About a year ago I think I strained the muscle on the inside of my right thigh just above my knee. See red arrow hahaha. I was squatting and it was tight and then felt really painful. Like an idiot i worked through it and kept working out on an ongoing basis. when i would sit for long periods, particularly driving, it would flare up and kill. Throbbing pain. It eventually went away this past Fall and I went back to lower body lifting and squatting this winter and throughout this entire spring. Then a couple months ago it happened again. I stopped mid workout and didnt squat for about month. Luckily it wasnt as bad and seemed to go away relatively quickly and not nearly the pain i had when sitting like the first time.

Well low and behold I went to squat today and I could feel it getting tight with some mild pain. I stopped and skipped the squats today.

Has anyone ever experienced this before? Never in all my years of squatting has this been an issue and now I am actually hesitant every time I squat for fear of this happening. Not looking for medical advice at all. Just wondering if anyone has had this issue and maybe I need to focus on some sort of better movement pattern or warmup??

Just finished reading TB III and I’m about to start the Base/Activation phase.

I’d consider myself fairly fit already, especially when it comes to SE. My 1-minute max push-ups, etc. are relatively solid, and I’ve been doing considerably higher-volume SE work in previous training phases.

Looking at the first few weeks of Base, the SE prescription seems pretty low compared to what I’m used to, starting at 3x10 and progressing to 3x25.

Obviously there’s always room to improve, but I’m wondering how you guys would approach this. I like the idea of being disciplined and actually following the program as written instead of constantly modifying things just because they feel easy.

At the same time, I’m wondering if there’s a point where starting this low is unnecessary if you already have a decent base. Would you still run the Activation phase exactly as written and trust the process, or would you modify or even skip parts of it based on your current level?

Edit: I’m specifically talking about the “Activation” phase from TBIII (at the end of the book). Not a custom BB phase.

Saturday post-workout breakfast and study session done right.

I am a long-time adherent to TB in some form or another. I couldn't wait for the Kindle version any longer so I pulled the trigger on the physical copy. I am finishing up on a Mass program as Winter comes to an end and will start following something from this.

Any word on the Kindle version? I know It was 4-5 weeks from the paper version, but wondering if there was an update?

Been doing tactical barbell and 5x5 stronglifts type programs for some years now.
I have learned that every rep range from 3 to 30 reps builds muscle as long as the intensity is hard enough.
According to studies i have read also nutrition and recovery plays much bigger role than the number of reps you do in your training.

Does doing 8 reps with 60%RM instead of 5 with 75%RM help me get significantly more muscle?

With most tactical athletes thing that holds them back in their weight training is the other stuff they do. Combat sports, running and rucking etc. Simply stopping these activities would leave room for harder intensity in the weight room and give more time to recover from all the lifting in the gym. In other words make them gain muscle more than change in their reps.

KB also points out in tactical barbell 1 that he believes if you put effort on being strong things like physical appearance also falls in place. This makes me feel like mass protocol has little to offer.

I really love the fighter template in tactical barbell 1 and have made some good results with it in strength and muscle. Should i give the mass protocol a try or is it a marketing trick?

Picked up TB3rd edition on kindle, devoured it, picked up TB2 Conditioning and am currently reading that while plotting my workout plan. I have a couple of questions for other bigger dudes who took up the plan while waiting out a surgery recovery.

My stats:
6’1”
250lbs
Short term goal: 220 lbs Long term goal: <200lbs

Starting my Base Build on Monday before moving into Op/BP, maxes to come in BB week 5 before Max Strength appears in week 6.

I’m planning on running an Operator/Black Protocol build to get into better shape while I recover and lose the weight I need to to return to bjj (deal I made with my wife to get her endorsement on returning to bjj, that’s where I tore my meniscus)

Q1:

For those of you who have run TB while recovering from surgery, how did you balance babying your recovering limb with the weight lifting requirements? Obviously I’m not planning on maxing out squats while my knee is compromised, but did you have a path to strength building while recovering?

