r/tacticalbarbell

Bit of background. I’ve been training for 6 years. Mostly hypertrophy focused which led to me letting my cardio slip. 8 months ago I decided to join the Army reserve (Infantry). So running became more of a priority.

I’m a PT which partially leads me to overthink my own training. Adding in a hybrid element made it worse. So I have been looking for a template I could follow somewhat blindly. Finally bought TB3 and am very excited to get started.

Now my question is. I go away for my second couple weeks of training in about 18 weeks. My plan was to just do base building then run operator ULF up until that point.

However I’m reading activation now and wonder if that better suits me. With the different base building etc. I already have a decent amount of muscle mass from my previous hypertrophy training.

I just don’t know how I structure this with me going away in 18 weeks. Should I leave out armour? Or complete vertex when I get back? Or just stick to my original plan of BB followed by operator?

What do you guys think? As people who have ran similar programs before

I also plan on documenting my whole experience this year with TB

Received my copy of TBIII earlier this week - immediately read it the first couple nights and have been poking back around since. This post isn't a review by any means (but have to say I LOVE the update and so much of it resonates with me - thanks again as always KB). A few questions / thoughts I wanted to run by the community:

1. A much repeated part of pairing conditioning with strength in TBII was keeping every 3rd week easy, reducing length and intensity of Cardio. I don't see any mentions of this or a similar concept in TBIII. Is this largely due to the switch to LIC from HIC as majority of sessions (particularly for Black)? Any thoughts on if the concept of continually reducing intensity of conditioning makes sense or isn't really needed?

2. Use of or of not training maxes has always been quite discussed on this subreddit and elsewhere. With the new %s in Op and no mention of TMs in the book, barring other factors is the presumption we largely should be basing %s on our actual 1RM or close to? Understand with forced progression now being the main progression type this is less important.

3. Any thoughts on the new %s in Op, particularly loss of the 90% and 95% weeks? I don't really see much explanation for the changes and removal of these weeks, any thoughts?

3a) How are you guys planning to utilize your Peak weeks and switch between the various types of Peaking options as you progress through?

Thanks - look forward to hearing your perspectives and I'm sure I'll have more questions as we go!

Waited a few days before reviewing to make sure I wasn't still in the honeymoon phase.

Spoiler: Nope, TBIII is still a block of solid black gold.

BACKGROUND

LE for roughly 15 years and tactical LEO for 9 now (scary how time flies). Even did the cadre thing on our selection a couple times.

TB was largely responsible for getting me the job. I trained for my first selection attempt using a concoction of 5/3/1, CrossFit, and running. I failed, but was encouraged to try again, and TB was one of the recommended resources. Second time around I used TBI & II and passed.

Tactical LE was a dream of mine since before the academy so in my case TB literally was life changing.

I've used lots of other programs since getting on the team including-but-not-limited-to Jeff Nichols, MTI, Stew Smith, and Cal Dietz.

I always return to TB because it straight up gives me the best results without dominating my entire life or leaving me broken. Some non-TB programs were better than others, but my experience was they looked better on paper vs how they worked in real life (the real life factor is a strong theme in TBIII).

THE REVIEW

The author did exactly as promised. OA cleaned up and revamped TBI & II. He also understated how much new material there actually was; periodization, work capacity, power, and much more. He could've put out a book with just those changes and it still would've been better than most of the programs out there now.

The Good

In Mass Protocol, OMS was the under-the-radar gem. In TBIII I think it's the AV templates. I'm surprised more posters haven't brought them up. The simple volume changes make progress with Operator or Zulu next level while keeping the conditioning going. Maybe it just came at exactly the right time for me. I'm getting close to a 500lb squat and progress has stalled for exactly the reasons outlined in AV. By the time I get to the work sets I'm done. I even got sidelined with a minor injury a few months ago, I suspect the volume and intensity were catching up. AV is such an obvious fix, and feeling kinda dumb I didn't think of it myself.

