QUESTION
I am preparing for RASP with an 11x option 40 contract. I have not received a ship date yet but it looks like I will be shipping around the first of next year. With the time I have to prepare, what plans would be the best to run until I ship out.
21 years old
185lbs
5’10
I have a home gym with a squat rack and bench. Sandbags up to body weight and a calisthenics area.
Currently mix a 5×5 lifting program with a 10k program from when I competitively ran. Lifting full body 3 times per week. Bench, squat and deadlift. I add in calisthenics on these days as a warm up.
Running started at 15 mpw and increases to 35 over 16 weeks. I run 3 days per week with an optional extra day. 2 easy runs, 1 day with repeats of some variation and a long run.
My main concern is I’m not progressing with the pt scores enough to maintain my contract as I am getting weaker by just focusing on them. If I add lifting, my runs suffer and recovering from 3 modalities at once is challenging. I work full time on night shift in law enforcement, so long shifts and stressful work. So my sleep suffers quite a bit.
Strength is sort of on the back burner for now as my pt scores and runs are my biggest focus right now.
ANSWER
Our approach is to train “base fitness” – strength, work capacity, endurance (run/ruck), chassis integrity – the further out from a school, selection or deployment, and train event-specific as you get closer. Our RASP Training Plan is “event specific” to selection, and it’s what I recommend for you to complete prior to Basic – as you likely won’t have much time to train on your own after entering.
By my count you have 25 weeks until Jan 15, 2025. Here’s what I recommend:
Weeks Plan
1-8
Fortitude – repeat week 6 in this plan to stretch it to 8 weeks
9-16
Valor – repeat week 6 in this plan to stretch it to 8 weeks
17 Total Rest
Flex this schedule and/or email back when you get your actual entry date.
Good Luck!
– Rob
QUESTION
Yesterday I fell while doing some yard work and may have torn my right ACL. I had X-Rays taken and I got 66ccs of blood drained from my knee today. I am planning on getting an MRI scheduled this week and have a consultation with a Knee doctor on 07/31 to review the MRI results.
Prior to this injury, I was working out 6 days per week for the last three years. I have been doing hypertrophy focused alternating upper / lower workouts 3 days per week, running 45 minutes two days per week, and running 90 minutes one day per week. I am not a mountain or tactical athlete, but instead a white collar civilian who enjoys staying fit. I am 29, male, 5′ 5″ and weigh 145lbs. My fitness goals are maintaining strength and muscle mass while being able to run a half marathon.
Do you have any programs or suggestions for how to train while I am dealing with this injury? I feel like I can still do most seated or bench upper body movements without using my knee, and my healthy leg is completely mobile and functional.
ANSWER
– Rob
QUESTION
I’ve been following your hunt training program for the past couple years and have really improved my mountain performance. The one deficiency I would like some advice on is how to best train my hamstrings for all the stepping over logs/brush/and general thick brush that I contend with hunting in north Idaho. I plug away at hydration and electrolytes, but still end up cramping and fatiguing in the hammys after several miles. The rest of me holds up just fine now that I’ve been consistently hanging with your programming. I wish I had time to just go hike mountains a couple days a week, but life, you know. Any extra exercises to add on to the Hunting Build 1 to increase my hamstring endurance?
Thanks, and keep up the good work down there.
ANSWER
Cramping is a nutrition/hydration issue, not a fitness one. The step ups in the hunting programming will have you lifting your leg thousands of time – so that part should be covered.
– Rob
QUESTION
I have just started my application process and am currently in week 6 of the FBI PFT prep program. Before starting this program, my routine included 2-3 days of medium to heavy weightlifting and 2 days of mixed martial arts (~1-hour classes with ~20 minutes of technical sparring). Since beginning the PFT prep program, I have cut out weightlifting and continued with my MMA classes, which has resulted in a 11-point improvement in my PFT (self-graded).
However, I am concerned about losing my strength gains. Given my uncertain timeline, what are your recommendations for maintaining and gradually improving my PFT performance while also preserving my strength?
Please let me know if you need additional information to make a proper recommendation.
ANSWER
Best would be to complete the FBI PFT Plan, then pivot to other training, then repeat the PFT Plan the 6-weeks directly before your application PFT.
From MTI’s programming, I’d recommend after you finish the PFT Plan you drop into our base fitness programming for patrol/detectives – by either following the
Daily Programming or by completing the plans/order in the
Spirit’s Packet of plans.
These plans are multi-modal programming and concurrently train strength, work capacity, chassis integrity, upper body hypertrophy and short endurance.
If you’re uncomfortable not doing PFT work until you get an assessment date, what you could do is complete a base fitness cycle, then complete the first 3 weeks of the FBI SA PFT Plan, then move back to base fitness training for a cycle. But once again, when you get your assessment date, still complete the FBI SA PFT Training Plan the 6 weeks directly before.