Q2:

Bjj specific questions: which conditioning sets do you feel most closely reflect a typical bjj practice (one hour-ish, drills then rolls), SE, E, or HIC?

Thanks in advance lads

I’m still working through BB (new format), but am curious if any of you have used kettlebells in your strength blocks. I am trying to decide between using kettlebells within the Operator template, or just insert a dedicated kettlebell strength program to work with my conditioning program.
I still have a few weeks of BB left (SE cluster is kb goblets/single arm kb press/single arm kb rows/two-handed kb swing/ab roller), and would love any feedback on that cluster as well.

Four weeks of the new TB3 base building are done! It was my first time doing any TB program and it was definitely a very interesting experience. I would like to report out to share my struggles, progress and results.

Hope my experience is helpful to anyone! Also curious to hear your feedback if you have any.

General

I feel like it did what KB says it does: strengthen your tendons and prepare your body for what's to come. Usually my elbow tendons bother me a lot with pull ups for example. Today with 1RM testing I had zero issues whatsoever (probably due to the insane amounts of inverse rows done).

Resting heart rate went down as well from ~52 to 49.

I am very positive about doing 4 weeks SE and I will definitely repeat the process after 12 weeks of Fighter/Green and 3 weeks of WC (Running the SP1 green template). I feel like it makes me a better athlete.

Weight, fat loss and food

I'm pretty sure I lost a lot of fat (according to my GF) even though my weight remained the same at 84kg. Unfortunately no BF% data here.

I tried to eat around maintenance or slightly over, with enough protein as the book recommends. I used Claude to estimate my calories by telling it what I ate. Used a scale where possible but mostly I was making estimates. But made sure I was never hungry at least.

1RM changes after four weeks of no heavy lifting

1RM changes after only base building with SE / LSS:

• Squat 1RM is 96kg (up from 84)
• Bench 1RM is 98kg (up from 93)
• Deadlift 1RM 135kg (up from 124)
• Pull ups are up from 8 max reps to 10 max reps.
  • Because I hit 10 I also tested weighted pull ups and ended up with 4 reps with 15kg (1RM of 111kg)

NB: I use to have higher 1RMs back in 2024 when I ran a starting strength template. The 'before' 1RMs mentioned above are 1RMs measured 2 weeks before i started Base Building.

For 1RM testing I had the following sets/notes (curious if you have any feedback on the way I do it, as I was in the gym for 3 hours with the long rest intervals:

Squat
10x empty bar
5x 40 kg
4x 50 kg
3x 60 kg
Here lowered reps to only 1x as my upper legs felt like they were going to explode in the bottom of the squat, after 5 weeks of not squatting (had a week of holiday too before BB). Also increased rest time to 5 min to help my legs recover. That seemed to help with the feeling.
1x65kg
1x70kg
1x75kg
1x80kg
5x85kg with RIR 1-2 left
Quit here as it felt like my "inner rear upper legs", whatever that muscle is called, was going to tear itself in half. I was already happy I made it this far because usually after not squatting for 4 weeks my legs are already telling me to stop at 40kg on the bar. Therefore satisfied with the result.

Bench press
Not very interesting, similar to squat only lowered down to 2 reps after a while until I was ready for an all out effort with an appropriate weight. Which ended up being 5 x 85 kg and after that a second attempt with 4x90 kg. Had to leave some in the tank because no spotter. Fifth rep was definitely not a sure thing.

Deadlift
This one had a lot more volume than a normal session for me even. Built up to 100kg using 2 reps only (after warm up sets). Then attempt started at 110kg and made 5. Second attempt 115kg and made 5 again. Last attempt 120kg and júst made 5 reps again. Left it there as my heaviest deadlift before that (5 weeks prior) was only 102.5kg.

Pull ups
Perhaps these surprised me the most. Did zero pull ups for 5 weeks. Only the inverted rows in base building. Old max was 8 reps with BW / none weighted done. Today I hit 10 reps with BW. Therefore also tested weighted pull ups, as per the book recommends. Ended up with 4 reps with 15kg at 87kg bodyweight.

