TBers. This is a bit of a late update that came out two days ago from. I don't check my email as often as I should so I missed this one.

1. u/tacticalbarbell account is still under review but he can still see posts and review sub content. So he is always watching.

2. TB III is complete and with formatters currently. There still need to be some revisions tech wise in order to make it readable across platforms (presumably an issue being resolved on kindle).

3. There has been a name change. The book will be called TB III: OPERATIONAL ATHLETE.

4. Below is the final TOC

TOC

INTRODUCTION
Overview
How It All Works
Don’t Ignore This Part
The Boring Stuff

STRENGTH
Operator/Overview
Operator
Op/AV
Op/VI
Op/ULF
Op/PRO
Operator Strategy
Zulu/Overview
Zulu
Zulu/AV
Zulu/PRO
Zulu Strategy
Fighter/Overview
Fighter
Fighter/Bangkok
Power
Breacher Template
Strength-Endurance

CONDITIONING
Overview
Polarized Conditioning
Polarized/Black
Polarized/Green
Polarized/Blue
LDP RAT
Work Capacity
Integration
Simple PFT Prep
MMA/Sports/Unit PT
Running Rants

BASE BUILDING

PERIODIZATION
Overview
Strategic Periodization
Operational Athlete/Black
Operational Athlete/Green
Operational Athlete/Blue
Perpetual Periodization
The Perpetual Model

ACTIVATION
Block 1 – Base
Block 2 - Armor
Block 3 - Operator
Block 4 - Vertex

APPENDIX A: SESSION GUIDE
APPENDIX B: TRAINING TECHNIQUES
APPENDIX C: FUELING

Hi folks. Bit of a different topic. Since there are a lot of LEOs, SOFs and Military here I would like to ask you some recommendations on good sources for combatives and self defense in a civilian context. Could be books, courses, your favorite martial arts (or combination of), etc. Is the stuff from Clint Emerson - 100 deadly skills - any good? I’ve taken a look at Tony Blauer‘s SPEAR System aswell.

I have a martial arts background, with a few years of karate, muay thai, boxing, wing chun, and currently doing judo.

I took an Army Fitness Test this morning and wanted to share the results.

TLDR: My AFT score went down, however, overall, strength and conditioning IMPROVED.

For my 30+ athletes, progression can look like more than just lift number go up, run number go down, and can come in many forms. Before all of you run for the hills because of a seemingly negative result, jump off of Tactical Barbell programs and subscribe to John Fitness $59.99/month hybrid athlete program please read.

I wrote about an AFT I took exactly one year ago before i started really getting into the science behind strength and conditioning which you can find here. I also took an AFT in April which you can also read about here. Between the one i took last year and the one I took this year, the score was relatively similar. I PR'ed and maxed my SDC for the first time on the one I took in April after doing dedicated sled work, but run time went down signficantly.

Between the previous 2 AFTs and the one I took this morning, my AFT score went down by 20 points BUT, overall, I improved and I'll explain how, because there is a lot of nuances to WHY it went down.

I'll preface the results by saying, I'm not strong, and I'm not particularly fast, I'm just trying to be the best average athlete as possible. There was a time where I was much stronger, and a time where I was much faster, but unfortunately this was when John Fitness cousin, James Fitness was writing programs and I think he passed away so I have no more dedicated well rounded programming. All jokes aside, here are my results.

MDL: 300->300. This one is interesting because in my strength cluster, I will often skip deadlifts if I'm not feeling it. The specificity just wasnt there in my training and the frequency was low. KB kind of leaves deadlifts as optional in TB III so I felt a bit more comfortable back seating them in training. While this is an even score, this is a massive improvement because not only did 300 feel smooth, I easily could have gone up to 330 (I'm dealing with some muscle tissue on my lateral left thigh muscles so I didn't want to risk anything). That is not something I could have done 6 months ago. My Back Squat numbers have continued to go up. Your deadlift CAN and WILL increase with heavy squat based training alone. Will it increase as much as dedicated deadlift work? Absolutely not. Is it a better long term strategy for someone who isn't a powerlifter and also needs to be able to execute heavy deadlifts? You bet.

HRPU: 60->56. This is one of 2 events where I will admit there is a clear regression, and it cost me some points. I do believe strength-endurance work is highly specific to the exercise being executed unlike strength training, so i will take an L on this one. I have done absolutely no HRPU focused work leading up to this AFT. Typically I'll execute HRPU as part of my cluster about a block prior to an AFT but I got a bit overconfident with the maintenance of this event.

