Strength training for soldiers and police officers

Power reduces the cost of labor

Soldiers and police officers lift, pull, push, carry, and overcome resistance. Sometimes it's equipment, sometimes it's a person, an obstacle, or their own body. Strength is therefore a fundamental component of physical fitness.

The main benefit of strength is not in the number on the barbell itself. Higher capacity reduces the relative difficulty of a common task. A person who is near their maximum for a given load will use up a lot of energy and quickly lose technique. A stronger person can do the same work with more control and repeat it more often.

This does not mean that a tactical athlete should train like a competitive powerlifter. A powerlifting total is a performance in three precisely defined exercises. Service tasks use different stances, grips, weights, and movement in space. The squat, bench press, and deadlift can be excellent means, but they are not the end goal.

Absolute and relative strength

Absolute strength describes the greatest resistance a person can handle. Relative strength relates power to their body weight. Both values are important.

High absolute strength helps when lifting heavy materials. When running, climbing, jumping or repeatedly standing up, a person must also move their own body. Every extra kilogram increases the work they have to do.

Therefore, I do not want to maximize body weight regardless of the profession. Muscle mass is useful if it increases performance and endurance. The excess weight that one has to carry with each step can impair running and moving. The optimal condition depends on the role and tasks.

Basic movement patterns

I usually build a tactical athlete strength program around a few patterns:

• squat and its variations;

• hip hinge and deadlift variations;

• horizontal and vertical pressure;

• horizontal and vertical pull;

• lunge or other one-sided work;

• carry and drag;

• core and grip work.

I choose a specific exercise based on anatomy, experience, equipment, and health. A trap bar deadlift may allow one person to develop strength more safely, while another tolerates a classic deadlift well. A safety bar squat can relieve the shoulders, while a front squat emphasizes an upright position and the front of the torso. The tool must adapt to the goal and the person.

If someone claims that every soldier or police officer must perform only one exact variation of an exercise, they are confusing the means with the principle.

Maximum effort without unnecessary failure

To develop maximum strength, I use heavy sets with low reps. In Tactical Ready, I often work towards a technically clean top set in the range of one to five reps at around an RPE of 8 to 9. You still have a little bit of a margin and don't have to prove your absolute maximum every single set.

The main set can be followed by lighter back off sets. Their number is determined by the goal of the block and the overall load. Someone who is about to ruck, have a hard workout or a demanding shift does not need the same volume as an athlete with a few days of rest.

The main variation can be changed after one to three weeks if we use conjugate principles. However, the rotation must not be random. The angle, range, aid or resistance will change, but the clear target pattern remains. I hold the additional exercises longer so that progress can be monitored.

Repetitive effort forms the basis of volume

A large part of strength training consists of sets with moderate or higher repetitions. They build muscle mass, local capacity, and structures that support maximum strength.

According to the profile, I pay attention to the posterior chain, upper back, triceps, adductors, calves, front of the shin, grip and core. These are not just accessories for appearance. The upper back helps hold gear and loads. The posterior chain supports pulling, sprinting and walking uphill. The calves and feet have to tolerate running and time on their feet.

I increase the volume gradually. First, you can add repetitions, then sets or loads. Before a tough field training or a big running week, it is wise to limit eccentrically demanding work that creates significant muscle soreness.

Strength and power are not the same

Maximal strength is the ability to generate high force. Power is the ability to generate it quickly. The tactical athlete needs both.

Jump, throw, sprint, speed squat or other dynamic exercise comes before heavy strength, while the nervous system is fresh. We use fewer quality repetitions and longer pauses. If the movement slows down significantly, there is no point in continuing just because of fatigue.

A stronger person often has greater potential for power, but strength alone does not guarantee fast execution. That is why dynamic work has a separate place in the program.

How to combine strength with running and service

The biggest mistake is not combining strength and endurance training. The problem is too much total volume, poor sequencing, and lack of recovery.

Heavy leg training, hard running intervals and fast rucks are demanding stimuli. They should not follow each other on consecutive days without reason. Short speed can be combined with a strength day, as both stimuli require high quality. Longer light aerobic work belongs on a separate low day.

If my running is stagnant and my legs are still heavy, I first check the unnecessary volume of supplements and the amount of intense conditioning. If my strength is decreasing, I address sleep, energy intake, and proximity to a hard run, ruck, or training session.

Example of a power unit

A simple full body unit might look like this:

1. Low volume of throws or jumps.

2. Main strength exercise with top set and back off sets.

3. Second multi-joint exercise for the opposite body part.

4. Two to four repetitive effort exercises for weak joints.

5. Short grip, torso, carry or drag work.

The number of exercises is not a sign of quality. What is important is that each part corresponds to the priority of the block and does not destroy other service or fitness performance.

In the next article, I will explain conditioning training. I will distinguish between zone 2, threshold, VO2max and short intensity intervals and show why every workout does not have to end in complete exhaustion.

A call for further work

If you want to get stronger, but don't want the gym to ruin your running, ruck, or work performance, write to me about online coaching. We'll set the strength volume, main exercises, and their placement according to your work calendar and goals.