Q: I’m excited to share that I’ll be trying out for a state police special operations team in early September, with the 2-week selection process planned for late September to early October. The selection is based on the HRT selection, as our team works closely with HRT. I’m currently following the daily SWAT workout subscription, and my current max rep push-ups is 61, and I’m running about a 9:15 mile and a half.
As I start the selection plan, I need your advice on my diet. Should I aim to be in a calorie deficit to burn fat and lean out, or should I focus on being in a surplus to build more muscle? I would greatly appreciate your advice on this.
Thank you so much for your guidance!
A: No on the caloric deficit. All that matters is performance and the plan is no joke. You’ll need fuel to make the progressions and keep the volume.
At the same time, I’m not sure what you mean by “surplus” … you don’t want to add any unnecessary muscle like a body builder. Excess muscle is just extra weight to carry around.
Follow our nutrition recommendations
HERE. You can supplement with a whey protein shake and creatine daily if you want … but eat clean (avoid sugar/alcohol/bad carbs) and you’ll cut excess fat. No caloric restriction – eat to saity … you should never be hungry.
Excited for you! Good luck!
Q: I’m an officer in the USAF looking to assess for the Combat Rescue officer career field. Given certain career field limitations, I won’t be able to apply for CRO Phase II until the October selection class of next year. I had heard about your programming from a friend of mine who used it and found success. I see the Daily Operator, STO/CRO IFT Prep, and CRO Phase II prep packages and all look appealing for certain phases of training.
My question is, since I have so long to train, is there any particular way you would recommend going about getting prepared? I am not necessarily the most physically outstanding person compared to other operators, but I’m in pretty good shape. I regularly max the AF PFA but have had some trouble passing the IFT recently (I would blame this on the altitude adjustment from a recent PCS). I don’t have a regular training plan, so I was thinking about using your Daily Operator (with some swimming mixed in) until it came time to apply for Phase II. Is this what you would recommend, or should I take a different approach (all in on IFT prep instead or something else, for example)?
Thanks for the insight and the great training plans.
A: Here’s what I Recommend:
Follow it with
Barbossa from our
Pirate’s Packet of plans for SOF with water-based Mission Sets. This is day-to-day base fitness and includes swimming.
Then,
CRO/STO Selection Training Plan. Yes … you’ll be doing this a year before, but doing it now will help your mind and body begin to accommodate to the stress.
After the selection plan, take a full week’s rest, then complete the remaining plans in the Pirate’s Packet until next July – when you’ll recomplete the STO/CRO IFT Prep – then back into the Operator Sessions or Pirate’s Packet plans until 8 weeks before selection, when you’ll re-complete the CRO/STO Selection Training Plan. You’ll want to complete this plan directly before selection.
Q: I am impressed with what I have read so far on the MTI website. I am looking to restart and switch up my training plan. My son, who has a kinesiology education and is a former army artillery officer, recommended that I look at your site and plans.
I am 59. I would like to have a balance of strength, work capacity, and running. My primary objective is improving / maintaining general fitness, strength, and endurance. My secondary objective is regaining my running form with the goal of at least being able to run a half marathon (no specific timetable).
To provide some context:
– My workouts have been spotty over the past 8 months as we have been on a journey relocating from VA to FL. It’s time to get back at it 🙂
– Over the previous 5 years I have been primarily following Atomic Athlete programming (with occasional runs) in a home gym.
– The preceding 10+ years, I was primarily running (with some strength) and ran in a handful of half and full marathons.
I think that I am in relatively good shape (My son would say better than average for my age. I don’t know.). I have a fairly full gym: rack, pullup bar, barbell, plates, dumbbells, and a couple of sandbags. Plus access to a well equipped community gym.
The reason I am looking for something new is that I have become wary at my age of the heavy lift loads particularly on squats and clean presses that are ubiquitous in the Atomic Athlete programming. I am looking at the MTI 55-60 Age Specific plans. But I was wondering how I would also increase my running miles to achieve the secondary goal of returning to a race or two. I would greatly appreciate any guidance or advice that you could provide.
A: I’m 57 and wrote this last week: From Fitness Warrior to Fitness Craftsman: Lessons and Program Design After 50
Training …
My current approach in terms of day to day us GenX’ers is to maintain strength with minimum dosages, add in Chassis Integrity (core), and really push Zone2 endurance – as that where most of our sports are, and pretty much avoid super intense work capacity – I just don’t enjoy that any more unless it’s sport-related.
Heavy Lifting? You can’t get strong or maintain strength without lifting heavy. But at our age – let technique and movement be the guide and don’t be a dummy. I can go heavy on hinge/dead lifts, but a bum right shoulder and arthrithic knees mean my “heavy” bench press and back squat are ridiculously low. But oh well, you do what you can.
If not … our
SF55 programming is solid and avoids super low volume strength training and work capacity.
Racing, sport-specific training … these are different. There’s no special mountain summit for old guys … the summit is the same for everyone and my programming for specific seasons (skiing) or events (Grand Canyon Rim to Rim) is the same for all athletes. Old guys may just need to take more time getting through the programming because of slower recover – and therefore need to shift the calendar to the right.
