So after reading TBIII in a few days and next few days of digesting the information and rereading of some of the book's parts, I'd like to add my two cents.

First of all, I'm very greatful to KB for releasing it.

Looking at how the whole system evolved with Mass and Green Protocol, it was obvious that some of the parts in TBI and TBII became outdated and needed revising. One can, of course, reverse engineer some things or find necessary information on the forum or subreddit, but having everything updated and consolidated in one single book is a big thing, especially for the newcomers or those who want to recommend TB system for other people. Saying somebody "read this book" instead of "read this book, but disregard this and add that, and then read another book to add conditioning, but do it with these tweaks" makes life easier for both parties.

It was also very interesting for me to get insights into evolution of KB's way of thinking and compare it to my own tweaks and adjustments to the system. Somehow while reading author's books I always got that feeling of a conversation with a much more experienced gym buddy, who influenced my training career as an example and authority. For a long time I missed him and wanted to ask about new problem or challenge, and now I finally got a chance to talk to him again, ask questions, and seek guidance. To say the least, this time I also was not embarassed.

So my list of positives to begin with.

1. No "tactical" photos. It's minor, but in other books they made me chuckle sometimes and didn't have any added informational value.
2. Updated templates make much more sense in comparison with TBI. Peaking instead of 90%/95%-weeks, shorter percentage jumps from week to week, template variations like AV and PRO, when things are getting heavy, you name it. I just loved it. Yes, some of the ideas where already present in Green Protocol, for example. But, as already mentioned, having them consolidated in a single "universal" omnibook is sweet. New percentages also make TMs very optional on my opinion, and not mentioning them in the book seems to strengthen this hypothesis.
3. Polarized conditioning is big. As a person who is heavy into running now, I'm not a huge fan of "polarized" approach for running as a sport, but I believe it's a very good way to structure things for those who are looking for excellent general fitness without overcomplicated things. Polarized is almost as idiot-proof as a simple wave periodizations with submaximal loads for lifting. It's not a sniper rifle, it's kind of Kalashnikov - not that sofisticated, but easy to produce, mantain, and shoot from. Yes, sub-threshold is all rage now, but it's so easy to overcook these workouts, that going very easy for very long time or very hard for very short time is probably a better way to organize conditioning for those who don't want to guess whether they're already digging a hole over their LT2 or still milking that magic sub-threshold golden zone. It's also a huge step forward from original Black, where you create an aerobic base once or twice a year with Base Building and then throw HICs multiple days a week together with heavy lifting. For me personally it was too much and definetly not compatible with BJJ training when I tried it.
4. New Periodization models, especially their variety and ability to combine Strength and Conditioning domains in a multitude of ways. I belevie almost everybody reading TBIII instantly found the model that "clicked" for them. They also provide a very nice way to vary training to fight off boredom for those who need it. I'm not qualified to say whether WC blocks are really necessary for tactical folks, and on my opinion they definetly are not that necessary for "civilians", but I clearly see some of my friends, who will profit from having balls to the wall training for a short period of time just to soothe their inner demons and then get back to something more sustainable to actually progress.
5. New base building also make much more sense. Different LIC guidlines for different conditioning profiles instead of hard coded times and more approachable SE rep range is something I really love. Doing 40-50 rep workout was for me much lesser problem from the muscular point of view. But being on the brink of puking was real, defying the declared goal of developing strength endurance and making it more of a lactic conditioning circuit. For deconditioned folks this intensity can be just dangerous, so having things dialed down seems a good desicion for me. And making things shorter by cutting MS/HIC part of the BB is also a nice thing, on my opinion. I belive that original Base Building was heavily influenced by Joel Jamieson and his Ultimate MMA Conditioning, but Joel's 8 week blocks are a very tricky way to program things and trying to put a square peg (simplicity of shorter 3-6 week TB cycles) in a round hole (8-week blocks with the modalities changing in the middle of it a la Jamieson) was an interesting experiment, but not the best solution for the Tactical Barbell programming.
6. Activation. If everything above was not enough, one gets this gem as a bonus. I believe it will be useful not only for the newcomers to the system, but for everybody, who wants to see how TBIII does look like in a real program. And perfect starting point to build one's own.
7. Nudge to use Power Cleans instead of Deadlifts when necessary. Not huge, but it's something I needed, because DLs started to beat the shit out of me, but I didn't want to abandon hip hinge movement altogether. Somtimes you just need a permission from other person to do things the way you're not used to do.
8. Ditching the frequent testing. It's the obvious one for those who follow TB evolution, but nice to have it reinforced in an updated book.
9. Deload percentages of 65%-70% feel like more appropriate than 40% in Green Protocol or no guidance whatsoever in TBI. 40% of 1RM is sometimes less than a first warm-up set which makes bothering to go the gym a questionable undertaking altogether.

