I have gotten a bit of demand for online methods of coaching people in tactical fitness and sports performance in general. I have been experimenting with different online platforms, currently I use Trainerize. For those of you interested in excelling as tactical professionals, combat sports athletes, obstacle course racers, or at fitness in general, try one of the programs listed in the link below:
http://www.battletestedfitness.trainerize.com/Online-Training
On Sunday nights, your upcoming week should be planned – focused around your work, family, and of course workouts.
I like starting strong on Mondays, and unlike many friends who dedicate Mondays as International chest day, today I started with power and regular cleans.
I am slowly building up my explosive power to what it once was, so I started with cleans, followed by overhead presses, and then assistance work with pulldowns, and one arm kettlebell presses. At this stage, my first two lifts almost mirrored each other in weight
The progression looked like this:
Cleans: 3 sets x 5 reps @ 100 lbs, 3 sets x 5 @ 135 lbs 3 sets x 3 @155
OH Press: 3 sets x 5 reps @ 95 lbs, 3 sets x 5 @ 145, 1 set x max reps @ 160
Get strong and get moving.
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When your health and or physical performance improves its amazing how your internal success translates to the external world. With greater health comes greater confidence, increased energy, and more opportunities to enrich one’s life socially, professionally, and even financially.
One of the reasons why I have aligned myself with Isagenix is there honesty in the manufacturing in their products and the physical results to which Isagenix delivers.
Go to http://battletestedfitness.isagenix.com to learn more and get started.
When we think in terms of sports, we can place a greater emphasis on certain fitness abilities than others. A power lifter is only concerned with pure limit strength in the bench press, deadlift, and squat. A long distance runner seeks to attain supreme cardiovascular endurance. A football or basketball player’s fitness abilities will differ by position but speed, agility, and quickness are shared fitness traits between the two sports.
For many athletes, regardless of the sport, training should be designed to maximize one’s strengths (technical or otherwise) and improve a weakness, while preparing them for competition.
For a first responder, combat serviceman, and tactical professional, there are a host of fitness skills that most be sharp at all times. Similar to athletes, certain fitness skills are required more in some tactical professions than in others. Here is an analysis of some fitness traits in relation to a tactical athlete’s profession.
Speed – necessary for nearly all professionals. Sprinting to attack an enemy position, chasing a suspect, running to put out a fire or to safety, or running to intercept an assailant; speed is an important fitness requirement.
Strength – A soldier will need the strength to carry weapons, supplies, and lift wounded comrades. A firefighter has to be ready to carry and evacuate victims, axe through doors, and even carry comrades. A police officer doesn’t need overpowering strength but functional strength if someone is resisting arrest. A SWAT officer generally is required to use more strength to carry breeching tools, and other equipment. A close protection agent, like a police officer needs a basic level of strength but one does not need to be built like an ox.
Cardiovascular Strength Endurance – For the soldier and firefighter, battles and fires can last for hours and even days. Conditioning is essential to sustain optimum performance over the course of many hours. Police officers, and in particular SWAT officers will sometimes be engaged in stand-offs with criminals and the occasional long gun battle but no one is running a marathon to apprehend anyone.
Anaerobic Strength Endurance – All tactical professions require a decent level of sustained strength over a short amount of time. Think of the conditioning of an MMA fighter, short intense engagements taxing the muscles with periods of rest here and there. Hostage rescue breeches, riots, fires, advancing to an enemy position, require the tactical professional to engage his or her body repeatedly until the situation is over. Small battles and fires can of course lead to large ones requiring soldiers and firefighters to possess great cardiovascular strength endurance.
Agility/Quickness – The ability to dodge and overcome physical obstacles is paramount in all tactical professions. Zig – zagging through a firefight, crowd of people, wreckage from a fire, or any environment with minimal cover or concealment requires tactical professionals to move in all directions.
There are of course more fitness traits to list but the above are main ones to consider when preparing to enter or remain in a tactical profession. Exploring aspects like netball court markings is worth it if you’re also involved in sports and recreational activities, ensuring a well-prepared and enjoyable playing environment.
For anyone wanting a one on one consultation or tactical program, please contact me and also be sure to check these Gifts for Pittsburgh Steelers fans if you’re a basketball lovers.
People workout, compete, or undertake intense tactical or combat sports training for a myriad of reasons – for general health, for recognition of winning, for recognition from others of how they look, ego driven – to feel invincible or feel like a Navy SEAL, Marine Raider, Army Ranger, or Green Beret.
