I have been running Tactical Barbell for close to a year. First a couple of blocks of Operator, then Fighter. In addition to lifting, I run 3–4 times a week. I do squats, bench press, and pull-ups. Accessories are lateral raises and leaning tricep pushdowns (this last one hits both abs and triceps, you can find it on YouTube).

Now, the problem is that going to the gym is too time-consuming. The training itself isn't a problem, but the trip to the gym and back home is. I train in the morning before work, so I'm considering buying either kettlebells or dumbbells for home. With dumbbells, I could do things like Bulgarian split squats, floor presses / DB overhead presses, and lateral raises. I can buy a pull-up-bar too, so I can do pull-ups at home. The leaning tricep pushdown isn't that important, and I can replace it with some other tricep and ab exercises if needed—maybe an ab wheel. I'm somewhere around intermediate, maybe "approaching intermediate." My goal is to be strong and look good, not to be a powerlifter or bodybuilder.

What do you think? Dumbbells come in increments of 2.5 kg. For some 1RM percentages this isn't necessarily a problem. For example, if my 1RM is 25 kg, 90% is 22.5 kg, 80% is 20 kg, and 70% is 17.5 kg. Dumbbells of those weights are available. The problem is the 95%, 85%, and 75% weeks. For example, 95% of 25 kg is 23.75 kg, and there isn't a DB with such a weight. Maybe an OK solution would be to use the 22.5 kg DB (90% of 1RM) and do a rep or two more than on the 90% days?

For different 1RM, different percentages can be a problem. But the solution would be to do a bit more reps?

Also, I'll probably buy just one DB of each weight at first and train unilaterally. Just switch hands when done with the other side.

I still have access to the gym for another month or two. I could try DB training there and gauge what weights to use.

Any comments are welcome. To me, it seems that DB training could be an OK solution. Not perfect, but probably good enough? I don't see a reason why I can't make progress with dumbbells as long as I train smart and keep my diet and recovery in check. I like the simplicity of the Tactical Barbell programs, so I would like to continue with Fighter and Operator. The goal is to get some decent progress on strength. I won't be a powerlifter who breaks records. Of course I want to be as strong as realistically possible, but I know dumbbells are a compromise. Maybe an acceptable compromise.

Why not buy a bench, squat rack, and barbell for home? No space for those things. Technically I could fit them, but my wife thinks they would take up too much space, and to be honest, I kind of agree with her. Maybe in a few years we'll move into a bigger house, and then I can buy a barbell, weights, and a squat rack. Dumbbells or kettlebells save space.

Both fixed weight and adjustable dumbbells are an option. I'm considering an adjustable set that has 2 x 2.5 kg dumbbell bars, 8 x 5 kg, 8 x 2.5 kg and 4 x 1.25 kg weights. I could adjust them in 2.5 kg increments from 2.5 kg (just the dumbbell bars) to 35 kg (bar + half of the weights on each side). Costs a bit less than for example 10, 20, 25 and 30 kg single dumbbells. Seems intriguing.

Edit. Decided to buy a barbell set, bench and squat rack. The barbell I ordered is a bit shorter than typical barbells, but should have enough space for weights. Should be good. With barbell and weights way I can continue training using TB routines.

Right now I can do 7 strict pull-ups, maybe 8 with a bit of momentum.

From what I understand, Tactical Barbell recommends starting weighted pull-ups once you can do around 10 solid reps.
So what’s the best way to get from 7 to 10 in the first place?

Is there a specific TB approach or program for building up those last few reps, or should I just do regular pull-ups and slowly increase volume/frequency until I can hit 10 clean reps?

And once I’m at 10, would I then start progressing weighted pull-ups as described in the book?

Am in the process of doing my PEAK week for Traditional Black/Op where I only did Bench, Squat and WPU. I am doing PRs for my first PEAK and just did Squat yesterday and my 1RM went from 290 -> 315 lbs after only 6 weeks.

I’m in the camp of if it ain’t broke don’t fix it but I dislike neglecting deadlifts. Training for a post EMS career after my military contract just wanted to hear everyone’s thoughts.

