Power
 

Agreed, Razor, I misinterpreted your second post about how powerlifting is'nt a true "power" indicator. By a purely power definition a person doing 100 sets of 100lbs on the bar, with speed, would generate more "power" than an individual using 270lbs once. Which is the true powerlifter? Who truly produces more power? So i agree.

On a different note. What I have gathered thus far, is that there is'nt a catch all formula for the SF soldier. The plethora of training and combat environments alow one to specialize. I.E. One team member could run forever with a light ruck (lithe cardio nut) and another may be a fireplug with the ability to kick a door into splinters (gym freak). So, it seems, the specific demands of SF alow a soldier to specialize, just as you do in MOS's.

I was trying to make a joke with that 'mad' face, I asumed the mad face was a joke to begin with no? The comment on build is actually correct. I am rather skinny compared to other 6'0'' men.

Thanks fot he input regarding size, I will go with what I feel works best for me.

- Jacob

I asked because CF gyms are good places to train. The environment is very competitive and this really gets the best out of me. Also, I wasn’t familiar with many of the workouts prior to starting i.e. muscle ups, burpees…

This is a gym in your city http://www.crossfitboston.com/. They tend to give military discounts at these gyms.

There is a CF gym at FT. Bragg as well.


- Jacob

Here is my .02 Lifting and being able to bench 300lbs does not equate to power. Ask my echo as he was lying on the ground bleeding out and our weight lifting bravo could not lift him into the vehicle. By all means to each his own and if you want mass that is cool. You have to realize that there are 11 brothers counting on you to be able to lift carry drag etc them to safety. I feel that as a SF team guy you should concentrate your PT program to incorporate every task you might have to perform. Shooting, climbing, driving patrolling carrying and the likes. Crossfit seems to be the rage right now and I do enjoy the intense short workouts. However I still ruck with the dogs 3 times a week (yes my dogs carry a ruck) and run a couple of times a week along with swimming. I am more impressed with a dude that has the endurance and power to get a teammate out of the fatal funnel when required. Relying on adrenaline is BS again ask my echo.

Mass / Weight Gain / Power
 

My third son, 20 years-old, gets back from Ramadi in three weeks. He's putting his packet together to get an SFAS slot in the Fall. He's going from the reserves to the National Guard. He's aiming for the 20th SFNG try-out September 8th & 9th in Chicago to earn a shot at Selection. He's asked that I help train him. A huge priority for Mike will be power and weight gain. He's 6'0'' and 140. He's been as high as 155 after basic, but coming back from Iraq he's the first to admit that they didn't eat real well on their deployment - the goat was making a lot of our guys sick and their camp was the one in the news with the water issues. We'll have the summer to train.

Here's our goals...

• High protein diet - gain 2 to 3 pounds a week for 13 weeks = 172 lbs. Been talking to the GNC folks. Reading literature online.
• Power training - High weights, low reps. Free weights and machines; combined with core power exercises - sledge hammer on tractor tire, tractor tire hill roll, medicine ball, weight sled, etc. ...Lots of push-ups, sit-ups, and pull-ups.
• Cardio - 2 to 4 mile runs (three times per week) and rucks (two times per week; maybe, three times per week as we get close to September). We'll try to not overdue it; Mike already runs well with good times, his rucking is fine as well.
• Generally following the regimen laid out in GET SELECTED by Major Martin and MSG Dodson
• I think Mike will be burning 3,000 calories a day; we'll be aiming for 4,200 calorie daily diet. We'll play with things and see where the results start happening.
• Get his current APFT from 270 to 300+ ...80/80/12:20

Any thoughts or feedback are welcome.

Three Soldier Dad...Chuck

While a high protein diet is fine, you/he needs to maximize nutrient timing for recovery on his compressed timeline. Don't focus just on extreme levels of protein, but nutrition. I learned about the timing being key in the early 90's and had tremendous results from my experiences. Here's an example of what I mean from a book I haven't read, but have heard of in recent years:

Dan, that's super. I was going to ask you for a source and then googled "nutrition timing" and got a great article that backs-up your counsel.

http://www.utexas.edu/features/archi...nutrition.html

Gracias...

Three Soldier Dad...Chuck

nutrition
 

eat every 2-3 hrs.

consume 4000-5000 cal/day

macro-40%protein 30%carb 30%fat

Have your carb concentration in the morning, and fat at night.

High protein intake should be after anerobic workouts.

Eat clean!

Sample foods for carbs; brown rice, sweet potato, dextrose, wheat posta, heavy wheat bread.

Sample foods protein; eggs (half yolk, half whites), chicken (my favorite), red meats sparingly, nuts (fat also), tuna, other fish (great source of omegas)

I also strongly reccomend a whey protein powder, theres alot of brands out there, they all do relativly the same thing. Natures best and BSN are pretty good tasting. Go for quantity over quality, if price is an object. Proteins are moleculary similar and your body processes them generaly the same way.

Fats; included in those above.

Dont worry about other supps now, for the most part they are a waste of money... (I work in a nutrition store)

SLEEP, 8-10hrs, its when your muscles actually rebuild and GROW:lifter

I changed my cal intake to 4000cal to maintain my weight because of my increased cardio. If your son can manage more I suggest it.

