Toronto trip

Weekend in Toronto, day 1, paella at Carmen's, the ol CN Tower (worth a climb!), and a big thumbs up from Lilly Marionz down in Florida. She liked the steaks that I sent to her sister Gabby for her 1st birthday. Day 2 of weekend in Toronto. No workout. Walked around the beautiful Annex neighborhood and Yorkville. Great view of Hogwarts from the Park Hyatt.

Free Tactical Fitness Training PDFs

No gimmick or sales pitches.  These are just programs that I developed and tested at the US Naval Academy with lots of Midshipmen training for various schools, professions and PT tests.  I am making them available and just ask that if you find them useful that you might consider donation to the Special Operations Warrior Foundation at: 

http://www.firstgiving.com/fundraiser/prevosttraining/prevosttrainingfundraisingpage

 I hope you find them useful.  Go to my blog and click the links to the right to find these programs and more.

Tactical Grip Training

SEAL Screener or BUD/S Prep PT Program (version 3.0)

SEAL Screener or BUD/S Prep PT Program (version 2.0)

Original 12 Week SEAL Screener Program  

USNA 100 Pushups

3 Day / Week Novice Barbell Training

Periodization for the Tactical Athlete

USNA 25 Pull-Up Program

Ruck Training Program

Tactical Training Template

6 Week PRT

14 Week USMC PFT Training Program

Training for Your First Pull-Up

Endurance Training Programming

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Tactical Grip Training

A tactical athlete needs both excellent grip strength and grip endurance.  Whether you are training for a selection course or doing the job day to day, grip strength/endurance is going to be one of the most important qualities you can develop.  People are routinely limited by grip strength on obstacle courses and tactical challenges.  There is a physiological reflex that shuts down your pulling muscles when your grip is about to go.  It takes considerable concentration to overcome this reflex, so most people never notice it.  As a result, in many lifts (like pull ups) people are limited by grip strength, even though it feels like the pulling muscles are giving out.  Don�t believe me?  Try doing pull-ups with wrist straps and see what happens.  Did you do better than usual?  I thought so.  Increasing grip strength makes you stronger overall, in a very real world, tactical sense.  This is usable strength.  "But I train with barbells and have a double bodyweight deadlift.  I should have enough grip strength/endurance, right?"  No, not really.  Barbells and dumbbells (and most other strength equipment) is designed to be as easy on your grip as possible.  Consider the diameter of the bars, the knurling, the balance.  They are designed  NOT to challenge your grip, so that you can lift more weight.  Nothing in real life is that easy on your grip.  In real life your are pulling and dragging odd shaped objects like the collar of somebody's shirt, a rope or some odd shaped piece of gear.  You are pulling up on tree branches, ropes, fences, walls, windows etc.  If you can't hold on to it, you can't lift it, drag it or climb it.  Because this could be a life or death situation for a tactical athlete, dedicated grip strength/endurance training is important.   One could argue that it is the most important strength/muscular endurance quality for a tactical athlete. 

Kettlebell 5 Pillars Workout

If you are looking to get in shape, there are many tools available, including the option of using no tools at all (i.e., bodyweight exercises).  If you want OPTIMAL training, you should choose the best tool for the job.  Nothing beats a fully equipped gym, with access to a large variety of tools.  However, you may not have access to a gym, or you may choose to do something less optimal (but still effective) because it is more fun or convenient.  The best program is the one you will actually do, consistently, week in and week out.  If you like training with kettlebells, you can get an effective whole body workout if you train the 5 pillars.  Depending on the tools you have available and your goals, you could turn this into a strength program, a conditioning program, a high calorie burn program or a hybrid program.   Even with this single tool you have lots of flexibility.  This simple program framework will help you to get started and give you a framework to build from. 

5 trouble spots you can fix thanks to Bruce

I know it may sound a tad bit crazy, but inside today's brand new article from my Toronto's Trouble Spot Training Expert, Bruce Krahn, you'll discover how you can fix your trouble spots: => 5 Trouble Spot Workout Cures Oddly enough I had to go all the way to Miami last year to meet Bruce at a small, closed-doors meeting of 15 elite fitness experts. The seminar was arranged by world-famous

Plan B for Trainers

The journey begins...it's 2,167 miles, and according to Google, will take 37 hours with no traffic. Ha. I think I'll fly, thanks. And actually, it's going to take me a lot longer. But it will be worth it. Today I leave the farm for the big city of Toronto. I'll be there for a couple of days and then flying out to Denver to visit my other business, the HQ of EarlyToRise.com. From there, I

Why and When to Do Cardio

Two years ago I was doing a LOT of cardio. What? Why? Because I needed to be tough. Tough Mudder, tough. I needed to be ready for the 12-mile Tough Mudder race I did in Beaver Creek, Colorado, back in 2012. And I was. The course was brutal, starting at 8,500 feet in elevation and going up to 11,000 feet, but I finished in 2 hours and 45 minutes. A few months later my best friend and I did