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MILITARY

Ultimate Meathead Cycle (Strength, Hypertrophy)

  • 7 weeks, 5 days/week
  • Upper-body Hypertrophy/Mass, Lower Body Strength
  • Short Work capacity and Chassis Integrity maintain conditioning
  • This training plan is one of the 200+ Plans included with an Athlete’s Subscription

$55.00

One of 450+ Plans included in the Athlete’s subscription

Description

The Ultimate Meathead Cycle is an intense, 7-week, 5 day/week training cycle which combines the mass-building upper body meathead training – high volume bench presses, military presses, barbell curls, etc, with lower body max effort strength training – heavy, or moderately loaded squat cleans, hinge lifts, back squats, etc.

The program also includes short, work capacity and chassis integrity (functional core) training.

Week 7 in the plan is an unload/taper week.

This is Version 3 of the plan, Updated October in 2020.

 

FITNESS ATTRIBUTES

Lower Body Strength / Upper Body Mass Super-Sets
Ultimate Meathead’s strength and hypertrophy training is accomplished via super sets or circuits which combine a heavy lower body exercise, super-setted with a mass-building upper body press, and a mass-building upper body pull exercise. The programming is purposely designed so just one exercise in each circuit deploys a barbell – the other exercises in the circuit deploy either dumbbells/kettlebells or a pull up bar. In this way athletes can efficiently work through these efforts.

 

WEEKLY SCHEDULE

  • Monday: Lower Body Strength, Upper Body Mass/Hypertrophy
  • Tuesday : Short Work Capacity, Chassis Integrity
  • Wednesday: Lower Body Strength, Upper Body Mass/Hypertrophy
  • Thursday: Short Work Capacity, Chassis Integrity
  • Friday: Lower Body Strength, Upper Body Mass/Hypertrophy

 

REQUIRED EQUIPMENT

  • Fully-Equipped functional fitness gym including sandbags (40# for women, 60# for men), Barbells, Plates, Rack, Bench, Pull Up Bar, Dumbbells and/or Kettlebells, plyo boxes, etc.

 

COMMON QUESTIONS

What if I can’t handle the training volume at first?
Building stamina and resilience is a key training goal of this plan. If you can’t handle the training volume at first, it’s better to cut training sessions short, rather than take unscheduled rest days.

How do you count reps for Sandbag Getups?
Sandbag Getups – The prescribed rep count is total reps, so 50x Sandbag Getups at 60# sandbag = 50x total reps, 25x each shoulder.

How do you count reps for lunges?
5x Lunges = 5x Lunges each leg, or 10x lunges total

What does “3/5x Pull Ups” mean? How about “15/25#”?
3/5x Pull Ups = Women do 3x Reps, Men do 5x Reps
15/25# = Women use 15 pounds, Men use 25 pounds

What if I miss a day?
Begin where you left off when you return to training. This program is progressed – each session builds upon the prior session – so don’t skip a session or skip around. Follow the training sessions in order, regardless.

Where do I find unfamiliar exercises?
See our Exercise Library HERE. The Run/Ruck Calculator is listed as an exercise.

What about nutrition?
See our Nutritional Guidelines HERE.

Can I see sample training? 
Yes. Click the “Sample Training” tab to see the entire first week of programming.

How do I access the plan?
Access is online, via username and password. You can log in either through our website or through our app (Mtn Tactical Fitness) available for IOS and Android.

Can I print out sessions to take to the gym?
Yes – you can print a week of programming at a time.

More Questions? Email: coach@mtntactical.com

 

DISCLAIMER
Before beginning any exercise program, consult with your physician to ensure that you are in proper health. Physical training contains inherent risks including, but not limited to, muscle strains, tears, physical and bodily injury up to and including death. This training program is not meant to provide medical advice; you should obtain medical advice from your private health care practitioner. If you are unable to assume these risks then you should not engage in this training program. No liability is assumed by Mountain Tactical Institute, Inc, its owners or employees, and you train at your own risk. Mountain Tactical Institute makes no warranty, express or implied, of any kind in connection with this training program.

Required Equipment

Required Equipment:

  • Fully-Equipped functional fitness gym including sandbags (40# for women, 60# for men), Barbells, Plates, Rack, Bench, Pull Up Bar, Dumbbells and/or Kettlebells, plyo boxes, etc.
Sample Training

Below is the entire first week of programming from the plan:

***********
MONDAY
SESSION 1
Obj: Lower Body Strength, Upper Body Hypertrophy/Mass

Warm Up:

3 Rounds

Training:

(1) 6 Rounds - Grind

"Grind" = Work through the exercises in this circuit steadily, but not frantically for the prescribed rounds and reps.