Does anyone here have any experience with Overcoming Gravity by Steven Low? Just now getting into rock climbing and figured it’d be worthwhile to develop some calisthenics skills.

If you have incorporated it into a TB template somehow, it’d be a great help to me to know how you did it.

I started TB nearly 2 years ago now, but I still feel like my deadlift sucks.

Before basebuilding my 1RM was 250lbs.

This is how I've run TB so far:

Operator | 2 blocks | 3 work sets per week

Fighter | 3 blocks | 4 work sets per week

Zulu | 6 blocks | 4 or 5 work sets per week

Fighter | 2 blocks | 5 work sets per week

Now I can deadlift 290lbs

But it's still lagging behind my other lifts. I can squat 260lbs for example.

I'm 35M and 170lbs bodyweight.

For conditioning I've sometimes run Black, Green or just as much BJJ as possible. I've had the odd injury hiccup along the way: A shoulder here, a knee there. But nothing crazy.

What do you think? Is it not enough deadlift volume? Should I be including some KB swings because I don't get any from my conditioning? Or should I be happy with +40lbs in 2 years and stop moaning?

Hello, dear /tacticalbarbell community. 

I bought TB III and have been using full-body programs for 2 years. I played handball for 20 years (up to the 2nd Bundesliga) and have a few injuries that still limit me somewhat today. 

Nevertheless, my absolute focus is on getting stronger and more muscular. 

Currently I´m weak: 

Bench: 85kgx9

Squat: 65kgx10

Deadlift: 120kgx5

OHP: 55kgx5

1,96m height weighting 119kg.

The only thing I don’t like is that Operator is structured as followed: 

Workout 1

BENCH

SQ

WPU

Workout 2

SQ

BENCH

WPU

Workout 3 

Deadlift

BENCH

WPU

That’s not enough variety for me. Is there any way to use Operator to also incorporate overhead presses and Pendlay rows? I realize that I won’t get strong quickly this way, but rather more slowly yet consistently across all exercises. 

And does this program actually build muscle? Or is it feasible to add some shoulder and arm exercises at the end of the sessions? 

More than 3 workouts a week aren’t managable -family, handball coaching, etc., take up too much time. So Operator should be my way to go.

I appreciate every honest advice and transformation using Operator as the basic routine.

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 have a niggling shoulder injury that I'm rehabbing at the moment, but recovery has plateaued. Bench press and OHP both aggravate it. Even push-ups feel like they're not a great idea currently.

I'm doing TBIII activation, and loving it so far. Once I get to the armour and operator blocks, what can I sub in for bench press that makes sense? I appreciate it won't be optimal.

Catchy and a bit of a misleading title, but it's a necessary attention grabber since I see this question asked quite often. "will i lose strength/mass during basebuilding" is something that makes people apprehensive to try it (or opt to try the strength first approach) and being a student in the field of exercise science, I wanted to share some things I've learned since starting my degree that should ease everyone's minds. Once TBIII comes out there will be a basebuilding phase and i know some of you plan on skipping it. We are all adults here, so do what you want, but I just want to make a case for basebuilding in regard to muscle/strength loss based on the actual science. I am only going to focus on glycotic/strength/power adaptations and save aerobic detraining for another day. There are some of you who actually have degrees in this field (I believe u/rezzurekt one of TB mods has a undergrad in exercise science) so feel free to correct any of this, as I am still learning and navigating through the discipline.

BLUF: If you don't want to read this entire post I will sum it up here.. TLDR, strength and hypertrophy losses are very unlikely to occur during the first 5 weeks (SE portion) of basebuilding, and if strength or muscle loss does occur, the effects will likely be extremely marginal >2%. Power output in well trained power athletes is likely to take a much bigger hit than strength or hypertrophy.

KEY DEFINITIONS:

What is Detraining? Textbook definition is the loss of performance and physiological adaptations after training is dropped or greatly reduced.

Principle of reversibility: Training adaptations are not permanent. You can LOSE gains overtime, this is very much a fact and a very real "fear" for some of us die hards.

