5 Elements to Improve Tactical Performance

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Mar 092012
 

When you have to go from “Zero to Hero” this is how your prepare yourself:

1. A basis of great nutrition and supplementation found here:  http://www.battletestedfitness.isagenix.com

2. Fast Twitch Muscle Fibers- You get these by working out in fast short bursts using weighted resistance and sprinting. Running for hours on end won’t help develop fast twitch muscle capability.

3. Sleep – Caffeine can only take you so far, a rested central nervous system will help you keep your “edge”.

4. Train with your gear. It’s great to run an obstacle course or a 5K, but if you wear a duty belt or heavy gear as a soldier or fireman, train that way. For security personnel that means your work shoes, communication unit, weapon if any, and body armor.

5. Mimic the environment you will find yourself in a worst case scenario. If you are working a special event as an on- call emergency responder  (police, security, fire, EMS)- practice for worst case scenarios like a riot, shooting, or fire, something that causes panic.  If you don’t practice this element, you will panic when your skills are needed the most.

Battle Tested Fitness Survival Strategies

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Dec 082011
 

How do you prime your body to overcome physical threats to your well being? What methods of training make the most sense to undertake in preparation of an emergency or traumatic incident? Is nutrition important for surviving emergencies?

1.Strength. In cases where we need to call on our “emergency” muscles it is important that we possess the ability to recruit muscle to overcome an external resistance.

2. Power. Once we develop a good strength foundation, we can now focus on explosive lifting and movements. A clean from the ground or a hanging clean will target fast pulling muscles in our legs, back, hips  and arms. Push Presses and Split Jerks enhance the fast twitch muscle fibers in our respective pushing muscles. A clean & jerk involves lifting a weight from the ground explosively, catching it below the shoulders, and then exploding up with the legs and arms to hoist the weight overhead. Snatches with a barbell or one arm snatches with a kettlebell are also excellent movements for developing fast twitch capabilities.

3. Running Speed. Whether an emergency is a fire, earthquake, robbery, or shooting, sometimes the best course of action is to run, except in cases when it is best to shelter in place. When I speak of running, I am not talking about casually running on a treadmill at level 6, I am talking about sprinting. Developing speed takes time. One will injury him or herself if all of a sudden he or she starts running at full speed before training and conditioning the muscles to take on such a challenge. When running in the gym or outside, gradually add sprints into the run at – 60% – 70% – 80% . After a few weeks of conditioning increase the sprinting intensity.

4. Agility. Moving out of the way of incoming hazards – people, objects, cars, requires the body to move in various planes of motion quickly. The ability to start , stop, and change direction is a skill that needs to be practiced. Good ways to develop agility is by playing sports that require agility – tennis, basketball, volleyball, soccer, to name a few. In a gym setting, the use of speed ladders, cones, and medicine balls are great tools for improving agility and quickness.

5. Endurance. In most emergencies, cardiovascular endurance is not a necessity. There aren’t many cases where one has to run two miles to safety, but it never hurts to be prepared for occasions when we find ourselves in isolated regions and have to hike or walk to get help. The instances when we require extreme levels of endurance in emergency situations usually involve activities where we choose to put ourselves in danger – mountain biking, mountain climbing, open water sports.

How To Improve Reactive Skills

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Nov 022011
 

 

In the security profession, the central goal is to prevent a crime or incident from taking place. The onus is on security managers to be pro-active in their protective strategies and tactics. Security professionals have improved their pro-active decision making capabilities in leaps and bounds since 9/11. However, one area that still needs improvement within a security or police department’s role of responsibilities is response. Response time in emergencies is critical. The tactical operator has to identify, assess, decide, and act within seconds. Unfortunately many first responders are handicapped often by their own bad habits or lack of knowledge about improving their own tactical fitness performance.  Here are five elements which influence one’s’ reactive skills; improve on one or all five and you will see better results and a better prepared first responder team:

1. Sleep – we need it to properly function and to stay alert through out the day.

2. Diet – the average American diet is carbohydrate loaded causing spikes in blood sugar, often resulting in over eating and causing a sense of drowsiness. A balanced meal plan will provide the energy you need through out the day.

3. Over caffeinated – I love coffee, but moderation is the key. Like with carbo-rich foods, alertness levels can go up and down sometimes causing us to feel lethargic when we come down off the caffeine high. Imagine if a close protection agent has four more hours to go on a shift, yet is dying for some coffee yet can’t leave his post.