(2) 5 Rounds - Grind

  • 6x Hinge Lift - Increase load rapidly each round until 6x is hard, but doable
  • 12x Arnold Press - Increase load rapidly each round until 12x is hard, but doable
  • 12x Barbell Bicep Curl - Increase load rapidly each round until 12x is hard, but doable

(3) 4 Rounds - Grind

****************
TUESDAY
SESSION 2
Obj: Work Capacity, Chassis Integrity

Warm Up:

3 Rounds

Training:

(1) 4 Rounds, Every 2:30

(2) 15 Minute Grind ...

(3) 2 Rounds

******************
WEDNESDAY
SESSION 3
Obj: Lower Body Strength, Upper Body Hypertrophy/Mass

Warm Up:

3 Rounds

Training:

(1) 6 Rounds - Grind

  • 4x Walking Lunge - Increase load rapidly each round until 4x is hard, but doable
  • 10x Bench Press - Increase load rapidly each round until 10x is hard, but doable
  • 10x Alternating Dumbbell Curl - Increase load rapidly each round until 10x is hard, but doable

"Grind" = Work through the exercises in this circuit steadily, but not frantically for the prescribed rounds and reps.

(2) 5 Rounds - Grind

(3) 4 Rounds - Grind

  • Shoulder Blaster - Start unloaded, then increase load each round until the Shoulder Blaster is Hard but doable. Know that doing this with 5 pound plates is very difficult so be conservative with your loading. Again, complete Round 1, unloaded.
  • 15x Renegade Row - Increase load rapidly each round until 15x is hard, but doable

(4) 2 Rounds

*****************
THURSDAY
SESSION 4
Obj: Work Capacity, Chassis Integrity

Warm Up:

3 Rounds

Training:

(1) 10 Rounds, Every 60 Seconds ...

(2) 15 Minute Grind ...

(3) 2 Rounds

****************
FRIDAY
SESSION 5
Obj: Lower Body Strength, Upper Body Hypertrophy/Mass

Warm Up:

3 Rounds

Training:

(1) 6 Rounds - Grind

"Grind" = Work through the exercises in this circuit steadily, but not frantically for the prescribed rounds and reps.

(2) 5 Rounds - Grind

(3) 4 Rounds - Grind

(4) 2 Rounds

Testimonials

"Let me start by saying that I attended your workout sessions when you trained 28th EOD and I also did your test project for Grunt PT at Fort Hood, TX. I’m a believer in your programming from the start. This program is out-freaking-standing! I’m on the last week and can tell strength gains and mass accumulation in my upper body. The movements are simple enough and flow very well into the next. The only thing I would try and squeeze in are additional shoulder mobility drills to assist with OH work for those with limited shoulder flexibility. I understand this program is built for athletes with a generally good knowledge of functional lifting however, if there was one thing I would try and work in, it would be shoulder mobility. Overall, I’d recommend (and have to my co-workers already) this workout to any and everyone. Thank you."

 

******************************

 

"UMC is a great way to get back into strength training if you have been doing other things for a while, or not training hard. I trained for and completed a half-ironman triathlon a couple of months ago, and after some time off was feeling very weak compared to where I was before I started preparing for the tri. UMC was perfect. It was difficult, but also fun because of the volume/loading for the upper body. Since we normally don't train for hypertrophy, that side of the training was a blast. After completing UMC, I am ready to roll back into work capacity and feel like I have regained most of my strength that I had pre-tri training. I would encourage anyone who has been out of the mix for a while because of a deployment, training exercise, etc, and is unsure where to start to try this program.
Great design and a lot of fun."

Why MTI?

1)  Mission Direct

Gym numbers mean nothing. All that matters is mission performance. 

To this end, MTI’s fitness solutions and programming are not boxed in by convention, tradition, orthodoxy, public opinion or any other artificial constraint driven by inside or outside forces.

We begin with the raw fitness demands of the mission and build a fitness solution which directly prepares the athlete for those demands.

