Lion: Balanced Base Fitness

$59.00

  • 7week, 4 session/week (28 Total Training Sessions) training plan specifically designed to train the day to day, mission-direct fitness demands of full time firefighters and other fire/rescue athletes.
  • Trains Strength, Work Capacity, Tactical Agility and Chassis Integrity
  • Deploys our most recent tactical programming approach for Fire/Rescue Athletes
  • 3rd Plan in our “Big Cat” series of tactical training for Urban Fire/Rescue Athletes
  • This training plan is one of the 200+ Plans included with an Athlete’s Subscription.

Description

Lion deploys our most recent Base Fitness programming theory for Fire/Rescue Athletes and is the third plan in the Big Cat Packet of plans for F/R Athletes. This programming is designed to meet the day-to-day fitness demands of full time Fire/Rescue personnel.

Lion is a balanced,  7 week, 4 session/week (28 Total Training Sessions) + and Unload Week (Week 7). The plan concurrently trains the following fitness attributes relatively equally across the 7-week cycle:

  • 1) Strength – especially relative strength, or strength per bodyweight
  • 2) Work Capacity – horse power for short, intense, dangerous events
  • 3) Chassis Integrity – mission-direct, functional core training
  • 4) Tactical Agility

This is Version 2 of this training plan, updated November, 2020.

PROGRAMMING SPECIFICS

Strength
With Lion we deploy our “357 Strength” programming methodology for strength work. Two days/week, you’ll complete heavy Total Body/Lower Body, Total Body/Upper Body, or Lower Body/Upper Body exercises followed by a short, intense 2-4 minute bodyweight work capacity effort designed to complement the heavy strength exercise in the session. You’ll assess your baseline strength levels utilizing the MTI Relative Strength Assessment. Click HERE to read more about the MTI Relative Strength Assessment

Work Capacity
Lion’s work capacity efforts alternate between 20-minute AMRAP efforts build around step-ups, and short, 2-minute intervals completing 40-foot shuttles.

TAC SEPA
Focus this cycle is agility drills with level changes

Chassis Integrity
Two times/week, with the first circuit of a total, anti-rotation and rotation exercises, and the second circuit combining 3 low back exercises.

Grip Strength
Two times/week utilizing our Gi Grip Strength Assessment and follow on progressions. You can substitute the Jiu Jitsu Gi with rings or a rope.

WEEKLY SCHEDULE

  • Day 1: Strength, Chassis Integrity
  • Day 2: Tactical Agility, Work Capacity
  • Day 3: Strength, Chassis Integrity
  • Day 4: Tactical Agility, Work Capacity

Given the work scheduling differences amongst firefighters and other fire/rescue athletes, this training plan does not assign training days (Monday, Tuesday, etc.) but rather lists 4 training sessions per week and leaves it up to the individual athlete to schedule his/her fitness training. In general, we recommend Fire/Rescue Athletes train at their fire or duty stations as much as possible possible. For a 24 hours shift, we specifically recommend you train early in the morning the day your shift begins, and again early in the morning the day your shift ends. Why? So others can see you training, and see that it can be done. As well, training during these times will help limit your work-specific training to the work place, and help address the burden of constant fitness over the course of your career.

Ideally, you’ll complete 4 trainings sessions per week. Obviously this is dependent on your unit’s duty schedule.

REQUIRED EQUIPMENT

  • Barbell, Rack, Plates and/or a Full set of Dumbbells or Kettlebells
  • Sandbags:  40, 60, and 80 Pounds
  • Flat Bench
  • Bench/Box for Step Ups
  • Parking Lot/Open Garage Bay for Sprints
  • Turnout Gear
  • Foam Roller

*** Note: Many of the weight training exercises in the plan can be completed with either a barbell and plates, or dumbbells/kettlebells. For example, if the session calls for power cleans, and your station doesn’t have a barbell/plates, you can substitute dumbbells and/or kettlebells and complete the dumbbell/kettlebell versions of the exercises. Be resourceful.

COMMON QUESTIONS

How long with the Training Sessions take?
The training sessions are designed to be completed in 60 minutes.

What does “4/8x” mean? How about “15/25#”?
The first number is for women, second is for men, both for reps, and loading. Examples:
4/8x Chin Ups = Women do 4x, Men do 8x
15/25# = Women use 15# (pounds), Men use 25# (pounds)

What Equipment is Required?

  • Barbell, Rack, Plates and/or a Full set of Dumbbells or Kettlebells
  • Sandbags:  40, 60, and 80 Pounds
  • Flat Bench
  • Bench/Box for Step Ups
  • Parking Lot/Open Garage Bay for Sprints
  • Turnout Gear
  • Foam Roller

What if I miss a training day?
Ideally, you will train 4 days per week, and take 3 full days off for rest or active recovery. If for some reason miss a session, do not skip ahead. Start again where you left off and complete the sessions in order throughout the plan.

The programming is progressive – it builds upon itself – and the training sessions are designed to be completed in order.

