If your goal is to to get physically prepared for combat, you have to focus on good fitness and conditioning in the specific activities you are going to perform. You can’t just technique your way to success and expect CrossFit or bodybuilding workouts will pick up the slack. Running 5 miles in 30 minutes in shorts and a t-shirt or doing 100 pushups in a minute literally does nothing to condition you for carrying 100lb and fighting all day in the mountains of Afghanistan. Instead, put on your full fighting load (body armor and full mags) and do fartlek training (jog/sprint intervals) for 5 miles at least twice a week to prepare your body for the constant stress of carrying extra weight and having to move fast with no rest. If you want to be considered a professional, then directly work on perfecting your profession and conditioning your body to be able to handle it, and more. Welcome to functional combat fitness training where the motto is “train hard, fight easy”. QUALITIES TO DEVELOP The four qualities you are going to need for performing in combat are agility, endurance, power, and recovery. Throughout combat, you will need to be moving and shifting direction/positions rapidly, which demands top notch agility training. You will be expected to keep moving with a heavy load and stay in the fight all day for the people to your left and right, which is why endurance is crucial. Power will be a necessity when you have to deliver a strike, or run/sprint quickly while totting a heavy ruck. Recovery will make it to where you can fight day after day with little rest in between. When not on mission, you should be developing and building on qualities that will compliment your ability to perform certain tasks and combat-oriented skills. The goal is to make you efficient so you can stay in the fight for hours at a time while carrying a lot of weight. Everything must be done with speed and intensity in combat and that is the standard you should be living up to. But this is a constant journey that is never-ending and can’t be finished after a few months just to be put away for later. You can always get better and better, and that should be the daily goal. Train hard, fight easy. MUSCLE SCIENCE Now you need to understand your muscle groups and how they work for you. The three muscle types are Type2a: fast twitch (3-5 rep range: Lots of power on demand), Type2x: super-fast twitch (One rep max strength), and Type1a: slow twitch (Marathon muscles: Even after your mind has given up, these muscles will still have energy). Each person is genetically setup to have slightly different ratios of these different types. Some people will have more 2a while the next person will genetically inherit a slightly greater amount of 1a, but the difference is how you train. You may have a lot of a certain muscle type, but if you don’t train it right, it won’t help you. Most of the work you do at the gym is targeting the Type 2 fast twitch fibers because they are easier to build and they get much larger than the Type 1a slow twitch fibers. Every position and angle that you move is supported by particular motor units (muscle groups) and muscle fibers/types necessary for that particular movement. We cannot do bar squats and expect our sprint endurance with a ruck will significantly improve. Conversely, lots of pullups, shoulder presses, and a 300lb bench press aren’t going to help you hold a heavy rifle steady while unsupported for over two minutes while scanning and providing overwatch. That is not how our muscles work. If you want to get better at doing a specific movement/position, you have to replicate it and even throw in a bit of weight to strategically build the specific muscles you are using for that movement/position. You can’t effectively train endurance by trying to score a one rep max, and you can’t effectively train power by running a marathon. Common lifts and calisthenics don’t replicate the movements and strains of using a firearm in a firefight while wearing a 50lb fighting load and hauling 50lbs of ammo, water, and commo gear in a pack. When you do something like a bicep curl 3-5 times before tiring out, you are merely working on your Type2a muscle fibers in that specific narrow range of motion. On top of that, you are only straining a limited number of muscle fibers through the range of motion. It all depends on the speed you curl and the angle it is curled. A slight shift of the grip angle and you are doing hammer curls and working different areas of the bicep and forearm. Regardless, these bicep workouts do little to help you hold a rifle or pistol steady so you can take an accurate shot, along with most workouts at the gym. If you are going to maximize your combat skills and performance, you have to deliberately train those specific muscles/muscle types being used. DIETARY AND SITUATION REPLICATION Before we even get into functional training, let us talk about diet and training environment. If you are serious about getting fit to fight, you need to condition your body to perform in those conditions such as all-day movement and little food, water, and sleep. 