Mountain Tactical

Mission-Direct Research, Education and Training

[Mountain Tactical @MtnTactical]

Arete is my weekly collection of interesting articles, essays, and links I come across while reading about training, mountain culture, the tactical profession, and the wider world. — Rob Shaul, MTI
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[Mountain Tactical @MtnTactical]

Email training questions to [email protected].

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[Mountain Tactical @MtnTactical]

The Marine Corps Recruit Training Plan is an intense 8-week, 6 day/week training plan built specifically for relatively fit athletes preparing for U.S. Marine Corps Recruit Training. Marine Corps Recruit Training, commonly called Marine boot camp, is the Marine Corps’ 13-week entry-level enlisted training pipeline for new recruits. This plan is designed to be started 8 weeks directly before shipping, with Week 8 including a taper into Recruit Training.

This plan is built to send athletes into Recruit Training significantly over prepared. Performing well can help recruits stand out to Drill Instructors and put themselves in a stronger position for future career shaping opportunities.

The plan trains the primary fitness demands of Recruit Training: the Physical Fitness Test (PFT), Combat Fitness Test (CFT), rucking, running, work capacity “smokers”/Incentive Training, O-Course/rope-climb demands, Basic Water Survival, and Crucible preparation. Full PFT and CFT assessments are completed in Weeks 1, 3, 6, and 8 so training scales to the individual athlete.

PFT work trains pull ups or push ups, plank, and the 3 mile run. CFT work trains Movement to Contact, Ammo Can Lifts, and Maneuver Under Fire. Running includes PFT specific intervals, moderate pace runs and boots runs. Rucking training builds toward the long rucks associated with Boot Camp and the Crucible, and includes 45# and 60# ruck training.
The plan also includes high volume calisthenics and sprint based work capacity for IT-style “smokers,” rope and grip work for the O-Course, pool work for Basic Water Survival, and 90–210 minute Crucible mini events to prepare athletes for the event.

You can view the full plan description here: https://t.co/to01IRwSEw

[Mountain Tactical @MtnTactical]

This Week's Arete ...
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[Mountain Tactical @MtnTactical]

This week’s Q&A:

How to build toward SFOD-D while shifting into a mountain-based lifestyle in Arizona.
A full rebuild path into Border Patrol and USMS.

What to do in the 90 days before an FBI PFT if push-ups are the weak point.
How to return from neck, back, hip, and knee setbacks without blowing yourself up.

And how mountain base fitness, tactical base fitness, and event-specific prep each have their place.

Also: ultra strength programming, summer rucking, Sapper timing, and what comes after Helen.

https://t.co/afKQ1EXy4X

[Mountain Tactical @MtnTactical]

Arete is my weekly collection of interesting articles, essays, and links I come across while reading about training, mountain culture, the tactical profession, and the wider world. — Rob Shaul, MTI
https://t.co/r6O3BwmU47

[Mountain Tactical @MtnTactical]

This week’s Q&A hit a lot of useful ground:

Going back to SFAS at 35 after injury.
What to do when Ranger recovery still isn’t complete.
How to build into Bataan and RASP without peaking too early.
How much to trust a plan like Achilles versus adding extra work.
And whether the stairmill can really replace step-ups for mountain prep.

Also: no-run programming, wildland in-season strength, Whitney training from Florida, and a smart critique of one of MTI’s run studies.
https://t.co/3gtkqODVfq

[Mountain Tactical @MtnTactical]

The Army Basic Combat Training (BCT) Training Plan is an intense 7-week, 6 day/week training plan built specifically for relatively fit athletes to perform well at Army Basic Combat Training. Army Basic Combat Training, otherwise known as Boot Camp, is the Army’s 10-week Initial Entry Training course for new enlisted Soldiers, and this plan is designed to be started 7 weeks directly before shipping, with Week 7 including a taper into BCT.

This training plan is designed to have athletes significantly over-prepared for BCT. Performing well can create opportunities for recruits, including standing out to cadre, competing for select assignments or follow-on opportunities, and putting themselves in the best position possible for MOS selection, duty selection, and other career-shaping decisions.

The plan trains the primary fitness demands of BCT: the Army Fitness Test (AFT), rucking, running, work capacity “smokers,” and chassis integrity. The plan includes full AFT assessments in Weeks 1, 4, and 7 so training scales to the individual athlete. The 3RM deadlift is trained using MTI’s Big 24 progression, hand-release push ups and the plank are trained using assessment based density progressions, the Sprint-Drag-Carry is trained using 150 meter shuttle repeats and 100 meter shuttle efforts for the drag, lateral, and kettlebell carry portions of the event, and the 2-mile run is trained with 800-meter and 1-mile intervals based on the athlete’s most recent assessment.

The plan also builds toward a 10-mile ruck @ 35#. Running includes moderate pace runs, longer aerobic efforts, and interval work to prepare athletes for BCT "fun runs" and the AFT. High-volume calisthenics and sprint-based work capacity efforts prepare athletes for the smokers and physical stress common to BCT.

View the BCT Training Plan HERE: https://t.co/W32P6qCtSU

[Mountain Tactical @MtnTactical]

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[Mountain Tactical @MtnTactical]

This week’s Q&A covered a lot of ground:

How to train after 45 when travel, work, and injuries start changing the game.
What to do before DEA, CAT, Navy EOD, and the Norwegian Foot March.
How to shift from tactical fitness to mountain fitness after retirement.
How to build into sheep hunting, packrafting, and even Everest.
And when to stop chasing mass and start chasing performance.

