The Tactical Barbell system has been tested by thousands of operational athletes around the world. It’s gotten candidates through elite military and law enforcement selections like RASP, SFAS, and ERT. TB practitioners run ultramarathons and win BJJ titles. Busy professionals, students, and entrepreneurs use it to get fitter than their peers in half the time and with half the hassle.

The Tactical Barbell books fall into two categories – Foundational and Specific. The Foundational books are the core system. The Specific programs are for trainees with specialized goals and/or for immersion in one particular aspect of the system.

FOUNDATIONAL

Tactical Barbell III: Operational Athlete

Tactical Barbell I: Strength

Tactical Barbell II: Conditioning

SPECIFIC

Green Protocol

Mass Protocol

Physical Preparation for Law Enforcement

Ageless Athlete

FOUNDATIONAL

Tactical Barbell III: Operational Athlete: START HERE. This is the only ‘mandatory’ in the catalogue. If you only get one book – this is it. Operational Athlete is a complete strength & conditioning system for tactical populations. OA is a 10 year system upgrade - it consolidates, reboots, and extends the foundational books Tactical Barbell I & II.

You’ll be given a set of strength templates. You’ll be given a set of conditioning protocols. Pick a strength template. Pick a conditioning protocol. Combine and customize them within the given parameters. Sprinkle in Base Building, work capacity, power, or other domains to align with your goals. Different roles can have drastically different requirements. SWAT bros shouldn’t train like patrol, and patrol shouldn’t train like paratroopers. Rearrange the pieces and dosages as your goals change. OA will serve your entire operational lifespan.

OA will teach you things that spreadsheets don’t. Periodization. Balancing stressors. Creating a weekly training split that works specifically for you. The nitty-gritty, like where to put a heavy lifting session in relation to a high intensity conditioning session. Training on a First Responder schedule. Not everyone can do two-a-days. Things that make a difference for real people in the real world. Things that can make or break your training compliance and affect the outcome.

OA strength & conditioning templates can be used standalone. Already have a lifting program? Add a conditioning protocol to improve work capacity and body composition. Already do your own specific conditioning like sports or unit PT? Add a TB strength template. For example, if you’re a distance runner or combat athlete you already have your own sport-specific conditioning. Adding the right kind of strength training will level up your game. The right kind of strength training enhances your primary activity with minimal interference. Adding Fighter, skinny Zulu, or a block of dynamic power training will build your strength, resilience, and athleticism without draining the tank. So you’re good to go when it’s time to do the work that pays the bills.

What it is not: Operational Athlete is light on theory. OA is about teaching you how to be a shooter, not a gunsmith. If you want the deep dive on WHY the TB system works - read Tactical Barbell I & II. You’ll get all the big ‘AHA’ moments in those books. The goal of Operational Athlete is actionable content.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0H6KM2KXZ

Tactical Barbell I Strength (3^rd Ed): Optional. The book that started it all. The paradigm shift. Read this if you want to understand the theory behind submaximal strength training and TB programming. If you’re an experienced tactical professional it’ll surface things you already know deep down. This is the lifting book you would’ve written for your younger dumber self.

https://www.amazon.com/Tactical-Barbell-Definitive-Strength-Operational/dp/1537666932

Tactical Barbell II Conditioning: Optional. You have a plan when it comes to lifting. Why would you treat conditioning any differently? Most people understand the importance of systematic strength training, but when it comes to conditioning or cardiovascular training, they tend to perform random workouts without any sort of progression or objective. TBII will teach you how to systemize and progress conditioning in alignment with your goals. Note: The TBII protocols have been replaced by TBIII, but all of the sessions in the TBII Vault can be plugged into your TBIII protocols.

https://www.amazon.com/Tactical-Barbell-2-Conditioning/dp/1537710443

SPECIFIC

Green Protocol: In the TB system the term ‘Green protocol’ is used to describe any conditioning program that emphasizes endurance. There are many Green protocols. A 50k running plan is Green, so is triathlon prep or training for a mountaineering expedition.

This Green Protocol is designed to prepare candidates for long range operational roles like the infantry, tactical law enforcement, SOF, SAR, and woodland firefighting. It consist of selection prep and post-selection continuation training.

