Firefighter Combat Challenge Training Plan

$59.00

  • 4-Week, 5x day/week training plan to prepare athletes for the Firefighter Combat Course
  • It utilizes repeated efforts of the course, segmented efforts, strength, and work capacity
  • This training plan is one of the 250+ Plans included with an Athlete’s Subscription

Description

The following is a sport-specific 4-week program is specifically designed to prepare athletes for the Firefighter Combat Challenge Course. This plan is designed to be completed the 4 weeks directly prior to your competition date.

This is a very intense, 5-day a week training plan with multiple iterations of the Combat Challenge Course, loaded and unloaded. The plan prefers access to a training tower and the equipment utilized in the challenge course, but we have also provided limited equipment options for those without access. Be safe and smart about your training as you work through the program and don’t be afraid to cut down sessions, or if necessary take an extra rest day if needed.

This program follows a general format and gets progressively harder each week, until Week 4, when the training tapers down. Don’t skip ahead! The plan is designed to build upon itself. If you have to miss a training day, start-up back where you left off.

This is Version 1 of the plan, completed in January 2021.

 

Firefighter Combat Course Intensive
This plan is very specific to the Firefighter Combat Course. It utilizes repeated efforts of the course, segmented efforts, strength, and work capacity, all of which having a training stimulus in the same time domain as a competitive time for the Combat Course. Movements of the course are hyperlinked to a Combat Challenge Course video run through with a race official.

 

WEEKLY SCHEDULE

  • Monday: Full Combat Challenge Course Assessment & Repeats
  • Tuesday: Strength & Work Capacity
  • Wednesday: Segmented Combat Challenge Course
  • Thursday: Strength & Chassis Integrity
  • Friday: Full Combat Challenge Course Assessment & Repeats

 

CHALLENGE COURSE PROGRESSIONS
Monday’s and Friday’s are dedicated to running the course once for assessment to track improving times, followed by multiple repeat efforts focused on improving technique. A training partner is highly recommended who can observe and provide feedback on inefficiencies in movements in the course. Wednesday’s segment the challenge course into three parts:

  1. Tower Sprint, Vertical Hose Bundle Pull, Tower Descent
  2. Kaiser Sledge Drive, Serpentine Sprint, Charged Hose line Sprint
  3. Rescue Randy Casualty Drag

You’ll use repeated efforts on these segments of the course with no gear, and in gear + SCBA to gain efficiency, speed, and course-specific fitness. The weekly training assumes you have full access to the required equipment, but we’ve also included movement substitutes for a limited equipment option in the plan.

STRENGTH AND WORK CAPACITY
The strength training in this plan utilizes our infamous Barbell Complex and a Big 24 progression. The Barbell Complex is extremely challenging and emphasizes time under load which is similar to that of the Combat Course. You’ll assess and re-assess max Barbell Complex load at the beginning and end of the training plan to monitor and track strength improvements. Don’t sleep on these – they’re a doozy.

The work capacity efforts focus on 300m shuttle progression using a 25# weighted vest. Due to the loading, we don’t touch the line during the shuttle – simply turn and run. These are in density format, with a shuttle to be completed in a given amount of time. Any time remaining in that round is your rest. The faster you work, the more rest you get.

The plan also includes Chassis Integrity work to ensure strengthening of the trunk, or chassis, which will be under constant load in multiple planes of movement during the Combat Course.

COMPETITIVE TIMES PER EVENT
We timed multiple high-level competitions in the Combat Challenge by event, outlined below. If you have a training partner, have them record and mark down your event ‘splits’ to see where you are fastest, and where you are weakest, This will give you a foundation of where to focus during the Monday and Friday technique training days.

 

 

REQUIRED EQUIPMENT

This is a limited equipment training plan. Below is the required equipment.

  • Barbell with Weight Plates (Bumper Plates preferred), 25/35# dumbbells
  • 40/60# Sandbag
  • Access to training Tower, Stair Climber, or 12” box or bench
  • Common fire and rescue equipment found in any Fire Station
  • Stopwatch with repeating countdown timer

LIMITED EQUIPMENT EXERCISE SUBSTITUTIONS

The chart below outlines substitutions you may employ for the Full Combat Challenge Course training days as well as the segmented  Combat Challenge training days. The Option A column is the best option, but Option B will work in a pinch. The exercises should utilize the same number of rounds specified in the training plan.