– Rob
QUESTION
A few questions
Out of curiosity, whats the science or your test findings behind the 2 mile intervals based on 6 mile time? Just did it the first time and the 2nd round was brutal!
Secondly, do you by chance have an a average time that week 2 session 7 takes to complete? Seemed quite a bit shorter than any of your other workouts Ive done in BCB1 and so far in BCB2, not sure if it was by design or if maybe I went too light on my weights
Lastly, I have 4 weeks until my trip so not enough time to complete this program, can you give a recommendation on how to train the last week before my hunt?
As always, thank you!
ANSWER
2-mile intervals? Years of this programming has resulted in a consistent 5-20% improvement in assessment distance run times for new athletes. You’re running 1/3 of the assessment distance at a pace that is 20% faster than your assessment pace.
Here’s a study that compared 2-mile intervals to longer, moderate-pace runs and found both had similar results. From a programming perspective, the intervals take less overall training time for the athlete.
For your last week of the hunt, skip ahead to the last week of the plan.
– Rob
QUESTION
I listened to your last podcast about ideal weights. I continually review your chart and am trying to return to 185ish from 200 (5’11) without withering away. I agree that I felt much better and was more effective at that weight. Your nutritional guidelines are essentially paleo/keto. I’ve gone down this road and had nothing but crashes after a few weeks. I’m a few weeks away from 35 and had my first kid recently, so I know things are changing for me, and nutrition is now a priority before it gets out of control, as I’ve generally always stayed lean. I’ve always been conscious of my carbs and try to use them as a “tool” for energy or to help put on some muscle. I read Matt Fitzgerald’s Racing Weight recently, where, although they are talking about long-distance running, he suggests that if you’re serious and a natural athlete, carbs are practical and necessary. This is generally my case and is in keeping with most sports nutrition literature I’ve read.
Are your guidelines specifically around body composition and achieving ideal weights, or do you find them just as practical for performance? I’m a former infantryman, now a city street cop in a busy district. So, I generally have a pretty continual energy demand on working days. I would describe myself as an ectomorph-style build. I love MTI, but the one issue that keeps me cycling away for periods, usually to Tactical Barbell, is that I find it hard to continue strength gains, which I feel is often related to getting enough food and the right food.
Thank you for your time and content.
ANSWER
Our nutritional guidelines include carbs – just no bad carbs – sugar, bread, rice, etc. You’ll can eat as many veggies as you want … and a little fruit.
Eat sugar and bad carbs and those calories will go right to your fat cells. Don’t kid yourself by justifying eating this stuff thinking you need the energy. Unless you’re going 2+ hours on an endurance event, you have plenty of energy in reserve for any task.
Strength … I prioritize relative strength – or strength per bodyweight. There are two ways to increase relative strength – increase max effort strength or decrease bodyweight. If you haven’t already, take the
MTI Relative Strength Assesssment and see how you stack up.
Everything we do at MTI is performance oriented – fitness and nutrition. I don’t care what you look like – all that matters is mission-direct performance.
– Rob
QUESTION
Have some questions as I’m trying to get my fitness back in order.
Retired from the military about 6 years ago after 20 years of cop, swat, infantry type work and my body hurts, but I finally got my brain back in order.
I’m 46, 255 lbs at 6’3”. Working on your daily general fitness plan and about to start the single kettlebell strength plan.
I’m looking to get back down to 225 ish, keep my strength and hunting/backpacking endurance high, and make sure I can do this stuff with my kid for years to come. Is there a better plan I should be working on?
Thank you for the help! And thank you for the motivation to get back to where I want to be.
ANSWER
I’d recommend you pivot to our Daily SF45+ programming – it’s for athletes ages 45+.
At 6’3″ I’d like to see you
around 200#. Dropping 30-50# will help everything – including your knee, hip and low back joints.
You can’t outwork a shitty diet – esp. when you get older.
Here are our nutritional guidelines. Fix your diet, and you’ll shed weight.
– Rob
QUESTION
I was a prior subscriber and enjoyed your plans. I have a family member getting ready to join the Army with the intent of pursuing the infantry/airborne/RASP 1 contract and I am going to suggest he follow your plans leading up to it.
I see the 75th RASP plan that starts 52 weeks out and the 8 week RASP training program. Current estimates are between 6-8 months to train before starting basic training Given basic/ait is 22 weeks, airborne 3, then RASP, what sequence of plans would you recommend he start to give him the best shot (physically)?
ANSWER
Have him start with the
Military Onramp and follow the plans in order
(75th RASP) Packet until he is 8 weeks out from Basic. Then have him skip forward to the 8 week RASP plan and complete it the 8 weeks directly before basic.
– R
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