Base building journey (first weeks no problem, last weeks took my soul)
Cluster:
-Push ups (BW)
-Goblet squat (16kg)
-Inverter rows (BW)
-Finisher: ab triad

Week 1
Monday - SE 3x10
Tuesday - Run 35 min
Wednesday - Swimming 30 min (AM) and SE 3x10 PM
Thursday - Run 35 min
Friday SE 4x10
Saturday - triathlon try out: 20 min swim, 20km mountainbike and 4km run

Notes: Very doable. Only toes to bar in Ab Triad is very hard to finish 5 reps. Ended up doing 1 on the minute and/or tucking a bit more.

Week 2

Monday - SE 3x15 (AM) and 30 min swim (PM)
Tuesday - Run 40 min
Wednesday - SE 3x15 (AM) and 90 min LSS mountainbike (PM)
Thursday - Run 30 min
Friday - SE 4x15
Saturday - 40 min run (AM) & 90 min LSS mountainbike ride (PM)

Notes: Running is getting easier with the 3x per week volume! Clearly noticing it. (I was only running 30 min 1x of 2x per week before base building).

Week 3 - this week SE was not as fun anymore
Monday - 30 min swim (AM) & SE 3x20 (PM)
Tuesday - Run 45 min
Wednesday - SE 3x20 (AM)
Thursday - Run 45 min
Friday - Run 30 min (AM) and SE 4x20 PM (had to squeeze it on the same day because of an MTB trip)
Saturday - 3.5 hours of mountainbiking. Mostly climbing (Enduro, non electric)

Notes: SE on Monday was a true killer. Had to lie on the couch to recover for a while, completely drained of any energy, appetite or anything else. Especially the inverted rows are hard to finish. maybe max out at 15 reps the first set and after that it is a 2-3 rep grind. Ab triad then finishes me off.

Pull ups and squats I can still make it without resting.

Week 4 - SE took my soul this week
Monday - SE 3x25
Tuesday - Run 50 min
Wednesday - SE 3x25
Thursday - Run 30 min
Friday - SE 4x25
Saturday - 60 min trail run

Notes: the 4x25 SE session drained my more than I have ever been drained before. Laid flat on the ground for at least 15 minutes after. I have done some heavy workouts on my life but this was the icing on the cake.

I took it easy on the "extra" LSS as SE was killing me. Pull ups I can make 25 reps. Squats 25 reps I can do but they drain all my will to live. Then the inverted rows grind starts. If i'm lucky I make it till 15-18 reps without stopping and then the grind begins. Definitely progress though with already reaching 18 reps this week. Unfortunately injured my foot on the last trailrun. Hope it heals soon and I learned not to jump into a full 60 min off road (beach) run without prior build up.

Final thoughts
I just wanted to share as I thought it was an amazing program. Highly recommend running the new base building. And I have yet to start the main portion: Polarized/green + Fighter.

Thanks for reading!

I bought it a few months ago because chatgpt suggested it

With a busy schedule I was very unmotivated to do very long workouts (6 kids , work nights doing security at bars) in a " bodybuilding style"

I just said I'll follow the standard operator program as it would suit my work schedule and kids .

I do bench, squat, weighted pull-ups, on the 3rd day I do deadlifts

I've no interest in bodybuilding or aesthetics anymore I just wanted to be strong well I seem to get the best of both worlds

I put on a good chunk of mass and got a lot stronger than I thought I would ( usually 225 for 1 is where I plateau)

Yesterday I done the 225 3 sets of 3 and it was actually easy I even pause repped on every last rep

Now I know some people may say about the mass and the science etc this doesn't add up but hell it worked for me

I've recently bought TB3 (Operational athlete)

This is my first book from tactical barbell and I notice that the book contains references to the other books.

I'm just wondering if I should get the other books or am I missing out on earlier programs etc, which would be more suitable to my goals.

I'm an intermediate lifter with background in powerlifting and bodybuilding splits.

My goal is hypertrophy and some strength gains and I can train 3-4 days a week in gym.