1-2 meals, always humping a ruck, getting little to no sleep, living off a quart of water a day, and having to maintain speed and intensity for days at a time. This is the reality of combat, and if you can’t deal with and even functionally perform a workout in these conditions, you are doomed. Working out only once a day will not condition your body to adapt to a constant work load, so don’t make the mistake of conditioning it to take it easy. Train yourself to work all day and even into the night. This is called developing farmers strength with a combat twist. I recommend starting fasting, sleeping less on training days, and practice your skills after work and into the night. Fasting is the best way to preserve muscle since being in a prandial (fed state) all the time actually burns protein and prevents growth hormone and anti-inflammatory functions. This means you lose muscle with the fat when eating all the time and your muscles heal and recover slower, if at all. Also, fasting helps keep you alert due to operating on the sympathetic nervous system. Trust me, it works. Train hard, fight easy. QUIT THE GYM AND GET FUNCTIONAL The typical gym workout is literally a waste of your time if you want to get better at combat-related skills. Plus, you can’t get better at doing isometric holds (Aiming a pistol/long gun) by curling a weight or flipping a heavy tire. Workouts that directly mimic skills you are trying to build is exactly how you build, reinforce, and compliment these skills. By all means, use weights in your training, but in a manner that directly correlates to the skills you are trying to build. You have to have the right physical attributes in order to perform at a top level in combat. True functional training puts more time into learning the movements/skills and will still help your physique. To put it plainly, why spend time getting bigger if it doesn’t help you in a fight? How about you spend time developing maximum function and looking good as a by-product of your training. Now let us stop curling/flipping tires and conduct a functional exercise for a skill we WILL use. Take a weight (say 15 pounds) and hold it like you would hold a pistol with two hands and point it at something on the wall at head height. Now use anything on the wall and the weight as an aiming marker and use them to ensure that you are holding the weight perfectly still for at least 30 seconds. Do this hold for 30-60 seconds for at least 6 sets multiple times a day. This is what I call functional training with a weight. This may be unconventional to you, but then again, shooting and fighting is not clean cut and done in the 3-5 rep range. Sorry to break it to you but your 300lb bench press and tire flipping routine is only wasting your time and hurting your potential. Functional training is the way to go if you want to develop real progress in conditioning yourself for combat. Functional training in a physical sense means using weights, bodyweight, and various gear to directly reinforce or build on an acute physical movement we will actually conduct. This is also called practical training because it benefits the movement(s) we are trying to control/master. For example, if you’re trying to get faster and do longer buddy rushes, you will not get far by going to the gym and doing lunges and squats. These generic and indirect movements work different muscle fibers and motor units that won’t help enough to make a big difference in performance. Rather you should break down the movements and struggles you have, think about how you can build those specific muscles, and set a schedule for conducting workouts to strengthen the muscles that need help. When doing weapons training, I recommend you train with at least double the weight of the weapon you would actually have in combat. When I practice rifle aims, I use at least a 10lb weight in each hand and mimic the movements with my weapon. The Romans used this method centuries ago for weapons training with fast and substantial results, so why not use it ourselves? It has paid dividends for me right away since I started training this way. Train hard, fight easy. EVALUATION AND MOVEMENT BREAKDOWN Your evaluation should consist of you performing the drills and skills that you physically think you should be able to do in combat, and doing them in the conditions you expect. This could be running 300-500 meters with a 50lb fighting load and armor to reinforce a team in contact, aiming a loaded rifle in an unsupported kneeling position for at least a minute while your team crosses an open danger area, moving silently left/right/forward/backward while in the kneeling or prone during an area recon, etc. You need to run through all the movements and drills you expect yourself to perform, and then honestly evaluate where you felt strain. You must identify the muscle group under strain, the angle you encountered the strain, and what type of strain (weakness, no power, lack of endurance, slow recovery, etc.) you are having. I recommend writing it down so you can remember it all and I encourage you to be very honest about your shortcomings. Once you have figured out all the areas you have struggles with, you will need to break them down into individual parts. For instance, with a break contact bound, you may reveal an issue with going from a kneeling and performing that 180 degree turn before running. This is common since it is a relatively uncommon movement and it is done with a good amount