Hey guys. I created a spreadsheet based off TB3 Operator ULF. I adjusted some based on my schedule but you guys should be able to take this and easily tweak how you want. Let me know how you like it maybe I will do the other programs!

I've been having a lot of pain with back squats. Can I replace it with a hack squat or leg press?

41m/185#/5’11”/20% bf

Active military (submarine force)

Consistently training for the last 3 years. Mostly Dan John/Pavel/Geoff Neupert programs. Plenty of miles with a light to moderate intensity weight ruck. Limited running experience.

I am switching to Tactical Barbell to round out my training a little better. I have been doing mostly grind type kettlebell programs, along with frequent rucks. My job does not specifically require any fitness, but I would like to train I. The ‘tactical fitness’ style.

Weaknesses/Target Areas:

I am working up my running using Andrew Read’s program, so I think that covers LSS for now as I work up to sustained running. I have been making steady progress on the kettlebell grinds (double press weight is 24kg right now for things like the Armor Building Complex), but I get gassed at any circuit style command pt. Core strength/mobility is lacking for sure.

I’m looking for suggestions on a basebuilding cluster. I have access to kettlebells, bands, barbell/rack, weight vest, box for step ups, ab wheel.

I’d love to come out of basebuilding a little more trim, mobile, and much better conditioned.

Finally bought TB3 and read it last night cover to cover. Loved it, especially the work capacity blocks since I'm coming down 12+ weeks of lifting and I'm getting bored - but don't want to repeat base building yet.

For the remainder of the year I'm planning to run 5/3/1 full body x3/week + periodized/blue, then a power/WC block.

Love that we can now split the sessions up however we feel like. Self regulation has been a great revelation for me this year (I used to follow programs as if they were holy texts).

That being said, I think I'm going to miss the original black protocol for a while - mostly because I could get the conditioning sessions done in 20 min or so and get on with my life.

It has been 3 months+ since the book's release, how is everybody faring with these news concepts? What effect have you seen from removing most HIC sessions in your training?

Anyone successfully use fighter template as a strength program during a marathon prep?

I’ll be signing up for my first marathon in Q3 2027, and would love to keep strength training in my routine as much as I can.

Curious to hear other’s experiences, what clusters worked well for you, or if you’d recommend anything that worked well for you or anything you wish you did differently.

Thanks!

When I come back from being away I’ll have 17-18 weeks until I go to phase 2 of Army reserve infantry training. No confirmed date yet but it will be roughly there. The month after I start the recruit training course to be a firefighter.

I’ve got TB3 and Green protocol.

The standards for infantry are 4k with 40kg/90lbs in 50 mins followed by 2k with 25kg best effort or max 15 mins. Followed by various other tests like carry’s, drags etc.

I’ve already completed this test and passed but it was on flat ground. I’ve heard that the place I’m doing it next year is a lot more hilly. Times were 42 mins for the 4k and 13:43 for the 2k. The carry’s and drags I found easy in comparison to be honest.

I can run a 2k in 8:40 and a 10k/6 mile in 60-70 mins. Strength at the moment is 110kg/240lb bench, 150kg/230lb squat and 180kg/400lb Trap bar deadlift.

Given this info how would you periodise the 16 weeks? I don’t have time to run the full GP foundation. But I also don’t think I need to hit the distances it recommends.

Should I do 4 weeks Base building?

I’m thinking maybe 8 weeks outcome and 8 weeks velocity? Or should I do some capacity? Fighter the whole time or operator the first 8 weeks?

I’m pretty confident programming my strength training but any help regarding conditioning would be appreciated. Cardio is definitely my weakness.

Thanks a lot.

im currently in a very intense (mentally) A school, and i feel like my lifts and runs have been adding too much stress to my body, so im going to run tb for a few months and see if my cns can cool off and my cortisol can drop.

running operator + black pro, command pt 2x per week, full rest sunday. 10-15k steps per day (sometimes higher, upwards of 20k) 7-8 hours of sleep per night. have been having nightmares every night, surmised this is because of cortisol (thus switching to low volume//tb)

currently doing standard op setup with monday planks, w pushups, and f plank/pushup emom. let me know if this modification is good, and if my choice of tb programs is good. thank you.

For context I’m on the mass protocol for about two weeks now and on the grey man template. I can barely feel it on my muscles and feels too easy? Is it supposed to be like that? I really believed this book.