Op/Zulu PRO. After AV, this is my favorite variant and will likely be where I migrate down the road. Love the "daily 2RM" concept and the focus on athleticism with the dynamic effort work. Also seems like a good way to manage overall workload as pointed out.

Polarized/Conditioning. KB was going this way in Green Protocol with the hybrids, so not a big surprise. Personally this ties into the AV templates for me. Throttling back on the conditioning intensity while using the AV techniques will free up a lot of wattage to keep strength (and other training) going. P/C is similar to how we do cardio on the team and on the course so it's not completely new to me.

Simple PFT Prep: Nails it. KB could've wrapped this in fluff and sold it as a standalone book. I realize it's a joke but there actually are some shitty PFT templates out there being sold for close to a $100. Now if a guy in my agency asks me how to prep for our gate tests I can hand him two pages.

Work Capacity Blocks: Solved another major problem for me. Just couldn't figure out how to get enough GC work in with Black. Didn't want to sacrifice the running HICs, and GCs take too much out of me to do on a regular basis within Black. Like the book says, it made for a half-assed Black.

Periodization: What can I say. This is another section he could've chopped up and sold for individual parts. Absolutely dig the periodized plans, they solve the problem of doing "everything" as promised. Now I know how to fit any kind of training or tool I want in a larger plan.

Running Rants: Resonated with the "earn your zone 2". Also agree that hill work is excellent for our kind, whether sprints or part of LIC.

Overall Flavor: KB's signature deadpan humor livens the book up and kept me engaged the entire time. Even the "Boring Stuff" wasn't really boring. As a LEO I really appreciated the insider nuances. There's even the mandatory good natured dig at Fire Fighters (if you're LE or Fire, you'll understand). The style of this book kept me engaged and wanting to turn pages more than some of the fiction books I've got on the go.

The Bad

This might come off a little nitpicky to some people, but it adds a little "balance" to my review and is worth mentioning.

Appendix A: Would've been nice if he duplicated the entire Vault from TBII and put it here. IMO TBIII makes both I & II obsolete in terms of programming except for the classics in the TBII Vault. Everything in one book would've been good. I get it, can't expect authors to keep duplicating work from earlier books for every new release, but still. I already have II, but I can imagine someone new to the program having to shell out for TBII just to get the legacy workouts.

Appendix C: I don't buy TB books for nutrition info, but was hoping for a similar approach to performance fueling as laid out in Green Protocol. Like amount of carbs/hour thing, electrolytes during various training, or specific fueling around LIC or HIC. Did appreciate the nod to athletes vs tactical athletes here. Still, underwhelming. The typical "eat 1gm protein", whole food choices, all that.

The Ugly

Nothing.

FINAL THOUGHTS

Overall, this is a 5/5 book for me, not even close. This is what TBI & II should've been, but I understand things change over 10 years.

Going forward my feeling is this might end up being the standard other tactical fitness programs are measured against. At least in the "tactical world". Can't say for sure how it'll play out in the civilian world because the limitations or goals may not be the same, but IMO it's relevant for anyone interested in high level concurrent training.

How does the new TBIII stack with green protocol, especially from a periodization standpoint? Anxiously awaiting the kindle version to be released.

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Long-time Reddit lurker here, and this will probably be my first and only post. I recently accomplished a long-term goal of mine, and I wanted to share it in the hope that it encourages someone else to trust the process.

First, I want to say thank you to KB. From the bottom of my heart, thank you for all the advice you've shared here, on the forum and in the books, along with the rest of the moderators. I can honestly say you've changed the way I think about training—not just how to train, but what I'm capable of achieving when I truly commit to something.

For a bit of background, I'm a civilian working in IT with no real lifting or endurance background. I've got a couple of years of Sambo, wrestling, and Judo training but no real consistency.

A few years ago, I was in the process of joining the military but failed my final selection and was told not to come back. Was a kick in the head for sure as I always thought that would be my life. During that time though, one of the other candidates mentioned Tactical Barbell, and I've been hooked ever since.