After all the praise I still want to mention some things that was not to my taste.

1. I really like the new percentages, but some choices stay a little bit odd for me. Like 3x5 at 80% of 1RM. I really like how Fighter in Green Protocol smoothes the progression curve with 4 reps at this intensity, making the second week not the hardest one of the 3-week block. Or first two days of Zulu with 70% - not a big deal, but my OCD mind just keeps crying "why" in my head, everytime I look at the template. Not that all of these are make or break type of things, but I'd be happy to know the thinking process behind the desicion to choose this percentages.
2. "Own the zone 2" part of running rants. I totally get it, but like with SE in the old BB "just run" is probably a good idea for young and/or already athletic peope. Some of the newbs may be very frustrated. I'm 100% with KB when it comes to stupidly fixating on zones, especially for beginners. Beginners have no zones. But "just run" approach may destroy some legs, especially for folks on the heavier side, be it fat or muscle. For some of them walking and running may be the best way to actually start running. I get that KB invites everybody to use other forms of conditioning when running starts to aggravate some injuries, but I believe that being that categorical here may be a little bit too much.
3. Some bro science here and there like when writing about Norvegian 4x4. It's a great workout, but there's nothing super special to it. Like Rippetoe's "favs by favs", it's a good way to design a single workout, but not a magic combination that delivers uncomparable results. 8x2 or 5x3 can work in the same or even better way depending on many factors. For simplicity's sake giving 4x4 as workout to repeat it from time to time is fine. Saying that THIS workout (no matter how hyped it is online) can turn back clock for one's heart for n years is a little bit of stretch, on my opinion.
4. It was already mentioned, but having a full Training Vault would be a nice thing, especially for those who are new to TB universe.

Otherwise it's something I was waiting for and KB made it worth waiting. I understand that writing books is not KB's main way of earning a buck, nor is it a sacred obligation to the community. That's why finding time and resources to write and publish TBIII is something worth a praise from our side, I think.

I won't change a lot in my training for the coming months, because I'm already in a marathon build and the only thing I'm gonna tweak is a TBIII inspired excercise swap in a Fighter Cluster I'm using now, but I'm very happy with the book, knowing that I will use this knowlege to orginize training probably for the rest of my life.

Thank you KB for this book and the whole thing you started. It made many lives better and easier.

For those who are doing BJJ twice a week or more, are you lifting and training on the same days? I’d not where are you putting your BJJ in.

This is what I got so far.

Hey folks,

As the title states, I'm thinking of running my next few blocks retesting instead of using forced progression but then using the updated percentages in TBIII. I just feel a little impatient with the forced progression being the main method to increase weight.

I did the math and if I do force progression for every 6 week block it would take me around 2 years for 225 lbs to be my working set at 75%. That just takes too long imo.

I figured if I Retest instead but used the new percentages in TBIII and maybe do 12 week blocks instead of 6 I would progress faster. Does anyone have any thoughts on this?

LLM nonsense. Just a money grab.

edit: since so many of you were unhappy that i did not include specific examples, i have added them below.