 

COMMON QUESTIONS

What if I miss a day?
Begin where you left off when you return to training. This program is progressed – each session builds upon the prior session – so don’t skip a session or skip around. Follow the training sessions in order, regardless.

What if I have less than 4 weeks before my Firefighter Combat Challenge?
Still start at the beginning of this training plan anyway. Don’t skip ahead.

What if I have more than 4 weeks?
Email coach@mtntactical.com with the time you have and we will advise.

What if I can’t handle the training volume at first?
Building stamina and resilience is a key training goal of this plan, and physical and mental stamina is also key. If you can’t handle the training volume at first, it’s better to cut training sessions short, rather than take unscheduled rest days.

How do you count reps for Step Ups?
The prescribed rep count is total reps, so 50x Step Ups = 50x total reps, 25x each foot.

Where do I find unfamiliar exercises?
See our Exercise Library HERE. The Run/Ruck Calculator is listed as an exercise.

What about nutrition?
See our Nutritional Guidelines HERE.

Can I see sample training? 
Yes. Click the “Sample Training” tab to see the entire first week of programming.

How do I access the plan?
Access is online, via username and password. You can log in either through our website or through our app (Mtn Tactical Fitness) available for IOS and Android.

Can I print out sessions to take to the gym?
Yes – you can print a week of programming at a time.

More Questions? Email: coach@mtntactical.com

 

 

DISCLAIMER
Before beginning any exercise program, consult with your physician to ensure that you are in proper health. Physical training contains inherent risks including, but not limited to, muscle strains, tears, physical and bodily injury up to and including death. This training program is not meant to provide medical advice; you should obtain medical advice from your private health care practitioner. If you are unable to assume these risks then you should not engage in this training program. No liability is assumed by Mountain Tactical Institute, Inc, its owners or employees, and you train at your own risk. Mountain Tactical Institute makes no warranty, express or implied, of any kind in connection with this training program.

 

Required Equipment


  • Barbell with Weight Plates (Bumper Plates preferred), 25/35# dumbbells

  • 40/60# Sandbag

  • Access to training Tower, Stair Climber, or 12” box or bench

  • Common fire and rescue equipment found in any Fire Station

  • Stopwatch with repeating countdown timer


Sample Training

Below is the First Week from this Training Plan:

 

MONDAY
SESSION 1
Obj: Full Firefighter Combat Rescue Challenge

Warm-up:

3 Rounds
10x Push-ups
10x Sit Ups
200m Run
Instep Stretch
Lat + Pec Stretch

Training:

(1) 1 Round
Full Firefighter Combat Challenge Course for Time

Rest 10 Minutes

RECORD RESULTS

(2) 2 Rounds
Full Firefighter Combat Challenge

Course - work hard and fast, but focus on refining technique

Rest as needed for full recovery

******************************

 

TUESDAY
SESSION 2
Obj: Strength, Work Capacity

Warm-up:

3 Rounds
Barbell Complex @ 45/65#
6x Hand Release Push ups
Instep Stretch
5x Shoulder Dislocate

Training:

(1) 5 Rounds
Barbell Complex - Increase load each round and reach your Barbell Max Load at Round 5
Hip Flexor Stretch

RECORD FINAL LOAD

Heavy Barbell Complexes are an intense effort. See example loading below for a strong male athlete:

Example:

Round      Load

1               85#

2               105#

3               115#

4               125#

5               135#

(2) 4 Rounds every 3:00 @ 25# Weight Vest
300m Shuttle
Rest the remaining time in the interval

(3) 2 Rounds
Instep Stretch
Pigeon Stretch
Hip Flexor Stretch
Lat + Pec Stretch

******************************

 

WEDNESDAY
SESSION 3
Obj: Segmented Firefighter Combat Rescue Challenge

Warm up:
4 Rounds
10x Push-ups
4x Pull Ups
4x Prone to Sprint
Instep Stretch
Lat + Pec Stretch

