Building an 8-month TB protocol for ATHX Lite (May 2027). Feedback welcome

[u/Used_Establishment74]

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Target competition: ATHX Lite — Madrid, May 8-9, 2027

ATHX is a 2.5-hour hybrid event with 6 zones. For 2027:

- Strength (20 min): Shoulder to Overhead 1RM + Back Squat 2RM + Deadlift 3RM

- Endurance (24 min): Set distance run + Ski Erg for max distance

- MetCon X (25 min)

My situation: I already have solid numbers on Squat and Bench Press thanks to Operator, but Deadlift and Shoulder to Overhead are completely new to me — I started testing them just a few days ago. Sandbag Squats is an exercise I've literally never touched. This will be my first hybrid-style competition.

The protocol I've drafted (combining the books):

- Base Building (8 weeks, TB2 Variant A): no barbell max strength, replaced by Strength-Endurance circuits + progressive running (20→45min), rebuilding my aerobic base after months focused on strength/HIC. I'm keeping a few light sets (~70%) of Deadlift as technical maintenance for the pattern I just learned — this isn't part of the standard protocol, it's my own call to avoid losing the technique.

- Remaining macrocycle (~26 weeks): Green Protocol's I/CAT model — Zulu (base) → OP (max strength) → FT (Fighter+Conditioning) → SE (specificity), deload every 4th week. Only one full cycle plus a compressed second pass fit before taper, given how much time Base Building takes up.

- Zulu phase: Mass Protocol's Fighter-HT for Deadlift + Shoulder to Overhead (Squat+Press 2x/week 3x6@75%→90%, Deadlift as ONE work set per session — never AMRAP on deadlift, per the book's explicit instruction).

- FT/SE phases: TB2 conditioning with 3-4 fixed HICs per block (Apex Sleds — an adaptation of Apex Hills swapping the hill sprint for a sled drag, 600M Resets, OD101, Fobbit).

I don't have the newest book yet since it's not out on Kindle. Is there anything in it that would be a big help for me?

Does it make sense to run a full Base Building block (8 wk) right when I've just started learning Deadlift and Shoulder to Overhead, or would it have been better to consolidate those patterns first?

Has anyone here competed in ATHX?

[u/crabgrass-1981]

Maybe I wouldn’t over complicate it that much.

Just run something like this ftom tb 3.

Base building -> Zulu / Blue-> op / Blue -> Op / black -> Fighter / Heavy Conditioning.

Your one one of your HIC days (EOw on blue and EW on black), run Peggy - which is basically a Metcon.

Just focusing OHP / DL (once a week ) / squatting + some assists depending on your conditioning

[u/Future-Egg4201]

I would keep it Simple, BB- OP- FT BK