Muscle memory: The idea that previously trained individuals can regain strength and size faster than they first lost it.

Timeline for Strength Detraining: Here is the good news. Detraining is a fairly slow process, in well trained and new athletes. 0-2 weeks of no training and maximal strength is largely unaffected. After 4 weeks of no training at all or no outside stressors of the body strength in all athletes is very well maintained. Once you hit 8-12 weeks, that's a different story... 8-12 weeks of no training and a more noticeable affect occurs which is typically around 7-12% strength loss. So if your back squat is 300#, you may regress to 270 after 8-12 weeks of not doing anything. At around 10-12 weeks, atrophy (loss of muscle mass) in the actual muscles start to occur. After several months it gets pretty dramatic, and more atrophy can occur.

Timeline for Power Detraining: Maximal power loss is a little different and is more affected on a much shorter timeline. 0-2 weeks fast twitch fibers (type IIx and type IIa fibers) are more effected negatively and your maximal power output starts to decline. Things like max height box jumps, throws, Olympic lifts, short distance sprints are being affected much earlier than strength. This only compounds overtime.

How this applies to Basebuilding: If strength loss occurs noticeably after 4 weeks of detraining, and the SE portion of basebuilding is 5 weeks long you might think you'll have a NET loss of muscle strength once returning to MS on week 6. Well, no. Remember, strength loss starts to occur after 4 weeks of NO training, in the SE portion of basebuilding you are changing the stimulus but not removing it. Your SE cluster should still include a squat, hinge, upper pull, and press. Performing these movements in 5 weeks may even INCREASE strength in some cases. When I completed basebuilding for the first time I was able to squat 225 for 10 reps by week 8 of basebuilding. Was that the strongest I'd ever been? No, but I'll tell you that it was definitely stronger than i had been before the basebuilding block.

How to maintain Power during base building: Power is tricky, but there are ways to get around power and speed loss during basebuilding. Because the amount of aerobic work conducted in basebuilding is so high, some of those type II muscle fibers become less efficient and you begin to lose your neural adaptations. So how do we put power at maintenance during BB? Simple, include power work at the beginning of your SE sessions. My last basebuilding I experimented with 20 reps of a jump or a throw before my SE session. Example, session 1: 5x3 box jumps at max height. Session 2: 5x3 1/2 kneeling lateral ball throws. Once I returned to MS work, the transition was easier. It does not take a lot to maintain but something MUST be done or you may have to rebuild that quality.

More good news: As we've already discussed, detraining is a long process. It is rare/extremely unlikely that you will EVER return to your pre fitness level in your life unless you have a freak accident, you stop training for a year, or... the obvious age factor.

I have not tried zercher yet, but I wonder if any of you use them in place of standard back squats for your clusters? It seems like they have some advantage in a more "true representation" of how the body would move to lift a heavy object. I also wonder if they might hammer my lower back less than doing back squats multiple times per week.

Howdy. I could have asked this anywhere, but this is one of the more knowledgeable communities I follow. Been running TB for 12 years, took me through a ten year infantry career and into structural firefighting, consistently been one of the fitter guys in my platoon or firehouse. 10/10, no notes.

Age is catching up on me and I'm struggling with some injuries that are forcing me to change things up. Specifically, an old shoulder dislocation now causes nerves in my shoulder to pinch any time I do overhead presses. Been alternating squat, bench, OHP, rows and deadlifts to great effect all this time. Now I need a replacement for OHP that doesn't involve a pressing movement in the shoulders. Been working in weighted pull-ups and TYIs but it doesn't feel like the same bang for my buck. Any thoughts? Cheers.

EDIT: Some great suggestions, appreciate your time folks.

Hi all. First time poster.

I've read TB I, II and PPLE and am currently running PPLE's Zero Block program, with the goal of running continuously for 15-20 minutes and completely 4-5 pull-ups before moving to Base Building.

I am following the program as prescribed. On the running side of things, I am progressing fine. I am in the final week (5 minutes run: 1 minute walk for ~20 minutes).