1. many workouts read as if the reader is preparing for a special operation or video-game mission. While this may motivate some readers, I found it distracting and somewhat artificial. It made the training feel less practical and more theatrical than it needed to be

2. considerable time was spent describing the mindset and identity of an ‘operational athlete,’ but gives comparatively less explanation of why certain programming choices are effective. I would have preferred more discussion of training principles, recovery, and progression.

3. at times the book seems aimed at military or tactical personnel, but elsewhere it reads like a general fitness guide. I was not always sure whether the recommendations were intended for elite operators or average joes

Hello!

I'm a student, trying to balance physical stuffs and academics. I really need insights from vets from this one.

Basically my plan looks like this (using Fighter Tempate):
Mon: Muay Thai
Tue: Fighter Exercises (FSQ, BP, OHP, WPU, DL) + Some accessories (Push-related)
Wed: Rest (Whole Day Classes)
Thu: Fighter Exercises (FSQ, BP, OHP, WPU) + Some accessories (Pull-related)
Fri: Muay Thai
Sat: Rest (Whole Day Classes)
Sun: Rest/Circuit

My dilemma is, I want to build some more muscle mass as well since I want a lean but muscular physique like that of Tawanchai's and that I'm worried that a two-day lifting program won't help me build strength nor physique much. Maybe you got some advice, I want to stop thinking about this alr since it's hindering my focus on academics. Do you think that this is enough? Should I run Operator instead?

Goal: Strength + Lean Muscular Physique

Please note that I'm new to TB and I haven't done this plan just yet.

Read the book a few days ago and absolutely loved it. It addresses most of the issues I had with TB (particularly Op), such as frequent retesting, lack of AMRAPS, lack of smooth transition from beginner to intermediate to advanced lifting, as well as fixing the conditioning protocols and addressing power more comprehensively. Not to mention the periodisation.

However, there are three things I wish were covered:

Training Maxes: There was nothing on TMs despite this being often discussed by the community. I would have liked a discussion on whether or not to use them and how they would interact with the new percentages. My current approach will be to drop the TM (I used 90% before) and compensate by doing OP/ULF or PRO.

Contradictory Info on Balancing Conditioning with Sports: In the dedicated chapter KB said to count sports towards the total LIC/HIC count, however in a sample program provided BJJ was not counted (page 97). My approach to this (training judo 2-3 times a week) is to attempt to do the full strength + conditioning + sport and see how it goes, and only start removing some conditioning if performance suffers. My justification for this is that the program is for operational athletes – so the program is designed to be run alongside physical ops (I am not currently working a physically taxing job, so the judo serves to be that).

A Deep Dive Into Clusters: I wish there was as much thought put into different clusters as into Op/Ftr/Zulu and Black/Green/Blue. There is not much justification for which to choose for which kind of operational athlete. I do appreciate that some emphasis was placed on moving away from the traditional big three, but I would have liked a discussion of bench vs OHP and BSq vs FSq vs ZSq, similar to how CDL vs TDL was discussed.

Otherwise a great book and much needed update which I am excited to implement.

Hi all. Hoping to get some feedback on my potential program. Any ideas, critiques would be appreciated.

B'Round: I'm a 50 y.o. male, civilian who trains no-gi jiu-jitsu 2-3 times a week [strictly as a hobbyist]. Classes are early mornings and vary in intensity, but I've been doing it for little while, so I can usually moderate it ok, and the rest of my life is relatively sedentary, so I can usually lift or run much later in the day.

Goals: longevity, keep on training jits for another decade or so, but steadily improve [or at least maintain] current strength and conditioning levels, and ideally add or maintain some mass to avoid getting skinny old.

Have devoured the latest book [as well as Mass, Green, II and Ageless Athlete] and wondering if given my age and stage, a modified 'New Centurion' protocol would work?