2) Fitness Solutions Built from the Ground Up

MTI’s programming is not “re-tread” bodybuilding, football, CrossFit, kettlebell, strength or general fitness programming. We’ve built our fitness programming for mountain and tactical athletes from the ground up.

The Fluid Periodization methodology we deploy to concurrently train multiple fitness attributes is completely original and has continued to evolve and improve over the years.

Our mid-section training methodology, Chassis Integrity, is also original, as is our endurance programming, 7 strength training progressions, tactical agility, and work capacity programming.

Our mountain sports pre-season training plans, tactical PFT, selection, school, course, and fitness improvement training plans across military, LE and Fire Rescue are MTI-developed, tested and athlete-proven.

Over the years hundreds of athletes and coaches have taken our advanced programming and unit fitness leader programming courses and MTI is widely recognized within the mountain and tactical professions and fitness media as a thought leader in fitness programming for military and tactical athletes.

3) The MTI Method

→ Research: MTI begins program design with extensive research of the fitness demands of the mission, sport or event, identifies the exercises and progressions which sport-specifically meet those demands, chose end-of-cycle goals, and program backward to design the training plan.

→ Deploy & Assess: We deploy the training plan “Lab Rats” at our Wyoming facility. Training session and cycle issues are identified and fixed as we work through the training plan. Post cycle we assess the programming’s effectiveness and efficiency. We keep the stuff that works, and fix or toss the stuff that doesn’t.

→ Publish & Assess Again: Plan is published for purchase as an individual training plan and made available to our subscribers. Feedback/results are assessed.

→ Iterate: We take what we learn from lab rats and athletes, re-visit, update and improve already published training plans. Several of our individual training plans are on their 4th or 5th version.

4) Mission-Direct Research

MTI exists to “Improve Mountain and Tactical Athletes mission performance and keep them safe.” To that end, we have developed a unique research methodology aimed at identifying real world areas of improvement and identifying immediately deployable mission-direct solutions. Click HERE to learn more about MTI’s Mission-Direct Research methodology, and Here to read about just few of our research efforts.

5) Field Proven

Our stuff works. Weekly we receive unsolicited reviews of our programming and testimonials to its effectiveness.

6) Programming Breadth

MTI’s library of 200+ sport-specific fitness plans for mountain and tactical athletes is unmatched. Resources range from specific programming for tactical special forces selections, to specific plans for climbing Rainier and Denali, to general fitness solutions such as running improvement, to post-rehab from injury.

Over the past decade, MTI has partnered with hundreds of athletes throughout their individual mountain and tactical careers, and provided fitness solutions as they face new mountain objectives, tactical schools, selections, PFTs and deployments, and came back from injury.

7) Worldwide Influence

Our work is not limited to US Athletes.

We’ve developed selection-specific training plans for Canadian, UK, Australian and German Special Forces Selections and worked with individual military personnel from Scandinavia, South, and Central America.

Canadian, Australian, UK and western European law enforcement and fire/rescue athletes have used MTI programming for mission-direct fitness.

On the mountain side, Alpinists from Japan to Slovakia have consulted with MTI and used MTI’s programming to prepare for mountain objectives.

8) Mission Performance beyond Fitness

MTI’s exists is to improve Mission Performance for mountain and tactical athletes and keep them safe. 

This focus on “mission direct” solutions, enhancements and improvements drives our work and research and extends beyond fitness solutions to include training, leadership, gear, team culture, and safety. 

Fitness is just one area of our work.

Our non-fitness research has included tactical cultures, combat uniforms, and gore-tex performance, and effect of stress on marksmanship.

Our work on defining what it means to be a Quiet Professional has had penetrating influence and driven healthy conversations with both mountain and tactical professionals.

9) Direct, Honest, Clear Answers

Since 2007 we’ve taken and answered dozens of questions weekly from mountain and tactical athletes. We’ve saved these individual Q&A’s and now thousands are archived on our site.

We’re not salesmen, and our answers are noted for their directness, honesty, and clarity. Our stuff isn’t for everyone. If we can help, we’ll let you know. If we can’t, we’ll let you know that, too.

– Rob Shaul, Founder

 

All of the Above is Backed Up By Our Promise: Our Stuff Works. Guaranteed.

Our Stuff Works. Guaranteed.

By Rob Shaul

I received notes frequently from athletes hesitant to purchase a subscription or training plans asking me to sell them on why they should make the purchase.

While I understand the question, I’m not a salesman – so I can’t put a hard sale on anyone for our programming.