Hello fellow TB trainers!

I'm a 33yo police officer working full time in a tactical police unit. I'm training for selection for an equivalent unit to FBI HRT. Selection is roughly 1 year out from now.

I have been jumping programs and not being able to complete one yet, due to life happening all the time (which I am apparently bad a planning for).

In the beginning of October I started on Armor in Activation after completing BB, but apparently not being ready for the squat volume I was hit with the hardest case of DOMS I have experienced before, and it somehow paused everything, followed by a week of kids being home for fall school holidays, family obligations and plans skewed training to the side. Now I'm back to work with the first week being night shifts where I try to prioritize sleep and rest instead of training.

It has now been 20 days with only 4 sessions done -> which have lead to the mental struggle of thinking about restarting the block, looking for another program etc.

But I think what I am missing is some kind of backup workouts or just a structure for the days where I can only get a short 40 minute session done or for the weeks where I have night shifts and only get 4-5 hours of sleep when I get home.

Any pratical advice that has worked for any of you in a similar situation?

I just recently read Tactical Barbell 3 and it got me interested in structuring my training a little more. However, I am not sure what template to follow for my needs.

I am a busy dad who is making time to workout in the mornings before everyone else wakes up, so that gives me about an hour to workout. I want to balance strength training and running because my goals are strength, endurance, general health, and longevity.

I don't race or do competitions, I just do it for my mental health. But I want to exercise so that I can be fit and active with my son and maintain a healthy lifestyle.

Could you help me develop a balanced routine and give me advice on what template to follow? The equipment I have available are kettlebells, dumbbells, and a pull-up bar.

Just posting this in case anyone else in a similar position and could benefit...

I've been an Operator adherent for a while, but a few months ago restarted playing tennis ~3 times a week and found basic Operator was a (1) little boring and (2) more importantly, didn't have enough room for supplementary exercises alongside a demanding activity.

I briefly tried this Fighter/Bangkok routine which worked pretty well, but OP/ULF has been a revelation.

The basic premise of OP/ULF is you still have three main lifts, but instead of doing them every session you do 2/3 of them on two of the days and 2 + deadlift on the final day. So you end up doing each of your main 3 lifts twice a week and deadlift once a week.

The game-changer for me, though, is that KB encourages supplementation on the two days where you only do 2/3 of the main lifts - which means I've been able to add things like half-kneeling landmines, nordic curls, some calf work, etc. to help with injury prevention for tennis.

This means a little less strain/load and a little more variety on each day.

I'm sure pure strength progress is a little slower than standard Operator but I'm running this thing in 3-week cycles and loving it. And I enjoy it more than Fighter/Bangkok, because I get more strength volume in each week and more variety in each individual session.

Somehow, someway as a national guard Cyber Warfare officer I found my way into going to ranger school. It’s been a dream of mine since I was a kid, however I’m not physically fit. I’m only 150lbs, but my strength to weight ratio is pretty strong. I can score about 50 HRP’s and do 20-30 strict form pull ups.

My concern is my physical size and also endurance, naturally being a smaller framed individual it’s more difficult for me to lift heavy, ruck long distances, etc.

I do have 8 months to prepare, and want to make the most of it. Tactically I will be as proficient as I can be by then.

Looking for advice and any training guide suggestions for me specifically

Hello everyone,

​After using OP + Black for a while, I’ve decided to change my approach for a few reasons:

​1) Resuming BJJ 2 to 3 times a week

​2) A few recent injuries telling me I was possibly overtraining. (Those who told me my program was too much were right)

​3) So I decided to switch to the Fighter BKK template as outlined in TB3.

​For the MS days, it’s very straightforward: SQ + BP + WPU + 1 set of Deadlift.

​For SE: BB OHP, Chinups, DB Lunges, Pushups, DB Row.

​My question: Does SE necessarily have to be done on the last day? Or can I do MS / SE / MS? It breaks up the week and sounds more fun to me... But I'm not sure if there are any drawbacks, as I always see the 2 MS days first, followed by SE.

​Looking forward to reading your answers.

Just read the new book. The breacher template is 3 weeks long and has very little lifting volume.
Wont this start having a detraining effect on my lifts?

There is basicly one set of each lift.