4. Fitness Level – I’m not talking about “beach muscles” but training the body to be primed for any type of hard, fast, and repetitive physical engagement.

5. Supplementation – Separate from eating whole foods, the right supplementation plan can help the body process food more efficiently and keep the mind sharp.

Improve in any of the five areas and you will see results. For those seeking more immediate nutrition and wellness solutions click here.

 

 

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Zero to Hero

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Oct 032011
 

In many tactical professions-  within military, police, and security organizations – the soldier, officer, or agent is often stationary for many hours on end. Whether it is standing at a guard post or driving or riding in a patrol car, the tactical operator’s muscles are generally cold, (provided the environment isn’t extremely hot) the heart rate is low, and the joints maybe stiff for not being engaged for so many hours. What happens if one needs to engage all of their senses and athleticism within seconds. From standing post or riding patrol for hours now go engage an enemy or chase and apprehend a suspect where your heart rate will spike and you have to call on your slack muscles and stiff joints to get yourself moving. You have to go from Zero to Hero and hope that you have trained your body well enough to sustain combat, police, or protective operational duties.

The value of tactical fitness is realized in these moments when official duties require you to operate with efficiency and supreme confidence. As a tactical operator you have to train your body to always be primed for action, which means less focus on how much you can bench press (maximal strength) and more focus on improving fast twitch muscle fibers and anaerobic strength.

Contact Battle Tested Fitness for more details on how to get your body prepared for battle:

greg@battletestestedfitness.com Tel:650-235-5459

 

Leadership – Step Up or Step Aside

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Sep 302011
 

Leadership is a valuable trait to posses. There is no singular leadership style that is better than others, but certain leadership principles may be more appropriate than others given the situation or environment. No matter what one’s leadership style is, leaders are confident and possess a certain command presence that demands respect. A leader can be big, small, tall, short, etc. yet most leaders all possess a physiology where their shoulders are broad and a gaze that is directed forward.

There is an old adage that says that “leaders are born not made”. I disagree. Though not everyone can be a leader in every situation, we are leaders of our own lives and have the opportunity to influence outcomes that directly affect us. To be an effective leader we have to internalize and exhibit many mental traits – determination, honesty, integrity, confidence to name a few. In addition to possessing mental skills, possessing a high degree of fitness and health is also key for developing the leader within each of us.

Can anyone imagine a leader with shoulders internally rotated, a pot belly, and a gaze that is directed downward? No. But is such a person doomed to be a follower and not a leader? Also no. Possessing the physical traits of a leader is accessible to anyone, the hard part is knowing where to begin.

Stay tuned for leadership building fitness plans from Battle Tested Fitness.

 

5 Keys to a Long Life

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Aug 192011
 

1. Move at least 30 minutes everyday.
2. Eat 4-6 small meals each day including snacks.
3. Mentally challenge yourself.
4. Get enough sleep
5. “Always look on the bright side of life.”

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The Importance About Always Being in Shape

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Aug 182011
 

Two guys are in the woods hiking and have set up camp for the night. After the tent is up and they have eaten. One of the hikers starts stretching and doing jumping jacks. The other hiker asks him, “what’s with the warm up routine?” The first hiker says, “well in case there are any bears.” To which the second hiker says, “you can’t out run a bear.” Prompting the first hiker to say, “No, I just have to out run you.”

The morale of the story is to always be fit or risk becoming someone else’s lunch.

 

Up and Running Again

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Aug 122011
 

Battle Tested Fitness evolved from my 20 plus years of tactical training and operations. As my career evolved from soldier, executive protection team leader, undercover agent, and to security management consultant, my first priority was to ensure that I am equipped physically and mentally to navigate and survive any situation however dangerous.

I discovered that by preparing myself for a worst case scenario, I am all the more prepared to handle the mundane occurrences of daily life. I realized that there is a direct relation with the performance of one’s duties in the field and their level of physical (tactical) fitness.

Battle Tested Fitness is designed to be an asset for not just the tactical operator – combat soldier, policeman, firefighter, or security agent but for the person who has a desire to succeed and live a healthy and productive life.

Battle Tested Fitness will offer fitness plans, tactical training solutions, nutritional strategies, and commentary on issues and incidents that are prevalent in the realms of fitness and  personal protection.

Greg Schneider, CPP, CPT-NASM

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