Oh and I'm looking to go 20th also, either in San Antonio or Mass. Good luck and post his progress, It would be nice to see how a fellow pre selection candidate is doing. Good luck to your son!

Your all over it with that article and saved buying a book ;)

I'd suggest reading "Starting Strength" by Mark Rippetoe. Best instruction on how to squat, deadlift, clean and press (The section on squats alone is about 50 pages) and there's enough programming information to get the beginner started in strength training and building mass. Your son could follow Starting Strength for a few months and would make quick, easy gains in the big lifts.

However, the tryouts he's shooting for are coming up, so you are going to have to decide at what point you stop trying to get stronger and build muscle, and at what point you start working on rucking and running and the PT test.

While being strong never hurt, keep in mind that they don't test the squat or deadlift at SFAS. (Nor do they weigh you either.) I'd err on the side of getting him prepared for ruckruns rather than putting on weight.


To the orginal poster - For what it's worth my one rep max for the major lifts didn't improve and I didn't gain muscle when I did Crossfit. I am a former endurance junkie, and it took me a while to figure out I needed to build strength before working on strength endurance (which is mostly what Crossfit emphasizes.). I'm now doing a 3x5 program that focuses on squats and deadlifts. I'll go back to something similar to Crossfit when I get my strength where I want it. If you are already a big, strong dude and want to get "fitter", then Crossfit might be perfect for you. But for skinny bastards, it probably isn't the end all be all of PT programs.


However, the main page Crossfit WODs have evolved in the couple of years since I did it, and now feature a lot more max effort days, so others may have different results. If you want to continue with Crossfit and still improve your strength, read about Rutherford's MEBB program. Stands for Maximum effort Black Box and is a hybrid between powerlifting (or Oly lifting) and Crossfit metcon workouts. Another word of advice: If the Google leads you to the crossfit forum page on the internets, take everything there with a big grain a salt. It's big echo chamber where they think Crossfit cures cancer and not the place for independent thought.

perfect body!?
 

I can see there is a lot of thought about what is needed to be an SF soldier. As has been mentioned there are many shapes and sizes. Just stay active and, focus on increased endurance at functional levels. In the end you will find that it's not the figure of the man, but the man himself. More mind than body.
I had a Team Leader that weighed 135 pounds and carried a 108 pound ruck and 56 pounds on TA-50 (more than his body weight). I on the other hand weighed 230 pounds and carried about the same weight. A proportional difference but the same loads and this is done for months in the woods, in the snow, in the desert, in the jungles, and mountains by many body shapes and sizes.

I will tell you all that there is an exercise system that will make you at least 20% stronger than your life time best and over double your aerobic and anaerobic endurance levels. you will not lose speed, will not get sore, no tendon strains or ligament tears. All done without DOMS.
It is a system I designed and have used for about 15 years. You can acquire a copy from http://www.professionalsoldiers.com/files/workout.pdf

3SoldierDad, something to consider given the compressed timeline is diet adaptation. By that, I mean that if you get your boy used to consuming a huge amount of calories at a specific macronutrient mix, his system might get a bit of a shock when he reports in to SFAS and he's not eating 4-5 meals a day at 4000 kcal each with a X amount of protein/fat/carbs. That said, I'd say do what you can nutrition-wise early on, but don't expect miracles, and no less than a few weeks out switch to a "normal" x3/day eating routine with expected mess hall proportions. SFAS is hard enough without feeling hungry and tired all the time.

Then again, I'm no nutritionist, so the above is simple opinion and carries no guarantees.

I'm starting to plump up a little these days, especially with all the team bbq's we're having in 1st GRP. :lifter

Just a note - what I say has to do with training for strength and gaining weight in general. It may or may not be applicable to SFAS trainees, but nonetheless, I went on a 6-month strength block following Mark Rippetoe's as part of my military preparation. So, please use discretion...

If your goal is maximal strength gains, I highly recommend reading the "Starting Strength" book from cover-to-cover. Following the routine alone is not enough for most novices...proper execution of the barbell lifts is an intricate process. I'd also pick up "Practical Programming for Strength Training," also by Coach Rippetoe. The aforementioned books will doubtlessly increase your strength physiology IQ and prevent costly programming errors.

I was 6'0, 145 when I started Rip's routine. Got up to 6'0 185 within a couple months, and more-than-doubled my strength in quite a few lifts. I'm a wiry little hard gainer, so strength was always my weakness.

In my opinion, if you're trying to gain weight, nutrition shouldn't be complicated. Eat meat, vegetables, and drink a gallon of milk a day. Health is a long-term concern. But if you're training to be strong, I'd eat like it.

Just a note from Blitz...abot the blitz
 

I hear these arguments all the time . Mass vs strength power etc. I invented and have put in PS.com a system of exercise that will Maintain power and increase strength by 20 percent as a Minimum and DOUBLE your anaerobic and aerobic endurance.. There is no system on the planet that does what this system does.
As a Note.. POWER is Strength X Speed. If you want to improve your performance increase both but do not loose speed.

I am working presently to get the Blitz into 5th group. It is unlike any other thing any of you have done.
It's benefits are Increased strength, increased muscle endurance, higher resistance to joint injury, Power.

Try it here: [url="http://www.professionalsoldiers.com/files.workout.pdf]

Be strong Blitz.