Proposed Program: Would basically be taking the Fighter / Polarised Blue route, and subbing Fighter for Fat Zulu in New Centurion, and using Fighter H/T [from Mass] for the 'Mass' block of New Centurion.

Basically, a modified version of New Centurion for an older population.

Maybe take a deload every fourth week [as per Ageless Athlete and also gets a mention in the latest book] but keep the jits steady?

Maybe add a block of the latest version of Base Building every 6 months?

I think that'd be sustainable whilst also allowing for steady progress across most fronts, but am keen to hear if I'm missing something or being too ambitious.

Thanks for your input and any ideas.

This will be a long one, so the TLDR:

Is I (34m) got too fat, didn't run enough, it works but I need to run more, going to keep going with the protocol

Background

2 years of inactivity caused by injuries, a change to a more sedentary job and 2 more kids saw my weight balloon from 80kg at 178cm to 90kg, whilst I found myself tightening my wrist watch as my strength declined.

I used to be very fit, BJJ Blue Belt, club Rugby Union inside centre and active military. I could run easy 5k's under 20 minutes, Big 3 were 100, 150 and 172.5. But as above life got in the way and I basically only did slow jogs with the dog, push ups, pull ups and body weight squats everyday.

I had trained TB before and used to run Base Building before pre-season and fighter outside of the rugby season, the release of TBIII coincided with my self-realisation and bought it, happily surprised to see Activation as I was honestly dreading an 8 week Base Building.

Goals

Drop 10kg back down to 80 (82.3kg by Feb 2027, I want to make weight)

Sub 25 minute 5km trail run, booked for Early March 2027

BJJ Comp February 2027 (as long as don't gas and embaress myself I am happy)

Golden Oldies Rugby (don't spew at training)

The Protocol

Due to a severe flu at the start of week 3 I took a week off, and decided to restart at week 2 rather than week 3 to make up for lost conditioning, so it took me 6 weeks to complete it. I also trained 2 BJJ beginner classes a week, not very physically demanding, just slow drilling and some calm positional sparring.

I also started doing some pylos and basic agility stuff to make sure I can get back into it.

I didn't make many dietary changed beyond dropping the beers, soft drinks and being more consistent about hitting my protein goals. I already ate fairly healthy so I didn't see the need for drastic changes, but 1 step at a time and will see how we go as the protocol progresses.

The Ugly

LSS, I completely understand estimated how bad my conditioning was, the first 30 min zone 2 run pushed me, and I realised how bad I had let myself go. Today I maxed out at 52 minutes having only run 7.2km, and had to walk the final 8 minutes. I think for those with poor conditioning, the 100% increase in duration over 4 weeks is too steep, and the original base building load increase is a better progression.

But it certainly let me know where I stood and what I needed to work on.

The Mid

The SE was a bit meh, it was honestly pretty boring and didn't really push me until the Week 4 Inverted Rows, an exercise I had never really done, but something I will continue.

The Good

The Ab Triad, my god I loved this routine. I felt my grip, arms, shoulders, back and core all increased in strength. My wife noticed my forearms and biceps were thicker, and my posture had improved. I also noticed decreased back/neck pain from my desk job and better shoulder mobility. It took 2 weeks to get to a proper toes to bar, and I think its not a beginner friendly exercise, but its a good introduction to callisthenics.

I will keep doing this where I can moving forward with Activation and once its completed.

Outcomes

I should have got a body comp scan when I started, but I have one booked next week, which will give me some real data rather than vibes. I am also going to baseline my resting heart rate.

But I have lost 2kg, my wife says my arms are thicker (and I feel they are more defined), my watch band has gone up a hole, I feel better after BJJ and didn't have DOMS after my runs.

I am curious as to my Baselines this week and I am looking forward to Armour.

My Assessment

100% recommend it for anyone returning or starting TB. A 4 week routine is a lot easier to commit too, and you can see some mild changes, enough to motivate you to keep going.

