Tactical Barbell: Definitive Strength Training for the Operational Athlete - K. Black

Tactical athletes are a unique breed. You're expected to operate at an extraordinarily high level in stressful situations. Often in dangerous 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 have to achieve a degree of mastery. You have to be strong, have incredible levels of endurance, and 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 specialise like a powerlifter. You have other abilities that need developing, things like your cardiovascular system, work capacity, and occupational skills. Anyone in the field knows it's a constant juggling act trying to become (and stay) superhuman in multiple fitness domains. Maximal-strength is a foundational physical attribute for the tactical athlete. In English, this means it's very important and contributes to the development of other physical qualities. If you've spent time in a combat arms military unit, you won't deny the benefits maximal-strength brings in terms of resiliency, load bearing capability, and injury prevention. Now it's pretty well established that the most efficient way to increase maximal-strength is through the use of barbells, due to the ease of incremental loading. However, the best barbell programs that currently exist aren't designed with the tactical athlete in mind. Most of the good ones were developed by powerlifters and pure strength athletes. These programs are excellent, but seldom compatible with an operational lifestyle. On the flip side, most existing 'tactical' fitness programs give progressive barbell work lip-service only. You'll get an occasional front squat or push-press mixed in with box jumps and burpees. But NO sustained or calculated progression model. The tactical community still tends to equate anything barbell-related with bodybuilding and non-functional training. TB fills that gap. It's a barbell strength program designed specifically for the tactical community using correct principles and best practices. TB will increase your maximal-strength and strength-endurance while taking into account the need to simultaneously train other fitness attributes. Tactical Barbell will provide you with a method of strength training designed for your unique arena. 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 here. What you'll get is a reliable, repeatable, cutting edge system designed 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. There's a built in strength testing component in this program. You will know whether or not your strength has increased, and by how much. Simple.