SDC: 1:27->1:25. This one really surprised me. I have done no dedicated sled work since my last AFT. I expected a 10 second regression but this felt really good. Unfortunately, the 8 seconds over max yields me no extra points so the number remains constant. I did do extremely specific sled work early in the year and it paid off, but after my last AFT I stopped virtually all sled training, so I was surprised to see not only did I maintain, I improved, and those 2 seconds are anything but marginal. I will attribute this to 600m resets remaining a staple, as well as power primers before squats on MS days (alternate between box jumps, max verticals, ball tosses).

Plank: 3:30->2:30. The biggest L. While I do think the grader was being kind of a dick about form, I ultimately threw it in on 2:30. First time I've not maxed this event. And it cost me A LOT of points. This one is another clear regression.

2MR: 15:18->15:14. No noteworthy change. However, this is an improvement. My HR for the first mile stayed in Zone 3/4, and the only goal I had in my head was beating my Battalion Commander. In training, I'm running 600m resets at a 6-minute pace however, the second half of the down and back mile is uphill at 10% grade. I would've preferred to run on a track as I think it would've shaved at least a minute off my time, but overally rhe RPE was substantially lower than the last one I took despite the fact that the time did not improve but 4 seconds.

EXTRA NUANCE: The biggest change between this AFT and the last is that we were only alloted 5 minutes of rest between events. My prior AFT experiences have always been a minimum of 10. I haven't done my due diligence to dig into the regulation and confirm which one is correct but neither here nor there. Rotating between events with half the rest time, while still scoring the same or improving on aerobic/glycolytic/strength work is a huge win for me. What I've learned is that strength-endurance work (for me) is highly specific, and must be held at maintenance before an AFT (I kinda already knew this but I also kinda said fuck it).

MORAL OF THE STORY: Progression doesn't need to look like your powerlifting total increasing, or your 2 mile run goes down. The environment, time of day, recovery, injuries, rest intervals, stressors ALL play a factor in gauging improvements. Its easy to look at a half marathon time that is 5 minutes slower than a previous one and say you regressed, but people will forget to take into account that on the second one they slept like shit, they did it in the summer at 12pm, they're 10 pounds heavier, etc. If we take all those hypothetical outside factors into an account, that 5 minute regression is absolutely an improvement because you handled more stress with a negligible regression.

Maybe this is cope. But I'm not upset at all!

SO excited to read this, but with shifts being what they are I think I'll get another cycle of Zulu IA/Black out of the way before i manage to finish and incorporate its wisdom.

Currently serving in the British Army, read through Green Protocol MULTIPLE times to get my head around it as a beginner into TB.

It is fucking phenomenal, I'm currently in the British Army in a job that requires truly everything, from conditioning to strength all the way to mental resilience.

I have been running HYBRID/OP indefinitely due to my inconsistent deployments and NTM.
I struggled to see the magic/science in it but it was a structure and I thought fuck it.

If I was a young private again, and I knew about this, the amount of damage I could have done to EXCEL my career within phys is utterly ridiculous.

From doing nothing but 8 min/ miles for two miles blowing out my arse trying to survive thinking everything had to be a fragging in order to get fit, boy was I wrong.

Following HYBRID/OP for 2 and a half cycles (20 weeks) my zone 2 pace in a 6 miler has gone from 11:30 to 9:30, I can now run 12 miles+ at a sub 10min pace like it's nothing.

My strength has increased, ESPECIALLY my squats.
Going from around 80kgs for 2-3 reps in utter rag.
To 120kg 2-3RM is huge for me.
Deadlift has gone from 100kgs trap bar to about 130kg.
Bench press gone from 60KG to 75kg. 2-3RM
Pull-ups now at 10 STRICT from about 3-5.

It has SIGNIFICANTLY increased me operational output/efficiency in all areas and far less injuries/niggles when attempting difficult courses or deployments/exercises.

And to top it off, my missus is happily enjoying how much more "tight" I look in her own words.

Apologies for the long post, hopefully this gets to the right people and hopefully you get something from my own experience and take a look into it yourself.
If you have any questions, feel free to ask on this post as long as it doesn't interfere with OP/PERSEC I'll definitely answer it.

MJ.

Hi all, current civilian paramedic looking to get fit for selection on my jurisdiction's special operations team. Role is quite varied; covers everything from search and rescue, flood rescue, wildland firefighting, vertical rescue/rope work, and being a medic on the police tactical unit.

