Consult a physician prior to beginning this program.
Copyright 2018
Zulu23 Group
ISBN: 9781999559311
TABLE OF CONTENTS
I. Introduction
A. Introduction
B. A Brief History Lesson
C. The Holy Trinity
II. Overview
A. Overview
B. Base Building
C. Resistance Training
D. Conditioning
H. Nutrition
I. Stop (Over)Thinking & Execute
III. Base Building
A. Base Building
B. Programming
C. Strength-Endurance Training
D. SE TRAINING IS MESSY
E. Endurance
IV. Resistance Training
A. Resistance Training
B. General MassTemplates
C. Mass Template
D. Grey Man Template
E. Gladiator
F. Fighter HT
G. General Mass Miscellaneous
H. Specificity
I. Specificity Alpha
J. Specificity Bravo
K. Sample H Clusters
L. Bridge Week
V. Conditioning
A. Conditioning
B. Mass Protocol Conditioning Principles
C. Sessions
D. Miscellaneous
VI. Nutrition
A. Nutrition
B. Macronutrients
C. Two Simple Formulas
D. Real Life
E. 3 Common Mistakes
F. The Iron Mike (Inspired) Diet
G. Summary
VII. Supplements
A. Supplements
B. Level 1
C. Level 2
VIII. Block Programming
A. Block Programming
B. OMS Protocol
IX. Consolidation
A. Consolidation
B. Integration
X. F A Q S
INTRODUCTION
“We must remember, that one man is much the
same as another,
and that he is best who is trained in the severest
school”
Thucydides
INTRODUCTION
Tactical Barbell I and II were initially written with a unique population in
mind; tactical law enforcement and military special operations/combat-arms.
Excessive mass is usually detrimental for this group, particularly the military
side of the house. Every ounce of weight that isn’t contributing to performance
is felt tenfold in the field. The trick is to develop a high strength-to-weight ratio
like a prize fighter. That said, the Tier 1/Tier 2 population is a minority in the
tactical world.
The majority - patrol officers, paramedics, firefighters, corrections and others –
can get away with having greater amounts of muscle mass. In many cases it’s
an occupational benefit.
Take uniform/patrol for example. On the street having a capable-looking
physique can be a major psychological advantage – a bad guy’s perception of
your abilities can shape his behaviour. As many of you in the field know,
officer presence affects subject response during any given interaction. Your
partner may be a BJJ black belt – but if he looks like he can’t handle himself –
chances are he’s going to put up with a lot of crap when dealing with ‘clients’.
On the other hand, you might not be able to fight your way out of a wet paper
bag, but if you look like the Rock, the bad guys are going to think twice before
engaging. Same thing goes for Corrections. Even among the inmates, physical
presence has an impact on prison hierarchy.
How about firefighters? Having functional mass can offset all that heavy gear.
Would you rather be 130lbs wearing 75lbs of gear, or a muscled 185? I know
which one I’d pick.
Enter Mass Protocol. This program was developed and refined for the
operational professional looking to build muscle and improve physical
presence, whatever the reason. Whether you’re a recruit beefing up for that first
patrol assignment or a seasoned UC trying to develop a certain look, Mass
Protocol will get you there. Regardless of objective, Mass Protocol will be an
invaluable addition to your toolbox.
A BRIEF HISTORY LESSON
In roughly 3 years I went from 150 to 185lbs. Bodyfat from approximately 5%
to 9%.
That’s roughly 30lbs of muscle. 30lbs in three years isn’t really that exceptional
in and of itself. Except that muscle mass was never my goal… it happened
accidentally. Kind of.
Back then, performance, not size, was my number one objective. That mindset
came about in the military. Time on the job lead me to the conclusion that
excessive weight of any kind was incompatible with field work. Key word
being excessive.
My ‘accidental’ mass gain was set in motion when I left the military and started
a career in law enforcement. I was barely 150lbs during the transition. My
training, eating habits, and lifestyle changed. The changes were gradual. Some
were unintentional. Eventually those changes left me with that 30lbs of extra
muscle mass. In hindsight, and armed with a little knowledge, it’s easy to see
why it happened.
There is a point to all of this, so let’s get into the details.
In the military my lifestyle was generally endurance based. Long runs, ruck
marches, field exercises, and ops. I supplemented strength training on my own
time.
In law enforcement my life stopped being about endurance. I was 100%
responsible for my own training. No mandatory PT, no section commander or
squad leader setting the pace, no bag-drive out in the bush for weeks or months
at a time. It was a cushy and welcome change. It freed me up to spend more
time in the weight room while allowing me to keep less in reserve. If I wanted
to do a 20-rep squat routine, I could – no 10k unit run at zero-dark-thirty to
worry about. My cardiovascular training drifted to sprints and high intensity
interval training. HIIT was starting to gain popularity at the time so I dumped
the endurance work with glee and jumped on the bandwagon. It simply wasn’t
necessary for me to have the physical readiness to go on a 20 or 30km ruck
march anymore.
My strength training went from minimal low-rep sets to experimenting with
higher volume protocols and various rep schemes.
So, quick recap; I went from an endurance-based lifestyle coupled with
minimalist strength training - to brief HIIT sessions and more time in the
weight room. In the military I would frequently train twice a day; once in the
morning with the unit, and later in the evening on my own time doing my own
thing. That didn’t happen in law enforcement. I averaged one training session
per day, 5 to 6 days per week. Training rarely went over an hour. So, let’s add a
drastic reduction in overall training volume to the formula.
Food. Significant changes in this area. In the military I was heavily into carb
conscious diets. I used The Zone Diet and experimented with early versions of
the ketogenic diet. I calculated macros and ate the same rotation of 4 or 5
meals. In hindsight I barely met my daily calorie requirements. I could’ve
easily used another 1000 calories, but I didn’t know any better. My body was
running on youth, ignorance, and stimulants. In law enforcement, the
combination of odd-hours and relying more on restaurant food forced me to
relax my diet somewhat. I started eating more carbs. I started eating more food
overall.
It’s important to note I was training regularly - at least 5 or 6 days a week, but
with the changes noted above. I was habitual. I rarely missed training sessions,
be they strength or conditioning. My mass gain was mostly effortless, but my
training consistency was already in place. The base was there, only the
variables changed.
All those little tweaks and lifestyle changes resulted in a shift from that
extremely lean 150lbs to a much larger (but still lean) 185lbs.
None of this is meant to imply that you need a certain occupation to gain mass.
The point of all of this is that a change in career made it easy for me to look
back and clearly identify the factors responsible for the mass gain. Once
identified, it was a simple process to reverse engineer and repeat.
Reverse engineering is a wonderful thing. It took me almost three years with no
intentional process to gain 30lbs of quality lean body mass. If you’re consistent
with this protocol, you might do it in less. My programming changes were
implemented gradually over the years with periods of experimentation – you’ll
be starting with the correct methods on Day 1. You’ll be consistent from the
get-go. No time wasted on trial and error.
Another great thing about reverse-engineering is that it allows for optimization.
We improved upon the areas responsible for my muscle gain beyond my
accidental process. For example, most of the strength training templates I
experimented with weren’t as good as they could’ve been had mass been the
primary objective. The templates in this program are specifically designed for
maximum hypertrophy while staying true to some of the principles that brought
about my own results.
All the little changes, all the reverse-engineering and optimization, ultimately
lead to what I call the Holy Trinity.
THE HOLY TRINITY
After boiling down all the changes in training, diet, and lifestyle I was left with
three primary factors responsible for mass gain. The Holy Trinity. All three
MUST be addressed for the natural trainee to successfully build quality muscle
mass;
1. Resistance Training
2. Nutrition
3. Conditioning
Think of the Trinity like a 3-digit phone number. If you’re off by even one digit
you’re not going to get through even if all the other digits are correct.
Resistance training is the stimulus. It’s a signal. The right kind of signal tells
the body to start growing muscle. The right kind of training stimulus for massgain has an appropriate amount of volume balanced with intensity. Intensity is
another term for load or weight. If there’s enough weight but too little volume –
your strength will improve but you won’t put on much muscle mass. Think of
programs that have you lifting heavy but keep the reps and/or sets low. A 3x5
program is not the most efficient route to hypertrophy. Good for maximalstrength, not the best for growing slabs of muscle. Doing one set as heavy as
you can isn’t going to get you anywhere either.
Alternatively, if there’s enough volume but you’re not lifting heavy enough,
you won’t grow. Pumping out hundreds of reps using 5lb pink Barbie
dumbbells isn’t going to do it.
It’s important to note all of this applies to the natural lifter that isn’t on
supraphysiological doses of testosterone or performance enhancing drugs. Ever
wonder why the crazy programs that work for your favorite ‘roided out or TRTenhanced guru don’t work for you? Studies show that taking testosterone
without any training whatsoever increases muscle mass. Yes, you can sit on the
couch, pin yourself and your body composition will shift in favor toward
muscle, to a degree. Might explain why some less conventional programs work
for some people (like the one all-out death set). For naturals, usually a more
reliable work-oriented approach is needed.
Ok, so we’ve established that a certain kind of weight training signals the body
to build muscle. To respond and grow that muscle – the body must have the
building material available. Food is that building material. If your nutrition is
inadequate, it won’t matter if you train twice a day or squat thousands of
pounds. You simply won’t grow. It’s like trying to build a castle with only
enough construction material to build a toolshed. It ain’t happening.
The final piece of the Trinity is conditioning or cardiovascular training. When
it comes to mass building it’s mostly about avoiding the wrong kind. Just like
the right kind of resistance training provides the stimulus to ‘grow muscle’ –
the wrong kind of cardiovascular training signals the body to ‘lose muscle’.
You’re operational. You can’t neglect cardio, and you won’t need to. While
mass-building, conditioning is minimized but not eliminated. The role of
conditioning changes during Mass Protocol. It takes on a secondary/supporting
role that serves three functions;
1. Facilitates recovery between lifting sessions.
2. Promotes an anabolic environment. Primes your body for muscle
growth instead of catabolism.
3. Maintains a minimum level of operational readiness.
Specific conditioning sessions are provided in this book to do the above. Mass
Protocol is not the time to develop elite level conditioning or prepare for
selection. Stick to the conditioning sessions in this book until you hit your
target weight.
Stimulus, nutrition, and conditioning. Three areas that must be dialed-in to
grow quality muscle mass. If you’re eating enough but inconsistent with
training – you’ll gain mass alright, but not the kind you want. If training and
nutrition are on-point, but you run for an hour every day because it makes you
feel good – expect it to diminish your results.
If you’re somewhat familiar with strength & conditioning, the Trinity is mostly
common sense. Yet 99% of the time failure to gain muscle is due to neglecting
one or more of the three areas.
Gaining mass doesn’t require talent. It’s a step-by-step repeatable process.
Physique competitors and combat-athletes have been doing it for decades. It’s
systematic and predictable. What it does require is CONSISTENT
EXECUTION.
OVERVIEW
OVERVIEW
MASS Protocol consists of the Holy Trinity:
1. Resistance Training
2. Conditioning
3. Nutrition
Along with an additional optional component:
4. Base Building
BASE BUILDING
Let’s get this one out of the way first. Base Building is an optional 6-week
general preparation phase. It’s a kind of warm-up that prepares the body for the
entire protocol. The focus is on low-intensity/high repetition resistance training
alongside easy aerobic conditioning. Base does the following:
1. Builds the aerobic system aka your gas tank. If you were Ironman this
would be your power-center. Can’t efficiently mobilize all your new
muscle-mass without it.
2. Strengthens joints/ligament/connective tissue in preparation for heavy
lifting
3. Builds work capacity/the ability to handle higher volume
The Base Building template found in this book is NOT the same as in Tactical
Barbell II. This one is specifically geared for strength and hypertrophy phases.
Our programs are designed with the tactical professional in mind. Performance
is always on the table. If you’re operational, Base is strongly recommended,
dare I say- mandatory. It’ll allow you to get away with the decreased
conditioning during the remainder of the protocol. Basically, you’ll be able to
coast a lot further before that high-level conditioning starts to decline. Note,
this mostly applies if you normally maintain an advanced or elite level of
conditioning. If you don’t, then the conditioning component of this protocol
will likely be enough to maintain or even improve your baseline cardio. Let me
put it this way, if you’re an Air Force Tech, Base Building is a nice-to-have. If
you’re a SWAT operator – it’s mandatory. If you already have a
current/established endurance base of some kind, (i.e. runner, mountaineering,
etc.) feel free to skip it.
Keep this in mind before deciding to bypass; aerobic training aside, the
strength-endurance work in BB will prepare your body for heavy/high volume
lifting. SE training plays a role in injury prevention by gradually strengthening
connective tissue.
If you’re new to performance-based training and have an automatic fearresponse to the words ‘aerobic training’, know this - an optimized aerobic
system will give you a noticeable increase in energy when it’s time to lift
weights in the gym. It’s like developing your body’s own innate pre-workout.
Hypertrophy involves longer sessions with relatively heavy workloads. Having
a superior gas tank will make it almost easy. Almost. Another massive benefit
is that a strong aerobic system greatly facilitates recovery in between lifting
sessions.
RESISTANCE TRAINING
Resistance Training is the stimulus. The lifting component of the program. It’s
broken down further into two components or phases:
1. Resistance Training
a. General Mass
b. Specificity
General Mass comes in 3-week blocks designed to increase overall size and
structure. Specificity is a 3-week supplemental block for targeted hypertrophy.
General is the meat and potatoes. Specificity is a side dish used to target and
sculpt specific muscles/muscle groups. Both blocks can be used in various
ratios depending on your needs.
The primary objective of the resistance training in this program is hypertrophy
with the secondary objective of increasing limit-strength.
CONDITIONING
This is a hypertrophy program, not performance enhancement. However, this is
a Tactical Barbell book, so I’m assuming most of you are operational to some
degree. Cardiovascular training won’t be neglected. Specific conditioning
sessions are included in this protocol, each carefully chosen to promote an
anabolic environment, facilitate recovery, or maintain operational readiness. If
you do more cardio than recommended your results might be suboptimal.
You’ve been warned.
Conditioning is broken down into two components:
1. Conditioning
a. Green
b. Black
Use Green sessions when training General Mass blocks. Use Black with
Specificity.
Green consists of low intensity/long duration training.
Black is high intensity/short duration.
The individual Green and Black sessions found in this book are specific to Mass
Protocol.
They’re designed to align with hypertrophy training and support muscle
growth, while maintaining a degree of operational readiness. Although unique
to this program – they can be used alongside any Tactical Barbell template to
fill in Green/Black Protocol work. Add them to The Vault in TBII.
On the other hand, AVOID using the regular Green/Black sessions found in
Tactical Barbell II with Mass Protocol, unless you’re experienced and familiar
with the principles around using cardiovascular training to support hypertrophy.
NUTRITION
You’ll be provided with a method to calculate your total daily caloric
requirement, along with recommended macronutrient composition. The
formula for increasing lean body mass.
Eating to gain quality muscle mass requires as much discipline as lifting. Most
of us are enthusiastic and dialed-in when it comes to program selection and
training, but eating is where things go off the rails. Trying to guesstimate meals
is usually the culprit, which tends to result in under-eating. When it comes to
Mass Protocol, err on the side of overeating. I don’t care if you’re 1000 calories
over recommended daily intake – but don’t go a single calorie below. Don’t
guesstimate! The conditioning and higher volume lifting in this program will
trim off the excess.
Make a promise to yourself right now that you’ll get your nutrition handled. Do
that, and you’ll succeed where the majority fail. Like everything else, once you
get familiar with the process it’ll seem too easy.
