TacticalBarbell.com

10 weeks in arrears here, so i'll do my best to catch-up. i'm doing TB to train for a PFT and hopefully an academy in the future.

baseline
4/17/2017

• pre-PFT notification: started BB, but only got to week 2
• notified of PFT: switched to 2 x Fast 5, 1 x 600m resets, 1 x LISS, 2 x SE, per week

5/10/2017
PFT: FAIL

• sit-ups: 44
• 300m sprint: ~0:47
• push-ups: 38
• 1.5 mile run: 13:00
• did more PU/SU reps than shown above, but some were not counted due to form

basebuilding restart

• SE first template, as prescribed, with the addition of 2 running days per week
• 1 run was put after the second SE cluster and was = 1/2 the time of the regular prescribed runs
• weekly long run started at 1 hour and incremented by 10 mins up to 1hr30 mins
• SE cluster consisted of push-ups, sit-ups, inverted rows, air squats
• implementing slight caloric deficit (~15%)

week 1

• added weight for push-ups, sit-ups and squats. reps completed unbroken.
• total mileage ran = 16.5 miles

week 2

• added weight for push-ups, sit-ups and squats. reps completed unbroken on first 2 sets.
• total mileage ran =20.5 miles

week 3

• no weight for any SE. squats and sit-ups completed unbroken each. push-ups completed 1 set unbroken, rest broken up. inverted rows completed in mini sets.
• total mileage ran =24.0 miles

week 4

• no weight for any SE. squats and sit-ups completed unbroken each. push-ups and inverted rows broken up.
• total mileage ran =28.0 miles

week 5

• SE details same as week 4
• total mileage ran =26.5 miles > mileage deteriorated here. definitely felt cumulative fatigue.
• about 6 pounds down from week 1 starting weight

week 6

• MS Fighter (Bangkok), cluster of BP, SQ, WPU, DL (1 working set/week). Forgot to test my 1RM's, so just doing what feels comfortably heavy.
• Working weights: BP: 185; SQ: 185; WPU: bodyweight; DL: 285. why's my SQ so low? bc i don't feel like limping around for 5 days with DOMS.
• experimenting with Tango versions of push-ups and sit-ups, but just short of failure, for 2 sets each. no other SE added.
  
  Mock PFT
• situps: 44 in 1 minute, same as the official PFT, but i could've done more and 44 didn't = failure this time around like it did on the actual PFT
• sprint: ~0:48, down from 0:47 on the official PFT, however, again, this 0:58 wasn't b@lls out like the official one was and i was actually able to recover in time for the pushups
• pushups: 40, same as the official PFT, but i had some more in the tank, so i felt good there
• 1.5 mile run: 11:39, down from 13:00 on the official PFT, and it felt good, except for the last 1/2 lap that i sprinted to try and get under 11:35

• 1 x LSS (60 mins, 5.6 miles), 1 x 400m x 6 resets (down from 600m, feel it's more applicable to my test), 1 x long LSS (90 mins, 8.23 miles)
• longer runs felt better due to knocking 1 day of running off and less total mileage

week 7

• MS Fighter (Bangkok) as described above. feels good to be lifting again.
• Tango circuits working well for sit-ups, but not sure about push-ups
• 1 x Fast 5 (24 mins), 2 x LSS (60 mins each, 12 miles), 1 x 400m x 6 resets
• no more weekly long run. i feel pretty good running 60 mins, but anymore feels like overkill.
• weight creeping back up. up 2lbs > i believe due to the reintroduction of lifting. i've seen this happen before in my weightloss.

week 8

• MS Fighter (Bangkok) as described above
• still doing Tango version of push-ups/sit-ups. pushing the # of reps on sit-ups, but just staying in the groove for push-ups
  
  Mock PFT
• sit-ups: 46 in 1 minute, +2 from last time. i have to work on my speed/tempo on these now. i have the ability to score higher.
• sprint: ~0:48 again, but i'm only +0.2 seconds away from the next point category and my recovery is much improved and this isn't nearly as taxing
• push-ups: 42, +2 from last time, but this was to failure. i'm disappointed with my lack of progress here. i might move to weighted push-ups per grouchyjarhead's success.
• 1.5 mile run: 11:18, improvement of 0:21 from last time, and i didn't even sprint the last lap. the 400m resets and fast 5's are really helping my speed and tempo here. i'm only 0:08 away from the next point category and i still feel like i have solid room for improvement.