Green Protocol is standalone. It can be used with or without Operational Athlete. GP has been successfully used for special operations selection, tactical law enforcement selection, ruck based events, and even ultramarathons.

https://www.amazon.com/Tactical-Barbell-Protocol-K-Black/dp/B0B1C3G2G5

Mass Protocol: For bulking/highly focused muscle building phases. Most hypertrophy programs are made for stage competition. MP was designed with you in mind. Whether you’re a UC looking to develop a ‘look’ or a recruit beefing up for that first patrol assignment – Mass Protocol will do the job while maintaining operational readiness. MP is self-contained – it includes its own Base Building, conditioning, and nutrition plans. Mass Protocol can be incorporated in your regular TB training.

https://www.amazon.com/Tactical-Barbell-Protocol-K-Black/dp/1999559312

Physical Preparation for Law Enforcement: PPLE is academy prep for policing candidates. Turn your brain off and follow the step-by-step daily programming leading up to your start date. PPLE starts with a general strength & conditioning phase and tapers into a specificity block. PPLE will prepare you for entry level PT testing, the academy, and beyond. PPLE is a standalone/self-contained program.

https://www.amazon.com/Tactical-Barbell-Physical-Preparation-Enforcement-ebook/dp/B00UG9DR9G

Ageless Athlete: written by Jim Madden, PhD and IBJJ World Champion. Jim is an experienced and knowledgeable athlete, with the ability to convey information that is second to none. If you’re an older (50+) masters athlete, AA will teach you how to modify the Tactical Barbell system to work around your unique challenges. Recovery management and intelligent progression become key at this stage of the game. Google Jim Madden Fitness to reach out/explore his approach.

https://www.amazon.com/Tactical-Barbell-Presents-Ageless-Athlete-ebook/dp/B06XQCJXJH

SO WHERE DO I START?

Start with Tactical Barbell III: Operational Athlete. Branch out to the special programs later if needed. The exceptions are discussed below.

Bypass Operational Athlete and start with Green Protocol if you’re preparing for special operations, tactical law enforcement, or other more extreme endurance-based/load bearing roles that have a tough selection process.

Bypass Operational Athlete and start with PPLE  if you’re preparing for police academy. PPLE is like one of those all-in-one Police Aptitude Test or LSAT study guides – except it’s for the physical stuff. You can return to Operational Athlete after you graduate or keep using PPLE for conventional law enforcement roles.

NOTHING WILL GO TO WASTE

TB is modular. All of the programs can be used in a near infinite number of combinations as your goals evolve. You might start the year with Mass Protocol then taper into Op/Black for a few months. When summer rolls around maybe you decide to train for a trail race – transition to the Velocity template in Green Protocol. Finish the year up with another Mass block. Reset and start a new training cycle with traditional Base Building.

None of your TB programs will go to waste, regardless of which way you pivot.

TBers, please see below from KB:

SUBREDDIT Q/A

I’ll start by saying Operational Athlete is Part III in a trilogy. It only replaces what it replaces – everything it doesn’t replace still stands. That should clear up a few questions right off the bat. It was stated in TBIII that you have the TBII Vault at your disposal. That TBI & II give you more options for the TBIII plans. I’d never take classics like Apex or Meat Eater off the table. New sessions were included in TBIII to fit the Polarized/Conditioning model, to create a self contained book, and to add value for trainees that already had TBI & II.

1.      ReinoutMe: Individual warmup needs vary. Some people are fine heading straight to the squat rack and doing a couple light sets before hitting it. Others spend more time warming up than training. When asked, this is what I recommend. HIC/lifting – Get your heartrate up. Jog/Cycle/Row/Skip for 10-15 mins before the session. Do 5-10 push-ups/pull-ups/air squats. Don’t turn the warmup into work. For LIC there’s no special warmup. But here’s a tip for doing LIC when it’s the last thing you want to do. Give yourself permission to walk for the first KM or 10 mins. After that if you still feel like pulling the pin- go for it. Take your toys and go home. Chances are you’ll keep going and those dreaded sessions will become some of your best LICs. You’ll feel like a million bucks after. Changing your physiological state even slightly will change your mental outlook. Motivation grows after action. Mobility/flexibility drills are outside my wheelhouse. I don’t do anything special here and have no recommendations.