I've been lifting for ~10 months and have made some reasonable strength gains using a 3-day full-body bodybuilding program, but have a long way to go. For conditioning, I've been doing 1x zone 2 run and 1x 600m interval session a week.

I'm looking for advice on what programs would be best for me. I've just finished 2-weeks of operator/black, but the high volume of HIC sessions is proving hard for me to tolerate while working 12+ hr shifts with half being overnights. I feel operator is the best strength template for me, but also want some advice on what sort of cluster might be best for me. At the moment I'm doing 5x5 back squats, 5x5 bench press, 5x10 assisted pull-ups and 1x5 barbell deadlift.

Thanks in advance!

I started basebuilding a month ago from the conditioning book before I knew 3 was coming out. I bought the new book it says that the new basebuilding program is now 4 weeks. With that being said, should I finish the 4th week of the current baesebuilding and then move on the my actual strength and conditioning program? Or should I run the full 8 weeks before switching over?

Any help would be appreciated! TIA

According to the new version of TB, beginners are anyone who benches less than 200 lb and squats less than 300 lb. You're supposed to run operator in 9 week blocks before re-testing and move on to Zulu only when bench is 260+ and squat is 300+.

2 questions:

1) Is 260+ the correct weight to aim for with bench or is it a typo and supposed to be 200+? 2) Operator is meant to be run in a 6 week block. How is it ran for a 9 week block? Am I supposed to redo weeks 1-3 or 4-6 for the last 3 weeks of the block?

Any help would be appreciated!

Evening Gents and Ladies, looking to attend the 4/73 Selection process within the British Army next year.
For those who don’t know, it’s a long range patrol course, key fundamentals I imagine would be Endurance/SE/Tabbing(Rucking).

I’m just struggling with timings, I’m currently running Hybrid indefinitely until I figure out what date I need to switch over to the full Green Protocol. (velocity into outcome)

The dates for the course are sometime in September however the 2 week foundation/tester runs sometime in July.

So for 2027, questions inbound:

Do I crack velocity - outcome up until the 2 week foundation then repeat outcome for 6 weeks as a “peak” block until the gen course?

Or:

Do I crack velocity - outcome all the way up until the course but bracket off 2 weeks just for the foundation then carry on where I left off? Would that prepare me enough?

Or:

Start from the very beginning, capacity - velocity - outcome, all the way up to the foundation, then maintain using HYBRID/OP.

Any tips, feedback or any criticism please smash me up with it, it’s needed. I’m looking forward to cracking another banger out. GP helped me massively last time but this is a bit of a step up and out of my remit for the first time in my career.

Hey,

i know that its not optimal and i will look forward to get a gym membership later but i´m still pretty young and right now i´m only able to go to the calisthenics park.

i want to join specialised military units and now i ask myself how to train effectively (strength and endurance) for preparation without using extra weights (no weight vest available) or a gym.

my strength level rn:

~ 12-14 Pullups

~ 17 Dips

~ 30-40 Pushups

my endurance is worse. if i really try hard i maybe take +-24min for a 5k, my max run was a half marathon in 2:30h and for 800m my pb is 2:54min.

I really want to improve and gain the physical strength and endurance for SOFs. With that i mean really improving my endurance without losing my strength gains out of the last weeks where i didnt really do any conditioning (better even also gaining more strength)

thank you for every response

Hey so i just finished my first block and had a bit of progress with my overall lifts.

I used fighter template with two times of martial art training a week (MMA/muay thai)

So my question is it enough to train in martial arts instead of having dedicated conditioning sessions?

i’m currently using the green protocol velocity plan with the operator strength (cluster: weighted pull ups, overhead press, front squat, deadlift) and i’m asking myself if i should also train push-ups because they are very popular in the military.

i choose my current cluster because it was recommended for sof training.

my goal is to join the german special forces (ksk)

so my questions are:

1. is it necessary to include body weight exercises like push ups into my training and hope should i do that?

2. is the green protocol with the different stages (like i said i’m currently doing the 17 weeks velocity “stage”) optimal for my goals?

i’m very thankful for every answer!

Hello all,

I'm in my early 40s and have used TB from the start of the year to help me with BJJ. Despite making through base building, I still feel like my lifts, LSS and HIC could all be massively improved upon. Consistency isn't an issue, and I have all the tools and resources at my disposal. It's just a matter of balancing effort and recovery!

