Tactical Fitness Training: Old School vs New School?  Is That a Thing?

I guess when you have been in the business of working out and writing about it for over 20 years, there is an "old school" moniker that can get attached to you - especially by the generation that was not out of diapers when I started writing about military, law enforcement, and fire fighting training programs. Regardless no plan (old or new) will work if you don't!  But things have changed in the world of tactical fitness training - the name "tactical fitness" is one of many:

1 - Tactical Fitness is now a legitimate fitness genre that gets enormous attention (aka funding for research) since I started learning about training. High-level training research before the turn of the century was focused primarily on peak performance for top notch professional / Olympic athletes and general health and wellness, with the occasional study on the mental toughness of military units. In regard to Tactical Fitness, I have A way to train, not THE ONLY way to train and it has been in development for twenty years - see Seasonal Tactical Fitness Periodization that allows for all the elements of fitness to be addressed and maintained through regular cycles without creating burnout nor neglect of weaknesses we all have:

3 - Tactical Fitness Has Evolved - When I started, there were no pre-training programs for special-ops-level candidates. Now, there are mentors and special ops prep training after basic / boot camp training. This forced candidates to realize that there are THREE PHASES to tactical fitness. Understanding that tactical fitness requires three phases of growth that are specific to that training phase is something I have been trying to teach for years as many people confuse workout programming. The three phases are:

Phase 1 - Getting TO the training - Crush a fitness test.  Yes, you may need to train specifically for this test to be accepted. If your workout looks different from your PT test for a cycle, you may not be preparing effectively as you should and the process will take longer. 

Phase 2 - Getting THROUGH the training - This is where most fall. They did well getting to the training but neglected to focus on the elements that get them THROUGH it. This may require rucking, longer runs, longer swims with fins, some weight training depending on the load-bearing activities you have in your future and, of course, your personal weaknesses. All these tests - by the way - are OLD SCHOOL tests developed half a century ago. BUD/S, for instance: 4-mile timed runs and 2-mile ocean swims with fins (both weekly for 26 weeks, obstacle course each week, high-rep PT workouts, logs, boats, longer rucks and runs, on top of countless water confidence challenges. Where most go wrong is they still focus on the PST and get crushed with longer distances, harder swims/tread evolutions, and equipment carry. 

Phase 3 - Active Duty - Maintaining your job-related abilities so you have no physical weaknesses is the goal of the active duty operator.  Actively pursuing recovery should be a focus, as stress mitigation is also needed. The diagram chart above shows what the tactical athlete needs to develop well - aka be good at all of them vs great at any one thing to the detriment of others. Some candidates get caught up in various spec ops workouts that actually neglect many of the harder selection events - with good reason.  

4 - Testing Events are still old school - In the training programs many people want to join, you will be tested in running, calisthenics, obstacle courses, and some will further challenge you with load-bearing activities/equipment carry, rucking, swimming, diving, and more. Nothing NEW here. Most of the testing in selection programs that will cause failure in the course occurred long before I was born. Preparing for these requires good old-fashioned consistency and effort, but balanced with responsible recovery and growth. There are newer tactical fitness / combat fitness tests available that will advance the tactical athlete into a more well-rounded professional vs just being good at running and calisthenics.  

5 - We Have Gotten Smarter with Recovery - Even though if you have a good nutrition plan and sleep well, your recovery is nearly 80-90% complete, a balanced training program with logical progressions, useful split routines, and recovery/mobility days will get you to where you need to be ready for the next day of work. We tend to spend most of the time and money focused on recovery tools, supplements, and the easy button for recovery, only really to get that missing 10%, maybe. 

                                 A non-scientific pie chart on recovery

6 - New Gear Plus Old Gear Uses - TRX, weight vests, sandbags, kettlebells, dumbbells, barbells, bands, calisthenics, rucks, non-impact cardio options (bike, rower, elliptical, stairstepper, swimming) are a wide variety of training gear options that have fused themselves to many tactical fitness programs - especially mine. Some old / some new but all effective. My advice is to balance some of the classic activities and programming with newer movements and programming. You may find yourself challenged one day depending on your athletic history and weaknesses you bring to the table. Assess yourself so you are not surprised during selection.    

7 - Your Consistency and Will - In the end, it comes down to you and how bad you want to serve in these challenging careers. I have seen absolute physical studs make it TO the training, but fail due to every other reason but physical weakness (spouse/family issues, cold, water confidence, negative feedback from instructors, not used to failing anything, and unfortunate accidents like injury requiring surgery or severe illness) Mindset is everything with this type of training and preparation. Having a program that tests you is one thing, but you doing it even when you don't feel like it will build the mental toughness needed when you are forced to answer that question - "do I really want this?"

8 - Programming - If you have any of my first books, they may appear OLD SCHOOL. However, you may be referring to something as old school even if it has been effective for decades and still is. In programming that helps prepare people for jobs with high attrition rates in selection (special ops, SWAT) and even general weight loss for that matter, if it works - call me "old school" then. Countless special operators have been developed and still serving and new guys still in the spec ops pipeline (Navy, USMC, Army, Air Force) and SWAT (local, state, federal, including HRT) produced through my programming through the years. It is funny because some will say they liked the older workouts I created, and many liked the newer programming I am still creating. I guess it is preference, as long as they both are working for that individual. 

See latest programs using the Seasonal Tactical Fitness Periodization Model

Both old-school and new-school work IF YOU do. 

I have heard the term "old school" directed at me both as a compliment and as a patronizing slam. I take it as feedback - there is no good or bad feedback; it is just feedback, and it truly depends on you and how you respond to training. Expose yourself to a variety of training and you may find your answer to what works best for you. 

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