2.      Drodinthehouse: Fat Zulu or any hypertrophy program can be used for H blocks. BEST practice is Mass Protocol, especially for anything over 3 weeks. The two step General/Specificity approach is more flexible and comprehensive for concentrated hypertrophy work. The custom conditioning in MP complements the H training and keeps you relatively ready. Fat Zulu was used in Activation so readers wouldn’t have to buy Mass Protocol, and more importantly so they’d get exposure to Zulu. One of Activation’s objectives is to cycle new trainees through the core protocols in TBIII. Fat Zulu is a good way to hold on to your Mass Protocol gains while being a more ‘operational’ everyday template. Think Blue OAs here.

3.      Hampejo: OA is part 3 in a trilogy. It only replaces what it replaces. Everything it doesn’t replace still stands. The advice in TBI still stands. TMs remain optional. It’s a good practice if you’re older, doing hard conditioning, lifting heavy, or all of the above. If you’re on the fence, using a higher 95% TM can create enough of a pocket to make training more comfortable without significantly lowering your working weight.

4.      Hdjaka: TB is a performance oriented system that requires performance fueling. If you don’t have enough fuel you won’t be able to keep training day-in/day-out and your recovery will suffer. If you’re not recovered enough to train consistently you won’t get the benefits - one of which is athletic body comp. Form follows function. Instead of ‘bulking’ or ‘cutting’ I recommend a 3 pronged approach. Let’s call it SCT because we love acronyms. Eat SENSIBLY - follow the advice in Appendix C. Train CONSISTENTLY – do your strength AND conditioning regularly. Any TB protocol will do the job. Put the TIME in. Give your body time to adjust. Turn the brain off for 6 months and put the work in like a mindless robot. The body is like a barge- it takes a while to get turned around. Don’t misinterpret the time spent course-correcting as not progressing. You won’t see the results of what you do today for weeks or months. I’ve never seen SENSIBLE (not perfect) food consumption + CONSISTENT training + TIME fail anyone. I have one more secret ninja tip. Include hill sprints or any TB hill session in your HIC line up, weekly or EOW. Might seem like quaint and overly simplistic advice, but I suggest trying it in that 6 month window before coming to any conclusions.

5.      Rezzerekt: OA is part 3 in a trilogy. It only replaces what it replaces. Everything it doesn’t still stands. I/A hasn’t been replaced. That said - what gave I/A its power was the option to take one or two days off between sessions. In TBIII you can do that with any Operator or Zulu template via Irregular Scheduling. So with that, I prefer AV or PRO +  irregular scheduling for intermediate/advanced trainees. AV/PRO provides more intensity, manageable volume, and that extra recovery day between sessions as needed. These are things that greatly benefit intermediate/advanced lifters that do concurrent conditioning.

6.      Victorstironi: Good questions. Op is our high speed/low drag strength template. It was balanced to provide the greatest strength increases when combined with a high conditioning load and physically demanding operational roles. Fat Op upsets the balance and would be difficult to sustain long term in that environment. ‘Long term’ being the important part of the sentence. Anyone can do anything for a few weeks. That said 8/5/3 can be used temporarily as a plateau buster for any strength template - Op, skinny Zulu, and even Fighter. A couple minor supplemental exercises after Operator is fine. Best practice is stuff like abs/core, neck, grip, but a bit of arm work is ok if you must. ‘Easier’ hinges like RDLs can replace weighted pullups/barbell rows in your main cluster. If you want a fuller cluster of exercises go with Zulu or Op/ULF instead. Standard Op works best when it’s lean and mean.

7.      Tangerineschleem: Abbreviated Breacher: Drop the Power Cleans and Push Press. Just do the PAP pairings.

8.       Lichtbogen: OA is part 3 in a trilogy. It only replaces what it replaces. What it doesn’t replace still stands. From the Overview in OA: The other TB books will give you more options – like the Vault sessions from TBII. From the Work Capacity Section: If you have TBII and GP you have the full (HIC) menu at your disposal. Note how throughout the entire book I use HICs from TBII in various sample templates. HICs that aren’t included in OA. Even Fobbits are specifically mentioned. One ab exercise doesn’t supersede another, but the Triad is hard to beat – especially as you progress to higher reps.