of weight that causes considerable strain on stabilizers. It will often be an issue of stability/balance, power, and controlling your momentum when shifting and turning with all that weight on you, especially if you have a pack on. For this particular straining point, I simply turn this into a workout on its own. I start from the kneeling with a full fighting load and pack just to really work the strain point. From the kneeling, I turn and run for two steps, set, turn and run for two more steps, etc. The main focus is to spend as much time working that movement by breaking it down and doing as many practical reps of it as possible. I then conduct the full drill after a few days in a realistic combat fighting load to see how much improvement has been made. This is how you work this issue and resolve it fast with micro training. MACRO AND MICRO TRAINING Doing dozens of repetitions of long-distance buddy rushes is a great example of macro training, whether for assaulting or breaking contact. There are several components to conducting them, and you can do them for a long time in order to expose weaknesses in certain movement or techniques. Doing drills like this with full fighting loads and a heavy pack for a long distance (500m+) can be a considerable workout. Another example of macro training would be to conduct weapons manipulations like reloads, malfunction drills, and transitions for two hours with minimal breaks. This will test the endurance of the muscles used and test your fine motor control/coordination even after being fatigued. Over time you will develop an adaptation to this work load and develop a kind of farmers strength, which is a good thing. In my experience, you will need to perform all movements in macro and micro training with twice the weight (if practical), twice the time under tension, and half the standard rest time if you want to quickly develop power and endurance while also shortening recovery time. For example, if you are wanting to sprint faster and for longer during buddy rushes, you would perform micro training to build the specific muscles used. I would personally set up a workout to sprint twice the distance of a normal rush (5-10 meters x 2), with twice the weight (50lb is already a good amount of weight, but feel free to throw on a loaded assault pack) and half the recovery time (3-5 seconds/2). After about a week of conducting this micro training, I would conduct buddy rushes in normal gear and see if I notice an acceptable level of improvement. The buddy rush can be broken down into 3 widely beneficial components that can be developed and improved through micro training and benefit other skills. The buddy rush consists of sprinting (Crossing danger areas, movement in contact, exfil under fire), agility (Rapid position/direction changes, fast CQB maneuvering), stability (position changes with a fighting load and pack, having extra weight on one side of a ruck, kneeling or going prone quickly but silently, rolling out around cover under a heavy load and holding it steady while shooting), and recovery (long missions with limited breaks). Recovery is something that your body can always benefit from for the sake of work capacity, but you have to work the specific movements properly and constantly in order to get the recovery benefits. Recovery training for one muscle group doesn’t have a crossover to other muscle groups. Another skill to train for is to get your weapon aimed properly and quickly. This focuses mainly on Type 1a muscles due to repeatedly manipulating only a mild amount of imbalanced weight. Type 1a muscle development demands exhaustive repetition, but can be hastily trained by using the right amount of weight. I would advise going with two weights, each the same weight as your rifle (2 10lb weights for me) and mimic the specific movements as slow as possible, aiming for precision in the movement. Though you are using weight, you will still be able to perform several repetitions smoothly, indicating that you are still mainly using endurance muscles. Then do several repetitions with your actual rifle to iron out the speed and coordination. Bounce between mimicking the movement just with weights and then manipulating your rifle quickly for best results. This is an example of isolating a movement and training it functionally by combining two types of micro training. NOTES AND PROGRESS DIARY When you conduct your macro/micro training, be sure to note any weaknesses that need help or should be evaluated next time. Also, keep a journal of your progress, or diary if you like. This will show progress long term and give you a reference about what steps you took in order to progress, just in case you have to revisit the subject in the future and have bumps in the road. GETTING IN THE GROOVE Getting into this rhythm may take a period of adjustment but feel free to jump in if you have the desire to shorten the adaptation curve. You can gradually add time to your training in order to adapt, though it will be slower. Gradual acclimation is for people who don’t function when there is discomfort. Use this as an opportunity to get your big girl panties on and man up like a warrior. When shit hits the fan, you don’t get a warmup, so don’t do it now. Every day is a test, and if you are part of