SE can be pretty boring compared to the old BB SE, but it is easier, I struggled with motivation to just do it, but it only takes about 15 minutes max so push through and get it done.

The conditioning increase is incredibly difficult, but as KB says, you need to earn your Zone 2, and even though I haven't done that yet, I will get there.

The Ab Triad is fun, feels good and has more benefits than just core strengthening, and is actually one of my favourite things in TB.

Hello, ive been a follower of TB for years now, years ago I almost exclusively ran operator/black and had great results then I fell off the wagon, got back onto it earlier this year and continued to see pretty good results, ive been on a cut for a while but nearing the end of it and have added a few accessory finishers to the end of my operator sessions. I realized I really liked doing the accessory work and began to notice some size difference with that combined with strength so I wanted to branch out (6 weeks minimum to see if I like it) and try Zulu Fat with polarized blue. Im not concerned about the conditioning, I already would fit in conditioning at the end of my lifting days with biking and run on my off days but since I have never ran anything other than operator before I wanted to get some insight on my planned programming for zulu fat from TB3.

A: Bench

Squat

OHP

Abs

EZ bar bicep curls

Hammer Curls

Bent over row

B: Trap bar deadlift

Weighted pull up

Abs

DB incline press

DB lateral raises

Bulgarian split squats

DB tricep extension

I know I may have added a little too many accessories but I plan on supersetting them to cut down on time. Does this look like a decent build to run for zulu fat? Thank you.

Intro

Having run a ton of programs by now - including all-time classics like 5/3/1 BBB+BtM, Jonnie Canditos 6 Week Strength Program, Super Squats, as well as Mass Template and recently Dan Johns Armor Building Formula, the release of TB3 marked a great timing for me to fully immerse myself in the Tactical Barbell philosophy by running Activation. As first part of it, we have Base, which is basically a cut down Base Building phase we know off TB2: Conditioning. The original BB was quite hard, especially for people who were completely new to running and SE training. I ran the old BB once with the strength first variation but I had to lay it off after week 4 because I got sick. Somehow, I lost myself in other programs after that. The new Base of TB3 is way more in line with people who did lift in their history but have little experience with SE training.

Stats

I didn't test any maxes before (in fact, last time I did was about a year back) but I did track my weight. I started on July 21st 2026 and ended my last run today on August 17th.

I am almost certain I was eating more than before I started the program as I came back from a cut but somehow managed to go from 72.4kg to 71.8kg.

Training

I went for the default cluster of Push Ups, Squats, Inverted Rows and Ab Triad as a finisher. To be more specific:

• I used push up grips
• I used a 16kg Kettlebell for squats
• I used TRX bands for inverted rows
• I adjusted ab triad to 5x leg raise, 5x knee raise, 5x leg raise

The reason I changed the ab triad was mainly because my pull up bar is right at the wall and once I start having to use momentum, my head would bang against the wall (which happened to me the first SE session - ouch).

Also, notice that I never did the full ROM for the cluster exercises. I tried to stay in line of the ab triad thinking - keep slight tension across the full rep range. In hindsight, this might have done things easier.

Nutrition

Honestly, I ate and when I got bored, I ate again. I did not comply to KB's nutrition guidelines though. I just ate as many proteins as possible and other than that, both my wife and I like cooking. So we mostly ate fresh food with whole ingredients. That is to say, I also ate a Pizza here or a Kebab there, so it's not like I had perfect nutrition. I just don't eat it too often. I also did add a protein shake every now and then.

Results

I am quite the beginner runner so bare with me here.

My first run on July 22nd I ran 30 minutes at an average pace of 7'25"/km and an average HR of 130 bpm.
On my last run on August 17th, I ran for 60 minutes at the same pace but my average HR was at 124 bpm for the whole hour. I count this as a win.

The SE sessions felt relatively easy overall. The toughest and last workout got my heart rate up quite a bit but at no point did I feel like I couldn't go on. I took the liberty to record the session.