Where do I find unfamiliar exercises?
See our Exercise Library HERE.

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.

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.

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

REQUIRED EQUIPMENT




  • Barbell, Rack, Plates and/or a Full set of Dumbbells or Kettlebells

  • Sandbags:  40, 60, and 80 Pounds

  • Flat Bench

  • Bench/Box for Step Ups

  • Parking Lot/Open Garage Bay for Sprints

  • Turnout Gear

  • Foam Roller

Sample Training

Below is Week 1 from LION:

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

SESSION 1

Obj: Strength, Chassis Integrity

Warm Up:

3 Rounds

  • 3x Craig Special @ 45/65#
  • 10x Swings @ 16/20kg
  • 10x Hand Release Push Ups
  • Instep Stretch

Training:

(1) Work up to 1RM Craig Special

(2) 5 Rounds

  • 2x Craig Special @ 85% 1RM
  • Hip Flexor Stretch

(3) 6 Rounds

  • 5x Hinge Lift - Increase load each round until 5x is hard, but doable
  • 5x Scotty Bobs @ 15/25#
  • 3/3/3 Toe Touch Complex

(4) 5 Rounds for Time

  • 6x Hinge Lift @ 115/165#
  • 5x Jumping Lunge

(5) 15 Minute Grind

(6) Foam Roll Legs/Low Back

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

SESSION 2

Obj: TAC SEPA, Work Capacity

Warm up:

3 Rounds

  • 10x Squats
  • 5x Squat Jumps
  • 10x Hand Release Push Ups
  • 5x Clapping Push Ups
  • 10x Sit Ups
  • Instep Stretch

Training:

(1) 5 Rounds

  • TAC SEPA - Under/Over/Under Agility Drill
  • Rest 45 Seconds

(3) 20 Minute AMRAP

  • 4x Mr. Spectacular @ 12/16kg
  • 40x Step Ups
  • 8x EO’s

(3) Gi Grip Strength Assessment

RECORD FINISH TIME

Comments: 

Part (3) - Use your Gi Top hung through a ring or over a racked barbell, a rope, or simply hang from the rings.

Set a timer clock to beep every 10 seconds. Hang from the top of the sleeves near the armpit. Every 10 seconds, do a row, and come back to hanging position.

Hang on as long as you are able. Most of the Lab Rats finished in 10-11 Rounds, or 1:40-1:50min total time.

(4) Foam Roll Legs/Low Back

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

SESSION 3

Obj: Strength, Chassis Integrity

Warm Up:

3 Rounds

  • 5x Walking Lunge
  • 5x Box Jumps @ 20”
  • 5x Scotty Bobs @ 15/25#
  • Instep Stretch

Training:

(1) 8 Rounds

  • 3x Walking Lunge - increase load each round until 3x is hard, but doable
  • Hip Flexor Stretch

(2) 6 Rounds

  • 3x 1-Arm Dumbbell Snatch - Increase load each round until 3x is hard, but doable
  • 3/6x Mixed Grip Pull Ups
  • 5x Shoulder Dislocate

(3) 4 Rounds, Every 60 Seconds

  • 3x 1-Arm Dumbbell Snatch @ 20/30#
  • 3x Jumping Lunges

(4) 15 Minute Grind

(5) Foam Roll Legs/Low Back

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

SESSION 4

Obj: TAC SEPA, Work Capacity

Warm up:

3 Rounds

  • 10x Squats
  • 5x Squat Jumps
  • 10x Hand Release Push Ups
  • 5x Clapping Push Ups
  • 10x Sit Ups
  • Instep Stretch

Training:

(1) 5 Rounds

  • TAC SEPA - 4-Corner Plus Drill
  • Rest 45 Seconds

(2) 6 Minute AMRAP

  • 40-Foot Shuttles for Reps

RECORD TOTAL REPS

(3) 8 Rounds

Intervals - use your assessment time and the prescribed percentage to determine how long to hang for each round.

If my assessment was 1:40, break it down in to seconds. 1:40 = 100 seconds.

100 seconds x .30 = 30 seconds

One round will be a 30 second hang from the Gi, with a row every 10 seconds. Rest for 45 seconds, and repeat.

(4) Foam Roll Legs/Low Back

Testimonials

I’ve used a few different on-line programming sites over the last few years, all designed for the “tactical athlete”.   In my opinion MTI is definitely the best.  I’d love to help you out and tell you that this or that needs a tweak but everything on the site/app works great.   As far as the programming, I’ve spent 17 years with the FDNY and your fire rescue plans are the best that I’ve seen when it comes to transferability to the job.  Most people mix something designed for the Military or PD with some cross fit and call it a “Fire Fighter” Training plan.  Your emphasis on longevity In the programming (real core work and eliminating garbage reps) is something that is rarely taken into account in this type of training.  Some pay lip service to it but you’ve adapted your plans to stress it. The attention to detail in your programming and in the set up and maintenance of the site really set you apart. Thanks for a great product

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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