an elite group you should know that every day is selection. Train hard, fight easy. RECOVERY THROUGH DIET I cannot stress enough about how important it is to exercise good dietary habits when training for good fast recovery. I am speaking directly to eating right and using food as medicine to heal your body for the next training session. A steak and a couple eggs are not enough, nor is that bro-shake. Toss that crap and get real food. You need vegetables, leafy greens, oils, the right seeds, and a generous quantity of good spices before you touch that steak, eggs, or bread. Garlic (several cloves), onion (raw or powdered), ginger (raw or powdered), turmeric (ALWAYS MIX WITH BLACK PEPPER OR YOU WON"T ABSORB THE CURCUMIN), peas (not canned), kale and spinach (fresh), baby spring mix (at least a pound), parsley, basil, sesame seeds, flax seeds, avocado oil, extra virgin olive oil, sesame oil, flax seed oil, organic soy sauce, paprika, cayenne pepper, black pepper and Himalayan sea salt to name a few things you should be having generous amounts of with all your meals daily. Don’t eat your meat until you are finished with your veggies. Veggies are light, but they will be uninteresting if you eat your meats and treats first. Do the smart thing and put in the rabbit food first to make sure you have vitamins. Without vitamins, those macros like protein will literally go to waste and you won't grow or have much energy. This isn’t bro science, but rather real food science I encourage you to research. Go heavy on the leafy greens, seeds, spices, and be moderate with all the oils. Don't punish yourself by only giving yourself a dash. As far as other forms of recovery, if you want to heal like wolverine, I highly encourage you to find ways to relax, but not be sedentary. Go for a light 1/2 mile slow jog with a pack in the morning to get blood and nutrients through to the muscles. Fast on your workout days and stay in a prandial (fed) state on your rest days. Read a book, study, plan your next week training schedule, take a walk through a few stores and gather some damsel digits, but stay away from things like family drama, alcohol, and caffeine that will raise your stress and stimulation. Train hard and then live your life. I personally recommend drinking water with vitamin additives, but not too much. A gallon of water a day just to drink it is a bad idea, unless the goal is to completely flush the vitamins out and prevent nutrient absorption. It is a real thing, so don't be neurotic about fluid intake unless you are loading up for an early morning training session. Even then, you don't want to flush all your vitamins and electrolytes out, so be balanced in your approach. TRAIN OUTSIDE I will say that training outside is absolutely needed as often as possible. You get clean air to your lungs, get more sun, get in tune with nature, and you experience uneven terrain if you spend your time indoors, unless that is where you are preparing to fight indoors. Train in the environment you are preparing to fight in. If it is woods, train with and around the critters. Make friends with the skeeters and learn to deal with them. Train hard, fight easy. WRAPUP In this article I spent lots of time preaching how to break things down and apply the basic concepts on how you build certain qualities. You will have to be thoughtful, deliberate, and committed daily to keeping up with your schedule and stay focused on precise technique. This is the best way to make gains, no matter if your aim is to get better and faster at manipulations, speed shooting multiple targets, clearing rooms, whatever. All of these skills use a specific combination of muscle groups and muscle types (1a, 2a, 2x) and can be improved through isolated physical training techniques. This is not bro science, but rather a very intelligent way of training your body to do the job you need it to do. Keep in mind that this article is only about the physical part of training, and I merely covered how to train for doing buddy rushes. There are so many other things that can be trained physically in macro and micro training, but in the interest of time, I will publish those particular subjects in follow up articles. Also, I intend to publish an article about mentally training yourself for combat by improving reflexes, peripheral vision sensitivity, enhanced knowledge, and other goodies you will just have to stay tuned for. Oh yeah, I almost forgot to remind you...train hard, fight easy.
1 Comment
Frankie
1/31/2025 21:23:53
Excellent discussion on real PT for combat. I was first introduced to the idea of how much of the bro science is really just made up by Mike Menzer. It seems in our society we've gotten so smart we've resorted back to being stupid thinking the ancient training ways are some how "beneath us". I'm gonna begin trying to incorporate macro and micro training targeted to the skills I need. It's funny to me that no one else publishes this sort of concepts like you have. It is very logical to think of combat as it were as any other sport. Olympic boxer spend lots of time boxing and swimmer swim a lot. They don't do other sport sports and how it bleeds over to there original sport. As always thank you for the great content.
Reply
Leave a Reply. |
SUBJECTS
All
Archives
February 2025
|