – includes plenty of bodyweight work, a 2 mile and 10 mile run assessment, and bodyweight smokers followed by a run. You’ll want to skip the ruck run assessment and progressions.
Option 2
Complete two plans together. Bodyweight Training Plan (http://militaryathlete.com/page.php?page_ID=12&cart_category_ID=101&cart_ID=96) and 4-Week Run Improvement Training Plan (http://militaryathlete.com/page.php?page_ID=12&cart_category_ID=101&cart_ID=104). Ideally you’d do 2-a-days, bodyweight work in the AM, run in the PM, but you could also alternate daily between the training sessions.
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QUESTION
I have been following the Military Athlete program for several years and recently noticed that you now have Law Enforcement Athlete.
I am currently working in law enforcement and just wanted to know the main difference between the two programs.
ANSWER
Most LE Athletes don’t have the endurance, rucking or stamina demands of military athletes. Nor do they need to carry the loads many military missions and schools demand.
LE Athletes do have a greater need for upper body strength, mass and power.
We’re still learning to program for LE Athletes, but in general, we’re emphasizing sprinting ability, overall explosive power, upper body mass, strength and power, and core strength.