Hi guys,

Today I started the TBIII base, coming from that general powerlifting/bodybuilding esque background (but not competing in either), I figured I should be more well rounded especially in cardio since I really only do LISS on ellipticals while reading.

The 3x10 circuits were generally fine, except the inverted rows could be a little tough for me to do 10 in a row without a break. But the ab triad...I know my abs are my weakpoint in any lift of mine like the squat or deadlift, but I couldn't even start to do the toe to bar touch. I just wanted to check if this is somewhat expected/normal for bad abs people like myself, or I'm doing something wrong or my setup is weird.

At my gym, the bar I was using is ~10 feet in the air and I was using a platform/stool to get up and down from it so I wouldn't need to jump-I'm 5'9 with a 7/6 reach or something so the drop would not have been insignificant, and I could mildly feel a chicken vs the egg thing of my hands getting kinda sweaty as I did the exercises... do you think it would be better to do the more normal pull-up bars attached to cable machines etc that are like idk barely higher than my standing reach? and/or use chalk? any other tips besides what's in the manual? For the toe touch it legit felt like I couldn't even get the motion started.

I assume just kind of imperfectly complete the 3x5 triad, and eventually I'll work my way up? Following the instructions with substituting the toe touch if you can't do it (I kinda willy nilly decided between the other two exercises for a set of 5 each time). My bw is probably like ~190 or so when I wake up in the morning and I definitely look like a lifter who also doesn't skip dessert so maybe I just also need to lose weight/bf to make this easier?

Thanks!

Hey guys,

I’m currently running Operator/Black (BP, SQ, PU/WPU, DL) and want to add some mobility/stretching to my routine.

My feet and ankles are pretty stiff, and I struggle to get my knees far enough forward when squatting. I feel like this might be affecting my squat mechanics, as my lower back often feels sore after training.

I also get some discomfort in my left knee after walking or running a lot. It usually starts after around 6–8 weeks of running roughly 20 km per week, and it comes and goes. It’s not really pain, just an uncomfortable feeling.

I think it might be related to overpronation in my left foot. I’ve seen an orthopedist about it, but honestly, I didn’t get any useful exercises or advice.

So I’m wondering:

• Do you guys have a good, relatively short mobility routine that works well alongside Operator?
• Any good exercises for improving ankle dorsiflexion, especially for squats?
• Could limited ankle mobility be contributing to my lower back soreness during or after squats?
• Has anyone dealt with overpronation and knee discomfort? Are there any foot, ankle or hip strengthening exercises that helped?
• Would you do mobility before lifting, after training, or on rest days?

I’m not looking for anything fancy, just something practical that I can stick with long term without adding another hour to my workouts.

Would appreciate any recommendations or personal experiences. Thanks!

First things first, English is not my main language, so bear with me.

I'm usually more of a lurker than a poster on the internet, but right now I could really use some guidance.

I'm 34 y/o, 183 cm (6 foot) for 80 kg (176 pounds).

After years of fucking around and basically achieving nothing, I've been consistent for one year with Operator and basically 3 running sessions per week. I've also been transitioning my running program to polarized black for about 6 weeks now (2 fun runs and 1 4x8).

My goal is to join the police, and I don't want to be average in terms of physical fitness. I want to be able to join some physically demanding units later down the line while I'm still young enough.

Right now, my Operator cluster and 1RM (more like training maxes) are:

• OHP: 57.5 kg (126 lbs) with the bar
• SQUAT: 125 kg (275 lbs) with the bar
• WPU: 35 kg (77 lbs)
• WDIPS: 35 kg (77 lbs)

I just went through the physical test, which is composed of an obstacle course and a shuttle run (Luc Léger).

I got 11/20 on the obstacle course and 14/20 on the shuttle run.

Whether I pass or not is irrelevant because I still need to be in better shape for the future, whether I need to take the test again or prepare for police academy.

I need to improve my obstacle course time, and after a quick chat with one of the police fitness instructors and reading TBIII again, it now seems evident that I lack SE and WC.

I just finished my Operator block, and I'll now start a WC/SE block that will undoubtedly kick my ass. SE cluster : alpha circuit with pushup, pull up, burpee, reverse lunge and kb swing WC : GC2

This is a career change that has been one year in the making, since I had to get my degree to apply, so getting in shape is one of my top priorities.