Training:

(1) 3 Rounds - No Turnout Gear or SCBA
40ft Stair Climb Sprint carrying
40# Hose Bundle or Dumbbell
40ft Vertical Rope Pull @ 40# Hose Bundle or Dumbbell
40ft Stair Descent Sprint (No load)

Rest as needed between rounds

Watch :55 - 2:55 for video demonstration of the first three events

(2) 3 Rounds
Repeat (1) in Turnout Gear and SCBA

(3) 3 Rounds - No Turnout Gear or SCBA
5ft Kaiser Sledge Drive @ 9#
Sledge and 50# Kaiser
75ft Serpentine Weave Sprint
75ft Charged Hoseline Drag & Spray

Watch 2:55 - 4:37 for videos demonstration of the second three events

(4) 3 Rounds
Repeat (3) in Turnout Gear and SCBA

(5) 3 Rounds - No Turnout Gear or SCBA
75ft Rescue Randy or Partner Drag @ 175#

Watch 4:37-Finish for videos demonstration of the second three events

(6) 3 Rounds
Repeat (5) in Turnout Gear and SCBA

No access to Combat Challenge Equipment? See Limited Equipment option in Plan Overview

******************************

 

THURSDAY
SESSION 4
Obj: Strength, Chassis Integrity

Warm up:

3 Rounds
Barbell Complex @ 45/65#
6x Hand Release Push ups
Instep Stretch
5x Shoulder Dislocate

Training:

(1) 6 Rounds
Barbell Complex - See loading below

Rest as needed between rounds

Round  Load
1         Max Load minus 30-40 lbs
2         Max Load minus 20-30 lbs
3-6      Max Load minus 10 lbs

Example for Part (1) - assume your Barbell Complex finishing load from SESSION 1 was 135#. Below would be your loading today:

Round  Load
1           95# (135 minus 40#)
2           115# (135 minus 20#)
3-6        125# (135 minus 10#)

(2) 4 Round Grind …
5x Kneeling Plate Half Moon @ 25/35#
5x Kneeling Slasher to Halo @ 12/16kg
10x Dumbbell/Kettlebell Hinge Lift @ 35/45# dumbbells or 16/20kg kettlebells

“Grind” = equals work steadily, not frantically, through this circuit for 4 Rounds

(3) 2 Rounds
Instep Stretch
Pigeon Stretch
Hip Flexor Stretch
Lat + Pec Stretch

******************************

 

FRIDAY
SESSION 5
Obj: Full Firefighter Combat Rescue Challenge

Warm-up:

3 Rounds
10x Push-ups
10x Sit Ups
200m Run
Instep Stretch
Lat + Pec Stretch

Training:

(1) 1 Round
Full Firefighter Combat Challenge Course for Time

Rest 10 Minutes

RECORD RESULTS &

COMPARE TO SESSION 1 RESULTS

(2) 2 Rounds
Full Firefighter Combat Challenge Course - work hard and fast, but focus on refining technique

Rest as needed for full recovery

1)  Mission Direct

Gym numbers mean nothing. All that matters is mission performance. 

To this end, MTI’s fitness solutions and programming are not boxed in by convention, tradition, orthodoxy, public opinion or any other artificial constraint driven by inside or outside forces.

We begin with the raw fitness demands of the mission and build a fitness solution which directly prepares the athlete for those demands.

 

2) Fitness Solutions Built from the Ground Up

MTI’s programming is not “re-tread” bodybuilding, football, CrossFit, kettlebell, strength or general fitness programming. We’ve built our fitness programming for mountain and tactical athletes from the ground up.

The Fluid Periodization methodology we deploy to concurrently train multiple fitness attributes is completely original and has continued to evolve and improve over the years.

Our mid-section training methodology, Chassis Integrity, is also original, as is our endurance programming, 7 strength training progressions, tactical agility, and work capacity programming.

Our mountain sports pre-season training plans, tactical PFT, selection, school, course, and fitness improvement training plans across military, LE and Fire Rescue are MTI-developed, tested and athlete-proven.