STOP (OVER)THINKING & EXECUTE
Gaining quality mass is a systematic process that works regardless of who you
are or your perceived shortcomings. Mass Protocol is the blueprint. Exercises,
loads, reps, sets, calories, macros, – everything is provided. No guess-work
required on your part. Get your cyborg-mode on and execute. Nothing is so
difficult that you won’t be able to handle it, as all the training loads are
calculated based on your current levels of strength. The only way to fail with
this program is to not do the work.
Read the book COMPLETELY from start to finish before beginning the
protocol. Don’t skim. Reread the nutrition chapter and know your daily calorie
intake/macros inside-out. Start with Base Building. Transition to the main
protocol. Follow the conditioning guidelines and ensure your cardiovascular
training doesn’t interfere with hypertrophy. Continue until your target weight or
look is met. Drop any pre-conceived notions you may have about what a
lifting program should look like. I am not saying our way is the best or only
way. This is simply the method we use. Give yourself to the protocol for 6 to 12
months without cutting any corners. You’ll be pleasantly surprised, or more
likely shocked, at the outcome.
BASE BUILDING
BASE BUILDING
Throughout time warrior societies and military units around the world have
prescribed some form of introductory training designed to turn soft
undisciplined civilians into something harder. This practice has remained for
centuries. That should tell you something. The TB system takes that practice
and integrates modern techniques from people that know it best – endurance
athletes, professional mixed martial artists, special operations personnel, and
the like. Unlike more typical bootcamps, our version is a building-up process,
not a meat grinder.
I’ve covered off the importance of Base ad nauseum in Tactical Barbell II, so
I’ll keep it brief.
BB is a general adaptation phase designed for anyone serious about being fit in
multiple domains. Let’s recap some of the benefits;
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Build aerobic capacity/general endurance
Build muscular-endurance/work capacity
Strengthen under-armor: joints/ligaments/connective tissue
General physical preparation
CNS rejuvenation
Harden the body and mind for higher intensity/volume work
Building an efficient aerobic system will benefit any performance-based
activity, including weight-training.
If you perform any activity for over two minutes, you’ll need an aerobic
system. The better the aerobic system, the better you can do whatever it is
you’re doing for more than two minutes.
It’s important to note the Base Building template in this book is specific to
Mass Protocol. It isn’t the same model contained in Tactical Barbell II.
Standard Base Building as found in TBII is designed for the pure-bred tactical
athlete looking for an elite level of fitness across multiple domains, typically:
combat-arms military, special operations, tactical law enforcement, and
fire/rescue services. It alternates between long duration/low intensity aerobic
work and progressive muscular-endurance circuits. Anaerobic training is
mostly avoided during this phase for reasons outlined in TBII. It’s not
uncommon for newbies to go from barely being able to run for 10 minutes to
easily finishing 60-minute sessions before the block is over.
MASS Protocol is a different animal. The primary objective of MASS is
hypertrophy. Maintaining minimal cardiovascular conditioning for operational
readiness is a secondary goal. The Base Building template in this program
deviates from the Standard model to reflect that. The principles remain the
same, but changes have been made to align with the primary objective.
PROGRAMMING
Base Building for MASS Protocol is 6 weeks in duration and focuses on two
domains:
1. Strength-Endurance Training (SE)
2. Endurance/General Aerobic Training (E)
Strength-Endurance (aka muscular-endurance) is the ability of a
muscle/muscle-group to exert force against resistance for extended periods of
time. Doing 100 push-ups non-stop is an example of strength-endurance. SE is
performed three times a week with loads ranging from 10-25% 1RM.
Endurance or E in the Tactical Barbell lexicon refers to cardiovascular training
that lasts for 30 minutes or more – either steady-state OR variable intensity.
However, when it comes to Base Building E is solely low intensity/steady
state (LSS). There is no variation in intensity of the kind that you might find
during Green Protocol or E training performed outside of Base Building. E
during Base focuses exclusively on improving specific aspects of the aerobic
system. Intervals and anaerobic/high intensity training are avoided to optimize
the development of cardiac ventricular hypertrophy/efficiency. I go into detail
at length on this in Tactical Barbell II, so I won’t repeat it here. If you’d like to
learn more about the theory, read TBII. Otherwise, just do what I say.
BASE BUILDING
STRENGTH-ENDURANCE TRAINING
SE training is performed three times a week on alternate days. Four exercises
are performed every session circuit-style. Weights/loads are light –
approximately 15%-30% 1RM.
SE CLUSTER
A ‘cluster’ in the TB dictionary is simply a group of exercises.
The Base Building model in this protocol is designed to align with the goals of
strength and hypertrophy, so we’re going to employ the principle of specificity
when it comes to exercise selection.
After Base Building, during the main part of the program (General Mass) the
bench press, squat, and deadlift form the basis of the protocol.
Therefore, the SE cluster will contain the same exercises (or similar variations):
This is the suggested cluster for optimal results. We’re going for specificity but there’s no need to be totally militant with exercise selection for this phase.
If you really really want to overhead press instead of bench, or Bulgarian Split
Squat instead of squat – go for it. Rule of thumb is to include a press, a pull,
legs, and abs. Choose exercises that allow you to manipulate the loads
incrementally. Just know, the closer you can mimic the exercises used during
General Mass (Bench/Squat/Deadlift) the better, but it won’t be the end of the
world if they’re not exact. I don’t recommend the conventional deadlift for SE,
because it’s an awkward movement to perform with light weight & high reps.
SE SCHEDULE
SE PROGRAMMING
The above is Sets x Reps / percentage of 1 Rep Max.
Example: 3 x 10/20% = 3 sets of 10 reps with 20% of 1 Rep Max.
EXECUTION
Strength-Endurance training is about reps first, NOT LOAD.
This isn’t maximal-strength training. No need to get ultra-precise with your
calculations. Get within the ballpark. If in doubt, always err on the side of
lighter. Your starting weight for one or two exercises might be lower than
empty bar weight – that’s fine, go ahead and use the empty bar. If you’re in a
de-trained or weak state and the empty bar is a substantial load for you – then
switch to dumbbells or another exercise and get closer to your true %RM.
Bodyweight movements are always an option.
When it comes to ab exercises (or pull-ups/bodyweight movements), you can
simply do the assigned reps without worrying about adding external weight.
I feel like I need to stress this:
SE TRAINING IS MESSY
You might frequently fail at various reps and sets throughout the session. That’s
normal. Don’t expect to go in there and knock off all the reps of all sets
perfectly. It won’t happen. SE training by nature is designed to bring you to a
point of fatigue relatively quickly, so that you have to struggle and push
yourself to complete the remaining reps. It’s at the point of failure and beyond
where some of the training benefits begin. It’s like the opposite of maximalstrength training. Your ego might take a hit when people see you struggling
with an empty bar or a couple of little plates when set #2 or 3 rolls around. Deal
with it, it’s for the greater good.
SE training is done circuit-style. Perform 10 reps of bench press, move on and
squat x 10, finish up with RDL and abs, repeat. You may need to modify your
exercise selection if your gym set-up doesn’t allow you to hold up 3 pieces of
equipment simultaneously. The push-press, overhead press or even a floor press
can take the place of the BP so you’re not tying up a bench. The beauty of SE is
that the weights are light enough that you can probably do everything with a
barbell and no rack or bench. Or compromise – use the squat rack for squatting
and a barbell for RDLs and Overhead or Floor Press. Worst case scenario – use
dumbbells or bodyweight exercises. For bodyweight clusters just do the
assigned reps.
If for whatever reason you can only do one exercise at a time it’s not the end of
the world. Complete all sets of each exercise before moving on to the next.
Rest for 0 to 2 minutes in between sets and exercises. Rest for 2 minutes in
between circuits. The shorter you can keep your RIs between SETS the better,
but when it comes to resting between CIRCUITS take the full 2 minutes to
recover.
Failure and fatigue are acceptable and expected when it comes to SE.
I’ll say it again; failure and fatigue are acceptable and expected when it comes
to SE.
If you find yourself failing at rep 23 and you need to hit 30, simply take a
breather for a few moments and then make up the remainder. Squeeze the reps
out in mini-sets of 1 to 3. There are going to be times where you’ll need to rest
for more than 2 minutes in between sets – that’s okay. Try not to make it a
habit, and soldier on. Don’t overthink this stuff. As I’ve said, SE training is
messy by nature. It’s not neat and precise like lifting for maximal-strength.
Don’t readjust your weights halfway through the block because you’re failing
and want to meet the reps, unless you’re failing so massively that it’s clear you
overestimated your starting loads.
ENDURANCE
Endurance (E) sessions for Base Building consist of any activity performed
continuously at a low level of intensity, aka Long Steady State (LSS) training.
Jogging, cycling, and ruck marching are popular options. E is performed three
times a week on alternate days, for 30 minutes at a time. With Mass Protocol, E
is purposely capped at 30 minutes to minimize potential effects on muscular
hypertrophy.
E SESSIONS
E PROGRAMMING
EXECUTION
Jog or perform any steady-state activity of your choice for 30 minutes. No
more, no less.
Intensity must be kept low throughout and can be measured/controlled in
several ways:
1. Use the talk-test. If you can comfortably hold a conversation while
working, then you are going at the correct pace.
2. Use a heart rate monitor. Stay between 120 to 150 beats per minute.
3. Nose breathing. Breathe through your nose while performing the
activity. If you can’t your intensity level is likely too high. Dial it back
a little.
Compared to Base Building found in TBII, the E portion of this version is
minimal. It’s designed to train the cardiovascular system with no effect on
strength or hypertrophy. E sessions are capped at 30 minutes, and this version is
6 weeks instead of 8.
DON’T break out into intervals or sprints. DON’T try and go fast. Whatever
modality you choose – adhere to the pacing guidelines for the full 6 weeks of
Base. Don’t be fickle about staying exactly within 120-150bpm either. 5-10
beats higher or lower isn’t going to make or break you. But do keep in mind it’s
better to err on the side of going slower during Base. Speed-walking is better
than a run that verges at tempo pace. Go too fast, and the body tends to start
transitioning out of using fat and oxygen and starts tapping into
glycogen/anaerobic-based energy. LSS should feel almost relaxing, and if done
correctly will speed-up recovery.
If 30 minutes seems like a daunting amount of time to run or swim – then
choose a modality that you can complete, like rucking, cycling or walking. It’s
all good. Speed walking is another easy way to get in the Base Building zone
while improving your aerobic system.
Base Building isn’t run, ruck, or swim training. Think of E during Base
Building as ‘movement’ as opposed to ‘running’ or ‘jogging’ or whatever. Key
phrase being ‘during Base Building’. That’s not to say you shouldn’t apply the
principle of specificity. If your long-term plans include military work or
selection, then choosing run/ruck/swim sessions for E will add benefit over
unrelated training modalities.
Above all, keep your ego in check.
The biggest challenge you’ll have is maintaining a painfully slow pace while
grannies, children, and small dogs zip by you. You might even get sympathetic
looks and an encouraging ‘great job, keep it up’. Try not to unleash your
particular-set-of-skills. This is a common enough problem that we’re
considering releasing a t-shirt; ‘I’m Not Slow - I’m Base Building’.
LONGER SESSIONS
Let me address a question that is bound to come up; ‘Can I do longer E
sessions?’.
The short answer is NO.
The longer answer is to give serious thought as to why you’ve chosen this
program. Mass protocol is for those who prioritize hypertrophy and maximalstrength - either temporarily or long term. Overdoing E will send signals to
your body that oppose hypertrophy. You’re basically making it harder to
achieve your primary objective. That’s not intelligent training. It pays to
prioritize your goals – be that short or long term.
Base Building in this book contains the RIGHT amount of E to maintain
operational readiness while supporting hypertrophy.
Remember, you can be a mass-focused athlete for just one block or for the rest
of your life. You’re not stuck in the category perpetually. So, if you’re going to
do it – do it right. Learn to pivot and make all your resources pull in the same
direction toward your current goal.
If you have occasional mandatory training (military/sports etc.) – don’t sweat it.
Unless it’s frequent and excessive it’s not going to hurt your progress
significantly, so long as you adjust your nutrition and daily calorie intake
accordingly.
RESISTANCE TRAINING
“Long term consistency trumps short term intensity”
Bruce Lee
RESISTANCE TRAINING
Resistance training is the stimulus that signals your body to grow muscle mass.
It consists of two separate phases or parts:
1. General Mass
2. Specificity
GENERAL MASS
General is the foundation. The objective of General is to grow large muscle
groups while simultaneously developing structural strength. It’s like swapping
out the body or frame of a compact car and replacing it with that of a Humvee.
Increases in hypertrophy and strength occur concurrently. General by itself will
give many of you the size and aesthetic you desire without the need to
transition to Specificity. It’s a powerful style of training that balances frequency
and volume to maximize hypertrophy.
There are several General Mass templates to choose from;
Mass Template (MT)
Grey Man
Gladiator
Fighter HT
For those of you familiar with the very first edition of Tactical Barbell 1, some
of the above names might seem familiar. However, the templates in this book
bear little resemblance to the originals in terms of programming. I just liked the
names.
MT is an unconventional approach that will turn you into a monster. It works
around 4 exercises and harnesses the power of frequency to maximize
hypertrophy.
Grey Man is a three-day-per-week alternating A/B/A style template. A highly
effective mass builder that balances frequency and exercise variety. A favorite
with operational clients that want to balance 3 days of lifting with 3 days of
conditioning.
Gladiator uses a wider variety of exercises, along with techniques like
AMRAP to stimulate growth.
Fighter-HT is minimalist mass building. If you like simple approaches and
can’t spend all your time in the gym – this is your template. Fighter-HT is set
up over 3-days. Two days dedicated to pressing and legs, and a third day solely
for deadlifts.
SPECIFICITY
Specificity is the fine-tuning aspect of the protocol. If General Mass is the
broadsword, Specificity is the scalpel. Focus will shift to include isolation work
and supplemental exercises. You’ll be given the opportunity to grow and sculpt
areas that might have been neglected during General phase.
Specificity consists of four training sessions per week. Loads vary from 55% to
90%RM. Reps range from 3 to 12.
Specificity comes in two versions;
Alpha
Bravo
The Alpha template utilizes a 50/50 split between maximal-strength and
classical hypertrophy training. Both domains complement and promote each
other. A good choice for those that want to maintain an element of maximalstrength training throughout.
Bravo is four days of pure hypertrophy training. Allows for a greater number
of exercises and focuses solely on muscle size using hypertrophy-specific
tactics.
PROGRAMMING OVERVIEW
Both General and Specificity consist of 3-week blocks. You’ll be provided with
an initial standard programming schedule, but after that both can be run in
various ratios depending on what aspect of muscle building you want to
emphasize.
Again, an easy way to think of it is General is for overall size and mass,
Specificity is for fine-tuning & aesthetics. For example, Tiny Tim weighs a
buck thirty and wants to reach 200lbs. It would be in Tim’s best interest to
skew the ratio in favor of General to build that overall mass instead of wasting
time sculpting muscles (Specificity) that are barely there yet.
At the other end of the spectrum we have Jumbo Jim. Jim’s generally happy
with his overall size but maybe wants another 5-10lbs of quality muscle.
Mostly he feels his traps, biceps, and shoulders are underdeveloped and need
attention. Specificity is where individual muscle groups or areas of weakness
can be targeted - so Jim might choose to spend more time in Specificity.
There are some of you that won’t want to (or need to) run Specificity at all. The
overall mass and aesthetic that General gives will satisfy a large portion of you
– particularly if you’re a tactical athlete just looking for a quick simple bulk, so
you can switch back to a more performance-based template. Not an issue. You
can disregard Specificity completely. Run General for as many cycles as
required until your target weight is achieved. On the other hand, no need to
throw the baby out with the bathwater. Operationally-minded trainees can
customize Specificity to include ‘functional’ work such as grip, core, swings,
and explosive/power- or Olympic lifts.