Last year I picked up Green Protocol as what I thought would be my final goodbye to endurance training—and, in a way, to the military dream. It transformed me from someone who could barely run/walk three miles continuously into someone who has just completed the UK Three Peaks over the course of a week while travelling solo.

Capacity went smoothly without any major issues. By the end of Velocity, I surprised myself by completing a 30.9-mile route through the Peak District hills in 7 hours, 15 minutes, and 7 seconds. I will admit I did cheat a little—I didn't run the entire distance. Around mile 10, the first major climb felt almost vertical, so I switched to a run-walk approach, which got me through the rest of the route.

By the end of Outcome, though, I was completely drained. During the final month, I scaled back almost all my training except for ruck marches. Work, poor sleep, family issues—if something could go wrong, it did. Rather than trying to force everything, I focused on what would matter most on the mountains.

This was also my first-ever solo road trip across the UK, so I had to plan everything myself: accommodation, routes, food, pack weight, and places to visit. There were a few screwups I made along the way, but I came away with a newfound appreciation for nature and just how beautiful the UK really is.

Snowdon in Wales went well, apart from the relentless rain.

Scafell Pike in England was probably the toughest day. It was warm and sunny, but the ground was one giant marsh until you reached the summit. I ended up losing two pairs of boots—first the tread gave out, then the soles completely detached. I had no choice but to hobble back down in my socks.

Between slipping on my arse constantly, getting lost, continuously stepping on sharp rocks and accidentally stepping into water that I thought was ankle-deep but turned out to be hip-high, I can honestly say it ranks among the five worst experiences of my life. Looking back, though, it gave me a new appreciation for comfort and showed me what I'm capable of when there's no option but to keep moving.

Ben Nevis in Scotland was easier to navigate but far more physically demanding near the summit. The descent was just as difficult. My knees took an absolute battering, and I slipped more than once on the way down with the full pack weight in each step.

After finishing and taking a short break, I heard there was a kickass waterfall about six miles from the car park. Since I'd already paid for a full day's parking, I figured, "Why not?" So I ran there. It was only rolling hills, but before starting Green Protocol I wouldn't have even considered doing that after climbing a mountain, let alone actually following through. My only regret was bringing nothing but the last quarter of a pack of M&M's and forgetting to take any water.

I'm writing this from my bathtub after a very long soak. My knees, hips, and feet definitely know what I've put them through, but I feel better about myself than I have in years.

I now know that when things get difficult, I can yomp a pack, move over mountains for hours, stay mentally composed, avoid panicking when things go wrong, and simply keep putting one foot in front of the other.

When I got home, Tactical Barbell III had arrived in the post, so I've got some catching up to do.

TL;DR: Tactical Barbell has completely changed the way I approach fitness and conditioning, but more importantly, it's changed my mindset toward training and life itself. Trust the process. Don't wait for the perfect time—start that block of training today.

OGs will remember when the Juggernaut method came out one of the main changes was to invert the sets and reps. So instead of 5x10, which is draining, 10x5 to keep fatigue down and bar speed high. I think the same can be done with several of the Operator templates.

After TBIII came out there was a lot of attention to the Breacher section and discussions around how power can be trained concurrently rather than as a standalone block. Yes, jumps and throws can (should?) be part of a warm up.

Let's put aside the role of Breacher as a part of a whole periodized cycle for now.

Some of the OA programs have primary and secondary set/rep schemes either done the same or different days. For example, squat for a 2-3RM on Day One and on Day Three 3-5 sets of 5 reps. Dynamic effort is specifically mentioned in the book in this context.

Operator I/A in 3rd edition allows for more than 5 sets, I think up to 8 or more.

So, one thing I've done is invert the sets and reps to really keep bar speed high and fatigue low: 5-8 sets of 3 reps for the secondary lift.