Over the years hundreds of athletes and coaches have taken our advanced programming and unit fitness leader programming courses and MTI is widely recognized within the mountain and tactical professions and fitness media as a thought leader in fitness programming for military and tactical athletes.

 

3) The MTI Method

→ Research: MTI begins program design with extensive research of the fitness demands of the mission, sport or event, identifies the exercises and progressions which sport-specifically meet those demands, chose end-of-cycle goals, and program backward to design the training plan.

→ Deploy & Assess: We deploy the training plan “Lab Rats” at our Wyoming facility. Training session and cycle issues are identified and fixed as we work through the training plan. Post cycle we assess the programming’s effectiveness and efficiency. We keep the stuff that works, and fix or toss the stuff that doesn’t.

→ Publish & Assess Again: Plan is published for purchase as an individual training plan and made available to our subscribers. Feedback/results are assessed.

→ Iterate: We take what we learn from lab rats and athletes, re-visit, update and improve already published training plans. Several of our individual training plans are on their 4th or 5th version.

 

4) Mission-Direct Research

MTI exists to “Improve Mountain and Tactical Athletes mission performance and keep them safe.” To that end, we have developed a unique research methodology aimed at identifying real world areas of improvement and identifying immediately deployable mission-direct solutions. Click HERE to learn more about MTI’s Mission-Direct Research methodology, and Here to read about just few of our research efforts.

5) Field Proven

Our stuff works. Weekly we receive unsolicited reviews of our programming and testimonials to its effectiveness.

 

6) Programming Breadth

MTI’s library of 200+ sport-specific fitness plans for mountain and tactical athletes is unmatched. Resources range from specific programming for tactical special forces selections, to specific plans for climbing Rainier and Denali, to general fitness solutions such as running improvement, to post-rehab from injury.

Over the past decade, MTI has partnered with hundreds of athletes throughout their individual mountain and tactical careers, and provided fitness solutions as they face new mountain objectives, tactical schools, selections, PFTs and deployments, and came back from injury.

 

7) Worldwide Influence

Our work is not limited to US Athletes.

We’ve developed selection-specific training plans for Canadian, UK, Australian and German Special Forces Selections and worked with individual military personnel from Scandinavia, South, and Central America.

Canadian, Australian, UK and western European law enforcement and fire/rescue athletes have used MTI programming for mission-direct fitness.

On the mountain side, Alpinists from Japan to Slovakia have consulted with MTI and used MTI’s programming to prepare for mountain objectives.

 

8) Mission Performance beyond Fitness

MTI’s exists is to improve Mission Performance for mountain and tactical athletes and keep them safe. 

This focus on “mission direct” solutions, enhancements and improvements drives our work and research and extends beyond fitness solutions to include training, leadership, gear, team culture, and safety. 

Fitness is just one area of our work.

Our non-fitness research has included tactical cultures, combat uniforms, and gore-tex performance, and effect of stress on marksmanship.

Our work on defining what it means to be a Quiet Professional has had penetrating influence and driven healthy conversations with both mountain and tactical professionals.

 

9) Direct, Honest, Clear Answers

Since 2007 we’ve taken and answered dozens of questions weekly from mountain and tactical athletes. We’ve saved these individual Q&A’s and now thousands are archived on our site.

We’re not salesmen, and our answers are noted for their directness, honesty, and clarity. Our stuff isn’t for everyone. If we can help, we’ll let you know. If we can’t, we’ll let you know that, too.

– Rob Shaul, Founder

 

All of the Above is Backed Up By Our Promise: Our Stuff Works. Guaranteed.

Our Stuff Works. Guaranteed.

By Rob Shaul

I received notes frequently from athletes hesitant to purchase a subscription or training plans asking me to sell them on why they should make the purchase.

While I understand the question, I’m not a salesman – so I can’t put a hard sale on anyone for our programming.

I can tell them the process we go through to design our programming.

We begin with extensive research on the fitness demands of the event, identify the exercises and progressions which sport specifically meet those demands, chose end-of-cycle goals, and program backward to design the plan.