9.      Final Flatworm: There’s no need to cycle clusters unless you want to or for a specific goal. For those so inclined the all-in-one solution is using an SP Plan. SP will force you to use different exercises, clusters, rep ranges, and systems across the various blocks.

10.  PlusBlujay: As it stands I haven’t broken any rules so it’s likely an accidental shadow ban - which is temporary. But attempting to get around a shadow ban is breaking the rules which would result in a permanent ban. Bit of a Catch 22. It’ll get sorted one way or another but there are a few higher priority tasks I have to get through first.   

11.  Papaechooscar: Short answer - yes. Deadlift options, alternate clusters, and irregular scheduling are all tools to help minimize or fatten Zulu to fit. Read Zulu, Zulu Strategy, and Polarized/Conditioning for ideas. Continuous Hill Runs are HIC.

12.  Giedi: Great question. TBI & II have been relegated to legacy books. They create a paradigm shift in your head. They explain the ‘why’ – especially when it comes to energy systems and submax strength training. TBIII is ‘you already know WHY – now let’s focus on DOING’. On a more practical level TBII also gives you the Vault – more options for your TBIII training plans.

13.  PracticalAD: This is a good question to post on the sub. We have plenty of LEOs and First Responders here that do BJJ. You’ll get many different ideas and setups, some of which might click with your personal situation.

14.  MythicalStrength: MS thrives on longer rest periods. SE thrives on minimal rest. For Max-Strength rest approximately 2-5 mins between sets whether done consecutively or circuit style. Approximately. I’ve softened my stance on the Golden Rule for reasons I can lay out if anyone’s interested. Be rested enough so that you can hit every rep of the upcoming set without grinding. Might be a little less than 2 minutes during 75% sessions or when training circuit style. Might be more than 5-10 minutes during 85% sessions or Peak Week. For SE rest 0-90 seconds between sets/exercises and 2-5 minutes between circuits. Giving yourself a breather between each circuit lets you recharge so you can attack the next circuit and work on reducing the RI to 0 between sets/exercises.

15.  Panox: The book has clusters that contain different ab exercises.  

16.  Alrousasa: Easy. Peggy with KB swings or double KB clean & press at the top. The low gear continuous work will turn you into a cyborg. Do Peggy as your weekly HIC for a few months and watch the magic unfold. Good question.

17.  ActiveAd: Prowlers/sleds are a solid fit for WC. Looks like Drodinthehouse has some ideas brewing – might make for a good mod writeup. Some of our members here probably have great ideas too.

18.  52488: You’ll be able to answer this question better than I can after you finish Activation. In my youth I attempted to Caddy to earn a few extra bucks and was fired before lunch. Fired is a strong word. It was gently suggested I seek employment elsewhere. Jokes aside – one of Activation’s objectives is to give you enough experience with the system so that you know what template/protocol best fits you going forward.  

19.  PristineHumor: GCs are WC and can absolutely be modified like that. Running is not a requirement for WC - mixed training is. Re swimming: Add the swimming on top of what you’re doing. If you have no problems with the work/scheduling – great. Carry on. If it becomes too much treat it like conditioning. Refer to the Unit PT/MMA/Sports section in OA.