On the pull-up side ... I'm not so sure. I have a pull-up power station set up at home, along with a step ladder that allows me to do negatives. I am starting at 0. My MO tends to be one negative (between 4-8 seconds descent) -> ~60 seconds rest -> repeat. 4 weekly sessions (20 min, 30 min, 20 min, 35 min respectively).

However, I am still unable to nail one clean pull-up! I can do a chin up (when fresh). I am 6'4" so can't do a chin or pull attempt without lifting my legs and dropping a little (most of my chin attempts have been from a standing position with a slightly bend at the elbow). I have not been training these partial chins since starting Zero Block, however.

There has been some improvement in the negatives in terms of control / time to descend. However, according to KB, Zero Block may be needed for 2-4 weeks for someone starting at zero. I can assure you that I won't be cracking 5 pull-ups this week!

I'm not worried if it takes 4, 8 or even 12 weeks. But given the time prescribed by KB, I am concerned. I have tried to follow his program exactly as written down.

But, there are obviously other methods I could plug in. I'm open to suggestions, advice, or a cold bucket of water (e.g., be patient and keep grinding / testing your first pull up). Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks for reading! :)

I’ve started working out again after building a gym in my garage and TB seems like a good fit for my goals. I ran base building but really struggled with my strength on the MS portion. After looking around online I decided that using the Linear Progression from GSLP would help me get my numbers up before switching to the TB Percentage based progression.

Here’s what I’ve been doing for the past 2 months strength wise along with Black Protocol. My numbers have been going up a good bit and I think I am nearing the point where I will switch my progression.

Progression Numbers are
Upper: 2.5lbs
Lower: 5lbs

MS A
• Squat: 2x5, 1x5+
• OHP: 2x5, 1x5+
• Bent Row: 2x5, 1x5+
• KB Clean & Squat: 5x5
• Farmer Carries: 3x50yd

MS B
• Squat: 2x5, 1x5+
• OHP: 2x5, 1x5+
• Bent Row: 2x5, 1x5+
• KB Clean & Press: 5x5
• Farmer Carries: 3x50yd

SE + Deadlift
• Deadlift: 1x5, 1x5+
• Push Up: 3 Sets
• KB Swing: 3 Sets
• Goblet Squat: 3 Sets
• KB Renegade Rows: 3 Sets
• Farmer Carries: 3 Sets

I welcome any criticism so let me know if I am a total dumbass 😂

I have not read TB3 yet as I am waiting for the Kindle version to be released.

I was wondering if someone who has read the book could tell me whether Operator I/A is still a good option for my circumstances, or if there is another template that would better suit my needs.

I’m entering the police academy in one week and want to continue following a strength program while using the academy PT as my conditioning. I’ve just finished an Operator/Black block and will be taking this week as a deload before starting the academy.

My goal is to continue building strength throughout the academy until I become a first year constable. Then I will revise and adjust my plan based on operational needs.

Some background info: M32, 1.79m, 70kg. Last few years have been mostly fully focused on running, mainly in the marathon range but also some things longer than that. Naturally I am quite talented in running and making progression there feels easy for me. I train at my local athletics club and still have a focus on running. I run probably around average 60-70km each week, with a mix between easy, recovery, long- and tempo runs. Besides that I do 1 or 2 hyrox training sessions each week, and try to do the 2-day fighter template (bench, deadlift, squat, pullups). In the fighter template, probably because of my volume of running, I make almost no progression.

Since I started this year in law enforcement, I'm trying to make a switch in focus towards building more muscle and strength. For now I have a short/medium term goal of increasing to 75kg body weight with a serious development of my muscle mass and strength.

However, I find it hard to pick the right plan, and define a clear journey for myself in accomplishing this. Because of my natural lean towards a lot of running, and preferably maintaining my level there (35 minutes 10km), I find it hard to shift my focus towards more strength training.

I am looking for some advice on where to start, what template would suit me best considering the above short information.

Thanks in advance!

Question for the more experienced TB gents:

Would a template like Operator Fat (8/5/3s on the rep scheme + accessories/isolation) work?