• 2 x LSS (60 mins each, 120 mins total, 11.4 miles), 1 x 400m x 6 resets

i notified my recruiter that i feel prepared to take another PFT. my plan was to switch to a Fighter (Bangkok)/Black Professional continuation protocol. in light of the PFT presumed to be coming up, i plan to do the following leading up to the PFT:

• Running of 2 x LSS (60 min), 1 x Fast 5, 1 x 400m resets x 6
• Daily sub maximal push-ups and sit-ups to "grease-the-groove"

when i learn of the actual date, i may switch the Fast 5s to 1.5 mile timed runs to learn the pacing better.

week of 7/10

monday

• sit-ups: max reps in 30 seconds, 5 sets
• push-ups: 3 x 20 with 25lbs
• inverted rows: 3 x 20
• shanks: 2 x 1 minute

just trying to work on bettering the sit-ups and push-ups for the PFT, as well as get work the opposing muscle groups to prevent imbalances

tuesday

• 1 x Fast 5 > had to do it on the hotel treadmill because i was working late out of town and it was 10pm. at least it was one of those woodward treadmills. with that said, i tripped 1 mile in and hit the emergency stop by accident, so i don't know my time. i was pacing for about 24 minutes.

wednesday

• LSS x 60 mins (6 miles)

thursday

• sit-ups: max reps in 30 seconds, 5 sets
• push-ups: 3 x 20 with 25lbs
• inverted rows: 3 x 20
• shanks: 2 x 1 minute

friday

• LSS x 50 mins (4.5 miles)

saturday

• sit-ups: max reps in 30 seconds, 3 sets; added 5lbs
• push-ups: 3 x 20 with 25lbs
• 400m resets x 6: time was pretty consistent with the week prior

week of 7/17

monday

• sit-ups: max reps in 30 seconds, 5 sets, with 5lb weight
• push-ups: 3 x 30 with 25lbs, + 1 x 20 with no weight; weighted sets: 1st set unbroken, 2nd set unbroken to 20, 3rd set unbroken to 15
• inverted rows: 3 x 20
• shanks: 2 x 1 minute each

wednesday
Mock PFT

• sit-ups: 48 in 1 minute, +2 from last time. this felt faster, the 30 second rounds with weight helped. i have to include some higher rep sets too because i was getting fatigued in the 40s.
• sprint: ~0:48 again, still good recovery, but slowed slightly from the last time. this is a tricky event because if i throttle it too much, it has a detrimental impact on my push-ups and 1.5 mile run.
• push-ups: 44, +2 from last time, also to failure.
• 1.5 mile run: 11:07, improvement of 0:11 from last time. i was trying to make an 11:09 cut-off for the next point category, so i sprinted the end. i start my first half ahead of pace, but my second half starts to fade.

the mock PFT was a good result. put me to passing within a narrowly comfortable margin. i want to tweak the sit-ups a bit to do some sets to 50-60 reps, but not worrying about speed.

i also want to tweak my training for the 1.5 mile run. i observed the two past mock PFTs that running the 1.5 both pacing wise and oxygen debt feeling (huffing through it) is not hard per se, but i'm not used to the discomfort. as a result, i think i'm going follow this mile running plan i saw a while ago. it's not that much different than my plan right now, but has some shorter and longer interval days interspersed with typically shorter recovery times.

the long runs through BB were tremendous to knock down my time a considerable amount. the 400m resets were working well too. the Fast 5s, for me personally, feel a touch under the intensity needed for the 1.5 mile run and therefore are in a purgatory of being slightly helpful, but also slightly detrimental.

http://running.competitor.com/2012/04/t ... le_30069/2

*edit for rep/time inaccuracies

Your numbers are looking great. For situps, something that works for me is essentially extending the elbows out while going up. Couldn't find a good video but take a look at this https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qvkke3QY9UA.
On the way up I open my arms as such. Thought I'd share to see if it can help you.

thanks! i played around it yesterday and i can't seem to help but have my elbows pointing forward to use that momentum to jerk myself up. i'm hoping that imagery makes sense.

how are you using it? regular reps? or for speed?

Push-ups seem to be bumping up now.

grouchyjarhead wrote:Push-ups seem to be bumping up now.

thanks grouchy. i for sure think they are. it's a bit difficult to truly assess because i did about 42-44 on the official PFT but was docked reps to end at 38. i'm doing 44 now with what i believe to be the appropriate ROM and form, but you can never be certain. i tape myself and have my wife watch, but i'm not the grader....

i do believe the weighted alpha circuits per your rec are more beneficial than higher reps but unweighted circuits (e.g. bravo circuits). i'm not sure if it's as much mental as it is physical adaptation, but doing 30 reps with 25lbs mentally makes me feel like unweighted are easier.

although i do seem to slam into a wall in the 40s.

How quick are your reps? Are you fairly steady or do you do a bunch initially then struggle near the end?

the alpha circuits i try to do relatively steady. for the mock PFT's, i try to bang them out quick with as much of a free fall on the descent as possible.