And vice-versa. Some of you may want to spend most of your time running
Specificity. Even so, I don’t recommend excluding General completely during
hypertrophy phases.
GENERAL MASS
TEMPLATES
MASS TEMPLATE
Drop any preconceived notions you may have of what a hypertrophy program
should look like. Mass Template is a powerful and unconventional approach to
growing muscle. It’s a distant forefather to the popular Operator template found
in Tactical Barbell I.
Mass is a 4-day template. MT favors muscular hypertrophy while
concurrently increasing maximal-strength. Mass and Operator are similar in
that they employ frequency to maximize their objectives. Difference being
Operator focuses on increasing maximal-strength with moderate hypertrophy,
whereas MT significantly favors hypertrophy with less emphasis on maximalstrength.
If you can do 12 or more bodyweight pull-ups you qualify for WPUs. If you
can’t – sub in Barbell Rows, Romanian Deadlifts, or some other pull. I
recommend sticking with WPUs if qualified, and watch the magic unfold when
you treat them like a conventional lift. I’m a fan of WPUs for several reasons;
1. WPUs sufficiently cover off your biceps and arms to the point that you
don’t have to train them separately. Deadlifts alone don’t do that to the
same degree.
2. It makes for an easy transition to typical military/police PFTs. With
most PFTs, pull-ups are usually the exercise that need the most
attention. Most can hammer out the requisite number of push-ups or
sit-ups with relative ease, but pull-ups are usually the exercise
requiring a little more prep work and effort. If included in your cluster,
you won’t need that extra prep work.
3. The overall back/lat/grip development that results from treating WPUs
like a conventional lift is extraordinary. You will grow wings over
time.
MT EXERCISE SCHEDULE
The Bench Press, Squat, and Weighted Pull-up are each performed three times
a week on alternate days. The Deadlift has its own dedicated day at the end of
the week.
MASS TEMPLATE
The templates are Sets x Reps / percentage of 1 Rep Max. Note the slight
difference when it comes to deadlift programming (Day 6).
EXECUTION
Perform all sets of each exercise before moving on to the next. Rest as needed
in between sets. For most, 2-3 minutes should be enough. The objective is to
complete all reps of each set while minimizing muscle failure. Fatigue on the
last few reps is acceptable and expected, but if you’re failing completely before
finishing the set then use a longer rest interval; 5 minutes or more. If you’re
still failing, then lower your 1 rep maximums by 5-10% and recalculate.
AMRAP or PEAK (+)
Where scheduled (week 3) you can use AMRAP or Peaking techniques to ramp
up the intensity of a session. Choose one or the other.
AMRAP aka As Many Reps as Possible. AMRAP one exercise per session. For
example, for Week 3 Day 1 it’s the squat. Complete the assigned work for the
bench press & WPU (4 sets x 3 reps at 80%RM) and then move on to the squat.
Complete the 4 x 3 as per the programming – on the fourth set, instead of
stopping at 3 reps keep going until you can’t. Keep one or two reps in the bank
for safety. On Day 3, it’s the same thing, but with the bench press. Only one
exercise per session is AMRAP’d. The other exercises are performed normally
as per the programming. I don’t recommend AMRAP with the deadlift as it’s
too easy to injure yourself when form deteriorates.
PEAKING SQ+/BP+/OHP+/DL+: Work up to heavy triples, doubles, or
singles with the chosen exercise. Peaking is essentially playtime with the lift of
the day.
Do only ONE work set x 3 reps (80%RM) with the selected exercise. Then
add weight to the bar. Increments of 5 to 10lbs. Rest for 3 to 5 minutes and try a
triple, double, or single. Then add a little more. Rest up and try another triple,
double, or single. Keep working your way up until you can’t or until you want
to stop. Rest for as long as you want between sets. Do as much or as little of
this extra work as you’d like. For example, Week 3/Day 1 the bench press is the
chosen one. Perform squats &WPUs as per the standard programming (4 sets of
3 reps/80%). After that, move on to the bench press. Perform ONE work set of
3 reps at 80%. After the work set is out of the way begin working up to new
heavier triples, doubles, and singles.
On days you’re strapped for time or don’t have the juice, do the lifts as
programmed without peaking or AMRAP.
PROGRESSION
Every 3 to 6 weeks, add 5-10lbs to 1RMs. Recalculate and repeat. Don’t force
progression for exercises you struggled with - use the same numbers for the
next block.
GREY MAN TEMPLATE
Grey Man is a versatile, efficient mass builder that uses a simple alternating ‘AB-A/B-A-B’ style schedule. A favorite among operational clients. It combines
general mass building with supplementary/isolation work. It leaves the trainee
with four days off which allows for more flexibility with conditioning and
recovery.
GM CLUSTERS
GM contains two clusters – the Main cluster provided below, and a
Supplementary (S) Cluster. The Main cluster is standard across the board, the
same for everyone. You create and customize the S cluster (example provided
below).
Don’t get too crazy and overload yourself with supplementary (S Cluster)
exercises. Use no more than 4 to 6. You’ll get a chance to go hog-wild with
accessory work during Specificity phase. After you pick your 4 to 6 exercises,
divide the list in two as I’ve done in the example above. S exercises can consist
of dumbbells, barbells, kettlebells, and bodyweight. Think isolation work.
Incline dumbbell press, weighted dips, barbell curls, shrugs – anything you can
think of are all on the table.
If you’re an operational type and want to use your supplementary time for nonconventional exercises or training – go for it. That’s the idea behind GM. If
you’re feeling kettlebells, bodyweight work, grip, core, plyometrics or even
extra conditioning – S cluster is where you do it. Get your two main lifts out of
the way, and after that what you do with your S time is up to you. However, for
those looking for a pure aesthetic/mass-centric result – stick to the more
conventional exercises using dumbbells and barbells.
GM EXERCISE SCHEDULE
S1 = Supplementary Cluster #1
S2 = Supplementary Cluster #2
The two main lifts of the day are performed first. They have their own unique
set/rep/load structure. After the main lifts are completed, the supplementary (S)
exercises are performed. The supplementary exercises have a set/rep/load
structure different from that of the main lifts. See the programming table below.
GREY-MAN TEMPLATE
EXECUTION
The above table is Sets x Reps/percentage of 1 Rep Maximum.
The first set of numbers applies to the main lifts.
The second set of numbers (in bold) applies to the S lifts.
For example, here’s the box for Week 1/Day 1:
The first set of numbers refers to the Main cluster lifts, in this case on Day 1 it’s
the Bench Press and Squat (see GM Exercise Schedule). Perform 4 to 5 sets of
8 reps with 70% of your 1 rep maximum for both exercises.
After completing the two main lifts of the day, move on to the supplemental
work – specifically S Cluster#1 or S1. In the example I created S1 consists of
Dips, Incline DB Press, and Front Squats. Perform 4 sets of 12 for each using
55% of your 1 rep maximum. Since I’m using bodyweight for Dips in this
example; I’ll do 4 sets of 55% of my total max reps, or I’ll keep it simple and
do 4 sets of 12.
On Day 3 my main lifts are the OHP and DL. My S cluster (S2) consists of DB
Shrugs and rows. I’ll perform the main lifts first (4 sets of 8/70%), take a little
break and move on to the shrugs and pull-ups. 4 sets of 12/ 55%RM for the
supplementary work.
Too easy.
MAIN CLUSTER
Perform all sets of each exercise before moving on to the next. Rest for
approximately 2-5 minutes or more in between sets. The objective is to
complete all reps of each set while minimizing muscle fatigue/failure. A little
fatigue on the last few reps is acceptable, but if you’re failing completely
before finishing the set then use a longer rest interval; 5 minutes or longer. If
you’re still failing consistently, lower your 1 rep maximum by 10% and
recalculate.
SUPPLEMENTARY CLUSTER (S1 & S2)
Rest for 1-2 minutes between sets. The objective is to complete all reps of all
sets, but muscle failure and fatigue on the last few reps is acceptable. Supersetting is also an option for S Cluster.
PROGRESSION
Every 3 to 6 weeks, add 5-10lbs to 1RMs. Recalculate and repeat. Don’t force
progression for exercises you struggled with - use the same numbers for the
next block.
GLADIATOR
Named in honor of the original but now defunct template found in the very first
edition of Tactical Barbell. Gladiator consists of four lifting sessions per week
and includes techniques like AMRAP and Peaking to optimize growth.
GLADIATOR EXERCISE SCHEDULE
You don’t have to stick to the above schedule exactly. Insert a day between
sessions if desired, such as doing Day 5 on Day 6 instead. You can also change
up the order or combination of exercises.
GLADIATOR
The above is Sets x Reps/Percentage of 1 rep maximum.
EXECUTION
Perform all sets of each exercise before moving on to the next. Week 1/Day 1
squat for 4 to 5 sets of 8 using 60% of your 1RM. Do the same with the
overhead press.
Rest as needed in between sets. For most, 2-3 minutes is sufficient. The
objective is to complete all reps of each set while minimizing muscle failure. A
little fatigue on the last few reps is acceptable, but if you’re failing completely
before finishing the set then use a longer rest interval; 5 minutes or longer. If
you’re still failing, then lower your 1 rep maximum by 10% and recalculate.
AMRAP OR PEAK (+)
Where scheduled (week 3) you can use AMRAP or peaking techniques to ramp
up the intensity of a session. Choose one or the other.
AMRAP aka As Many Reps as Possible. AMRAP one exercise per session. For
example, for Week 3 Day 1 it’s the squat. You’ll complete the assigned work
for the overhead press (4 sets x 3 reps at 80%RM) and then you’ll move on to
the squat. Complete the 4 x 3 as per the programming. On the fourth set,
instead of stopping at 3 reps keep going until you can’t. Stop one or two reps
short of failure if you don’t have a spotter. On Day 2, you’ll do the same thing
with the bench press. Only one exercise is AMRAP’d per session. The other
exercise is performed normally as per the programming. I don’t recommend
AMRAP with the deadlift as it’s too easy to injure yourself when form
deteriorates.
PEAKING SQ+/BP+/OHP+/DL+: Work up to heavy triples, doubles, or
singles with the chosen exercise.
Do only ONE work set x 3 reps (80%RM) with the selected exercise. Then
add weight to the bar. Increments of 5 to 10lbs. Rest for 3 to 5 minutes and try a
triple, double, or single. Then add a little more. Rest up and try another triple,
double, or single. Keep working your way up until you can’t or until you want
to stop. Rest for as long as you want between sets. Do as much or as little of
this extra work as you’d like. For example, Week 3/Day 2 is bench
press/deadlift training. Bench Press is the scheduled peaking exercise. Perform
deadlifts as per the standard programming (4 sets of 3 reps/80%). After that,
move on to the bench press. Perform ONE work set of 3 reps at 80%. After the
work set is out of the way begin working up to new heavier triples, doubles,
and singles.
On the days you’re strapped for time or don’t have the juice, do the lifts as
programmed without peaking or AMRAP.
PROGRESSION
Every 3 to 6 weeks, add 5-10lbs to 1RMs. Recalculate and repeat. Don’t force
progression for exercises you struggled with - use the same numbers for the
next block.
FIGHTER HT
Fighter HT is mass building for the minimalist. Simple but effective.
Standard Fighter as found in Tactical Barbell I is our most popular template for
those who lift to support another primary activity. Fighter leverages frequency
to squeeze the most out of a minimal amount of training time. Fighter HT
works in a similar fashion – but with hypertrophy being the goal rather than
limit strength. This is for you if you can’t devote a significant amount of time
or energy to mass building but want to train toward that objective with the time
you do have. A good option for those who have unavoidable physical
commitments like unit PT or MMA - and can’t wreck themselves completely in
the quest for hypertrophy. Fighter HT isn’t as optimal as MT, GM, or Gladiator,
but it’ll keep you moving toward the goal – muscle mass.
CLUSTER
The cluster is minimalist, because Fighter HT is designed for those with a
limited amount of time. More volume needs to be squeezed into less training
time. Too many exercises make the lifting sessions too long and impractical. If
you want more exercises – use a different template, this isn’t for you.
Bodyweight finishers such as pull-ups/chins/dips et are fine.
FIGHTER HT
Squats and bench are done twice a week. Deadlifts are performed solo on a
separate day.
FIGHTER HT
EXECUTION
The above table is Sets x Reps/percentage of 1 Rep Maximum. Perform all sets
of each exercise before moving on to the next. Rest for 2 minutes or longer in
between sets. The objective is to complete all reps of each set while minimizing
muscle failure. A little fatigue on the last few reps is acceptable, but if you’re
failing completely well before finishing the set then use a longer rest interval; 5
minutes or longer. If you’re still failing, then lower your 1 rep maximum by
10% and recalculate.
If your schedule requires it, Day 4 session can be moved to Day 3, and Day 6 to
Day 5. The only rule is to have at least 48 hours off between Session#1 and 2.
You can deadlift the day after session#2 if you wish, but the best practice is to
have a buffer day in between.
During Week 3, AMRAP or Peak with the chosen exercise:
AMRAP on the last set of the prescribed exercise. For example, Week 3 Day 1
that would be squat. On the last set of 3, keep going and see how many extra
reps you can do. Don’t go nuts and injure yourself. Leave a rep or two in the
tank for safety, especially if you don’t have a spotter. On Day 4, the AMRAP
exercise is the bench press. The squat is performed for 5 sets of 3. Move on to
the bench press. Do AMRAP on set 5 of the bench-press. I don’t recommend
AMRAP with the deadlift.
DL+/SQ+/BP+: Peaking technique that can be used instead of AMRAP. Work
up to heavy triples, doubles, or singles with the chosen exercise.
When peaking, do only ONE work set x 3 reps with the prescribed working
weight (80%RM) for the selected exercise. Then add weight to the bar.
Increments of 5 to 10lbs. Rest for 3 to 5 minutes and try a triple, double, or
single. Then add a little more. Rest up and try another double or single. Keep
working your way up using sets of 1 to 3 reps until you can’t or until you want
to stop. Do as much or as little of this extra work as you’d like. For example,
Week 6/Day 4 the selected exercise is the bench press. Squat as per the standard
programming (5 sets of 3/80%). After, move on to the bench press. Perform one
work set of 3 reps at 80%. After the work set is out of the way begin working
up to heavier triples, doubles, and singles.
Deadlift 10 x 3 Option: An alternative to peaking is high volume deadlifting.
Perform 10 sets x 3 reps with the prescribed load. Adjust the weight a little
lower or higher as desired. Rest as needed in between sets.
On the days you’re strapped for time or don’t have the juice, do the lifts as
programmed without peaking or AMRAP.
PROGRESSION
Every 3 to 6 weeks, add 5-10lbs to 1RMs. Recalculate and repeat. Don’t force
progression for exercises you struggled with - use the same numbers for the
next block.
GENERAL MASS
MISCELLANEOUS
Calculate 1 rep maximums for all exercises in your cluster prior to beginning.
You can do your testing in one session or over two. After testing take two or
three days off before starting the block. Don’t get OCD – a 2-3 rep maximum to
calculate a 1RM is fine. But DO test. Don’t guess.
Lift two, three, or four times a week as per your template. Perform all the sets
of one exercise completely before moving on to the next. Optionally, you can
circuit-train or stack a couple exercises together. So long as you rest adequately
in between sets regardless of exercise. I do this with squats and weighted pullups. I do a set of squats, rest for a few minutes and then hit WPU’s. After a set
of WPUs I rest for another 2-3 minutes and back to squats. If you’ve got the
right set-up you can do your pull-ups right in the squat rack.
Choose whatever order of exercise you like. I personally like starting with BP
because it serves as a nice warm-up and has minimal impact on the remainder
of my training, whereas doing Squats first sometimes results in a little more
fatigue that carries over to the rest of the session. Ultimately it doesn’t matter –
it’s entirely up to you. Just get the prescribed work done.