Also: K9 prep, trail half marathon planning, Busy Dad substitutions, and how to come back after a back setback.
https://t.co/0lVLjUpRXi

[Mountain Tactical @MtnTactical]

Arete is my weekly collection of interesting articles, essays, and links I come across while reading about training, mountain culture, the tactical profession, and the wider world. — Rob Shaul, MTI
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[Mountain Tactical @MtnTactical]

Email training questions to [email protected].
https://t.co/Is7QfTIV9G

[Mountain Tactical @MtnTactical]

Arete is my weekly collection of interesting articles, essays, and links I come across while reading about training, mountain culture, the tactical profession, and the wider world. — Rob Shaul, MTI https://t.co/LQeVXqEYyd

[Mountain Tactical @MtnTactical]

Email training questions to founder, Rob Shaul. [email protected].
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[Mountain Tactical @MtnTactical]

Our new Tradesman Sessions go live Monday, May 4th.

This Base Fitness programming is designed to prepare tradesmen for 90% of the mission-direct fitness demands they face on the job. This is precision, professional grade fitness programming for working tradesmen.

This is multi-modal, concurrent training. MTI’s Tradesman Sessions train Strength, Multi-Modal Endurance, Chassis Integrity, Grip Strength/Endurance, and Upper Body Strength Endurance simultaneously using our proprietary Fluid Periodization methodology. “Base Fitness” is the bottom of MTI’s Fitness Mountain, serving as the crucial foundation for your mission-direct physical capability. A high level of job-specific Base Fitness allows you to seamlessly pivot to our intense event-specific programming as needed.

MTI’s Tradesman Sessions are programmed on a monthly schedule. Each cycle is 4 or 5 weeks long, depending on the number of Mondays in that particular month. Twelve cycles per year, and you’ll train 5 days/week. Most sessions are 30-45 minutes long.

[Mountain Tactical @MtnTactical]

Arete is my weekly collection of interesting articles, essays, and links I come across while reading about training, mountain culture, the tactical profession, and the wider world. — Rob Shaul, MTI
https://t.co/3y43CxWoFJ

[Mountain Tactical @MtnTactical]

Army Combat Field Test (CFT) Training Plan

Beginning in 2026, the U.S. Army introduced the new Combat Field Test (CFT) for Soldiers in designated combat specialties. The CFT is a continuous, pass/fail assessment that must be completed in 30:00 or less.

This 5-week, 5-day/week training plan is specifically designed to prepare Soldiers for the U.S. Army Combat Field Test. The plan includes dedicated preparation for each CFT event: a 1 Mile run, 30 Dead Stop Push Ups, a 100 Meter Sprint, 16x 40-Pound Sandbag Lifts to a 65-inch platform, a 50 Meter Carry with two 40-pound Water Cans, a 50 Meter Movement Lane consisting of a 25 Meter High Crawl followed by a 25 Meter 3–5 second Rush, and a final 1 Mile Run.

Full implementation of the CFT begins in April 2027.

View the CFT Training Plan HERE: https://t.co/MS59tp5keH

[Mountain Tactical @MtnTactical]

For two decades, I’ve written in these emails and at https://t.co/agGsJDDSGj about the idea of Quiet Professionalism - doing solid, honest work — focused on the mission and the craft rather than positioning and reward. Those reflections have now become a short book.

It contains short, standalone entries you can read in any order. Its only goal is to help shift how we relate to our work — from something we endure or perform, toward something that can quietly enrich us.
Edited · 1m
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[Mountain Tactical @MtnTactical]

Email training questions to [email protected].
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[Mountain Tactical @MtnTactical]

Several years ago I wrote the essay, What Does It Mean to Be A Quiet Professional which has had more impact over the years than I could have ever imagined.

I've since written many more essays and shared other thoughts on this approach to craft and work. Many of those ideas have now been condensed and collected into a small book.

Quiet Professionalism: A Way to Work is a collection of short, focused, standalone entries on putting mission first, answering to the craft, and refusing to self-promote.
It is written for anyone who wants a different relationship with their work — one based on ownership and care rather than performance and positioning. The first entry is included below as a brief excerpt.

The kindle version of the book is now available on amazon and the print version should be available soon.

For those of you who, like me, aspire to Quiet Professionalism, I hope this small book is useful in some way. - Rob Shaul

Book Excerpt:
1. Anyone Can Choose Quiet Professionalism

Quiet Professionalism is not reserved for the elite, the experienced, the highly skilled, or the high-ranking. It is a way to work available to anyone, in any job, at any moment.

It rests on three simple commitments:
(1) mission before self
(2) craftsmanship
(3) no self-promotion.

Because Quiet Professionalism is internal, it does not depend on the approval or recognition of others. This frees you from comparison and the pressure to perform.

When you embrace it, work stops being something you endure. It becomes a path to enrichment. You gain ownership, presence, and the deep satisfaction that comes from doing something well for its own sake.

Many who feel trapped or miserable at work believe the solution is a different job, a different company, or a better title. They are looking in the wrong direction.

Quiet Professionalism does not ask you to change your job. It asks you to change your relationship to it.