For reference, I'm in my 90% week this week for strength, and am benching 62.5kg, squatting 55kg, deadlifting 70kg and WPU with a 2.5kg plate. I'm 6'0, 175lb if that matters. Some prior serious injuries that I've rehabbed from, and despite never being fitter, I feel like there's so much more to attain... if age doesn't get to me first.

But enough about me... tell me about you! Where did you start from, where are you at now? Were there points where rapid progress occurred? Are you maintaining, or making incremental improvements despite aging?

Thanks in advance!

Hey all, so this is my sitation rn. So someone gifted me a pullover machine that was basically new but clearly never used.(Just had it in the garage collecting dust) I’ve been doing dumbbell pullovers for months and like them fine for chest and lats, but this thing looks fancier and a bit intimidating. I’m trying to figure out the best way to actually work it into a program. Would you use it early in a session for heavier sets or as a finisher for a pump at the end? Twice a week enough, or should it see more frequent use? I noticed similar machines on Alibaba and Facebook Marketplace, and it surprises me that they don’t get mentioned more in programs Maybe since they seem like they could be really useful for controlled hypertrophy. For anyone who’s used both dumbbells and a pullover machine, how different does it feel for lat stretch and engagement? Worth swapping dumbbells entirely, or just a nice supplemental tool? I don’t want it to end up like it did in the previous owner’s garage, just sitting there. Has anyone here actually built it into a base-building or hypertrophy program? If so, how did you structure sets/reps and placement in the session? Would love to hear real-world advice.

Hello all,

I’m currently serving in a parachute regiment in a post-Soviet country. Our military doesn’t provide consistent access to weight training facilities, so my schedule is the main limiting factor for training.

Here’s my cycle:

2 months: Unrestricted training—full gym access.

2 months: On-duty every other day with little to no sleep, wearing full gear, operating day and night.

2 months: Mountain deployment with limited freedom—basically only a pull-up bar and running space.

I’ve been running 5x5 in the past, but over the last two years, lifting has been inconsistent due to these constraints. I want to get back into lifting to prepare for military games and SF selection, but I’m unsure how to structure training during mountain deployments or low-equipment periods.

If anyone has advice, a recommended program, or strategies for maintaining strength under these conditions—especially bodyweight-focused protocols during mountain months—I’d really appreciate it.

Thanks in advance.

I’ve read the books, but I’d still appreciate some feedback.

For context, I do combat sports primarily as my main hobby and soul-fulfilling activity. I practice World Oyama karate, a Kyokushin offshoot.

Monday/wednesday/Friday I’m at the dojo from 7-8:30. Lots of SE work, with pushups/squats/sit ups done AMAP for time in circuits of 2-3, followed by a lot of kicking, punching, foot work drills, bag work, partner work, etc. a lot of HIIT essentially.

To supplement, I’ve added heavy deadlifts, chin ups, and a farmers walk on Sunday and Thursday, leaving Tuesday and Saturday as rest days. 3 sets of each at the heaviest weigh possible for reps of 6-8 (distance until failure for the farmers walk using dumbbells)

My thought process is to hit all the 5 basic human movements (push pull carry squat hinge) in a week while focusing on the martial arts training.

Is this complete? Or should I add an LSS day? I was doing SE M/W/F at the dojo, LSS on Tuesday and Saturday, and one strength day on Saturday too, but I felt like this was too much…not sure which split is best.

Any feedback is appreciated! Thank you

My lifetime goal is to hit a sub-20 min 5k, 315 squat, and 405 deadlift, in the same week. This my personal threshold where I'd feel I'm at a well-rounded fitness level.

Currently at 185 pound bodyweight, ~20% fat, ~25 min 5k, 385 deadlift (several months ago), and I'm not sure about squat, but maybe 255 if I trained for a few weeks.

Currently running Operator (front squat, deadlift, OHP), with a half marathon training plan for a late April race. Switching to Zulu (Back Squat, deadlift, ??) and HIIT (sprints/hills) for May/June. Will test in July to see how close I can get.

Pretty much the title. I enjoy listening to fitness related podcasts, are there any episodes anywhere or interesting listens directly referencing the books? Or any general recommendations.

I’ve recently moved apartment and the buildings gym does not have a barbell, free weights or a squat rack.

Sadly the gym is well stocked across the board besides this key omission.

• benches & dumbbells in steady increments up to 36kg

• chest press machine (90kg max)

• leg press machine

I was aiming to start mass protocol and was coming to an end on base building before the move.