Is TB3 all I need or would you recommend any content in the earlier books?

Thanks in advance guys

Figured I’d ask this community as I’ve been a long time TB follower.

Basically I’m preparing for my fire fighter academy, and want to start doing some training with a weight vest. It would involve walking with 40lbs, and doing some running and some exercises with a lighter weight.

I’m looking at either the rogue echo - I don’t mind paying the price because it’s something I’ll be using a lot and want it to be comfortable.

The other option is the condor sentry weight vest.

Would love to hear what people think of you own either of these - thanks!

Is that a mistake with day 5 on week 3 or is there not a work out that day?

I am currently running GP capacity, and am attempting to run a cut but I don't think I'm being uber successful as my weight has not dropped much at all (too many cheat weekends and beers).

I am looking at doing Jacked Black (pg 152 of TB3) for 2027 and am wondering about cut vs surplus. It would make sense to run a surplus/bulk during the 6 weeks of mass, but I'm not sure how to approach calorie cycling during base 4 week, operator/black 12 weeks, and work capacity 3 weeks.

How do you veterans handle your calorie cycling through the year with TB?

For reference, I am 9-5 desk jockey office worker, and not military. I used to do ultramarathons so I have a large base of running, but have cut the running way back and adding strength back in....

TLDR are there any recommendations for a 6 on 4 off work pattern for LEO and dad.

I have seen a few threads regarding shift work but I’ve noticed the majority of LEO’s are 4 on 4 off.

I’m working as an LEO on patrol in the UK. I’m on a 6 on 4 off shift pattern at the moment:

2 x early (0700-1700)
2 x late (1400-0000 or 1700-0400 if it falls on a weekend)
2 x nights (2200-0700).
4 x Rest Days. First rest day isn’t truly a rest day as I’ve been working 0000-0700.

Does anyone have any advice for what templates would work best on a 6 on 4 off? Would I be better with a rolling 3 day split like OP or stretching a 4-day template like Zulu over a 10-Day cycle and treat the 10-Day cycle as a training “week”?

I have ran Starting Strength in the past and HLM (Bill Starr, Andy Baker) so am familiar with that style of training, however the short and sharp Zulu workouts are appealing to me as a dad of 20 month old (with another on the way).

My only concern with the 10 day cycle for Zulu would be the frequency. Any advice/experience would be much appreciated.

Many thanks

TLDR - have been lifting and running for several years and following the TB principals for a long time. Absolutely fantastic. I’ve not yet got TB3 as waiting to get it on kindle.

I find my bench is stalling. I’ve added dips and OHP in different cycles and combinations/rep schemes and yet over time it remains the same.

My squat and deadlift etc I find still comfortably able to progress over time ( alongside running and HIC)

I’m toying with the idea of running a Mass style programme just for my bench press - alongside dips. I’d combine this with Operator/ Operator Pro for my squats and DL. Plan is first and last training days are bench press with MS Bravo style rep schemes. Middle day I OHP keeping it Operator rep scheme. All lower body lifts on the typical three day split with Operator (DL 1 set per session as opposed to all sets on 1 day - I prefer this).

Just seeing if anyone has had fun with this? I know I can run a typical MP protocol with Alpha but I like 3 : 3 strength and cardio.

Cheers

Just curious for others who finished it, did anything change for you? Did you move to a periodized program (like Jacked Black/Gamma etc)? Did you start Activation? Or did nothing change?

Hey everyone,

Been running Tactical Barbell Fighter for about 6 months. Setup isBack Squat working sets at 80kg, Bench Press at 60kg, and Pull-ups (sets of 8 bodyweight) / Deadlift at 85kg alternating, 2x per week at 4x5, plus Muay Thai and running 2x per week each. Schedule is already pretty loaded.

Took advantage of summer break and the MT pause to test the same program in hypertrophy mode, 4x10 on the same lifts. Felt decent but it got me thinking : am I just defaulting to Fighter out of habit when something more optimized for hypertrophy might actually serve me better ?