The session objective is to complete all reps and all sets.
I want to clarify rest intervals here. This isn’t Operator template or Tactical
Barbell I, the Golden Rule is NOT in effect for Mass Protocol. Rule of thumb;
when you think you’ve recovered enough to hit the assigned reps of the
upcoming set – you’re good to go. That said, for most people that’s going to be
2 to 5 minutes in between sets. Longer if needed. 3-5 minutes is usually the
sweet spot for heavier sessions. Alternatively, you can rest slightly less during
lighter sessions if you wish. However, if you’re consistently not meeting the
reps – increase the rest interval and/or lower the weight. When 8 reps are called
for, complete 8 reps. It’s okay to struggle on the last couple reps, so long as you
complete them. General
relaxed/comfortable pace.
Mass
blocks
should
be
performed
at
a
PROGRESSION from block to block is where the magic happens. For some,
General block might feel a little light in the beginning, might feel like you’re
not doing enough work because the loads are lower than what you’re used to.
That’s normal and desirable. The reason we’re starting light is to build work
capacity – to start getting used to the volume and rep range required to pack on
muscle.
The combination of moderate/heavy weight + high volume + frequency is
POWERFUL for gaining muscle mass. The problem with trying to implement
the formula right away is lack of work capacity. Most will easily have the
strength to deal with the prescribed loads – but maybe not the capacity to
handle the volume or frequency. Starting light is how we develop that capacity.
Your very first block is like practice + work-capacity-building with lighter
weight. After that it’ll be a smoother transition to the next, heavier block. If you
can’t leave your ego out of it and go too heavy, you’ll struggle mid-block and
hit a wall. Or you might get through that first block, but upcoming blocks with
progressively heavier loads will seem like a herculean task.
When you run consecutive blocks with higher and higher 1RMs, you will turn
into a beast. Whatever you do, DON’T start too heavy or overestimate your
1RMs.
Avoid extra work in the gym during General. No bicep curls, no donkey calf
raises, no bodyweight work, nothing. If you have surplus energy to burn – add
extra sets to your main lifts.
You can add some core work if desired, bodyweight-based ab and lower back
stuff. Hanging leg raises, hyperextensions, face-pulls, ab roller, like that.
You might be subconsciously comparing the protocols in this book to
Operator/or other Tactical Barbell I templates.
Don’t.
The templates in TB I were designed to be brief and feel relatively effortless to
allow for conditioning and operations. Those templates are performance
oriented with a focus on improving maximal-strength, not muscle size.
Hypertrophy is a side-effect of those templates. Maximal-strength can be
trained with less volume and minimal fatigue, unlike hypertrophy.
Hypertrophy/mass-building is demanding. It will require effort. It will cause
fatigue. You will be a little more tired through the week. You probably won’t be
able to just pick up and do Apex Hills after a lifting session. The templates in
TB I may have spoiled you by giving you significant improvement with little
discomfort. It’s time to switch gears for Mass Protocol.
If you’ve been training maximal-strength style with a 5-rep ceiling for a while,
you’re likely going to feel your first few mass building sessions. You might be
surprised at just how challenging sets of 8 (particularly for squats) can be, even
with only 60-70% of your 1RM.
With Operator template you can step out of the gym and immediately hit the
road for a hard tempo run or LISS. With the General Mass templates in this
book, it isn’t going to be quite as effortless. Don’t be surprised or discouraged
if you find yourself resting for 3-5 minutes or longer in between sets for the
first little while. It’s normal. Your work capacity will improve and in time it’ll
become comfortable.
If you have extra-curricular activities in your life like sports or MMA, put them
on hold if you can. If you can’t, then understand they may suffer somewhat
while you’re running the protocols in this book. Life will be easier if you can
temporarily drop demanding activities. A lot of this comes down to individual
work capacity. Some won’t be affected much, others may feel it until the body
adjusts.
One powerful antidote to this is food and sleep. Compensate by increasing your
daily food intake, and ensuring you get regular decent sleep.
SPECIFICITY
“The last three or four reps is what makes the muscles grow. This
area of pain divides a champion from someone who is not a
champion. That’s what most people lack, having the guts to go on
and just say they’ll go through the pain no matter what happens.”
Arnold
Specificity is finishing school. During General Mass you swapped out your
Miata for a Humvee. Now it’s time to work on the bells and whistles, install
that lift kit, bush bar, swap out the tires, or do whatever it is people do with
their vehicles.
Specificity can be used anytime you feel the need for some targeted
hypertrophy work. It’s a convenient template that you can move around and
insert in your training year for varying lengths of time.
For the purposes of this protocol, Specificity works best following some
General Mass work.
Specificity blocks are three weeks in length. You can run one or more blocks
depending on training objectives.
ALPHA/BRAVO
Specificity comes in two versions; Alpha – a mixed maximalstrength/hypertrophy model, and Bravo – which is pure conventional
hypertrophy.
ALPHA is a 50/50 mix of maximal-strength and hypertrophy training. Four
lifting sessions per week. Two sessions are maximal-strength (MS) based. The
other two consist of classical hypertrophy (H) work. Both types of session will
have their own sets of rules. Think of it like running two programs
simultaneously. One program for strength development, the other for accessory
work and fine-tuning your aesthetics. Both training styles support and enhance
each other when the objective is optimizing muscle mass. It’s nice to include
Alpha when conducting long hypertrophy phases. Alpha keeps an element of
heavy maximal-strength style training in the mix when you’re spending months
and months on lighter/higher volume hypertrophy work.
Maximal-strength training will give your muscles that hard dense look along
with the ability to generate force. That greater strength translates into heavier
loads when it comes to hypertrophy training. Heavier loads result in bigger
muscles when hypertrophy techniques are employed. More growth is triggered
if your 60%RM is 200lbs instead of 50lbs. Hypertrophy training maximizes
size through the increased recruitment of muscle fibers and sarcoplasm. In turn,
that bigger muscle allows for more myofibril/maximal-strength development…
which allows for more hypertrophy….and so on. Bit of an oversimplification,
but if you’d like to learn more, research material by the likes of Verkhoshansky,
Bompa, etc.
BRAVO is four days of nothing but hypertrophy-specific training. The focus is
on increased volume while targeting specific muscle groups with loads ranging
from 60%-75%RM.
Both templates will get you to the top of the mountain. It’s a matter of
preference and what your body responds to (or needs) at any given point in
time. Alpha allows you to keep an element of maximal-strength training in the
mix and creates a good blend of muscle size and density. It’s also nice having
the option to maintain/progress maximal-strength while simultaneously doing
isolation/supplementary work.
That said, many clients respond well to a clean distinction between maximalstrength and hypertrophy phases. Dropping MS completely for a few blocks is
a good way to prevent stagnation. It allows you to focus 100% on hypertrophy
and gives you more time to build up neglected areas/work on specific muscle
groups. If this sounds appealing, then Bravo might be the way to go for you.
Another thing to consider when deciding between Alpha and Bravo is your
personal situation. If you’ve just started weight training and haven’t developed
a solid foundation of strength – Alpha might be the suitable choice.
On the other hand, if you’ve been training for many years, mostly maximalstrength style based around the big three – then complete dedication to
hypertrophy/isolation movements might be exactly what you need to break you
out of a plateau or stimulate new growth.
Either way – what you do for one or two blocks isn’t going to make much of a
difference in the long run. Pick one, the other, or even both, and you’ll
eventually get an intuitive feel for which version you need at any given time as
you become more in tune with your body/training. Sometimes Alpha will be
the better choice, at other times it’ll be Bravo. Don’t get OCD over it. It’s
consistency over the years that matter – not over a block or two. Both templates
will get you there.
SPECIFICITY
ALPHA
Training is conducted four days a week. Two days are devoted to maximalstrength training and two to hypertrophy.
Maximal-strength (MS) days consist of two to three compound exercises
performed for 3-5 repetitions with loads varying from 75-85%RM.
Hypertrophy (H) days consist of 6-12 exercises performed for 8-12 repetitions
with 60-75%RM. Exercises can be a mix of compound/isolation movements.
CLUSTERS
Alpha consists of two clusters; maximal-strength (MS) and hypertrophy (H).
MS CLUSTERS
Standard Maximal-Strength Cluster:
ALTERNATIVE MAXIMAL-STRENGTH CLUSTERS
You can create your own MS cluster. General rule of thumb when creating your
own is to include a press, a pull, and legs.
The objective of MS training during Alpha is to improve/maintain the domain
of maximal-strength in support of muscular hypertrophy.
MS sessions consist of lifting with loads ranging from 75%-85%RM. Volume is
relatively low, 1-3 sets of 3-5 reps.
HYPERTROPHY CLUSTER
The hypertrophy (H) cluster consists of 6 to 12 exercises. Those 6-12
exercises are divided in half. One half performed on one day (H1), the other
half performed on another (H2). You can create your own H cluster or choose
from several we’ve provided. This is where you get input and can include all
your favorite exercises while targeting areas of weakness. Objectives:
Increase muscle size
Use accessory/isolation training to improve areas of weakness for
aesthetic and functional purposes.
H sessions can be a mix of isolation and compound exercises. Intensity is
light to moderate at 60% -75%RM. Volume is medium to high, 3-4 sets of 8-10
reps over 6 to 10 exercises. See SAMPLE H CLUSTERS at the end of the
chapter.
SPECIFICITY (ALPHA)
MS = Maximal Strength Session
H1 = Hypertrophy Session #1
H2 = Hypertrophy Session #2
The above is an outline of what your training week is going to look like. You
can push H2 to Day 6 if you wish. Avoid scheduling a H session the day before
MS training. Rule of thumb is to remain as fresh as possible for MS days,
whereas some residual fatigue for H training is a good thing. By following the
principles of MS training we’ll minimize post-workout soreness and muscle
fatigue. On the other hand, expect it after H sessions. Beyond that, muscle
soreness or fatigue doesn’t concern us when using this protocol. Chances are
you will feel some soreness and DOMS throughout the week – mostly because
of the H sessions. Don’t pay it much attention. If it’s bothering you, take a little
extra time to warm-up and stretch prior to training. Over time it’ll diminish,
and you won’t notice it as much.
SPECIFICITY (ALPHA)
MS days the loads are heavier with lower overall volume. H days call for a
higher rep range with lighter/moderate weight. The above is Sets x
Reps/Percentage of 1 Rep Max.
DEADLIFTS
Note that DLs have their own programming. ONE work set per session twice a
week. You also have the option to DL once OR twice per week (for 1 work
set). For some intermediate/advanced lifters deadlifting twice a week can take a
heavy toll in terms of CNS fatigue and recovery. For others it’s no different
than any other lift. Choose accordingly based on which camp you fall in. If
using a cluster without conventional deadlifts program the third lift normally as
per the other exercises. After a block or two – you have the option to increase
deadlift sets if you like, only if you feel you can handle the workload. If
multiple deadlift sets start screwing around with your recovery – drop back
down to 1 or 2 works sets per week.
EXECUTION (MS)
Maximal-strength sessions are performed on Day 1 and 4. Train both days as
per the assigned set/rep/load scheme. Example, Week 1 Day 1 calls for 3 sets of
6 reps at 75% of your 1 rep maximum. Let’s say your 1RMs are 300 and 100
for squat and bench press respectively. You’d squat 3 sets of 6 with 225lbs and
bench 3 sets of 6 with 75lbs. Finish up with one work set of deadlifts
(75%RM). Do warm-up sets as required.
MS sessions should be slow paced and relaxed. Stay well rested, don’t rush
your sets, and avoid muscle failure. Rest for approximately 2-5 minutes.
Longer if needed. For heavier days, 3 to 5 minutes is usually the sweet-spot.
The mindset I want you to have: the last rep of your workout should be as crisp
as the first. This may or may not happen – but that is the ideal to aim for.
If your training environment allows for it you can run your MS cluster circuitstyle. Do one set of Bench, rest for 2-3 minutes and then do one set of Squats.
Rest for a couple minutes and then Deadlift.
EXECUTION (H)
During MS it was stressed that you avoid muscle failure and complete all reps
in a crisp fashion. On H days, you can get a little dirtier.
Perform all sets of each exercise before moving on to the next. Rest for
approximately 1 to 2 minutes between sets. Keep the rest intervals brief, avoid
going over 2 minutes. Complete all reps of all sets. Muscle failure/struggle near
the end of your set is acceptable and expected. If you fail before reaching the
prescribed number of reps, take a short breather and make up the difference.
H TACTICS
H is one of those rare times where occasionally annihilating yourself in training
isn’t a bad thing. Different rules for different objectives. I’m going to present a
few optional tactics for H sessions. They’re not mandatory, but if the feeling
should strike, employ one or more of these techniques to squeeze more out of
your session:
1. Extra Sets
2. Failure
3. Super Set
Extra Sets is just that. Add 1, 2, 3, or more sets to one or more exercise in your
cluster. If you’re in the mood to really ‘blast your pecs’ then by all means do 5,
10, or a million sets. Don’t stop at the prescribed amount. This is our favorite H
tactic because extra volume contributes significantly to hypertrophy. As a
bonus, work capacity improves as well. Work capacity is a high value domain
for operational athletes.
Failure: Go beyond the prescribed reps until you can’t, on the last set of the
exercise. The only thing that changes is how many reps you do – not the load.
Don’t start adding more weight to the bar than what’s prescribed for the
session. If you’re supposed to be handling 65%RM, then don’t add an extra
pound to that number. Just do more reps. What this might look like; you’re on
your final set of barbell rows. You hit the prescribed 12 reps but feel like you
have more left in the tank than you’d like. Instead of stopping at 12 keep going
until you can’t. Then rest for a few seconds and go some more. Then rest again
and squeeze out a couple more sets of 1-3 reps. And again. Repeat as able. This
is a decent choice if you don’t have time to use the ‘Extra Sets’ method.
Super Setting refers to pairing up two exercises and doing sets of each back to
back with minimal/no rest. For example, let’s say you have dumbbell shoulder
press and dips in your H cluster. You’d do one set of DB shoulder press and
then immediately do a set of dips. Then take your rest interval and repeat. A
good choice when time is tight.
PROGRESSION
Every 3 to 6 weeks, add 5-10lbs to 1RMs. Recalculate and repeat. Don’t force
progression for exercises you struggled with - use the same numbers for the
next block.
SAMPLE SET-UP - ALPHA
To make sure we’re still on the same page I’m going to run you through a
sample Alpha set-up.
First things first, we pick our two clusters – one for MS days and one for H.
MS Cluster: we’ll go with the recommended Bench Press/Squat/Deadlift
cluster to keep it simple.
H Cluster: this is for you to create. The guidelines are 6 to 12 exercises, which
can be a mix of compound, isolation, accessory etc. For this example, let’s use
the following:
H1 - Overhead Press/Dips/Front Squat/Hanging Leg Raises
H2 – Barbell Row/Chins/Good Mornings/Dumbbell shrugs/Curls
Now we simply plug-and-play:
Refer to the programming table to figure out how much weight to use, along
with sets and reps:
SPECIFICITY ALPHA – WEEK 1
Too easy. The H cluster used above is an example. You can create and choose
any combination of exercises in line with your goals/priorities. Note that we
have unweighted bodyweight exercises in our H cluster; dips, chins, and
hanging leg raises. To calculate how many to do – use the percentage of your
max REPS. If you can do a total of 10 chins, 60% of 10 is 6. So, on Day 5
you’d be doing 4 sets of 6 chins. Same method applies to the other bodyweight
exercises.
Now that I’ve army-proofed everything and we’re sort of on the same page let’s
move on to Bravo.
SPECIFICITY
BRAVO
Training is conducted four days per week using 8-16 exercises. Exercises are a
mix of compound and isolation. Each exercise is trained twice a week.