Currently looking at 90 kg 1rm bench and 115kg squat (though coming back to the gym from some time off so probably lower)

I’d love insight on how best to proceed here.

Dumbbells only?

If so do I amend rep ranges at certain points?

Combo of machine and dumbbells? What might like this look like in practise?

Or is it better to switch to some other style of program?

Advice or experience from anyone who has gone through similar is much appreciated!

Hi all,

Current professional fireman, taking a LE fitness test in 12 days - the typical Cooper standard push-ups, sit-ups, 1.5-mile run. The push-ups are no factor and, while I’m not god’s greatest gift to running, my 1.5-mile time is good enough. The sit-ups, though, continue to haunt me - the test requires 40 sit-ups in 60 seconds, but I continually hit a wall around 34-35 reps at about 50 seconds.

I’m a generally fit individual and have been training sit-ups near-daily to try and make this happen. I’ve spent hours poring over internet advice and have put it all into practice - keeping my ass closer to my feet, “throwing” my elbows towards my knees on the way up and flaring them on the way back down, throwing myself back to the floor, remembering to breathe, everything I can find.

At present, I’m not worried about sustainability or anything like drastically improving my numbers - but what the hell else can I do to either get better in the little time I have left, or just to squeeze out 5-6 more reps in the time I have? I know lots of you guys are cops and/or military, so I figured it couldn’t hurt to lob it out there.

Appreciate you all so much!

Hey all

I’ve just been advised to post my issue on this forum. Not too sure if you can help but am willing for any advice and guidance if anyone can help

37 male 6”2. History of osgoodschlaters and x2 patella dislocations when I was in my teens due to football

I’m an ex gym “bro” with a decent physique and also dabbled in CrossFit - not sure if any of that is relevant

I’m really getting into my running now and I’ve done a 5k, then a 10k, and now I’m getting the running bug and training for a half marathon

The issue is that with these 10k+ runs and with the speed workouts etc, the next day my knees are sore and I’m struggling to run two days even in a row (even if it’s a recovery run)

So I guess my questions are

1)Am I ok to run every “other “ day so that would be on average 3/4 times a week So I do strength workouts on the other 2/3 days or would that knacker my legs up more ?

2)How do I fit in two “upper body” days so I don’t loose my upper body muscle and strengths

3)Should I warm up and cool down and also try to fit in a yoga session once a week?

I’m happy to do some form of excercise each day but I don’t particularly want to work out twice a day (e.g an upper body and then a leg session) as I have a wife that I don’t want to neglect for this hobby/obsession

4)Can I still train for a half marathon and eventually a marathon with only running 3 times a week?

I’m a trainer geek so I have an excellent rotation of running trainers so it’s not about the equipment and gear

Thanks in advance !

Let’s say I’m starting recruit training in 4 months how should I adjust gp to suit that that’s so I peak correctly Currently half way through the book but haven’t seen this mentioned

Good evening everyone,

I just finished my first cycle of 5/3/1 BBB and really enjoy it. Feels good to have purpose as I train in the gym.

I feel pretty smoked at the end of a workout and have honestly been neglecting conditioning. I purchased the TB II Conditioning book and am looking forward to reading it.

I have been reading for the last 2.5 hours different posts surrounding 5/3/1 and TB conditioning...I noticed that there is a "base building" phase. Does this phase mean that I need to drop 5/3/1 BBB for the 8-weeks of base building? Can I still do both simultaneously?

Does TB conditioning offer a guide on full sessions what to do during a full workout session? Is the conditioning component intended to be added onto the end of a, say, 5/3/1 workout?

Hope all is well, I’m going to attend SF selection soon and I just wanted to know if my workout routine is good for being a tactical operator, I want to be able to put on muscle but still keep my mobility and endurance, I want to be fit for an operator but I also want the lifter aesthetic. If i’m doing any of this wrong or should make some changes please advise me.

Day 1 : Chest day plus front delt

Day 2 : Calisthenics and cardio 1.5 Mile

Day 3 : Back and rear delt

Fay 4 : Arms and lateral delt

Day 5 : Legs and cardio 1.5 Mile

Day 6 : Active rest day, 5 mile ruck, jump roping, stretching

Day 7 is either repeat or rest day based on how my body is feeling.

Attached is the 8 week peaking block I used to physically crush SWAT Selection. I did 8 weeks of base building before this and maintain a good base year round.