TACFIT Firefighter First Alarm Protocol 3
Ball of Foot Squat
Quad Hop
Commandos (Single Ring)
Rounds 1-2: 12/8/4 reps, rounds 3-20: 15/10/5 reps
RPE: 9
Comment: Finally crushed this program at Level 3. :)
Saturday, May 12, 2012
Friday, May 11, 2012
11 May 2012 - Cycle 3 Moderate
King of Clubs.
Arm Cast Squat 25lb (Round 1), Bent Arm Barbarian 25lb (Round 2)
Clockwork Squat 25lb
Clean to Lever 25lb
Side Mill 25lb
Front Swipe 25lb
RPE: 6
Arm Cast Squat 25lb (Round 1), Bent Arm Barbarian 25lb (Round 2)
Clockwork Squat 25lb
Clean to Lever 25lb
Side Mill 25lb
Front Swipe 25lb
RPE: 6
Thursday, May 10, 2012
Will The Real Tabata Please Stand Up
What is the real "Tabata Protocol"?
After being pointed by a friend that Protocol 1 of TACFIT is not Tabata, i went to do some reading on the original Tabata Protocol.
Here is an abstract on the infamous Tabata study.
After being pointed by a friend that Protocol 1 of TACFIT is not Tabata, i went to do some reading on the original Tabata Protocol.
Here is an abstract on the infamous Tabata study.
And here are some comparisons between the Tabata Protocol and Protocol 1 of TACFIT. This table is just to present you with the differences between the protocols, and i am not analysing anything.
Wednesday, May 9, 2012
What Cycling Options Are There in TACFIT
First there was TACFIT 26 in late 2008. Pass forward two years to 2010, TACFIT Commando was released. Since then many TACFIT programs have been released.
This question have been asked several times: How do i cycle in TACFIT? Or how can i put it all together?
Here are some options you can use. Some are "official" in that they are given in the manual(s). Some are just done because i want to experiment with it or due to certain scheduling restrictions.
I create these tables mainly for TACFIT 26, but you can use the principles for any other program.
Standalone programs (eg TACFIT Commando) are plugged-in for examples.
Option 1: Straight 4x7 style
Option 2: Straight 4x7 style, one workout per program
Option 2: 4x7 style, Strength on Moderate, TACFIT on High
Option 3: Straight 7x4 style
Option 4: Straight 7x4 style, one workout per program
Option 5: 7x4 style, Strength on Moderate, TACFIT on High
Option 6: Hard Responsible Push
26 days straight of TACFIT 26. Three Moderate Days followed by 1 High Day. Preceed the cycle with 2 weeks of No and Low, follow the cycle with 2 weeks of No and Low.
Option 7: Three Times a Week
No-Low-Moderate-Low-Moderate-Low-High
No more than one High Day per week.
Option 8: Mixed/Freestyle
If somehow your schedule and your equipment availability is never fixed, you can do any combinations of the above. Insert in plug-ins depending on your equipment availability.
If you choose to freestyle it, keep in mind these principles:
1) Always try to do a straight 4x7 style or 7x4 style for a month before trying out other styles to get familiar with how your body feels with the intensity waving.
2) Follow the pattern of No-Low-Moderate-High.
3) You can add more recovery but not more work. Recovery = No and Low. Work = Moderate and High.
4) If you miss a Moderate or High Day, replace it with No or Low and continue with the cycling. You can even plug-in a few No and Low Days and continue with the cycling.
Some comments from my experience
1) I initially started with straight 4x7 style for many months. But when it comes to the volume based Protocols (those that specify the number of reps) ie Protocol 3, 4 and 6, sometimes i can get severe DOMS for many days. When i started doing a strength workout on Moderate and TACFIT on High, the frequency and severity of DOMS is greatly reduced.
2) For standalone programs, eg TACFIT Commando, take note that because you are stressing the same muscles every workout or every cycle, you can develop more DOMS and residual tension.
3) I like cycling through the 6 protocols, eg TACFIT 26 and TACFIT Firefighter First Alarm, because you can pick up where you left. You can insert plug-ins anytime and continue with the cycling. For standalone programs like TACFIT Commando, you "need" to do a full month of cycling and repeat cycles if you plug-in more than one 4-day cycle.
Click here to check out the TACFIT system.
Click here to check out all the available TACFIT programs to date.
Click here to check out a special offer for purchase of TACFIT programs.
This question have been asked several times: How do i cycle in TACFIT? Or how can i put it all together?
Here are some options you can use. Some are "official" in that they are given in the manual(s). Some are just done because i want to experiment with it or due to certain scheduling restrictions.
I create these tables mainly for TACFIT 26, but you can use the principles for any other program.
Standalone programs (eg TACFIT Commando) are plugged-in for examples.