I can tell them the process we go through to design our programming.

We begin with extensive research on the fitness demands of the event, identify the exercises and progressions which sport specifically meet those demands, chose end-of-cycle goals, and program backward to design the plan.

Then we test the cycle on ourselves and our lab rats here in Wyoming. We document, note what works and doesn’t work, re-assess, and make changes and modifications.

Then we publish the programming in the form of one of our plans or as part of our subscription daily training sessions for tactical and mountain athletes.
We don’t stop there – our daily programming is the “tip of the spear” for our programming evolution. We use these sessions to learn and make continuous improvement.

As we learn more and improve, we go back, and update the sport-specific training plans on the website. For example, we’re currently on Version 5 of our Ruck Based Selection Training Plan and Version 3 of our Dryland Ski Training Plan and Version 4 of our Big Game Back Country Hunting Training Plan.

We understand our programing isn’t cheap, but we believe it’s a great value. The $79 for the Ruck Based Selection Training Plan, and $39 for the Dryland Ski Training Plan reflect the, research, work, innovative theory, iteration, testing and feedback we’ve put in and received to make these plans effective.

All that matters for us is outside performance, and we feel strongly that Our Stuff Works in the real world.

Here’s our guarantee:

1) Individual Training Plan Purchase:
If you purchase an individual training plan, follow it as prescribed before your season/event/pft/selection, and if you don’t feel you were physically ready for your season/event/pft/selection, and/or didn’t see dramatic improvements in your early season performance, we’ll refund your money, no questions asked.

2) Athlete’s Subscription
If you purchase an Athletes’ Subscription, follow the training sessions as prescribed, and are not satisfied with the quality of the programming, notify us within 30 days of purchase, and we’ll refund your money, no questions asked.

Questions?
Email: rob@mtntactical.com

Common Questions

COMMON QUESTIONS:

Do you have any reviews or testimonials from athletes who have used your Athlete's Subscription
Yes. Click HERE.

Is it true you guarantee your stuff works?
Yes. If you purchase an Athletes’ Subscription, follow the training sessions as prescribed, and are not satisfied with the quality of the programming, notify us within 30 days of purchase, and we’ll refund your money, no questions asked.

How is MTI programming different than CrossFit?
This is a common question. Read our answer HERE.

You have a lot of competitors. Why should I choose MTI?
MTI is driven to improve mountain and tactical athletes' mission performance and keep them safe. This emphasis and focus on mission performance sets us apart. Read about more that sets us apart HERE.

If I purchase a plan or subscription, how do I access the programming?
All of our plans are online, accessible via username and password.
You can log in through our →Website  or Mobile App →IOS and Android.

Do you have downloadable .pdf's of the training plans?
No. But you can print the programming, by week, from your browser. You access individual training plans online via a username and password.

Do you have a mobile app?
Yes, we do. Available for IOS and Android.

What is the difference between purchasing an individual training plan, packet of plans or an Athlete's Subscription?

  • Plan - Like purchasing the DVD of the first Star Wars movie. You own it forever, including any updates we make to the plan.
  • Packet - Like purchasing the DVD's of all the Star Wars movies. You own them forever, including any updates we make to the plans.
  • Athlete's Subscription - Like subscribing to Netflix. You get access to all 200+ plan in our library, but lose access if you unsubscribe.

If I purchase an Athletes Subscription Can I cancel on my own, anytime?
Yes.

Do I have to contact MTI to cancel or can I do it myself?
You can do it yourself. Instructions HERE.

If I purchase a subscription and have questions about where to start or what plans(s) to use for my goals, will you help?
Yes. We answer dozens of training questions from athletes weekly. Email coach@mtntactical.com.

If you add new plans or update existing plans after I subscribe will I have access to them?
Yes. We are continuously adding training plans and packets (2-5/month) and updating plans. With your subscription you'll have access to all new plans, new courses and plan updates.

What Equipment is Required?
Click the "Required Equipment" tab to find out what equipment is required for the specific plan you are interested in.

Where do I find unfamiliar exercises?
See our Exercise Library HERE. The Run and Ruck Calculators are listed as exercises.

What about nutrition?
See our Nutritional Guidelines HERE.

Can I see sample training?
Click the “Sample Training” tab to see the entire first week of programming. You are encouraged to do it before purchasing.

What if I have more questions?
Email rob@mtntactical.com