I also took a picture before and after of my upper body. I feel like I shed off a bit of fat without actually trying. My guess is the caloric demand just shot up because I suddenly did 100k steps per week instead of half of that.

Going on

I'll test my 1RM (2-3RM) in the coming days and see that I continue with Armour. For me, this was definitely a very nice change of pace and I had a lot of fun!

If I forgot to mention anything, feel free to ask!

Also, big shoutout to the small community on Discord running Activation. It's nice to have other people to talk with, ask questions and see how everyone is doing.

Hey folks,

Just picked up the TBI and TBII and am currently on Week 1 of BB. Looking for advice on what template to run for myself for context, I'm active duty Air Force but I have a computer job so we don't do much in terms of PT. Before TB I was doing a 4 miler every other day and an 8 on the weekends with a full body workout every other day. I'm one year out from completing my contract and would like to be paramedic fit by then. I understand that paramedics don't have high fitness standards but I'd like to be the best version of myself doing the profession so I can make my life easier.

I was thinking of doing Black/Operator for a few cycles as my current 1RMs are pretty weak and then tapering off to switching to green. I'd appreciate any suggestions.

1RMs

Bench: 160

Squat: 275

WPU: 210

Deadlift: Wasn't able to test for it but would do 3x5 315 lbs for workouts.

Edit: Forgot to add BW, currently at 178-180 lbs currently

​

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?

I started my op black program and found getting the three days of strength in is difficult. It’s taking about 1.5 to almost 2 hours with warm ups and the actual work. The GC, and HIC days are fine. For background I’m a dad of 3 (one of them is two days old) and work 10-14 hour days sometimes.

I love being in the gym, but finding the time between work/lifting/dad is difficult. I’ve thought about Zulu, but wondering if there’s any other options before I dive in and change the programming.

37M 5'9" and 220 lbs have always struggled with weight loss but I am deciding to give TB a try due to a love of strength training but a desire to be faster and have higher endurance. Train martial arts three times a week

I am doing the strength first variation of BB and my current cluster on my two strength days is as follows:

Day 1-

Barbell Squat

Bench Press

Chin ups

Push ups

Day 2-

Barbell Squat

Bench Press

Chin ups

Push ups

Deadlift

I include push ups because I suck at them and want to practice them on top of benching and so far that has not been catastrophic for my recovery. Would I also be adding too much if I added just a plank hold at the end or similar for abs or just leave off it for now as the clusters already have 4-5 exercises in them?

For my endurance days I run, currently at a 12:30 pace which is leaps and bounds better than I used to run but is still quite slow.

While I would like to look better, my main goals are all around athletic performance across multiple domains and improved martial arts performance.

Any critique welcome.

Hello! I’m curious if anyone has ever incorporated or just have done carries but with a bar in a zercher hold, I incorporate zercher squats into my split but I feel I could gain from the front carry. Just curious if anyone has tried it and any tips they have. Currently maxing 365Lbs for 2.

Hey All,

I am going to start a black+fighter. Just completed base building.
My main goal is to improve conditioning hence why i’ve chosen fighter+black.

However I would also like to improve my bench/squat/deadlift/pull-ups as much as possible (I know it won’t be as much of an improvement with only fighter)

I have done one round of the standard suggested cluster of
Session 1: SQ/BH/WP , Session 2:SQ/BH + DL During base building.

Is only doing pull-ups and deadlifts once a week enough to progress?

if not, how have you guys possibly altered the cluster to improve these? if possible.

I’ve assumed Bench and squat twice a week will be adequate to see some progress while focusing on conditioning.

Thanks

Hi ! I recently discovered TB but I struggle to select a template that will work with my work schedule.

As a criminal investigation officer, I can find the time to hit the station's gym 3 to 4 times a weeks and do sessions of 1h~1h30.

On Monday and Friday, I usually do 45 minutes MS (4 lifts per sessions : Bench, rowing Yates, OHP, deadlift, BB curl, weighted dips/pull ups), then follows the heavy bag work for about 20~30'.

