The Lifting Thread

T

ThomasJ

USMA Class of 2028
Joined
Jan 14, 2021
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206
Like the bacon thread, but lifting...
Post questions, PRs, program reviews, etc. I'll start.
I've been running 5/3/1 by Jim Wendler for the last two weeks and after this cycle I'm gonna start running more in preparation for CBT.
Squat Bench Deadlift:
335 265 385
 
... rhetorical question for self-reflection. Do you aspire to be in special ops in the near future?

... my $.02 cents---> if yes, save those legs by doing yoga. Must be able to kick for a 10 mile swim and humping a ruck
12 miles-60lbs-3 hours. Loading with 🤣 crazy squats are a recipe for failure.

...---> if not, please do the Arnold, the Terminator lifestyle. Hasta LA Vista...
 
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severn said:
... rhetorical question for self-reflection. Do you aspire to be in special ops in the near future?

... my $.02 cents---> if yes, save those legs by doing yoga. Must be able to kick for a 10 mile swim and humping a ruck
12 miles-60lbs-3 hours. Loading with 🤣 crazy squats are a recipe for failure.
Click to expand...
Lame advice. Four Horsemen is the way to go and you do hundreds of squats a week in that program. Yoga is great but not a comprehensive training plan.
 
Panda57 said:
Lame advice. Four Horsemen is the way to go and you do hundreds of squats a week in that program. Yoga is great but not a comprehensive training plan.
Click to expand...
...? after 3 hours running a ruck with 60 lbs- ... those legs will turn to knots, and the swim after... please.
 
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severn said:
...? after 3 hours running a ruck with 60 lbs- 3 hours... those legs will turn to knots, and the swim after... please.
Click to expand...
... and after exiting from 20,000 feet, the mode of transportation for your first mission is your legs, 20 kilometers away... yes those nice calves can only last the first 5k... and you have to call for a medevac, because you can't walk... 🥜
 
severn said:
...? after 3 hours running a ruck with 60 lbs- 3 hours... those legs will turn to knots, and the swim after... please.
Click to expand...
Yes but I was arguing about your yoga comment. Heavy squats will prepare you much better for a long ruck and swim than a yoga session will.

Training for a career in special operations should consist of a lot of athletic training and less “bodybuilding” training. Mobility training, plyometrics, intense cardio, and heavy lifting is some of the best training you can get. Basically most crossfit gyms are great.

The Four horsemen plan is heavy lifting mixed with a lot of body weight and functional movements. There is also a lot of cardio like swimming and rucking. Many workouts are done with a weight vest. The program has a strength month, power month, cardio month, and accessory month. You train all each month but it prioritizes one of the disciplines each month.

Functional movements like turkish get ups are great for building fitness for the military.

You can never go wrong with heavy squats (unless you’re lifting heavier than you can handle and snap your knee).
 
severn said:
... and after exiting from 20,000 feet, the mode of transportation for your first mission is your legs, 20 kilometers away... yes those nice calves can only last the first 5k... and you have to call for a medevac, because you can't walk... 🥜
Click to expand...
Bro. I never said rucking and swimming is bad. I do this stuff most days. I said subbing in yoga for weightlifting is a bad idea. They are two completely different things.
 
Panda57 said:
Yes but I was arguing about your yoga comment. Heavy squats will prepare you much better for a long ruck and swim than a yoga session will.

Training for a career in special operations should consist of a lot of athletic training and less “bodybuilding” training. Mobility training, plyometrics, intense cardio, and heavy lifting is some of the best training you can get. Basically most crossfit gyms are great.

The Four horsemen plan is heavy lifting mixed with a lot of body weight and functional movements. There is also a lot of cardio like swimming and rucking. Many workouts are done with a weight vest. The program has a strength month, power month, cardio month, and accessory month. You train all each month but it prioritizes one of the disciplines each month.

Functional movements like turkish get ups are great for building fitness for the military.

You can never go wrong with heavy squats (unless you’re lifting heavier than you can handle and snap your knee).
Click to expand...
... please read... legs only, yoga for legs ...
save legs for endurance swim and 60 lbs ruck marches... once in a team, 200 lbs ruck load to jump and hump.
 
What happens when you have to pickup a 250 pound injured man and fireman carry him 1000 yards? Yoga is great for preparing you to sustain cardio for yourself, but weightlifting is what allows you to care for your team.
 
severn said:
... please read... legs only, yoga for legs ...
save legs for endurance swim and 60 lbs ruck marches... once in a team, 200 lbs ruck load to jump and hump.
Click to expand...
... 200 lbs ruck... that's only the ruck, then you have the main chute and reserve chute, weapon, water, ammo, kevlar, attached to your body... Did this for 25 years, save your legs. And the PLF when you hit the ground... or Parachute Landing Fall... all that weight your boots will sink about 1.5 inches, if a soft landing... some clay is the same as concrete cement...
 
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ThomasJ said:
Like the bacon thread, but lifting...
Post questions, PRs, program reviews, etc. I'll start.
I've been running 5/3/1 by Jim Wendler for the last two weeks and after this cycle I'm gonna start running more in preparation for CBT.
Squat Bench Deadlift:
335 265 385
Click to expand...
Squat - Body weight (getting on/off the privy)
Bench - Used at the park (support body weight)
Dead lift - 40 pounds (20# case of beer in each hand)

Glad to see you motivated and taking initiative for your fitness. Take care of your knees and strengthen your core. Cheers.
 
The joints are a real concern.

My son went into USNA as a thin cross country runner. He maxed the pull-ups and pushups and sit-ups and ran better than a 5:30 mile.

He was on the endurance team all four years. He had to ease off a little - knee issues.

Today he lifts heavy weights, runs and swims a lot. Be careful.
 
This is off to a good start. "Like the bacon thread" however...

People are different. I ran my last Marine PFT, not Navy PRT, at 40 years old. I humped and pumped with the Marines at three duty stations in my teens, twenties, thirties, and early forties. I've had six knee surgeries. I still hit it hard in the gym but can't run. Of course I'm so old when I walk around a cemetery the groundskeeper follows me with a shovel. My knee pain has its own zip code.

I know an operations officer in one of the Marine divisions who does jiu jitsu, lifts heavy including squats, and goes on weighted runs for lots of miles. All this for fun. By his age I'd had two knee surgeries and he's had none.

I'd never argue with the experience and expertise of @severn or @Panda57 but, people are different and training plans should be individualized based on a person's needs.
 
Infantry (and combat arms) is rough on the knees. Nearly everyone has knee joint issues while on active duty or as young post military civilians.
 
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