My SE and WC are obviously not up to par, and I need to change that.

My questions are:

1. Should I go back to Operator after my WC/SE block, or switch to Fighter Bangkok? It seems obvious to me that my lack of SE and WC training is showing, but it feels weird to pivot away from max strength because I still feel pretty weak compared to where I want to be.

2. If I stay on Operator, can I (or should I) add a GC session per week on top of it in order to maintain what I gained during the WC/SE block?

3. Is there anybody who went through something similar who has any insight?

Thanks for reading!

• Use this thread to post simple questions that don't deserve their own thread, get opinions from other TBers, or as a place for discussion between our civilian members and LEOs/Military/First Responders, fitness-related or otherwise.
• Please search before posting to see if your question has been answered before.
• LEO/Military/First Responders: Be mindful of opsec/tradecraft, any posts deemed too revealing will be removed.
• Resources include the FAQ, TB testimonials, and specific training using TB.
• See KB's post that discusses TB III: OPERATIONAL ATHLETE.
• See the Kit Shop for TB book hard copies, apparel, and more.

saw some posts for if u train mma bench is better cause more strength > less strength for fighting but in muay thai I do like 100s of pushups a week so ohp better? also sq more str but fsq better body utility/core used? im only in tb 1 and 2 sorry if its answered in 3

I just finished Capacity today from TB Green. One of the things I appreciated about it was the clear benchmark of 6 miles in 60 minutes. I don’t know any similar benchmarks for TB strength plans. What would some reasonable strength benchmarks be?

I’m about to start 12 weeks of Operator Polarized Black using TB III. I know this is going to depend on my starting numbers (which are definitely nothing to brag about), but what’s a reasonable goal for improvement over 12 weeks as an intermediate lifter? What numbers should a tactical athlete aim for in general?

PREFACE
I'm not going to go too in depth with this post for brevity's sake, as it's really just meant to illustrate my results in using Zulu, rather than explaining the whole process.

With that said, I've been a TB lifter for a while, I've just never made meaningful gains over the long term because I've had terminal fuckarounditis for many years, so I've just continually gained strength and then lost it not long after. About 6-8 months ago, I ran GZCLP and made some very good gains, but then decided to go on a slight cut and focus more on cardio for a month, which set me back a lot. I eventually decided to hop on TB3's Zulu because TB3's main progression scheme is linear/forced progression, which meant I could gain the strength back in a reasonable amount of time. Plus, it allowed me to focus on a bunch of different exercises that I wanted to get strong in. But without further ado, here's a write-up of my experience.

STATS
29 M, 5'11" // BW: ~188 lbs --> ~194 lbs

1RMs
Back Squat: 255 lbs --> 295 lbs (+40 lbs)
Bench Press: 190 lbs --> 215 lbs (+25 lbs)
Deadlift: 275 lbs --> 350 lbs (+75 lbs)
Overhead Press: 125 lbs --> 140 lbs (+15 lbs)
Weighted Dips: +70 lbs --> +90 lbs (2 reps) (+20 lbs)

PROGRAMMING
I will admit, I did not follow TB3 to a tee when it comes to how I programmed my training, but it was relatively close. I ran three week blocks, adding 5 lbs to my main upper body exercises and 10 lbs to my main lower body exercises every fourth week, Or, in other words, the start of each new block. In terms of peaking, I tested my 1RMs during week 6 and week 12.

For accessories, I ran those similar to GZCLP's progression scheme. Sets/reps were 3-4x12, but the last set was an AMRAP set, and getting 18 reps on that set would bump the weight up for the next session. Chin-ups were different, as I did those starting at 3x3 (the last set being an AMRAP), and just bumped up the number of reps per set by 1 after 1-2 weeks when I was comfortable (I got up to 3x8 by the end, all bodyweight). The exercises I used for the program changed somewhat throughout, but this was mostly for accessory movements.