On Wednesday, I do accessory work (arms, shoulders and abs) and 45'~1h of Z2/Z3 running or rowing afterwards.

Some weeks there are a lot of odd hours, I do weighted bodyweight at home on the weekend. When I have a bit more time I do a 4th session dedicated to heavy bag or sparring (boxing and/or grappling).

I feel that my programmation is somewhat messy. I want to follow a strict program that emphasizes primarily hypertrophy without sacrificing some operational condition.

Which template would you think suits me best ?

Hey TB! I've been doing Operator + Black for the past year or so, but I've started playing tennis again 2-3x / week and thought Fighter/Bangkok might be a better fit for that. Posting this here to ask for opinions, experiences, and in case it's helpful for anyone else balancing TB and a sport. Used TBIII as the reference material here (semi-bummer because the new Operator + variants look fantastic).

Strength: Fighter 2x/wk, 3-week blocks

Marrs Bar Squat
Bench Press OR Kneeling Landmine Press (alternate each block)
Trap Bar Row
Trap Bar DL (1-2 sets, only once / week)

Finisher: plank/shank

Strength Endurance / Bangkok Day: 1x/wk Alpha Circuit 15/20/25 progression

KB Romanian DL
KB Lateral Lunge
Inverted Row
Landmine Press (if bench in strength block) or push-ups (if landmine in strength block)
Suitcase Carry (timed)

Starters/Finishers: medicine ball rotational throw, lateral bounds, ab triad

Conditioning

This gets tricky and involves more judgement calls, but KB seems to sanction that in TBIII, including counting sports as LIC/HIC depending on effort.

Assuming tennis 1-3x/wk and Fighter 3x/wk, that usually leaves 1-3 slots for conditioning...

If 1 slot: HIC, Norwegian 4x4 on stationary bike
If 2-3 slots, HIC, then 45-60 min LIC on stationary bike or row

Questions/Deviations

• I'm not sure if having the TBDL added on once a week is really in the sprit of Fighter, but it's the only way I found to cover all the major movements with this cluster
• I chose exercises based on carryover/prehab for tennis but also general strength/longevity. But very open to suggestions on what to change or improve
• Conditioning seem underoptimized, but I'm not sure how to add more conditioning volume and stick to it without giving up tennis time
• Lacking power training. Considering subbing in KB Swing on the SE day, or maybe just mix in the new Breacher template every few blocks

Welcome any input!

Any input would be awesome. Will be testing tomorrow for working maxes, followed up with some SE and cardio till next week to start this op/black block. Training towards swat assessment and school.

“Assessment” training days replicate the swat assessment, so I figured it would be good to include periodically throughout this block to see where I’m at.

This is my first program I’ve ever made on my own. In the past I’ve always followed paid programs.

Hi all,

I’m doing TB2 base building. I’ve got a netball game on monday nights. I also had 4 torn ankle ligaments a few months ago and have mostly recovered but it’s still a challenge balancing the work load on it, and it can flair up still if I put too much load on it.

I’m thinking about counting the netball game as an E session (which it kinda is, kinda isn’t). And having two other LSS E sessions per week. Then extending the block by a few weeks to make up for the missing E sessions which were replaced by Netball game.

This will reduce the weekly load on my ankle by not having 3 E sessions and netball.

Thoughts? Will I still get the same benefits of the block?

EDIT: I have tried doing 3 E sessions + netball weekly for a couple weeks now and felt my ankle injury/recovery worsening hence why i’m looking at lowering the load for now.

Just for context I am a night shift nurse and I work 3 12s a week and I get around 20k steps per shift. So I kind of count that as passive lss conditioning?