8 to 12 reps are performed with loads ranging from 50-75% RM.
CLUSTER
Create your own cluster. Choose/list 8-16 exercises – a mix of compound and
isolation movements. Divide the list in half. One half becomes H1, the other
H2.
Here’s an example:
For more ideas have a look at the sample H Clusters at the end of the chapter.
SPECIFICITY (BRAVO)
EXECUTION
Perform all sets of each exercise before moving on to the next (unless supersetting, see below). Rest for approximately 1 to 2 minutes between sets. Try to
keep rest intervals brief and avoid going over 2 minutes if possible. Muscle
failure/struggle near the end of your set is acceptable/expected. If you fail
before reaching the prescribed number of reps, take a short breather and make
up the difference.
H TACTICS
Accumulating fatigue for the trained muscle groups over the course of a session
is beneficial for hypertrophy. All the hypertrophy tactics presented for Alpha
apply to Bravo. These are optional tactics for H sessions. If the feeling should
strike use these techniques to squeeze more out of your session:
1. Extra Sets
2. Failure
3. Super Set
Extra Sets: Add 1, 2, 3, or more sets to one or more exercise in your cluster. If
you’re in the mood to really ‘blast your pecs’ then by all means do 5, 10, or a
million sets. Don’t stop at the prescribed amount. This is our favorite H tactic
because volume contributes significantly to hypertrophy. As a bonus, work
capacity improves as well. Work capacity is a high value domain for
operational athletes.
Failure: Go beyond the prescribed reps until you can’t, on the last set of the
exercise. The only thing that changes is how many reps you do – not the load.
Don’t start adding more weight to the bar than what’s prescribed for the
session. If you’re supposed to be handling 65%RM, then don’t add an extra
pound to that number. Just do more reps. What this might look like; you’re on
your final set of barbell rows. You hit the prescribed 12 reps. Instead of
stopping at 12 keep going until you can’t. Then rest for a few seconds and
squeeze out a few more. Then rest for another few seconds and pump out
another 2-3 reps. Keep repeating as able. This is a decent choice if you don’t
have time to use the ‘Extra Sets’ method.
Super Setting refers to pairing up two exercises and doing sets of each back to
back with minimal/no rest. For example, let’s say you have dumbbell shoulder
press and dips in your H cluster. You’d do one set of DB shoulder press and
then immediately do a set of dips. Then take your rest interval and repeat. A
good choice when time is tight.
PROGRESSION
Every 3 to 6 weeks, add 5-10lbs to 1RMs. Recalculate and repeat. Don’t force
progression for exercises you struggled with - use the same numbers for the
next block.
SAMPLE H CLUSTERS
H clusters can be a mix of compound lifts, isolation movements, dumbbells,
cables, machines, kettlebells - anything. Exercises are divided into two subclusters; H1 and H2. H1 and H2 will contain roughly 3-8 exercises each. H1
will be performed on one day of the week, H2 on another.
I encourage you to create your own H cluster, but several sample clusters are
provided below if you’d rather not. Since this is a mass building program, I
recommend using mostly barbell- and dumbbell-based exercises. Some
exceptions are fine. Kettlebell swings and the like are acceptable but avoid
make unconventional tools the staple. Barbells/dumbbells are tried and true
when it comes to mass building. Easy to use, and they lend themselves well to
incremental increases in load. Bodyweight work for abs/core like leg raises and
back extensions are acceptable. Bodyweight or weighted bodyweight such as
chins, pull-ups, dips are also good choices. For those of you that are so inclined
– this is a chance to get those beach muscle exercises in…bicep curls, extra
chest work, and other isolation movements.
A WORD ON ALPHA
Alpha has a prescribed MS cluster consisting of Bench Press/Squat/Deadlift (or
similar variations). It is perfectly acceptable to include the same exercises in
your H cluster. What that does is it creates a double-whammy high-frequency
effect which is beneficial for both strength and mass. Let’s say you include the
bench press in your H cluster. That would have you benching three times a
week. Two MS bench sessions and one H session. The reps/sets/load are waved
from one style to another which make it sustainable. MS bench immediately
followed by H bench the day after is acceptable and beneficial. Both styles of
lifting hit the muscle/CNS from different angles so to speak, which results in a
kind of positive synergy. This does NOT apply to Bravo. Consistently benching
or squatting or whatever two days in a row using Bravo loads/sets/reps isn’t
best practice and is more of a negative rather than a positive over the long term.
The following H Cluster samples can be used with either Alpha or Bravo,
unless stated otherwise. Feel free to use them as-is or modify them to suit your
needs:
CAMP DRVAR CLUSTER
This cluster gives you a range of movements and exercises. Barbell or
dumbbells are acceptable. Dips and pull-ups can be done weighted or unweighted, up to you.
KEENY-MEENY CLUSTER
When used with Alpha, KM allows you to bench and squat three times a week
(variations). And you get two weighted pull-up sessions - a high-value exercise
for operational athletes. MS days act as heavy/low volume training, while MH
days become higher volume/hypertrophy-focused sessions for similar exercises.
If you’ve used the programming in Tactical Barbell I, you know how powerful
frequency is when used correctly. When using a higher frequency approach, it’s
especially important to follow the rules for each type of session. On MS days
make sure you’re well rested and fresh in between sets. Stick to the assigned
weight and don’t do a single rep more than prescribed. Variations of the
prescribed exercises are acceptable – i.e. Kroc rows, dumbbells instead of
barbells etc.
If using KM with Bravo, one of the pull-up sessions can be weighted, the other
bodyweight (using total reps as %RM). Also, if using with Bravo, feel free to
add a few more exercises.
KM + ALPHA
The above is what KM looks like when used with Alpha. Consecutive training
days used judiciously are rocket fuel for strength and mass. Intensity and
volume are waved session to session to make this possible. This is an example
showing only 1 deadlift session per week on Day 4. Two sessions per week can
be performed depending on work capacity and recovery management.
EIDOLON
CLASSIC
BULGARIAN
This Bulgarian inspired approach is the nuclear option for strength and mass
purists. When used with Alpha, it becomes a high frequency template that
revolves around the big 3. This is a serious cluster for experienced lifters that
have a realistic understanding of their work capacity. If you decide to go with
this, I highly recommend using a training maximum in place of a 1 Rep Max
for both MS and MH clusters. A training maximum or TM is 90% of your
True/or 1 Rep Max. The TM is used instead of the 1RM to calculate your
weekly loads. Not only will the Bulgarian make you massive, but it’ll improve
your maximal-strength in leaps and bounds.
This isn’t for you if you want to focus more on isolation exercises or enjoy a
variety of movements. Adding in extra isolation work is missing the point. It’s
too much and will likely sabotage the progress you’re making with the
prescribed lifts. Not a good choice if you have issues with frequent
benching/pressing.
BULGARIAN + ALPHA
In this example H2 is performed on Day 6 instead of Day 5. This is just to show
that you have that option available to you. You can train H2 on Day 5 if you
wish, but the option is there for those times you need a little more of a buffer.
Hypertrophy benefits with a little pre-fatigue. There will be some carry-over
fatigue from your MS days. This doesn’t work in reverse, the fresher the better
for MS. That said, there will be some residual fatigue and DOMs from H days
that carry over all week regardless. It’s unavoidable and will have minimal
impact – don’t worry about it. That’s the nature of hypertrophy training.
You can also get creative with the Bulgarian and sub in variations for H; front
squats, decline/Incline bench, Sumo deadlifts, etc.
MISCELLANEOUS
The H-clusters provided above are samples. Some are a little unconventional to
show you the range of what’s acceptable. Your H cluster can certainly be more
traditional with a greater focus on isolation exercises.
Know the 1RMs for all the exercises in your clusters prior to starting
Specificity.
There’s no need to regularly test your 1 rep maximums with this protocol. Test
as required when changing phases or incorporating new exercises. From there
on progression simply consists of adding weight to your 1 rep maximum and
recalculating from block to block. Also referred to as Forced Progression in the
Tactical Barbell system.
There’s also no need to test a true 1RM with this protocol. It’s acceptable to
perform a 2 or 3RM and determine 1RM using one of the many free online
calculators.
When using bodyweight exercises such as pull-ups or dips there are two ways
to go about testing. If the movements are weighted – calculate normally as you
would any other exercise but include your bodyweight in the calculation. If you
don’t include your bodyweight and just factor-in the external weight – things
will get too heavy too fast. You’ve been warned.
If using just bodyweight – find your maximum number of REPS. Maximum
reps act as your 1RM for bodyweight movements. Let’s say you’ve included
pull-ups in your cluster and you can do 10 max. If the programming calls for 3
sets x 10 reps @ 70%RM, you’d do 3 sets of 7. 7 is 70% of your maximum (10
reps).
BRIDGE WEEK
Bridge Week or bridging is simply taking a week off in between Blocks. Also
known as deloading/deload week. Bridging serves two purposes;
1. Allows the body to recover so supercompensation/adaptation can
occur.
2. Opportunity to test 1RMs for the upcoming Block (if required).
Near the end of a cycle or block you are not at your strongest. Your body is
broken, your muscles overworked. Microtears, inflammation, and fatigue
collect. When you stop training your body gets a chance to breath and starts the
recovery/supercompensation process. Inflammation is quelled, adaptation takes
place, and healing occurs. Your body comes back stronger than it’s ever been in
response to the unnatural stressors placed on it during the training cycle. If you
never give your body a chance to go through that recovery – you’ll be in a
perpetual state of breakdown, never quite at your peak. Be smart – after every
hard push back off a little and allow the work you’ve put in to come to fruition.
You can bridge in between blocks of General and Specificity, between blocks
of General and General, Specificity and Specificity etc.
You can test 1RMs on Day 4, Day 5, or both. If testing is required. When it
comes to this program, testing is only required once before you start the
protocol, and maybe before your first Specificity block.
If no 1RM testing is required than Test Days become Rest Days. Light activity
such as walking, hiking, swimming, yoga and stretching are all good-to-go for
Bridge Week. Avoid the more intense activities such as weights, HIC, and E.
Easy body weight circuits are allowed.
I recommend taking a Bridge week once every two to three months whether
you feel like it or not. Bridging more than that is certainly acceptable - resting
before you feel the need to is a good way to extend your training life while
avoiding injury and burn-out. Don’t learn this lesson the hard way, by ending
up broken in your 30s and 40s with recurring injuries and perpetual back and
knee problems.
CONDITIONING
CONDITIONING
In the Tactical Barbell lexicon, conditioning is the ability to produce energy to
meet the task at hand.
Standard TB conditioning sessions focus on improving various aspects of the
cardiovascular system for peak operational performance. For the purposes of
this protocol I want you to drop everything you learned about conditioning in
Tactical Barbell II. We’re going to get ruthlessly minimalist to achieve the
primary objective – muscle mass. Now is not the time to build your aerobic
base or train for that awe-inspiring OCR time. We’re going to keep just enough
conditioning in the mix to ensure a basic level of operational readiness.
Before we get into the specific sessions, let’s review the principles of
conditioning in the context of hypertrophy training.
MASS PROTOCOL
CONDITIONING PRINCIPLES
When muscle mass is the priority, the role of conditioning must change to
accommodate and promote that objective:
Conditioning should improve the ability of the body to produce energy to
support activity
Having a high functioning cardiovascular system improves work capacity in the
gym. Meaning you can work longer and harder. You have that fire and
motivation to lift when you’re well conditioned. Recovery in between
sets/sessions is quicker.
Athletes that focus primarily on weight training while neglecting cardio quickly
get stale in the gym. It’s like increasing the size of a vehicle while
simultaneously reducing its’ power output. Looks like a G Wagon - but
performs like a lawnmower. They barely have the energy to hit their target
sets/reps/loads. They’re going through the motions. Some attribute this to
getting older or reaching natural limits, not realizing it might be because
they’ve neglected their power-source over the years. They’ve been relying on
the natural conditioning provided by youth and/or developed playing sports in
school, the military, etc. As you get older – that well starts to run dry with
neglect. You must consciously replenish and develop it with the same zeal you
lift weights. We’ve all been there - we have good intentions, but ‘cardio’ is the
first thing that gets dropped if our schedules become remotely busy. In the real
world, conditioning can be the difference between being ‘big and ripped’ and
‘chubby but strong.’ Conditioning brings your engine up to par with your
increased strength and mass.
Conditioning should promote anabolism
Certain types of conditioning trigger the release of growth hormone,
testosterone and other anabolic processes. Doing the type of cardio that puts
your body in an anabolic state supports and promotes the growth of muscle
tissue.
Conditioning should not OPPOSE anabolism
Done a certain way, conditioning can easily become catabolic in nature. These
sessions might benefit specific areas of performance – but they signal the body
to shed excess tissue/weight, be it fat or muscle. Excessive running falls into
this category. You can train endurance and build muscle mass to a degree – but
you’re creating an obstacle for yourself. It takes a high level of discipline and
experience, especially with regards to food intake and recovery management.
It’s challenging enough to build mass without any conditioning, never mind
with self-imposed obstacles. Make the path to your objective as easy as
possible. Avoid the types of conditioning sessions that don’t serve your current
purpose. You don’t get extra points for challenging yourself – you win by
reaching your objective.
Use conditioning to facilitate recovery
Conditioning can be used to speed up recovery between lifting sessions. Blood
flow to muscle and tissue increases, resulting in beneficial nutrients getting
shuttled in while metabolic waste gets shuttled out.
SESSIONS
Conditioning is divided in two categories for this protocol; Green and Black.
Both phases mirror a lifting component of the program. Green is used alongside
General Mass. Black is used alongside Specificity.
Green and Black are protocols found in the standard Tactical Barbell system,
however in this program I’ll be providing you with specific training sessions
for each. Use the sessions provided in this book – NOT the Green/Black
training found in Tactical Barbell II. The sessions in this book were chosen
specifically to align with the goal of hypertrophy.
GREEN SESSIONS
Green is used alongside General Mass (Mass Template 1 & 2, Gladiator,
Fighter HT). Green sessions are low intensity/longer duration. Green is
designed to enhance aerobic/endurance capacity and facilitate recovery. Green
sessions have no negative impact on muscular hypertrophy. Perform 1 to 3
conditioning sessions per week. No more than 3. Sessions can be conducted on
non-lifting or lifting days.
BLACK SESSIONS
Black is used during Specificity (Alpha, Bravo) and is high intensity/limited
duration. Black is designed to promote an anabolic environment which in turn
supports muscular hypertrophy. Black also improves the anaerobic system.
Perform 1 to 2 conditioning sessions per week. No more than 2. Perform Black
sessions on non-lifting days.
WALK
Walk x 30-60 Minutes
Self explanatory.
RUCK
Ruck x 30-60 minutes
Ruck for 30 to 60 minutes continuously with a load of 10-50lbs. 30lbs is
usually the sweet spot for most.
A weight vest can be used in place of a ruck.
Rucking and weighted walks are an excellent way to develop or maintain a
base level of endurance while building muscle. Wearing an external load
signals the body to preserve/improve structural strength. It can’t simply shed
muscle willy-nilly. External weight can be a great antidote to the typical
distance-runner physique.
RECOVERY RUN
Run x 20-30 minutes
Alternate Exercises: Cycle/Swim/Row
Jog at a relaxed pace for 20-30 minutes. Use the talk-test. Run at a pace that
allows you to carry on a conversation and/or breathe through your nose. Think
comfortable. Don’t run for longer than 30 minutes while hypertrophy is the
primary objective.
If you’re a hardgainer – i.e. you have difficulty growing muscle or gaining
weight, cap it at 20 minutes.
10-minute Recovery Runs can be used before and after weight training sessions
as well. 10-minutes as a warm-up prior to the session, and 10-minutes after to
cool down and hasten recovery. When done in this fashion they don’t count as a
conditioning session.