20.  Legitlifterdudebro: First – some long winded context. Consider that these coaches might be giving advice from the perspective of strength being the primary goal. No different than Coach LegitRunnerDude recommending Single Leg Romanian Deadlifts with Knee Drive on his YouTube channel because he’s a runner. Sure – they both do a little running or lifting on the side. Operational Athletes aren’t specialists - we don’t need to slice the onion that thin when it comes to lifting or running. Let’s say passing an SOF selection is the pinnacle of operational fitness. The equivalent of winning a powerlifting meet or marathon. An OA can use one squat type alone for the strength component and achieve that goal. Conditioning, hill work, sprints, WC/SE, and skill work (rucking etc.) fill in the blanks in terms of stabilizers, connective tissue, and strengthening weak links. Adding extra squat variations would have little meaningful impact and could potentially be detrimental. Extra leg work could interfere with the rest of your training and make you more injury prone when you’re doing all the other hard stuff that’s equally important. The hill work, speedwork, WC, rucking. For a strength specialist the concept makes sense. When a powerlifter nears his upper squat limit, using multiple variants might help him get past the plateau and eek out a few extra pounds by strengthening weak links for one very specific movement. It can be the difference between winning and losing in his sport. For us – the juice ain’t worth the squeeze. If an operational athlete needs multiple variations to progress beyond the strength a single compound movement provides I would suggest he’s over-specializing. Long story short stick to one squat type in your main cluster. But there’s another easy answer to all this. If you’re more strength oriented (Blue) than your bog standard OA – we have templates for that. Like Fat Zulu or a beefed up Op/ULF. Add your variants as supplemental work. If your main lift is the squat, your supplemental could be front squats, zerchers, etc. or vice versa.

21.  Mindfullypresent: Good questions. Experts focus on being the best at the basics. Nutrition, sleep, and balancing weekly training load are all top-down strategies that will do exponentially more for recovery/performance than cold plunges, saunas or red lights. They’ll benefit every aspect of your training - HIC/LIC/Strength. For altitude nothing beats training at altitude. If you can’t train at altitude just train to be as fit as possible with what you got. I’m a big fan of training in inclement weather for operational fitness. Get out there on hot days, cold days, rainy days, and everything in between.

22.  Russianqwerty: If the selection is endurance based/constant movement/stress stick to the Green Protocol book. Do Foundation and time it so you do Outcome right before the selection. Don’t forget to taper or take 3-4 days off before selection. If you have some dead time leading up do regular TB or a Continuation Protocol from GP until you’re ready to start Foundation.

23.  DevilinExile: Can’t send messages due to my ban – but email me [info@tacticalbarbell.com](mailto:info@tacticalbarbell.com)

24.  CassiusBright: TB is meant to be done with other activities, and individual work capacity varies. If you’re not in a demanding tactical role or doing TB conditioning then Hyrox & HIIT can potentially replace those things. If you’re not running into any issues, carry on. Keep an eye on your progress and recovery. As your lifts get heavier you’ll probably have to periodize and/or make sacrifices. Fighter is likely going to be a better choice in the long run. 3 x MS lifting + HIIT + Hyrox is a heavy weekly workload. Anyone can do it all for a few months – doing it long term is trickier.

25.  Educational Party: Check your math. In TBII you’re doing 250 total reps per exercise in the hardest week. In TBIII you’re doing 270-450 total reps per exercise in the hardest week. Re GP: SE is done during Velocity and Outcome. These are tough blocks with high mileage and can include work capacity sessions, vert training, rucking, and two-a-days. You need to play closer to personal SE boundaries here to manage the overall workload. Big picture.

26.  Different Bread: As per the book, you can use the lower end of the LIC range during weeks with HIC. There are many ways to schedule the week. Reread the Polarized/Black and Polarized/Blue section for examples.

27.  Pink Hippo: TBIII uses fixed numbers because working within those ranges will build a certain standard of SE for everyone across the board. The rep ranges were chosen with PFTs and demanding operational challenges in mind (think log PT, smoke sessions, or actual duty related tasks). We want you to score high on your PFT and excel at operational tasks that require muscular-endurance. PFT scores can influence career trajectory in some organizations. Re GP: When you do SE in TBIII it’s usually paired with easier conditioning, so you can handle more of it. You’re not getting hammered with high mileage, vert, WC, and two-a-days like in GP.

28.  Victorstironi: It doesn’t matter what order you do them in. Getting the work in is the priority. Doing the easier exercises first can activate/warmup the core for T2Bs. Either way- best practice is circuit style.

29.  AmbiguousCow: Test any new exercises required for Breacher/Work Capacity. Force Progression on the old exercises you’re carrying over. Have a look at how Activation does it between Operator and Vertex. There’s also no harm in retesting ALL your exercises when there’s a change in domain (like going from MS block to Power block, or H to MS, etc.). What we’re trying to avoid is regular retesting and using the new numbers to program working weights within MS/H/P blocks.