You now? – Polar GenX and push your Zone2 running aerobic base development and efficency.
However, when you identify a running race, train for it like an athlete and do one of our race-specifc plans … we have them for 10K, half marathon, marathon, ultras, mountain marathons, 3-mile, 1.5 mile, etc. These are assessment-driven, focused training plans which will peak your fitness for your race.
Q: Good Morning,
Due to the scheduling of some other events(work, vacation, etc), I’m looking to train for a half-marathon, switching from the Daily Urban Fire Rescue sessions to event-specific training, but no sooner than 11 weeks before the race. Is this too ambitious? Should I eye a shorter race? What plan/plans would you recommend?
Thank you,
A: Plenty of time. Our Half Marathon Plan is what I recommend, and it’s 7 weeks long. Start it 7 weeks out.
Q: I’ve used a lot of your programming in the past, specifically the Greek operator programs. I’ve come across your ultra endurance plan and I’m super interested. Do you have a custom diet plan tailored for this? I know your current recommended plan is very low carb, what changes should I make to it to support the mileage demands?Thank you and have a great day!
A: No on the custom diet plan.
And our
nutrition guidelines aren’t “low carb” – they are just no “bad carbs” – sugar, bread, processed crap, etc. Plenty of carbs in vegetables and you can eat as many as you want.
Key to running this distance is not only fitness and fueling, but bodyweight. Bad carbs will add fat and you’ll want to be lean. Leaner the better for that mileage.
That being said, follow the nutritional guidelines for your day to day meals – and eat to saity.
Event and or training nutrition is different. You’ll want to supplement with carbs during your long training runs and the actual event. It will take time and experimentation to find out what your body responds to and what you can stomach – everyone is a little. Starting with running gels (Gu or similar) is a place to start – one every 45 minutes or so for runs over 2 hours.
There are a bazillion options on the market these days … but not everything works for everyone and finding what works for you is part of the training process.
With the running volume you’ll be tempted to “cheat” with your day to day eating. Don’t …. it’ll go to your waistline. Eat clean.
Q: Hey Rob – loved your article. I’m now 52 and have done a couple of your programs in the past and more often just lean on years of training – but feeling my owns aches and pains. I call them sleep injuries cause sometimes they just appear for no apparent reason!
I spend most of my winters ski touring as much as possible with a few days of ice. I spend my summers trail running, rock and alpine climbing, riding my bike almost daily as a work commuter, and mountain biking.
Although I often am working towards a specific objective it is usually with distracted attention because I have many hobbies during each season. I often don’t make it to the gym for specific training sessions more than 1-2/ week but with bike commuting, running, and playing in the mountains, like you I’m training or playing pretty much daily. I do find that my distraction and diverse hobbies (along with age) often leads to being average at most sports and “just” able to keep up with my buddies.
I’ve also discovered zone 2 and trying to make that a bigger part of the training since I when I am training g it would be is geared towards keeping up and suffering less for those big days in the mountains.
All this is to ask as a fellow 50+, if there is a training plan you would most likely gear towards for someone like me with my many sports hobbies – figuring that instead of training 6 days a week, likely 2 of them would be actually out playing in the mountains near Seattle where we have so much in our back yard.
A: Polar GenX would be my go to for you … It’s what I do if I’m not in the mountains or on the water all day.
It will progress/formalize your Zone 2 work, and add in heavy lifting and chassis integrity. You can count your mountain/bike commute toward the daily zone 2 minutes.
Another option is to use your outdoor time for your zone 2 training, and when you have an off day, get to the gym to train just strength. I’d recommend the strength sessions from the
Efficient Strength plan. These are super efficient, but not progressive … so they can work whenever you get to them.
I’m with you on the “sleep injuries” – I will say that my day to day joint pain and overall inflammation has decreased significantly with the carnivore diet. It’s also cut fat from me, and I noticeably move better.
Q: I’m a National Guard soldier out of Montana. Currently forward deployed with xxth SFG (A). Looking at making the jump to become a Green Beret. I have a tentative SFRE date in Utah on November 7. That’s 20 weeks. I am looking at your SFAS Training Program, and want to know if I were to purchase it, what would the order of workouts be? Looking for guidance on how to order it correctly to get the best bang for my buck. Thank you much, I look forward to hearing back from you.
A: We have a specific SFRE Plan. I’d recommend it for SFRE, then doing the SFAS plan prior to SFAS when you get that date. With 20 weeks, here’s specifically what I recommend. I’m assuming you’re fit now.
Weeks. Plan
8-13
Fortitude (first 6 weeks of this 7 week plan)
Post SFRE take a full week’s rest, then either drop into the Plans/Order in the Greek Hero training packet or subscribe to and complete the Daily Operator programming.
You can also complete the Ruck Based Selection Training Plan before SFRE if you want to …. it will just overprepare you, which is okay. In that case, shorten Fortitude to 5 weeks so you can complete the full 8 weeks prior to SFRE.
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