For many tactical and first responders (police, fire, EMS security), the motivation for training will take on a different nature with varied consequences if one does’t train correctly or consistently.
The reasons above are positive in nature, conversely there are negative motivators as well.
5. Losing a victim, or co-worker due to a lack of training or necessary level of physical fitness
6. Losing my place on the unit or detail
7. Hurting myself during a response because my joints, muscles, tendons, and ligaments weren’t prepared for the stress.
8. Routinely being passed over for promotion because of low fitness or tactical evaluation scores
Stay focused on the positive and what tactical fitness training can do for you because losing sucks.
For many in the security or defense industry, target hardening refers to measures taken to increase levels of protection in the face of a realized threat. If a facility was victimized by an intruder (burglary, violent crime, vandalism, etc) a common response is to make it harder for the intruder to enter or escape. A facility or workplace may install video surveillance cameras, access control systems, fencing or some other type of measure or procedure to reduce the chances that a crime would occur on the property. In the world of executive protection, the concept of target hardening is applied to the principle’s work place, transportation, communications, home; and whatever element that can be exploited by an attacker. We hear of phrases like “buffer zone”, “stand off distance” or “arm’s reach” to identify some time of security zone or resource used in order to protect buildings, assets, and people.
Let’s now apply the target hardening approach to one’s health. Could a human’s body be hardened in the face of physical or health related threats?
Sure, as with security threats, there is much we can do to minimize the risk of physical harm. I will concede that people may be exposed to genetic risks or other threats beyond their control even with living a fitness lifestyle, but the point here is to be pro active and target harden your body. An old adage stands true, “An ounce of prevention is more valuable than a pound of cure”.
The following is a simple threat but surprisingly is a leading cause of injury
1. Injury by mobile oncoming pedestrian, biker, or car.
Solution 1: Develop Situational Awareness In high population or traffic areas, use COMMON SENSE and don’t walk and text, or play music so loud you can’t see or hear what is going on around you. Maintaining high energy levels through out the day from good nutrition and sleep habits can only help one be more situationally aware.
Solution 2: Possess the physical capabilities to avoid getting hit. I have heard the arguments of how adrenalin can cause one to turn on their emergency muscles in the face of disaster; but why take chances that adrenalin is enough to save you. For the untrained person, adrenalin and instinct may help one avoid a particular threat but what if in successfully dodging an oncoming biker, a person suffers an injury to the lower leg because he or she was unconditioned? What if some one needed to jump two feet to the side to avoid getting hit but only had the power to jump a foot and half?
This is a simple exercise circuit that can be used as a dynamic warm up or modified to be used as a complete work out:
After 5 minute warm up and light stretch – (check this post to learn why are arm circles considered a dangerous stretching exercise, please avoid those at all costs)
1) High Knees (25 yards) – drive knees high while taking short strides by pushing off and landing on the toes
2) Butt kicks (25 yards) – Similar to high knees but kick your but with the heel of your foot.
3) Lateral Side Shuffle (50 yards) – Shuffle to one side for 25 yards and the return with the other leg leading the way
4) Hop on 1 leg forward and back for 15- 30 seconds (based on ability) then switch legs
5) Hop on 1 leg side to side for 15- 30 seconds then switch legs
6) Depth jumps – start small with a gym box or platform at 18 – 24 inches and practice first jumping down and landing on the ground as quietly as a ninja. Once the the depth jump is mastered, try jumping up on the box and back down. Increase the height of the box as needed.
5 sets of 10 depth/box jumps resting 40 seconds between each set
For more information contact gschneider@battletestedsolutions.com
So many elements comprise tactical performance – mental strength, physical strength, agility, working with a team, etc. In a recent issue of the Training Edge, I was profiled in regards to my insight about how to prepare future soldiers, policemen and women, firefighters, and tactical operators in general. Tactical Fitness is a difference maker between success and failure.
Here is a PDF link for the May/June 2014 issue of The Training Edge Magazine:
http://www.thetrainingedgemagazine.com/issues/NASM-Training-Edge-May-June-2014.pdf
Battle Tested. I have to admit my brand name is pretty catchy. In fact I own a number of domain names with battle tested in it; more on that at a later time. But let’s be honest, Tied and True Fitness just doesn’t have the same impact as Battle Tested Fitness. My strategies and programs for tactical fitness training come from having to prepare my body, mind, and nervous system for any type of crisis.