Usually I do sets of 2-3 reps EMOM until bar speed slows down noticeably.

Not the best thing for hypertrophy but this would mainly apply to an Operator template. And a good way to get the work in and fatigue low. Maybe a really good choice for those doing conditioning on the harder end of the scale for that program.

Just read TBIII and was wondering if there’s a possibility to do the operator for the strength part using just a few kettlebells and bodyweight exercises.
I’m thinking double KB press, (weighted) pull-ups, single leg KB goblet squat and KB swings.
Not striving for the same results one can achieve with the barbell clusters.

How would you guys calculate the percentages in the book using just 2-3 kettlebells since the rep count will be higher (especially swings)?

Hey folks, just getting done with base building I’ve been doing most of my E on the stationary bike. I have no physical requirements for my job, just trying to get in the best shape I can. I want to at some point participate in a 5k sometime in the future. I weigh 265 at 6’1. I’m in it for the long haul so slow progress is fine with me. What body weight do yall think would be good to start running without putting too much strain on joints and bones. Thanks in advance!!

Just passed the physical fitness test for the state agency I’ve been working toward joining. My 1.5-mile run wasn’t great, but I did much better on the 4-minute row. (The two exercises that we were tested on)

Assuming everything goes well, the academy starts on January 4th. The recruiters told us to stay in shape because we’ll be tested again before the academy to see if we’ve improved. They also said we won’t only be tested on the 1.5-mile run and 4-minute row—we’ll also be tested on a 500 m row and a 2000 m row.

I’ve been reading Tactical Barbell and was planning to continue PPLE until the academy. One of KB’s recommendations is to continue with Block 1 and then switch to Block 2 about 8–9 weeks before your event to become more specific.

My question is: since rowing is a significant part of the academy testing, would you start incorporating rowing sessions during Block 2, or would you just follow the program exactly as written? My thought is that the strength and conditioning in both blocks should carry over well, but rowing seems specific enough that it might be worth adding as the academy gets closer. Also, I've heard from current LEs that the academy consisted of a good amount of rowing. But I'm sure maybe just practicing on my rowing form before the academy should be more than enough.

For those of you who’ve run PPLE or prepared for a law enforcement academy, what worked best for your academy?

What’s up, everyone, looking for some niche folks in here, or if anyone has similar experience to share some guidance, it would be greatly appreciated.

Currently, I am coming off of a more CrossFit style training block due to my current rules at the academy. We do a lot of hit style training and bodyweight/running. What program are you guys running as a patrol officer and someone who is active in BJJ? Currently about 255 pounds. And really want to get down to around 220.

To add another question, what diet are you guys running as well? Right now I’m very low-carb just from the amount of sitting we do and wouldn’t mind cutting carbs completely and maybe have some fruit before my workouts.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated

I’ve been in the army for 15+years now and still going. I’ve done lots of programs over the years but looking for something full-body that meets the intent for staying in shape while active duty. Can I start with TBIII or do I need start somewhere else?

Seems to me the operator template has gotten harder. It used to be 5x5@70%, 5x3 at 80%, 4x2@90%. Now it’s 5x5@75% (a good change. The 70% week felt easy), 5x5@80%, 5x3@85%. Adding those 10 reps at 80% is tough! I was doing 5x3 at 315 squat but 5x5 is too tough so I lowered my 1RM by 5%. This is just what I’ve noticed. Curious if anyone else has similar experience.

I'm planning to run a half marathon on October 4th. I just completed my first base building and Operator/Black cycles, and will start my second Operator/Black cycle next week. This gives me time for one more 6 week cycle before the race.

I am planning to do some variation of Fighter/Green (or Fighter and a more structured race prep plan). Since reading the new book, I've been been thinking about Fighter/Bangkok and using that third day to incorporate plyometrics into my race prep. I'm not sure that 6 straight weeks of power training leading up to a race makes sense though ... how would you use the 3rd strength day of Fighter/Bangkok if you were training for a race?