ENDURANCE PREDATOR
Walk x 30-60 minutes + Sprint x 50-100m
Plan a 30 to 60 minute walk. Start walking. Every 5 to 10 minutes break out
and sprint for 50 to 100m. The sprint should be an all-out effort. Pretend you’re
racing Usain Bolt for Olympic gold. Vary the time in between intervals,
sometimes 5 minutes, sometimes 10, or anywhere in between. Don’t get caught
up in trying to sprint for precisely for a set distance. Roughly 50-100m is fine.
If you come across a hill on your walk use it for a sprint interval. Trails or hilly
terrain are perfect for this session.
Optional: Do it with a weight vest (5-10lbs).
Skinny hardgainers stick to 30 minutes. Heavier/overweight trainees can do the
full 60 if desired.
ANABOLIC SPRINTS
Sprint x 30M
x 5-10 Rounds
Sprint as hard as you can for 30 meters. Walk back to start. Rest for a few
moments. Repeat for 5 to 10 rounds. The key to this session is intensity. The
sprint portion should be an all-out effort. Warm up with 5-10 minutes of low
intensity jogging and/or run a couple sprints at 40-50% effort to ease your
hamstrings and muscles into the session.
Sprinting in this fashion stimulates an anabolic response by way of increased
growth hormone, testosterone, and other positive biological factors. Don’t let
the simplicity of this session fool you – it packs a massive punch in terms of
body composition, increased bone density, and cardiovascular performance.
For those that are interested, this is one of several studies that outlines the
benefits of brief sprints:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21849912
Improved aerobic and anaerobic performance
Improved anabolic profile (promoted a favorable testosterone/cortisol
ratio)
RESET-20
Sprint x 20 Seconds
Rest 2-5 Minutes
x 3-5 rounds
Alternate Exercises: Airdyne/Row/Heavy Bag
Perform the 20 second work interval at maximum speed and intensity.
Maximum = don’t hold anything in reserve. Rest for 2 to 5 minutes. Perform 3
to 5 rounds. Be well rested for each work interval. Don’t train for more than 15
to 20 minutes with this session.
HILL SPRINTS
Hill Sprint
x 3-10 rounds
Self explanatory. Find a steep hill and sprint up it as fast as you can – maximum
effort. The sprint portion should last approximately 10-20seconds. Walk back
down the hill, rest for a minute or two and repeat. No more than 10 sprints or
15 minutes per session – whichever comes first.
This can be performed on a flat surface/track as well. Simply sprint for 15-20
seconds. Rest for 2 to 3 minutes and repeat. Perform 5 to 10 sprints.
FOBBITS
LSS x 2 Mins
Kettlebell Swings x 10
x 15-20 minutes
Like the Fobbits found in Tactical Barbell II with one caveat - duration is 15-20
minutes, no longer. The LSS portion is typically a slow jog on the treadmill.
Every 2 minutes step off the treadmill and perform 10 kettlebell swings. Leave
the treadmill running. When you get back on mentally calculate the next 2minute mark for the next KB interval. Once the treadmill reaches 15-20
minutes, you’re finished.
The LSS portion isn’t restricted to treadmill jogging. It can be skipping,
rowing, cycling, shadow boxing, or even swimming should you have facilities
that allow for it. The key is keeping the intensity low. Use the talk-test or stay
roughly within 120-150BPM (LSS portion only).
Likewise, you’re not restricted to kettlebell swings for the work interval. You
can use push-ups, pull-ups, push-press, sledgehammer/tire drills etc. No need to
stick to one exercise either. One popular use of conventional Fobbits by
military personnel is to cycle between push-ups, pull-ups and sit-ups. Keep in
mind with the MASS protocol Fobbit you’re restricted to 20 minutes so the
more variety you have the less volume you’ll have with each different
movement. At the end of the day it doesn’t matter because the focus is on mass
building, not getting better at push-ups and kettlebell swings. In this context
Fobbits are used for general conditioning, so incorporate as much or as little
variety as you like.
MISCELLANEOUS
Your body is an adaptive machine. It will become what you do most.
Signal – Response.
If you move your body for extensive periods of time you are signalling that
adaptive mechanism to become more efficient at moving for extensive periods
of time. The body responds by manipulating its biology to become better at
locomotion. One way it adapts is by shedding excess weight. That weight might
be fat, muscle or a bit of both. The body doesn’t discriminate as much as we’d
like.
That said, I’ll be the first to tell you that you can put on muscle while doing all
kinds of cardio. Fighters and other weight class athletes frequently do it. Eating
to account for the extra activity and having the experience to know how to
manage your training can get you there. But many find muscle building
challenging without any extra activity at all. If you’ve always been a bit of a
hardgainer – now is not the time to get greedy and try to train everything at
once. Narrow your focus and work on one objective at a time without throwing
up self-imposed obstacles. Without a doubt someone will write to me or post on
a forum, ‘I want to add 50lbs of muscle but also want to simultaneously train to
be a special-forces-ninja-ultra-marathon-runner’. To which I will say first add
your 50lbs of muscle. Then start working on that ninja-endurance. There’s an
easy way, and a stupid way.
Don’t fight your biology. Get out of your own way and make all your activity
align with the same goal. Once you’ve achieved that goal – then you can pivot
and work toward something else.
EXTRA-CURRICULAR ACTIVITY
You’re going to find it challenging to gain substantial muscle mass if you’re
also participating in serious extra curricular activities like MMA, sports, extra
PT etc. I recommend limiting or dropping said activity until your target weight
is met. It’ll affect you in two ways:
1. Burn calories
2. Fatigue will carryover to lifting sessions and vice versa. Hypertrophy
lifting sessions are higher volume by nature.
Since food is where most people fail when it comes to building muscle mass,
you’ll have to be ultra disciplined and ensure you’re not only replenishing
calories lost through extra activity, but also eating surplus to grow muscle mass.
The lifting sessions in this book are higher volume, designed to trigger
hypertrophy. Higher volume training causes fatigue, both acute and residual
through the week. Likewise, if you’re doing some serious MMA training more
often than not you’re going to be tired, beat-up and sore. Walking into the gym
the following day for General Mass training isn’t going to be pleasant. At the
end of the day you get to decide how important it is to put on that extra mass –
do you want it enough to put other activities on hold? Or at the very least limit
them drastically? Maybe now isn’t the best time for a hypertrophy phase.
In some cases, it might be unavoidable. Think unit PT. A couple workarounds
to make it easier:
1. Treat any extra activity as conditioning. Anytime you do that extracurricular activity it counts as one conditioning session. Cross off one
Green/Black session for that week. You may have to drop Green/Black
completely. So be it.
2. Calories, calories, calories. Eat extra food. Eat enough to replenish the
calories lost during your activity and eat extra on top of that to grow
muscle. Stay on top of your protein intake.
It can be done, but it’s going to be a bit of a slog. You’ve been warned.
CONDITIONING RECAP
Use the Green sessions with General Mass.
Use the Black sessions with Specificity.
No more than 3 Green Sessions per week.
No more than 2 Black sessions per week.
Green Sessions shouldn’t exceed 60 minutes.
Black Sessions shouldn’t exceed 20 minutes.
NUTRITION
“Carbs are your friend!”
Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson
NUTRITION
I’m not going to get too dogmatic about nutrition here. I’m simply going to
present the method that we use to consistently get results when it comes to
hypertrophy.
However, there are two rules you MUST follow to be successful with this
protocol:
1. Eat the prescribed amount of protein every day.
2. Eat the prescribed number of total calories every day.
There’s a third rule which I really don’t want to call a rule because you might
be able to get around it and still be somewhat successful. Let’s call it a very
strong recommendation. Following it will make mass building faster and easier;
EAT CARBS
This isn’t Skinny Protocol or Caveman Dinosaur Ancestral Diet Protocol. This
is Mass Protocol. If you restrict carbs, there’s a good chance you’ll fail or get
subpar results. If you’re ultra-disciplined and can meet your daily calorie
requirements without carbs – you still might have a challenging time finding
the energy to power through the training. The work in this protocol is primarily
glycogen based (high volume weight training) which is fueled by carbohydrate.
I’m not saying it can’t be done, but bottom line I can’t guarantee your results if
you limit carbs. You’ve been warned.
MACRONUTRIENTS
Time for a quick nutrition lesson.
Protein, carbohydrate, and fat are macronutrients, aka macros.
PROTEIN
Protein is a very important macro in this protocol;
1.
2.
3.
4.
Protein builds muscle
Protein spares muscle
Protein repairs muscle
Protein attenuates decreases in performance that occur during intense
progressive training
Protein is responsible for building muscle. If your body is a house, protein is
the building material – bricks, stone, concrete, wood etc. You can’t build a
house without material, regardless of how many construction workers you have
standing around. The bigger and sturdier you want to build that house -the more
material you’re going to need. It’s that simple. The evidence is overwhelmingly
in favor of high protein intake to optimize muscle growth.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22958314
Conclusion from the study/review:
‘An increase in dietary protein favorably effects muscle and strength during
resistance training.’
Forget the studies. We have a massive test population consisting of
bodybuilders and physique competitors that have been systematically repeating
the process of growing muscle for decades. That community is practically
unanimous in the importance of increased protein intake. I’ll take that kind of
field evidence over the occasional counter-study anytime.
Protein helps spare muscle during training and/or weight loss. Muscle is
preserved, ensuring that most of the weight you lose is fat;
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19927027/
Protein repairs muscle and tissue damaged by exercise. When you train,
muscle tissue is broken down and rebuilt bigger and stronger as an adaptive
response. The process is also known as ‘protein synthesis’ wherein new
(muscle) tissue is added and damaged muscle is repaired.
A surprising benefit of higher protein intake is the attenuation of
performance decreases that occur over time with progressive training.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20798660
In the above study groups of endurance athletes were put on either a high
protein or normal diet. They took part in a three-week training block. The
‘normals’ experienced a decrease in performance as the training block
progressed, whereas the high protein group did not. Additionally, they
experienced less psychological stress than the normals.
CARBOHYDRATE
Let’s move on to the villain of the day – carbohydrate. Here are some of the
benefits carbs provide in the context of hypertrophy;
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Carbs fuel muscle
Carbs spike insulin, promoting anabolism
Carbs protect thyroid function
Carbs protect testosterone
Carbs spare protein/muscle tissue during training
Carbs fuel muscle. Muscles need fuel to do the work that signals them to grow
bigger. The intensity and volume required to build muscle mass requires a lot of
energy. Carbs are stored as ATP/glycogen in the liver and muscle. Weight
training relies heavily on glycogen for energy. The body can tap into that
muscle glycogen efficiently and quickly for explosive/power-based functions,
whereas it takes a while for the body to access fat for energy. Fat is excellent
for fueling long duration low intensity activity like distance running. You might
even be able to get away with low-carb for minimalist/low volume strength
training – but with added volume and intensity it becomes a different ballgame.
If you don’t feel it during your first week, chances are you’ll feel it by week 2
or 3. When people first go on a low-carb diet, they’re thrilled because it seems
like they’re losing several pounds in a matter of days. I hate to burst your
bubble – but that’s mostly water and glycogen. Carb helps keep water (along
with glycogen) in the muscle (which contributes to performance). That’s why
you get that flat look in your muscles when you eliminate carbs – and why
performance in the weight room tends to decrease. Alternatively, that’s why
you get full engorged-looking muscles on cheat days.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10364416
Carbs spike insulin. Insulin is an anabolic hormone that acts as a growth
signal. Insulin is beneficial for building muscle. So much so that some
bodybuilders inject it with the same enthusiasm as steroids. Insulin signals the
body to drive nutrients, amino acids, and other anabolic factors into the
bloodstream and muscles. This aids with repair and new tissue growth posttraining. Restricting carb intake restricts insulin release.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9694422
Carbs preserve thyroid function. T3 is an active thyroid hormone involved in
metabolic function and managing blood glucose. Studies show that low-carb
diets reduce levels of T3. What this means for you is a feeling of sluggishness,
weight management issues, and mood disturbances.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/6761185
Carbs protect the testosterone levels of those engaged in regular exercise.
There are several studies comparing trainees on high carb diets vs low carb
diets. Results show that at the end of the training period – testosterone and
other anabolic hormones go down in the low-carb group, while cortisol levels
go up. One of several studies:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11402256
Carbs spare protein and muscle. Research shows that carb restriction can
result in muscle loss even if protein intake is adequate. Let that sink in. One
reason is insulin suppression as discussed above. The other is that the body
looks to other fuel sources during intense activity (like proteins/tissue) when
the readily available source (carbs) is scarce.
https://www.physiology.org/doi/full/10.1152/japplphysiol.00108.2009?
view=long&pmid=20489032&
When you step back and look at the big picture, carbs promote an anabolic
environment in the body. Higher testosterone levels, lower cortisol, and
adequate energy production to meet the demand of intense activity.
Low-carb pushes in the opposite direction. Increased cortisol/lower testosterone
along with decreased performance when coupled with higher intensity and
greater workloads. Instead of thinking of it as ‘low-carb’ or ‘high-carb’, thing
of it as ‘adequate-carb for the job’.
It’s all about the right tool for the right job. Lower carb diets are a good fit for
low intensity and/or low volume training. Low carb aligns well with Base
Building, or even standard Operator template with minimal sets. Low-carb
doesn’t play well with Mass Protocol.
FAT
Fats are essential for hormonal production/support, vitamin/mineral absorption
and energy. 1 gram of fat contains 9 calories versus the 4 provided by a gram of
protein or carbohydrate. ‘Hormonal support’ includes the production of
testosterone.
TWO SIMPLE FORMULAS
We use two different calculations depending on if you’re starting this program
under- or overweight:
The STANDARD Formula, for:
Skinny/hardgainers
Mesomorphs/athletic builds
Average builds
FORMULA 2, for:
Those starting out overweight/chubby/fat
STANDARD FORMULA
BW = bodyweight in lbs. Multiply your current bodyweight by 1.3 for your
daily protein requirement in grams. Multiply your bodyweight by 2 for carbs.
Divide your body weight in half for fat intake. Too easy.
FORMULA 2
EXAMPLE
Here’s an example with the Standard formula using a 185lb trainee:
185 x 1.3 = 240
185 x 2 = 370
185 divided by 2 = 92
Before we get deeper into the numbers, know this:
1 Gram of Protein = 4 Calories
1 Gram of Carbohydrate = 4 Calories
1 Gram of Fat = 9 Calories
Our 185lb trainee would need to eat the following daily to build muscle:
Protein = 240 grams
Carbs = 370 grams
Fat = 92 grams
Let’s see what it looks like in calories. 1 gram of protein or carb = 4 calories. 1
gram of fat =9:
Protein = 960 calories
Carbs = 1480 calories
Fat = 828 calories
Daily Total = 3268 calories
Seem like a lot? It is. If you want to build unnatural amounts of muscle – you’ll
have to eat unnatural amounts of food. It’s that simple. If you want to do it your
way with less protein or a lower overall calorie intake – fill your boots. But I
don’t know if you’ll be successful.
TROUBLESHOOTING
Assess yourself after a month or two. If you’re not gaining muscle add an extra
300-500 calories daily. That’s the size of a meal and should roughly consist of
30% protein, 30% fat, and 40% carbohydrate. If you’re still not gaining after a
month - add another 300-500 calories/repeat as necessary. On the other hand, if
you’re gaining weight but there’s a little too much fat coming along for the ride
– check your macros. Are you eating enough protein/with carb and fat in
balance? If you’re consistently going too high with fat or carb bring them back
in range. If you’re in range switch to Formula 2. Reassess after a month or two.
If you’re still getting chubby - scale back overall calories by 300/day. Reassess
body composition after a month. Repeat as necessary.