Option 1: Straight 4x7 style
26 days straight of TACFIT 26. Three Moderate Days followed by 1 High Day. Preceed the cycle with 2 weeks of No and Low, follow the cycle with 2 weeks of No and Low.
Option 7: Three Times a Week
No-Low-Moderate-Low-Moderate-Low-High
No more than one High Day per week.
Option 8: Mixed/Freestyle
If somehow your schedule and your equipment availability is never fixed, you can do any combinations of the above. Insert in plug-ins depending on your equipment availability.
If you choose to freestyle it, keep in mind these principles:
1) Always try to do a straight 4x7 style or 7x4 style for a month before trying out other styles to get familiar with how your body feels with the intensity waving.
2) Follow the pattern of No-Low-Moderate-High.
3) You can add more recovery but not more work. Recovery = No and Low. Work = Moderate and High.
4) If you miss a Moderate or High Day, replace it with No or Low and continue with the cycling. You can even plug-in a few No and Low Days and continue with the cycling.
Some comments from my experience
1) I initially started with straight 4x7 style for many months. But when it comes to the volume based Protocols (those that specify the number of reps) ie Protocol 3, 4 and 6, sometimes i can get severe DOMS for many days. When i started doing a strength workout on Moderate and TACFIT on High, the frequency and severity of DOMS is greatly reduced.
2) For standalone programs, eg TACFIT Commando, take note that because you are stressing the same muscles every workout or every cycle, you can develop more DOMS and residual tension.
3) I like cycling through the 6 protocols, eg TACFIT 26 and TACFIT Firefighter First Alarm, because you can pick up where you left. You can insert plug-ins anytime and continue with the cycling. For standalone programs like TACFIT Commando, you "need" to do a full month of cycling and repeat cycles if you plug-in more than one 4-day cycle.
Click here to check out the TACFIT system.
Click here to check out all the available TACFIT programs to date.
Click here to check out a special offer for purchase of TACFIT programs.
But High Intensity Interval Training Ain't for Beginners
Many times in a fitness discussion people will ask "what is the best (training program) way to burn fat" and there will at least be some who recommend "High Intensity Interval Training" (HIIT). And in the same discussions, there would be people who say the contrary, saying that these are not for beginners.
Well, in my own experience, and in the TACFIT approach to metabolic conditioning, i found that the statement "HIIT ain't for beginners" to be not true. I have started many complete beginners with HIIT and they have made great gains in their fitness levels.
Let's take a look at what HIIT workout look like.
As the name suggests, there are intervals of High Intensity bursts/efforts, also called "on". Interspersed by intervals of No or Low Intensity, also called "off".
Image from S-Cool
I want to touch on a HIIT protocol that uses 8 sets/rounds of 20 seconds "on" and 10 seconds "off", making a total of 4 minutes. In shorthand, we write it as "20/10 x 8".
It is a variation of the Tabata protocol.
What's so difficult about training for 4 minutes?
Well, if you have done the 20/10 x 8 protocol as prescribed originally (ie maximum effort for all 8 sets), you know that it can be the hardest 4 minutes of your life.
Due to the extreme intensity that the protocol can induce, an untrained person can and is likely to:
1) Not finish all 8 sets.
2) Deteriorate his/her technique in the process.
3) Or simply give up using this training method altogether.
Note that the key word here is "untrained".
With a little instructions and coaching, however, this scenario can be prevented. These instructions are not new and is presented in all TACFIT programs using the 20/10 x 8 protocol, eg TACFIT Commando.
In fact in the TACFIT system, one of the reasons the 20/10 x 8 protocol is chosen as the first and most primary metabolic conditioning protocol is due to its shortest "on" and "off" interval. With proper coaching, 20 seconds is easier mentally than the longer intervals in the subsequent protocols. And the 10 seconds forces you to recover in the shortest time possible.
The easiest "on" interval because it is shortest and the hardest "off" interval because it is shortest.
The hard part is you just need to do it eight times. But if you can do it once, you can do it eight times. Hehehe.
If you can conquer the 20/10 x 8 protocol, you can conquer all the subsequent protocols.
Without going into the technical details, here are things you want to tell yourself or your client if you are doing HIIT for the first time, or any kind of physical training, whether it is for cardio/strength/mass/metabolic conditioning etc:
1) Always start with a Moderate Intensity workout. Reasons are already discussed in this article so i won't say it again. Okay, so this makes the workout not a "true" HIIT but that is of no concern to us because sticking to the 4x7 formula takes precedence over the "correctness" of a protocol.
2) Always choose an exercise progression (sophistication) that is suitable for your current fitness and skill level.
3) Start the first two rounds as practice rounds, focusing on a high level of technique. Third round onwards then you start to ramp up the intensity to as high as you can maintain good technique. Quality quantity.
4) If somehow the exercise is too easy, feel free to up the sophistication. On the contrary, if you find that the exercise is too difficult, drop down the sophistication.
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