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Dexa/The Art of Manliness

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Published Jan 18, 2017

#270: Becoming a Tactical Athlete

Rob Shaul, founder of the Mountain Tactical Institute, delves into the concept of tactical athletes, exploring the crucial role of mission-focused fitness for soldiers, first responders, and civilians. He shares insights on specialized fitness programming tailored for real-world challenges, underscoring the importance of a robust fitness culture for safety and effectiveness.
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  • Programming Principles

    explains the core principles behind the Mountain Tactical Institute's (MTI) fitness programs, emphasizing mission-specificity and variety. He describes how programming evolves from general to specific as the event approaches, ensuring that attributes like strength, endurance, and agility are trained concurrently 1. Rob also highlights the need for specialized fitness programming for mountain athletes, noting the lack of tradition in gym-based training for these individuals 2. He stresses that being fit in one area doesn't guarantee readiness for specific military challenges, advocating for targeted training based on the event's demands 3.

    The further you are away from the event, the more general your programming can be. And as you get closer, the more specific it should be.

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    Training Evolution

    MTI's fitness programs have continuously evolved, incorporating new insights and methodologies to keep training effective and engaging. Rob discusses how base fitness cycles address staleness and maintain interest through assessments and progressions 4. He shares his journey from a Coast Guard officer to founding MTI, emphasizing the institute's mission to improve mountain and tactical mission performance while ensuring athlete safety 5.

    Our programming is continually evolving. Just last year, we changed the way we train midsection strength completely with our new chassis integrity theory.

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    Specialized Workouts

    MTI's specialized workouts are designed with unique methods like chassis integrity and relative strength progression techniques. Rob explains that each session has a specific goal, differentiating MTI's approach from CrossFit by focusing on outside performance and endurance 6. He details various strength progressions, including barbell-based and bodyweight cycles, aimed at developing relative strength 7. Additionally, he critiques the Functional Movement Screen, emphasizing the importance of sport-specific fitness for durability 8.

    What is the main difference between us and CrossFit is we're training for outside performance.

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