I’M GONNA DO IT MY WAY
You are welcome to use another calculator or different nutrition program. Keep
in mind when choosing that your goal is to eat for muscle mass, not for weight
loss, health, etc.
REAL LIFE
When it comes to nutrition - numbers, formulas and calculations are offputting. Your eyes probably started to glaze over while reading the previous
chapter. Unfortunately, numbers are exactly where the average bear tends to fail
in the quest for mass. It can help immensely to know what those numbers look
like on your plate.
The standard mass-building formula is simple. Multiply your bodyweight x 1.3
for grams of protein, and x 2 for carb. Divide your bodyweight in half for fat.
That’s it. Those three numbers are all you need to know. If you’re not putting
on weight after a month or two, add another 500 calories per day using the
same ratio. Repeat as necessary.
Your life will get a whole lot easier by knowing the gram content of a few
simple macros that you can eat repeatedly:
Pick your poison from Column A, combine it with an item from Column B, and
sprinkle in a little something from Column C. Add a fistful of greens/veggies.
That’s your meal. Repeat throughout the day until you hit your target macros.
Fill in deficiencies with protein/meal shakes. If there’s something you eat
regularly that’s not on the list, figure it out. Nowadays with smartphones there’s
absolutely no excuse when it comes to calculating macros.
Take care of the broad strokes. Don’t worry about that extra 2 grams of protein
your slice of bread has. Treat bread like a carb source and disregard the protein
content. Never eat under your target. Always err on the side of eating more than
your daily total. If in doubt, eat an extra meal or snack. Getting more than
required is a bonus. Gaining mass isn’t like weight-loss – you can get sloppy
with extra calories. The Mass Protocol workload/conditioning will trim the
excess.
TIPS/TRICKS
Our 185lb-er looking at that list is probably thinking 240 grams of protein is a
LOT of meat. Correct. That’s about 6 or 7 chicken breasts, or 4 or 5 steaks.
Welcome to the reality of gaining extreme amounts of muscle. Look up
interviews with Hugh Jackman discussing his preparation for the role of
Wolverine – the most challenging aspect was scarfing down enormous amounts
of steak and chicken every day. The theme that surfaces is; steak, chicken
breast, squats, deadlifts, repeat.
Regardless of your daily protein requirement a simple way to reach it is to
supplement with powder. Continuing with our 185lb example-trainee, a 50gram protein shake in the morning, post-workout, and before bed provides
150gms. That leaves you with 100gms to get from solid food which can easily
be divided between three or four meals. Protein shakes don’t have to be
complicated. Protein + water will do anytime you’re falling short for the day.
You can do the same with carbs. Get a high-quality carb supplement and
include it in your protein shake. If you can’t always do shakes, use bars.
Regardless of supplementation, make sure at least three of your meals are
from whole food sources. In theory it shouldn’t matter – but in real life whole
foods seem to provide a better result than powders and bars.
You are free to have a cheat day every week. Order a pizza, have burgers or ice
cream. Eat as much as you like. However - make sure you hit your minimum
protein intake even on cheat days.
3 COMMON MISTAKES
Time and time again these are the three most common problems we encounter
when trainees struggle to put on quality mass. Key word being quality.
1. Not counting calories.
2. Not eating enough on a daily-basis.
3. Not paying attention to macro intake – particularly protein.
NOT COUNTING CALORIES
You’re probably not as good at estimating your daily food intake as you think.
9 times out of 10 clients training for hypertrophy under-eat big time. They’re
usually surprised when we force them to count calories.
Count your calories for a few days, a few weeks, or a few months. Whatever it
takes for you to get an accurate picture of how much you need to eat every day
while running Mass Protocol. The easy way to do this is to put together 3 to 5
meals. Measure/count the calories in those meals. Then cycle through those
same meals everyday until your target weight is met. You can cheat once a
week with an endless variety of food, so it’s not really that hard to stick to,
psychologically speaking. As time goes on, you won’t have to measure or count
– you’ll be able to eyeball it when putting your meals together. Until then –
measure.
Eating for hypertrophy is so much easier than eating for weight-loss. There’s no
issue with going over your limit by a few hundred calories. No hunger, no lack
of energy, no need for extreme OCD – all too easy.
NOT MEETING CALORIES ON A DAILY-BASIS
This goes hand in hand with #1, not counting calories. Some people hit their
daily total once, twice or three times a week and then slack off for the
remainder. They haven’t really grasped the importance of how important
consistent-quantity is when it comes to building enormous amounts of muscle
tissue. Eat your minimums every single day. Be consistent. If it comes down
to it, always err on the side of overeating rather than under-eating. The
combined strength and conditioning work in this protocol is going to make
staying lean much easier. If you don’t have the discipline to eat the required
amount every day, then prepare to fail. It’s really not that difficult.
If you fall short a day or two, it’s not the end of the world. Make up for the lost
calories over the following days. There is some indication that meeting your
calorie requirements for the week is as good as meeting them daily - but tread
cautiously here and don’t make it a habit.
NOT PAYING ATTENTION TO MACROS
I can’t stress this enough; when it comes to muscular hypertrophy and mass
building – PROTEIN IS KING. Here’s a typical scenario I run into. Client
comes to me with issues. He’s gaining weight and strength but he’s tubby and
unhealthy looking. Kind of soft.
First question I ask – are you meeting your daily calorie requirements. Answer
is yes. Next question is are you getting enough protein. Nine times out of ten
the chubby-but-strong client is nonchalant about protein intake and
guesstimates. He might need to hit 220 grams per day but he’s getting 120 if
he’s lucky. His macro intake is skewed in the direction of fat and carb, and his
body composition reflects that. There are some things you need to pay attention
to when it comes to building mass – protein intake is one of them. It’s easy to
get big, not as easy to get big with an aesthetically pleasing body composition.
Instead of spending your time worrying about if the overhead press is more
‘functional’ than the bench press think about getting your protein intake right
every day.
Get the most bang-for-buck when choosing protein sources, pick high-yield
foods; chicken breast, steak, beef, fish, and the like. Fill in the gaps with eggs,
peanut butter, etc.
Another issue that overlaps/falls in this category is trying to build muscle on a
carb-restricted or keto diet. It’s possible, but difficult. Carbs are energy. The
type of energy required for high-volume, mass-building, weight training. Some
of our clients can get away with low or moderate carb with our performancebased templates like Operator but not with our mass building protocols, so I
don’t recommend using Operator template as your litmus test. Building strength
and building muscle size are two different animals. Carbs support a positive
hormonal environment in the body. Being in an anabolic state promotes muscle
growth. There are two groups of people I’ve seen succeed on low carb or keto
dieting. Outliers, aka a small percentage of the population that naturally thrive
on low carb, and those that are on testosterone/TRT or steroids. There’s always
segments of the population that respond differently from the norm, like creatine
non-responders for example.
Lately there’s been this big dietary fat = testosterone trend. Yes, a certain level
of fat is required for hormonal support/production. Beyond that, unless you’re
in ketosis, it’s going to go right to your waistline along with all the other excess
calories. Probably more so the fat, because the lifting component of this
program utilizes glycogen, not fat, as a primary fuel source. Trying to eat a ton
of extra dietary fat to jack up testosterone is NOT going to translate to into any
significant muscle mass. Protein is higher on the food chain than fat when it
comes to muscular hypertrophy. Again – have a look at bodybuilders and
physique competitors. When it comes time to get shredded (while preserving
muscle) for the stage and bright lights – protein intake is elevated while other
macros are reduced. Even if they’re using exogenous hormones/PEDs. Put two
and two together for yourself. Yes, go forth and eat enough fat to support and
promote hormonal health – no one’s stopping you. Fat isn’t evil. But there’s no
need for anything over and above.
Bottom line, if you’re getting bigger and stronger, but have a thick layer of fat
all over your body – that’s probably an indication that you’re not paying close
enough attention to your macros, particularly protein. We’re not going for the
big and fat look here. Think Tom Conlon, not Tommy Boy. Don’t settle for
anything less.
THE IRON MIKE (INSPIRED) DIET
Eating for mass doesn’t have to be complicated or expensive. If you’re like me
and hate spending precious time thinking about and preparing food – take a
page from Mike Tyson. In training, Iron Mike would start his day with a 3-mile
run, followed by sparring and ring work over two separate sessions. Toward the
end of the day he’d perform bodyweight resistance training consisting of 2000
sit-ups, 500-800 dips, 500 push-ups, and 500 barbell shrugs. 10 minutes of
neck-work as a finisher. His evening consisted of 30 minutes of cardio before
bed. This was done 6 to 7 days a week.
His nutrition revolved around three types of meals; oatmeal, chicken & rice,
and steak & pasta. He drank fruit juice and milk.
A Tyson-inspired diet is a simple way to hit your macros and total calories. It’s
a great approach for anyone tight on money and time in the kitchen. Base your
feeding around 3 or 4 simple meals, like this:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Beef and pasta
Rice and chicken
Oatmeal + 1-2 scoops whey protein + nuts + raisins
Eggs
Post workout/Pre-Bedtime protein/carb shake
It’s simple enough to cook up a big pot of pasta and rice to store in the fridge.
Buy bulk chicken breast and beef. Grill or cook half a dozen breasts/portions
and store them in the fridge. Freeze the rest. Stewing beef works well with
pasta.
Find one or two sauces/condiments that go well with rice and pasta.
When it’s time for a feeding, simply combine chicken breast with rice, or a
portion of meat with pasta. Measure the amount of beef initially so you know
how much protein you’re getting per serving. Add a spoon or two from a fat
source if required. If you’re industrious you can prepare individual meals and
store them in Tupperware. Freeze and thaw as needed.
Keep a big bowl of veggies in the fridge. Fill it with broccoli, carrots, kale,
nuts, or whatever you like. Dip into the bowl throughout the day. Restock every
2-3 days. Cheap ready-made bags of mixed veggies are abundant in most
grocery stores.
Remember, you get a cheat day once a week to deal with the mental monotony
of eating the same meals every day.
Take a multivitamin to cover off any deficiencies. Pure Encapsulations, Thorne,
and Life Extension all produce quality vitamins/supplements. I usually
recommend Pure Encapsulations ONE to clients – it’s a simple one-per-day as
the name implies, with effective amounts and forms.
SUMMARY
Eating for mass isn’t rocket science. Know your numbers. Know what those
numbers look like on your plate. Learn how to put together three or four meals
that cover off those numbers. Eat those same 3 or 4 meals every day. Make up
any shortages with powders or supplements. Deal with the boredom of
monotonous eating habits by including a weekly cheat day.
Eating is usually what separates the success stories from failures. Most people
spend hours, weeks, and even years researching and planning their training
strategies. Yet they can’t tell you how many grams of protein or carbohydrate
they need, or what their total daily calorie intake is. Is this you? It was most
definitely me at various times throughout my training life.
If you’re not used to meal discipline or calculating macros it might take a little
effort initially. Soon enough it’ll become habit and you won’t give it a second
thought. Nutrition is usually where the average bear fails – not time spent in the
gym or on the road. Get a handle on it and you’ll be well ahead of the curve,
everything else will become easy.
SUPPLEMENTS
SUPPLEMENTS
There are supplements that work, supplements that work for some people, and
supplements that probably don’t work for anyone.
These are the supplements we recommend in the context of building mass.
I’ve divided them in two lists, Level 1 and 2.
Level 1 = Will make a significant difference in training. Mandatory (if you
have the budget/and cleared by your physician).
Level 2 = Can make a difference. For some can provide great benefit, for
others the effects might be negligible. Nice to have, but not necessary.
LEVEL 1
CREATINE MONOHYDRATE
This one’s a no-brainer for muscle building – unless you’re a non-responder.
And you won’t know you’re a non-responder unless you try it for at least a
month or two without skipping doses. Most people I’ve met that say they’re
non-responders haven’t used it long enough, or they expect it to feel like some
sort of instantaneous pre-workout stimulant. You’ll be missing out big-time if
you give up on this supplement too soon.
5 to 10 grams once a day, every day. On training and non-training days. An
effective way to dose is to add 5 grams to a post-workout shake along with a
high glycemic carb source/powder like dextrose or juice. The insulin spike
provided by the carb source should optimize uptake and absorption.
Stick to monohydrate. It’s the version with the most scientific backing behind
it. Avoid the ‘new and improved’ forms. For the most part they’re just
marketing ploys to differentiate the product. If you can – try and get the
‘Creapure’ version of monohydrate. Look for the ‘Creapure’ logo on the bottle.
Creapure is carried by several major brands.
SUPPLEMENTAL PROTEIN POWDER
To help you reach your daily protein intake with ease. If you can eat 4-5 steaks
a day and get all your protein from whole foods, please do, and skip this.
MULTIVITAMIN
I don’t normally recommend multis across the board, but gaining 10, 20 or 30
lbs of muscle is an unnatural and demanding task. Ensure your body has the
nutrients/vitamins and minerals it needs to activate and operate all the
physiological processes required to do the job. Use a quality brand like Thorne,
Pure Encapsulations, Carlson, AOR, or Life Extension.
LEVEL 2
CAFFEINE
Caffeine is actually a level 1 supplement for many - but if you’ve never used
caffeine to train then there’s no need to start. It won’t directly impact mass gain.
If you frequently use ‘pre-workouts’ then caffeine tablets are a simple,
effective, and cheap substitute. Healthier too. Many pre-workouts contain
questionable ingredients. For the times you need a little extra energy use 100200mg 20-30 minutes before training. Clear it with your physician first.
CITRULLINE MALATE
Citrulline malate works exceptionally well at increasing work capacity and
delaying fatigue. Ever have a training session where you feel like you can keep
going forever after it’s done? And then you do, and maybe you set a new
personal best? Everything’s dialed in, the weights fly up. You don’t want to
leave the gym and keep adding plates to the bar. Citrulline malate might help
put you in that place more frequently. Use 4 to 6 grams 30-45 minutes before
training. Anything less may not be as effective. Mass Protocol sessions are
much more demanding than regular Tactical Barbell maximal-strength
templates. Having work-capacity support can make a big difference. An
alternative to citrulline is beet powder/extract, which has a decent amount of
scientific backing in terms of performance enhancement.
MAGNESIUM
Magnesium plays a role in hundreds of bodily functions relating to energy and
other aspects of performance. The average diet tends to fall a little short of the
daily allowance. Stimulants (including caffeine and energy drinks), stress, and
high levels of activity deplete levels even further. Athletes or those using a
program like Mass Protocol tend to have higher requirements. Use 200 to
300mg a day. Glycinate and malate are two excellent forms of magnesium that
are easily absorbed. Glycinate tends to be relaxing, while malate energizes. In
some people glycine can actually be activating – something to keep in mind
when considering dosing schedule. There are some that respond poorly to
magnesium, particularly glycinate. We’ve had the occasional client report
feeling lethargic/depressed and de-motivated the day after taking 100-400mg of
glycinate. Not an unusual reaction if you consider magnesium’s role in the
body as a kind of ‘chill pill’. If you react badly to glycinate, give malate a try
before giving up completely.
BLOCK PROGRAMMING
BLOCK PROGRAMMING
Building a massive amount of muscle is a long-term project. The more
consistent you are with training and nutrition the quicker your results will be.
Depending on how much mass you want and where you’re starting from it can
take several months or several years.
I’m going to recommend the first cycle of training for you. After that you can
set-up a more customized ratio between General and Specificity as needed.
This is the standard cycle, recommended for those using Mass Protocol for the
first time:
STANDARD CYCLE
After completing a standard cycle, reassess and determine if you need to
change the ratio of time spent in General vs Specificity. Block 6 can be a bridge
week between cycles or you can transition into something else immediately.