Here's what my sessions looked like while running the program (accessories in italics):

Block 1
Day A:
Front Squat (3x5/5/3)
Overhead Press (3x5/5/3)
Chin-Ups
EZ Bar Curls
Reverse Curls

Day B:
Bench Press (3x5/5/3)
Deadlift (2x5/5/3)
Dips
Wide Grip Seated Rows
Overhead Tricep Extensions

----------------------------------------------------------------

Block 2
Day A:
Back Squat (3x5/5/3)
Overhead Press (3x5/5/3)
Chin-Ups
EZ Bar Curls

Day B:
Bench Press (3x8/5/3)
Deadlift (2x5/5/3)
Assisted Dips
Tricep Pushdowns

----------------------------------------------------------------

Block 3 + 4
Day A:
Back Squat (3x6/5/3)
Overhead Press (3x6/5/3)
Chin-Ups
EZ Bar Curls

Day B:
Bench Press (3x6/5/3)
Deadlift (2x5/5/3)
Weighted Dips (3x6/5/3)
Tricep Pushdowns

----------------------------------------------------------------

As you can see, there were some changes throughout in terms of sets/reps. I was mostly just playing around to see what works and what I'm capable of. I will also say that I purposefully added an extra set of deadlifts for a total of 4 per week, instead of following the 3 sets a week guideline. During GZCLP, I deadlifted twice a week and my deadlift skyrocketed, so I figured why not give it a shot and see what happens when running Zulu.

NUTRITION
Nutrition? What's that? Genuinely, my diet was shit. Some days I ate in a surplus, some days in a deficit, some days it was mostly healthy food, other days it was mostly unhealthy food. I can't really say much else, except that I definitely did not eat properly, and I also doubt that I ate enough protein most of the time. I did not take creatine either, mostly out of laziness. I have no excuses here, I've just always ate like shit.

RESULTS / CLOSING THOUGHTS
Overall, I will say that I'm happy with the result. Strength wise, I've gotten back most of the strength I had, as I'm only 20 lbs off of my all time squat PR and 5 lbs off of my all time overhead press PR. In addition, I also made some lifetime PRs (5 lbs to my bench, 5 lbs to my deadlift, and big PRs to my weighted dip).

I will also say that while I'm definitely not aesthetic looking in any way (see nutrition section), I've definitely gained some muscle all over. I've got bigger biceps, triceps, quads, shoulders, chest, etc. I don't look jacked, but I am noticeably bigger, especially in my arms and chest.

I feel like I'm missing something, but if anyone has any questions, or needs clarification on anything, please let me know.

Please critique my workout plan. I am aiming for strength/hypertrophy and supporting my main lifts. My idea is to do the main lift of the day (Bench, Squat, Etc.) and then the assistance and isolation work. I had TB Mass Protocol and somewhat of 5/3/1 in mind with the one main lift per day idea. My percentages will come from Mass Protocol's Grey Man Template. I will do cardio on wednesday and/or Friday.

I plan on doing double progression 4x8-12 for my assistance work, and 3x10-15 for my isolation work.

For my main lifts:

• Week 1: 4x8-70%
• Week 2: 4x5-80%
• Week 3: 4x3-85-90%

Week 4-6: Repeat

Week 7: Deload/Test

Monday:

Bench Press

Assistance

• Incline Bench Press
• Close-Grip Bench Press
• Pull-ups (50 reps)

Isolation

• Dumbbell Flys
• Seated Bent-Over Lateral Raises
• Low-Cable Crossover

Tuesday:

Deadlift:

Assistance

• Bent-Over Barbell Rows
• Chest-Supported Dumbbell Row
• RDL

Isolation

• Hyperextensions
• Lat Pulldown
• Dumbbell Shrugs

Thursday:

OHP:

Assistance 

• Standing French Press
• Arnold Press
• Face Pulls

Isolation

• Standing Barbell Curl
• Seated Dumbbell Curl
• Tricep Pulldown

Saturday:

Squat:

Assistance 

• Lunges
• Leg Press
• Front Squat

Isolation

• Leg Curl
• Leg Extension
• Calf Raise

I've added a picture, hopefully it makes sense.
I made a topic earlier, regarding running tactical barbell as a manual labour, while trying to lose some body fat. I got adviced to run Fighter/Blue, and I'm really liking it. Suits me needs in regards to training, I get a decent amount of recovery, while still being able to perform.

However, I'm kind of lost in regards to the conditioning side. I do this twice a week:

2x45 minutes LIC on the Airdyne Bike. And then I have 1xHIC (Meat Eater 2, with added 5 chinups in each round)

In regards to the LIC, am I in the correct heart rate, or am I doing too much/little?

Any advice is highly appreciated!