Then we test the cycle on ourselves and our lab rats here in Wyoming. We document, note what works and doesn’t work, re-assess, and make changes and modifications.

Then we publish the programming in the form of one of our plans or as part of our subscription daily training sessions for tactical and mountain athletes.
We don’t stop there – our daily programming is the “tip of the spear” for our programming evolution. We use these sessions to learn and make continuous improvement.

As we learn more and improve, we go back, and update the sport-specific training plans on the website. For example, we’re currently on Version 5 of our Ruck Based Selection Training Plan and Version 3 of our Dryland Ski Training Plan and Version 4 of our Big Game Back Country Hunting Training Plan.

We understand our programing isn’t cheap, but we believe it’s a great value. The $79 for the Ruck Based Selection Training Plan, and $39 for the Dryland Ski Training Plan reflect the, research, work, innovative theory, iteration, testing and feedback we’ve put in and received to make these plans effective.

All that matters for us is outside performance, and we feel strongly that Our Stuff Works in the real world.

Here’s our guarantee:

1) Individual Training Plan Purchase:
If you purchase an individual training plan, follow it as prescribed before your season/event/pft/selection, and if you don’t feel you were physically ready for your season/event/pft/selection, and/or didn’t see dramatic improvements in your early season performance, we’ll refund your money, no questions asked.

2) Athlete’s Subscription
If you purchase an Athletes’ Subscription, follow the training sessions as prescribed, and are not satisfied with the quality of the programming, notify us within 30 days of purchase, and we’ll refund your money, no questions asked.

Questions?
Email: rob@mtntactical.com

COMMON QUESTIONS:

Do you have any reviews or testimonials from athletes who have used your Athlete’s Subscription
Yes. Click HERE.

Is it true you guarantee your stuff works?
Yes. If you purchase an Athletes’ Subscription, follow the training sessions as prescribed, and are not satisfied with the quality of the programming, notify us within 30 days of purchase, and we’ll refund your money, no questions asked.

How is MTI programming different than CrossFit?
This is a common question. Read our answer HERE.

You have a lot of competitors. Why should I choose MTI?
MTI is driven to improve mountain and tactical athletes’ mission performance and keep them safe. This emphasis and focus on mission performance sets us apart. Read about more that sets us apart HERE.

If I purchase a plan or subscription, how do I access the programming?
All of our plans are online, accessible via username and password.
You can log in through our →Website  or Mobile App →IOS and Android.

Do you have downloadable .pdf’s of the training plans?
No. But you can print the programming, by week, from your browser. You access individual training plans online via a username and password.

Do you have a mobile app?
Yes, we do. Available for IOS and Android.

What is the difference between purchasing an individual training plan, packet of plans or an Athlete’s Subscription?

  • Plan – Like purchasing the DVD of the first Star Wars movie. You own it forever, including any updates we make to the plan.
  • Packet – Like purchasing the DVD’s of all the Star Wars movies. You own them forever, including any updates we make to the plans.
  • Athlete’s Subscription – Like subscribing to Netflix. You get access to all 200+ plan in our library, but lose access if you unsubscribe.

If I purchase an Athletes Subscription Can I cancel on my own, anytime?
Yes.

Do I have to contact MTI to cancel or can I do it myself?
You can do it yourself. Instructions HERE.

If I purchase a subscription and have questions about where to start or what plans(s) to use for my goals, will you help?
Yes. We answer dozens of training questions from athletes weekly. Email coach@mtntactical.com.

If you add new plans or update existing plans after I subscribe will I have access to them?
Yes. We are continuously adding training plans and packets (2-5/month) and updating plans. With your subscription you’ll have access to all new plans, new courses and plan updates.

What Equipment is Required?
Click the “Required Equipment” tab to find out what equipment is required for the specific plan you are interested in.

Where do I find unfamiliar exercises?
See our Exercise Library HERE. The Run and Ruck Calculators are listed as exercises.

What about nutrition?
See our Nutritional Guidelines HERE.

Can I see sample training?
Click the “Sample Training” tab to see the entire first week of programming. You are encouraged to do it before purchasing.

What if I have more questions?
Email rob@mtntactical.com

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