The average hypertrophy-seeker usually needs to start off by building overall
size and musculature. The more overall mass you need to build, the more you’ll
benefit by spending time running General templates. General Mass is for
overall size and bulk, Specificity is typically for sculpting and targeting
lagging/weak areas. Both contribute to hypertrophy in their own way.
Rule of thumb is to spend more time in General the farther away you are from
your target weight. Let’s say you’re 160lbs and you want to hit 200. After a 5block cycle you’re at 175lbs. You’re still too far off target to change things or
spend extra time in Specificity. Your foundation isn’t in place yet. You’ve
moved up from a Miata to Jeep but you’re still not a Humvee. Continue using a
ratio that favors General over Specificity. You might use a 2:1 ratio: 2 blocks of
General + 1 Block Specificity, repeat. Throw in a bridge week as needed. Or
continue repeating the Standard Cycle if you don’t want to overthink it. Just to
be clear, there’s no need to get rid of Specificity completely, simply use a ratio
that favors General > Specificity.
Continuing with our example… After a few cycles you hit 195lbs. Now you’re
close enough to your target weight of 200 to start putting more time into
Specificity if you wish. Work on accessory lifts and strengthen or grow lagging
muscle groups. You could keep running Specificity indefinitely from that point
on or change up the ratio to favor Specificity over General. Some examples of
what favoring Specificity might look like:
EXAMPLE 1
EXAMPLE 2
There’s no rule that you must favor Specificity as you get close to your target
weight. If you’re happy with your progress and don’t want to rock the boat,
keep repeating the Standard Cycle.
EXAMPLE 3
A simple long-term option is using a 2:1 ratio of General to Specificity. 2:1 is a
solid balanced approach. See example 3.
OMS PROTOCOL
Bonus material – for those that have Tactical Barbell I or are familiar with
Operator template.
OMS is a simple but powerful long-term continuation protocol for strength and
mass. OMS is an abbreviation for Operator/Mass/Specificity.
If there was a standard perpetual TB model for strength and hypertrophy
– this would be it.
OMS is usually started after one Standard cycle, however it can be used right
from the get-go as well.
Operator is the maximal-strength component. Mass template for general
hypertrophy, and Specificity for targeted work/fine-tuning. Adjust the ratios as
desired. Simply keep repeating the above.
A variation on OMS is to simply rotate between Operator and Mass, and add
Specificity as needed, if needed. Remember, there’s a lot of flexibility when it
comes to Specificity – it doesn’t have to be traditional isolation work.
Specificity is when you can get unorthodox and play around with different
modalities or try new approaches. Kettlebells, bodyweight routines, grip
specialization or pole-dancing, I don’t care. If you want to keep maximalstrength in the mix remember to use Specificity Alpha. Yes, you can even sub
in other TB protocols like Fighter/Green and the like. Just remember to stay
focused on your objective – if it’s mass – then keep Specificity hypertrophy
related. If you’re more of the all-around cross-training type, then a
Green/endurance phase is fine for the ultimate have-it-all approach.
Throw in Mass Protocol Base Building once or twice a year before
commencing OMS and you’re good to go. There’s power in continuity. Use the
same core exercises (i.e. Bench/Squat/Deadlift or variations) all the way
through for Base/Operator/Mass for added impact.
Don’t forget to occasionally bridge/de-load.
Zulu or I/A can be used in place of Operator, and other General Mass templates
can replace Mass. However, Operator/Mass is the favored flagship approach.
Simple is often best.
CONSOLIDATION
CONSOLIDATION
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
Read Mass Protocol from cover to cover
Reread the Nutrition chapter
Calculate Total Calories/Macros + create eating plan
Test 1RMs for Base Building Exercise Cluster
Perform 6 Weeks of Base Building
Pick a General Mass Template + Test 1RMs
Execute General Mass + Green Conditioning
Bridge Week
a. Pick a Specificity Template/Create Exercise Cluster
b. Test 1RMs for Specificity
9. Execute Specificity + Black conditioning
10. Reassess / Plan the next cycle
If you need a few more days of rest over what Bridge Week provides, by all
means take it. Too much rest is better than not enough. Do NOT drop or change
your calorie/macro intake during rest periods. Take a Bridge week or two after
Base Building as well - as needed.
One final step – take before and afters. Inspire others and show off your success
by posting pictures and sharing your training journey on one of our online
communities:
http://tacticalbarbell.com/forum/index.php
Or the Tactical Barbell subreddit:
r/tacticalbarbell
INTEGRATION
“An ounce of action is worth a ton of theory”
Ralph Waldo Emerson
Focus on one goal at a time. Have everything pull in the same direction
(nutrition, cardio, lifting) until that goal is achieved. Adjust fire when it’s time
for a new goal. Don’t give your body opposing signals by doing things like
endurance training while simultaneously trying to gain weight. It can be done,
but you’re creating an uphill battle for yourself.
Tips for integrating Mass Protocol in the big picture;
Set a target weight/look and achieve it.
When it’s time to branch out to performance-oriented training – carry on by
adjusting your food intake to support all the extra activity and your new weight.
Be mentally prepared for a kind of ‘growing pains’ phase. There will be an
adjustment period where your brain will have to learn it’s carrying 200lbs over
10 miles instead of the 160 it’s been accustomed to for most of your life. Don’t
fret if you feel heavy on your feet. You’ll grow into it. Expect your timed runs
or events to be suboptimal for a while – remain patient and allow for that
adjustment. There’s really no way around it. Being bigger and heavier comes at
a cost.
If there’s a Tier 1 or 2 selection in your near-future avoid mass-building until
after you pass. You don’t have to have big muscles to pass selection. On the
contrary, you will feel every extra ounce dragging you down. Conditioning is
far more important. Instead, develop a favorable strength-to-weight ratio, be the
strongest you can be while being the lightest you can be. Build strength while
keeping size to a minimum. Read Tactical Barbell I and II for instructions. Put
on that extra 20 or 30lbs of muscle after you get on the team.
Understand the trade-offs of carrying excessive muscle mass as it relates to
performance. If you want to be a champion marathon runner but you’re
carrying 200lbs on a frame that’s built for 160, it probably won’t happen. Lose
the weight.
After going through this protocol you’ll always know how to put the weight on
when you need to, like a fighter moving up and down weight classes.
FAQS
Do I have to do Base Building?
No. Base Building is optional unless you’re an operational athlete or you’re
coming into the program with a pre-existing aerobic/endurance base. It is,
however, highly recommended.
How Should I Eat During Base Building?
If you’re overweight/carry excess fat - Base is a good time to play around with
low-carb/keto/intermittent fasting etc. Get it out of your system before you get
into the meat of the program. If you’re a skinny hardgainer start using the Mass
Protocol nutrition formula right away. Regardless, the important thing is to be
ready to eat for hypertrophy come day 1 of General Mass block.
Can I use intermittent fasting with Mass Protocol?
I don’t know. Based on my experience, intermittent fasting doesn’t lend itself
well to hypertrophy/mass building phases. Your mileage may vary.
Can I do Keto or low-carb with Mass Protocol?
I wouldn’t recommend it.
Do I really need to eat THAT much protein? Studies show….
Are you as big and muscular as you want to be right now? If not, why not try it
our way? You paid for this advice, so take it. Or not - up to you.
Can I still fast periodically?
Yes, but keep it limited. No more than one to two 16-24 hour fasts every 4-6
weeks. Better yet, do it during Bridge Week. Re-establish regular fasting after
you’ve finished gaining your target weight. If you’re a hardgainer – stay away
from all fasting until you’ve reached target weight.
Aren’t the loads used during General Mass too light?
Ask me this again after your first couple blocks. When it comes to hypertrophy,
we don’t need to rely as much on intensity – rather we’re looking for that nice
middle ground between intensity and volume.
What if I find the loads used during General Mass too heavy?
If you’re struggling, drop 5-10% off your 1RMs and continue. Keep in mind
you will get stronger as the weeks progress. What felt difficult during week 1 or
2 will feel easier come week 4 or 5.
Can I add isolation work or supplemental exercises to the General
Mass templates?
I would advise against it. Other than some minimal core/ab-work. Unless
otherwise stated of course, like Grey Man. Add extra sets instead.
I’ve gained a lot of size using General Mass. I really like the
aesthetic it’s given me too. Do I still have to do Specificity?
No. Specificity is optional but recommended. Specificity gives you an
opportunity to work on weak points or areas that weren’t given the same
amount of attention during General Mass. A short 3-week block will do you
good, before diving back into General.
This other program says to do to X build muscle, but you say to do
Y instead. What gives?
I can’t speak for other programs. There are many ways up the mountain. Mass
Protocol is ours.
Ok, so can I take ___ from that other program and add it to ____
when running Mass Protocol?
No. There are reasons the other program does what it does and reasons we do
what we do that may not be readily apparent to you. You’re simply sabotaging
yourself by trying to create some level of perfect programming that doesn’t
exist.
I’m primarily a strength and power athlete. Can I combine Tactical
Barbell 1 with Mass Protocol to create strength AND hypertrophy
programming?
Absolutely. Break your training into strength and hypertrophy blocks/phases.
Might be 6 weeks of Operator (maximal-strength) followed by 6 weeks of Grey
Man, rinse and repeat. Different templates, variations, and ratios are certainly
acceptable and encouraged. You might want to start with a Hypertrophy phase
and transition into maximal-strength or vice-versa. Also see the OMS Protocol
in this book, in the Block Programming chapter.
How much conditioning should I do? Do I have to do any at all?
If you’re an operational athlete with occupational conditioning requirements, 2
x a week is the sweet spot. If you’re a civilian or have no mandatory
cardiovascular standards to maintain – then you don’t have to do any
conditioning at all. I still recommend doing 1-2 sessions a week for overall
performance enhancement and health.
During Specificity, it’s possible to train the same muscle group two
days in a row depending on the cluster you pick. Isn’t that bad?
It depends on how you train said muscle group. Hypertrophy style training
(higher volume/higher repetition/decreased rest interval/muscle failure etc)
performed two days in a row on the same muscle group isn’t optimal and could
impede progress by stifling recovery. However, maximal-strength style training
(low rep/low volume/extended rest intervals/etc) can be performed two days in
a row, and when used judiciously can accelerate growth. A maximal-strength
day followed by hypertrophy day is even better, because load/volume is waved,
and each style of training provides a different stimulus to the same muscle. In
this program it’s possible during Specificity to train a muscle group using
maximal-strength principles on one day, and then train the same muscle the
following day using hypertrophy tactics. So long as you’re following the
programming/nutrition guidelines, this is a good thing and will enhance your
results.
Can I Use or Create a Different Cluster for General Mass? I’d
rather overhead press than bench etc
You can. However, I strongly recommend running one Standard cycle as-is
before making any changes to the programming. Also, if you have legitimate
injuries that prevent you from doing a certain exercise, feel free to use a
substitute.
What’s the deal with the old Gladiator, Mass Template etc in the
original/first edition of Tactical Barbell 1?
Although the old 1st edition templates share their names with the protocols
found in this book, that’s where the similarities end. The programming in this
book is significantly different – although Mass Template does bear a passing
resemblance to the Mass template of old. Those templates work but aren’t
optimal. They straddle the fence between hypertrophy and max-strength
without really committing to either. For some that was adequate, and they did
simultaneously increase hypertrophy and maximal-strength to a degree, but no
to the same extent as the protocols in this book. They can also be made to fit
within the programming of Operator I/A in the final (3rd) edition of TB1, for
those that really want to resurrect them. Regardless, Tactical Barbell 1 was
replaced and overwritten by Tactical Barbell 1 (3rd edition) several years ago.
We learn, experiment, and get better, as our pool of trainees and readers
expand. You shouldn’t be using old defunct editions of TB anyway.
What’s the difference between Tactical Barbell I, Tactical Barbell
II, and Mass Protocol?
Tactical Barbell I is our strength training system. Maximal-strength is the
ability to generate force regardless of muscle size. Several strategies/schedules
for increasing maximal-strength and muscular-endurance are presented.
Tactical Barbell II is our conditioning /cardiovascular training system.
Mass Protocol focuses on developing muscle size, aka muscular hypertrophy.
Hypertrophy isn’t always the most optimal way to train for strength, and
strength training isn’t always the most efficient way to train for muscle size –
although overlap does exist between the two.
Think of TBI as strength, TBII as cardio, and Mass Protocol as hypertrophy.
All three can be used separately to train their respective domains – or together
as one complete system.
TACTICAL BARBELL I
Strength Training for the Operational Athlete
Operational athletes are a unique breed. Called to perform at an extraordinarily
high level in stressful situations. Often in dangerous or unstable environments.
As a SWAT operator, combat-arms soldier, or first responder, you have to be a
Jack of All Trades. Let’s take that a step further. You need to achieve some
degree of mastery. You have to be strong, possess incredible levels of
endurance, be capable of sustained bursts of intense activity - all while tired,
hungry, cold, or worse. You can’t train like a bodybuilder. You can’t be sore for
a week after ‘leg’ day, and unfortunately you can’t afford to specialize like a
powerlifter. Other abilities need equal attention; cardiovascular training, work
capacity, occupational skills, to name a few. If you’re operational you know it’s
a constant juggling act trying to become (and stay) superhuman.
Tactical Barbell 1 is a strength training system designed specifically with
tactical athletes in mind. It uses correct principles and best practices to increase
maximal-strength and strength-endurance while accounting for the need to
simultaneously train other fitness domains.
Periodization based, with a simple progression model that allows for a great
degree of customization. You won’t find cables, balance boards or medicine
balls in this program. What you will get is a reliable, repeatable cutting-edge
system to increase your strength dramatically. In a manner that leaves you time
and energy to train all those other things you need to be good at. No fluff. No
frills.
If you’re in the tactical arena, you know talk is cheap. The program includes a
built-in strength testing component. You will know if your strength has
increased or not, and by how much. Simple.
TACTICAL BARBELL II
Conditioning
You have something very valuable in your hands. A lifetime’s worth of training
knowledge, drawn from the world’s most extreme arenas. Lessons learned and
best practices from military operators, tactical law enforcement, martial artists,
and others that rely on their physical abilities to survive and thrive in very harsh
and unforgiving environments. Where there’s more at stake than winning a
medal or getting a bruised ego. Bottom line, with these people, the training has
to work.
It’s great having a 600lb squat and 400lb bench press. However, as an
operational athlete, if you can’t run, work, or thrive for long periods of time in
a multitude of energy demanding environments, you are ineffective. Your big
bench press is useless, your big squat is useless.
Tactical Barbell proposes you work towards being a different kind of athlete.
The kind that is not only extremely strong, but also highly conditioned. If you
look carefully, you’ll see these people all around you. That guy on your
Emergency Response Team with the 350lb bench press and a sub 9-minute 1.5
mile. The old Marine Sergeant that runs 6 miles under 40-minutes and can
deadlift over 500lbs.
So how do you get there? It’s not what you think. Popular ‘bootcamp’ style
approaches that throw a lot of push-ups and running at you in a haphazard
fashion don’t work. Sure, you’ll break a sweat and release some endorphins.
You might even lose a pound or two. But take a good hard look at your
progress. Look at the numbers. For all your effort, are you really that far ahead?
To make real progress, look to the approach used by the pros. Train each
attribute you’re trying to improve in a progressive manner, using the most
effective tools for that particular fitness domain.
In TBII, you’ll find the structured, three-pronged approach to conditioning we
take with all of our clients. It consists of Base Building, followed by a
transition to a more specific continuation protocol. Periodic maintenance of
lower-priority fitness domains complete the model.
TBII is the premier manual for training tactical law enforcement candidates,
soldiers and recreational athletes. You will be hard pressed to find a more
thorough, and effective conditioning system. If you are a results-oriented
individual looking for concrete, actionable programming based on cutting edge
research, TB2 is for you.