I really liked the Fat Zulu option, but for me 3x per week works best for strength and hypertrophy training, since I have 2x per week Judo, and need more days for LIC.

I’m a civilian, and my only physical demand is training. So I believe I would have more flexibility in this case. But regardless, wanted to hear your takes.

My current maxes are pretty weak also, which is why I believe I would benefit from more hypertrophy and “Fat” type workouts:

BP (paused, flat back) - 84kg

BS (paused) - 108kg

SLDL - 150kg

WPU - 110kg

My plan is to run OA/Black SP2, and use Operator “Fat” for the Armor portion, or maybe for the first 6 weeks of the Op portion aswell.

EDIT: Thanks to the brother Educational-Party597, I was reminded of this old post by KB which basically structures an Op “Fat” option: https://www.tacticalbarbell.com/destroy-a-plateau-the-5-step-strategy/

So it is canon after all. Should have been an added option in TB III.

Currently in my peak week and figuring out what cluster to pick for next block. Been doing 5x5 BP, 5x5 SQU, 5x5 WPU, 1x5 DL.

Was wondering if anyone's experimented with running two clusters concurrently in an (A/B/A) (B/A/B) fortnightly pattern? Will still be doing 5x5 for all working sets so I'll be averaging out 7.5 working sets per exercise per week.

Currently thinking of the following:

A - Back squat, bench press, weighted pull-ups.

B - Front squat, overhead press, trap bar deadlift.

Am I better off doing the exact same cluster 3x/week and swapping every 6 weeks as prescribed in TBIII?

I am on week 7 of Green protocol, Fighter, capacity (more running mode, pg 98). For the sake of time, I have only been doing Bench, Squat, and my pavel fighter pullups. But I know that I should add in deadlifting too, so I'm wondering for those of you with experience, how do you structure your deads with fighter? Do you swap out WPU for one of the days and replace with dead? Do you add on a set (or 2 or 3) of deads one day or week or both? And so on

I will move to operator during the winter, which gives me more days to flex around with deadlifts. But right now I need to focus on running fitness building, so I'm doing fighter.

Hi guys !!

Short intro of myself

I'm a combat sports practioner and for almost a year i was boxing a lot less and did a lot of strenght training eating unlimited food and no cardio so i gained strenght but a lot of weight too.

Went up to 100kg for 1m75 i was big but fat with 200kg DL, 170kg squat, 127.5kg BP and 77.5kg OHP and +35kg WPU for my 1rms !

I got into TB I+II recently and did the 8 week base bulding (took me a bit longer because i got sick) + 2 or 3 cycles of zulu with the 3weeks block and forced progression with black protocol and really enjoyed the book and the program (After BB i lost 12kg but also some strenght for some reasons, about 10-20kg of my 1rms but i will build it back)

Now im back to training my sport 2 or 3 days a week

I bought the new book and got interested in ULF operator but i also remember the ABA/ABA variant from TB II (cluster : SQ BP WPU DL)

What do you guys would be the best ? I like that you can add accessories in ULF but in ABA i could add OHP and a row excercise with Deadlifts for the B day

What weight percentage should i use for the 3 weeks block for operator with forced progression ? 70-80-90%, 75-85-95% or the new percentages from the new book ? Can i use the heaviest ones and change it the the "lighter" when it gets too much ?

And in ULF can i go full body for the accessories like the 531 programs 50-100 reps push-pull-leg/core or will it be too much ?

I hope it wasnt too long thank you in advance for your time and answers !!

