(Same intro, part II is below)
When I saw that strength coach Joe Defranco was discussing on his podcast how he structures strength and conditioning programming for tactical populations I just had to listen. I have never met the man but Joe’s original 2004 article, “Westside For Skinny Bastards” was something that had a huge impact on me as a new strength coach.
This was the first time I read of someone taking as massively successful program/template/system for powerlifters (Westside System), and intelligently modifying it to fit a specific athletic population. Usually, modifications ruin things...not the case here. I actually used this plan as I was getting ready to start the police academy in my early twenties and although I would do things different now it was a phenomenal template.
In his podcast, Joe brings up something that I discuss in my book and have previously written about...the difference between selection train ups vs what I call the “day to day” training for these populations. I think a lot of people don’t realize the importance of this distinction. This is why in our We Go Home Human Performance Program we offer standalone programs for SWAT and SOF selections build ups and then our monthly plan that is designed to meet the insane demands of these lifestyles.
Selection Prep Vs Day To Day- Overall Volume
The other reality that one needs to understand between selection preparation and “day to day” training is the overall volume one needs for each training phase. Depending on the selection, volume is something you’re going to need. If you’re going to Ranger School...at some point it would behoove you to put on a ruck sack and get some time on your feet. If you’re going to a SWAT selection and you know you’re going to be doing a lot of kit runs...you might want to work in some weighted runs at some point.
Here is the thing though- you can’t do this forever. I don’t care how tough you are, at some point the volume catches up to you and you either stall in your progress or you get injured...but typically it’s usually both- you'll stall then get injured. This also happens faster as you get older.
This doesn’t mean you stop training hard or even doing higher volume workouts, it just means that things need to be modified once you made it to wherever you’re going. Do you think NFL players are constantly worrying about their 225 rep max once their on the team? No. The same mentality needs to be used for our Hero populations.
For our Heroes, not only are most of you not professional athletes, you also deal with different stressors of the job and life. Most professional athletes aren’t working nights nor are they occasionally being exposed to some of society’s most horrifying sights. Professional athletes also don’t go off to multi-week training events where you eat poorly, sleep little, and the sleep you do get usually on the ground in the cold or heat.
What you do in these unique situations to maintain your fitness is different than what you did to get there. This should be common sense, but unfortunately many of us (including myself) will bypass that to feel like we worked hard. The end result is if you do that too often you may end up hurt or your readiness will suffer when it counts...when you need to perform for your team or community. That isn’t toughness...that is immaturity.
Find the balance with volume can be challenging. If you’re struggling to figure it out, check out our programming with a free one week trial.
