Military Training Considerations: Training Block #5

During the 5th block, on Monday and Friday the bodyweight movements will be pull-ups (to failure) and dips. Push-ups will be taken out completely for this month and substituted with bench press using the oxidative method. Dips have now been moved from Wednesday to Monday with an increase in volume for the first set only. All assistance work (bicep curls, triceps pushdowns, etc) will be eliminated for the remainder of the training program.   

All strength work on Wednesday will be eliminated and substituted with rucking (hiking with a pack). The previous interval work on Saturday has been eliminated and substituted with longer hill sprints of <15 seconds with longer recovery periods (recovering until HR is <110 bpm between sprints).  

The first four weeks of ruck training on Wednesdays will be designed to prepare the body for longer walks. No weight will be used and we will only do one “ruck” per week. This will also be the time for testing out equipment such as socks, boots, and hydration strategies. During the next 4 week block, rucking will be performed twice per week and pack weight will gradually be integrated to ensure proper adaptation. 

Recovery for the case study athlete continues to be exceptional. No days have been lost to sickness or travel. Resting heart rate continues to be between 35-39 bpm upon rising every morning. No injuries have been reported in the weekly questionnaire. He continues to travel at least 20-24 days per month and has not missed a training session yet.

The athlete has not been complaining about training at all and continues to be very motivated. This was a significant concern given the lengthy eight month period between the inception of training and date the the selection course.

Monday and Friday. On Friday’s session only do half the volume from Monday.

Individual warm-up

A) Pull Ups.  Rest until fully recuperated between each set (5-10 minutes).

Week 1 - 4 sets to failure

Week 2 - 5 sets to failure

Week 3 - 6 sets to failure

Week 4 - 1 set to failure

B) Dips. Rest 2 minutes between sets.

Week 1 - 3 sets - 26/14/8 reps

Week 2 - 3 sets - 28/16/8 reps

Week 3 - 3 sets - 30/22/10 reps

Week 4 - 3 sets - 12/10/8 reps

C) Oxidative Squats and Bench Press. Each series = 40 seconds of work followed by 40 seconds of rest  = 1 rep x 5 reps. Rest until fully recuperated between each series (5-10 minutes).

Week 1 - 4 series (perform 3 series of squats followed by 1 series of bench press)

Week 2 - 4 series (perform 3 series of squats followed by 1 series of bench press)

Week 3 - 4 series (perform 3 series of squats followed by 1 series of bench press)

Week 4 - 1 series of bench press

Tuesday

Individual warm-up

Running – Hill Sprints of < 5 seconds at max speed + 50 seconds rest between each sprint. Begin and end each session with a 10 minute slow jog.

Week 1 – 30 Hill Sprints

Week 2 – 34 Hill Sprints

Week 3 – 38 Hill Sprints

Week 4 – Cardiac run of 40 minutes with HR <130 bpm

Wednesday

Hike in Woods. No Pack or Weight. 12-15 min mile pace, keeping HR <140 bpm.

Week 1 – 8 mile hike

Week 2 – 10 mile hike

Week 3 – 12 mile hike

Week 4 – 6 mile hike

Thursday

Complete day off.

Saturday

Individual warm-up

Running – Hill Sprints of < 15 seconds at 80-90% effort, with recovery until HR declines to <110 bpm. Begin and end each session with a 10 minute slow jog.

Week 1 – 15 Hill Sprints

Week 2 – 18 Hill Sprints

Week 3 – 18 Hill Sprints

Week 4 – 10 Hill Sprints

Sunday

Complete day off.