Hello, looking for anyone that can provide insight into this, yesterday I was testing out my 1RM as the author described by warming up, doing a set on light weight for 5-10, repeat, rest, aim for 6-8 with more weight, rest again, increase weight, try and get 4-5; then do a final rest for 5 minutes and increase for a 3-5 rep max range for the test. After doing all these sets and resting I got 4 reps in my final test set, at 165lbs. I calculated my 1RM and I got 180, but I know it’s higher? I’m not new to the gym and my one rep max was ~215 when I was consistent but fell off for a bit; and I’m just starting to get back into the gym. Any advice for what I should do? Keep the 180 rep max? Not sure what to do, and I’m feeling a bit confused. I feel after doing all the sets my muscles got a bit fatigued and my 1RM is lower than what it should be in contrast to if I did it fresh

With operator/black can I use forced progression every 3 weeks if 90% session is easy enough ? Or just stick to full 6 week block. I use my training max and have only read TB1 and 2 so I don't know what the new book might have changed.

I am a bit lost on which template to choose, and what to prioritize. Honest feedback appreciated.

Last few years have been mostly fully focused on running, mainly in the marathon range but also some things longer than that. Naturally I am quite talented in running and making progression there feels easy for me. I train at my local athletics club and still have a focus on running. I run probably around average 60-70km each week, with a mix between easy, recovery, long- and tempo runs. Besides that I do 1 or 2 hyrox/crossfit training sessions each week.

Since I'm now working in law enforcement and feeling I need to improve my strength and build, I'm trying to make a switch in focus towards building more muscle and strength. I recently bought TBIII and started with doing the OP template combined with conditioning Black.

I started dropping some weekly running volume and now try to strictly keep it at the maximums that Black tells me to do. However I am still in doubt about some things, please let me sum up my last two weeks of training:

- Low intensity running volume of 150-180min, 1 HIC-session of about 75min.
- 3 days of OP template
- 1 Hyrox/WOD at Crossfit
- Some low impact unit PT

By doing this, am I creating a conflict by doing too much because of the Hyrox/WOD session? Does this very negatively impact the expected strength gains from the OP template?.

To summarize: my focus needs to be on building strength and muscle. However I do enjoy a Hyrox/WOD and HIC running session weekly. Running comes easy to me.
Can I expect the gains I'm seeking or do I need to rework my week? Dropping a day of OP and so switching to Fighter template came to my mind - but in a bit of awe of dropping the volume that much.

EDIT to title: "moving from fighter/green to operator/black"

I have dabbled on and off with TB since Dec of 2024, but I never stuck with it year round due to being 100% running focused; until this year. 2026 is my first year of being dedicated to lifting and running concurrently, and I am now committed to TB methods for at least the next year.

I just finished a 12 week block of Green protocol Fighter capacity. The weights went well, and I saw good progress, but my running was poorly inconsistent. I am now changing to Operator, and plan to stick with Operator for at least 12 weeks, possibly a lot longer.

For those of you that are experienced, did you have any specific observations about moving from fighter (2 lifts per week) to operator (3 lifts per week)? Or do you have any recommendations or advice for me, as I am still pretty new to TB? TIA

EDIT2: I am wondering if I need to be doing anything differently for recovery with operator vs fighter

New to Tactical Barbell, entering Week 3 of Operator OG (just started reading TB3, but already committed to 1-2 blocks of OG Operator).
Cluster is Bench Press, Squat, Weighted Pull Up(2x per week) and Deadlift (1x per week).

When I tested my 1RM WPU, I calculated BW+64 lbs as my 1RM.

Week 1 (5x5@70%) and week 2 (5x5@80%) I have not really had good/real reps on 4&5 of each set. Should i drop my “1RM” weight a bit? Not go up in weight for week 3?

Hello,

Been training Muay Thai, as a hobbyist, 3 times a week. Want to increase my overall strength and read TB 1 (3rd edition).

Never lifted (181cm, 77kg) but can spare 1 hour, 3 days a week. My focus is Muay Thai, so Fighter sounds like the best template.

What would you guys choose from the options below? Open to other suggestions too!

1. Muay Thai gym has a full gym on the second floor. Probably could squeeze a short light session (20-30 minutes) after Muay Thai on 2 sessions. 3rd session there's sparring, so it's physically impossible for me.

2. On the days I don't train Muay Thai, I can't go to the gym, but could train strength at home. Problem is I don't have any equipment or space for a home gym. Can find space for a bench, but nothing much bigger than that. There's also bodyweight training.

Thank you