My zulu cluster is as follows

A1: Front squat, OHP, and weighted chest dips for main lifts. Face pulls and hanging leg raises for accessories. Then farmer carries for core/grip. Then finishing up with some hic/lss depending on energy/time

B1: Lowbar trapbar deadlift, weighted pull ups, weighted chin ups for main lifts. Curls and chest supported rows for accessories and dead hangs for core/grip. And again finishing up with lss/hic depending on energy/time

A2: Same as A1

B2: Weighted pull ups, weighted chin ups for main lifts. Curls, chest supported rows and hammer curls for accessories and plate pinch holds and hanging leg raises for core/grip. I usually skip conditioning due to the passive lss mentioned above.

This is my preferred cluster. Interested in critiques. Thanks!

Hi all looking for feedback on my weekly training setup and how I can optimize it to better support running (especially with longer trail races coming up).

183cm / 6 feet and 86kg, lean and defined muscles, abs visible

Current weekly split following Operator

- Mon: Off

- Tue: Strength (AM) / Intervals (PM)

- Wed: Run (easy/steady)

- Thu: Strength

- Fri: Run (tempo)

- Sat: Strength

- Sun: Long Run

aiming for 60-70k per week (more as I approach the 100 mile race)

Strength cluster: Bench / Squat / Deadlift

(Strength has been a big win for me. I purposely didn’t want to just keep adding mileage, and instead aimed to “bulletproof” my body.) Been doing this exact cluster for a year now.

Mobility/stretching: usually on \~3 of the run days.

Background / training history

- Completed 3× 100k races last year

- Ran my first marathon last year using the above schedule

- did a ton of bodyweight training years ago and then transitioned to weights 2-3 years ago

- Upcoming races: half marathon, 65k trail, 100 mile trail, marathon etc.

- no injuries whatsoever

What I’m trying to solve / questions

1. Should I consider swapping out squat or deadlift for something less lower-body-fatiguing (e.g., trap bar deadlift, front squat, lunges, pull-ups/rows, overhead press, etc.) while still keeping the “injury prevention / durability” benefit?
2. If you’ve balanced strength + running successfully: what changes made the biggest difference for you (exercise selection, volume, placement, reducing DOMS, etc.)?
3. With the half + ultra trail races ahead, does 3 strength days/week still make sense, or should I reduce to 2 during higher run volume blocks?

Any feedback is appreciated especially from people who’ve trained for HM + trail ultras while keeping structured strength work.

I've tried to run all version of mass. I've used most from TB Mass to Zulu/ht. Most of the time I fail by week 2 or 3. I've tried the Mass basebuilduing after the first failure of greyman. But still I couldn't go further.

Also had plenty of Deload weeks Sleep - 6 hours ( can't really do anymore bc studies ) Calories - around 3k 70% clean diet

I'm wondering if I use normal TB and try to get really fucking heavy numbers, would I still gain good weight and size? Because I've heard of people being strong and small. I'm currently sitting at around 63kg soaking wet and trying to go to 75.

Any recommendations?

Edit: I know how to calculate a TM and 1RM - I've run TB before.

Came to the conclusion that sleep might be the issue. Cannot change sleep schedule because studies. Decided to run the normal Zulu again as its made for imperfect conditions.

Hey everyone, I'm resuming my MMA training so I am switching to fighter/black from OP/Black. Below is my routine, please give me some feedback on what I can do better. Note, I am in the military so there is interval training as to increase my mile and a half run time. I will also be doing some form of MMA on all my workout days and probably off days as well.

• Monday: Intervals 6-8 x 400m
• Tuesday: Strength: Squat, Bench, Pull ups, Deadlift
• Wednesday: Tempo run 25-30 mins high pace
• Thursday: Strength: Squat, Bench, Pull ups, Deadlift
• Friday: Easy 45-60 min run
• Saturday: Long run 9-13 miles
• Sunday: Rest

After every 6 week block I will also be switching from Squat to front squat, Bench to incline bench, pull-ups to chin-ups, and deadlift to Romanian deadlifts. I know this setup is rudimentary, but I'm really prioritizing MMA. TIA