Questions I always get are, “So how does one get to be battle tested? Do you have to serve and survive in a war zone?” To answer the second question first, no one needs to be a veteran or have aspirations to serve in a combat role. However, many could use tactical fitness training to be prepared for dynamic physical engagements. Here are a number of instances where being tactically fit can come in handy:
1. Industrial accidents – strength and speed required to push over equipment and run from danger.
2. Natural disasters – earthquake, hurricane, flood. Does one not need physical strength and fortitude to pack up as much belongings as possible in a short time and evacuate by car or other means?
3. Active Shooter – a far too common occurrence, laying motionless can save your life as well as sprinting for cover.
4. Black Friday – negotiating rushing crowds and masses of people is a hidden threat that will challenge one’s physical fitness.
In addition to training first responders to many of the situations listed above, Battle Tested Fitness delivers strength and conditioning programs that replicates the physical demand caused by “worst case scenarios” so that if an event should happen you are as prepared as possible.
– Greg
Many people have professions where they live out of a suitcase; salespeople, pilots, security contractors, etc. All of those hours on the road, in a plane, or at meetings – being sedentary can add up, that’s why many people decide to get gym equipment from Commercial Gym Equipment Suppliers for when they’re near home. Here are 5 tips to follow to ensure that your fitness levels don’t drop off:
1. Prior to embarking on a trip, identify the exercise facilities at the hotel where you are staying. If there is no fitness center at your destination, identify where the nearest gyms are located. Make sure to call the gyms to see how much it costs to train for the day or week. Be sure to know what gyms are included in gympass.
2. No hotel gym, no nearby gym, what next? If the fitness facilities are nowhere to be found, look for outdoor parks or schoolyards. If it’s a sport like tennis you’re interested in, then you could get equipment for it online on www.tennisracquets.com/collections/babolat-tennis-racquets. Everyone has the ability to walk, jog, or run. Weather permitting, find a place and start running. Many parks have fixed exercise equipment and space that are good for pull-ups, push-ups, hanging crunches, dips.
3. Take the stairs at the hotel. If you are one or two flights up from the ground level; take the stairs. Avoid the escalators, power yourself up and down the stairs.
4. Stuck in a hotel room – what to do? Push-ups in all of their varieties, crunches, reverse crunches, and planks – to name just a few exercises. Bathroom floors are generally slick so you can perform the following: a) stand with one leg on a hand towel on the floor b) slide your leg backwards as your body descends towards the ground c) engaging the muscles of your other leg, slide the leg on the towel back to the starting point. This exercise will work quadriceps, hamstrings, glutes and core muscles. Do about 10-fifteen repetitions each leg for 2-3 sets. You can also slide your legs laterally to work on adductor and abductor strength.
5. Bring your own equipment. Jump ropes, push-up handles, and a TRX kit are easy to take and affix anywhere. With the TRX you will need access to a crossbeam of some sort or a tree. For more information on a TRX kit, click on the banner to the right or the link below:
Planning for a physical engagement requires much from your body and mind. Here are a few pointers for getting battle ready for a host of real life or sports related challenges:
1. Train your body for the specific physical demands of your event or engagement. If you are trying to pass a military, police, or fire department physical entrance test like an obstacle course, running eight miles won’t help you improve your anaerobic strength capacity or speed, agility and quickness, but progressively intense total body resistance and reactive training will help you get the results you need. Conversely, spending a majority of your physical training time lifting heavy weights won’t help you improve your time in endurance sports. It is OK to cross train in other sports and incorporate various levels of physical intensity, but keep your main focus on preparing your body for the specific demands it will face.
2. Situational Awareness. Doesn’t matter if you are in a field of play or field of fire, mental acuity is paramount for success. Having strong internal discipline and razor sharp focus will only enhance your performance. Wayne Gretzky understood the importance of situational awareness in the hockey rink; he attributed his success for knowing, “where the puck was going to be.”
3. Tapering the intensity before a big event. Going all out in training is good, just make sure it is not days before your body and mind will be put to the test. The central nervous system (CNS) regulates the body’s functions, if you don’t give the CNS enough time to recover from the accumulated physical and mental stress, you will not be at your best when you need it most.
Use these tips in preparing for your next sporting event or physical fitness test and be battle ready.