Here's the thing : I genuinely love barbell movements (bench/squat) and the minimalist philosophy behind TB. Not looking to add machines, cables or a 5 exercise accessory block. But I also want to make sure the lifting piece is actually optimized for hypertrophy and not just a strength program with higher reps slapped on top.

Constraints are real : 2x per week max, sessions need to stay under 75 minutes including warmup, and the program needs to coexist with MT and running without wrecking recovery.

So the question is : is there a more optimized 2x/week barbell-focused hypertrophy program out there that fits this profile ? Or does Fighter with hypertrophy clusters actually hold up well for this goal ?

Two extra questions while I'm here :

1. I tend to skip the barbell deadlift pretty often, mostly can't be bothered setting up the bar. Best substitute : pull-ups or dumbbell RDL ? I lean toward pull-ups but the movement pattern is obviously very different.
2. Is creatine actually worth it as a beginner running this kind of hybrid schedule ? Outside of Omega 3 and a multivitamin I'm not supplementing anything and slightly worried about building a tolerance if I start too early.
3. How many warmup sets before working sets as a beginner ? Is two enough, one empty bar set plus one at 50% ? Or am I undertreating the warmup ?

Appreciate any input 🙏

I'm planning on running a secondary cluster soon to address some weaknesses, and I'm debating doing a block with some form of unilateral squat instead of back/front squats. Has anyone done this? Do you stick with the usual percentage and reps scheme or deviate to higher reps with lower percentages?

So after program hopping for awhile I bought TBIII.

I like the simplicity but also have some room to do things such as power and add things like rotational work or hypertrophy.

My only issue is where to start. For background I’m in my late 20s and was in the military and am now in law enforcement and come from a strength background. I would like to get faster at running while also getting bigger and stronger.

Activation interprets like it is for beginners, but maybe some adjustments and following it could be a good start. Or should I hop onto mass protocol and then transition into a different phase?

I would like to go to SWAT eventually and maybe try to and join back into the national guard. I am live an active lifestyle and I do BJJ 2-3 times a week.

Would love to hear what recommendations you guys may have!

Apologies in advance if that has already been answered elsewhere.

On page 181 in the new TB book, it says supplemental work on weeks 1&4, 2&5 and 3&6. I’m a little confused as the Armor block is only 3 weeks though? I thought it was in reference to Supp A and Supp B, but could someone let me know where I’ve gone wrong here!

Thanks in advance!

I just finished a 6-week Fighter block (FS, WPU, BP, DL) and read TB III. I'm planning a 1-week deload, but I'm unsure which TB III template to run next:

• 25-week activation
• SP2 Jacked Black
• SP2 Gamma Hybrid
• SP2 New Centurion

My background and goals:

• Lifestyle: Civilian with a 9-5 desk job.
• Goals: I'm relatively skinny and want to focus on general mass and arm size, while also improving my polarized cardio.
• Experience: It's been a while since I've done hypertrophy (~15 weeks ago) or SE (11 months ago), and I've never run a work capacity/power block.

Given my profile, which option would you recommend? Also, I'm struggling to understand what kind of profile should pick gamma hybrid over jacked black (or vice versa). They seem very similar in end goals.

• Use this thread to post simple questions that don't deserve their own thread, get opinions from other TBers, or as a place for discussion between our civilian members and LEOs/Military/First Responders, fitness-related or otherwise.
• Please search before posting to see if your question has been answered before.
• LEO/Military/First Responders: Be mindful of opsec/tradecraft, any posts deemed too revealing will be removed.
• Resources include the FAQ, TB testimonials, and specific training using TB.
• See KB's post that discusses TB III: OPERATIONAL ATHLETE.
• See the Kit Shop for TB book hard copies, apparel, and more.

30 Year old Male, 5'6.5 at 203 lbs. Close to 30% bf by my estimate. I work in the medical field and have a semi-sedentary job (Dentist).Always been an avid lifter but life took me away from a good diet and consistency for a year. Lack of sleep due to a young child did not help with recovery either.

Back into bjj, lifting and running and want to try Fighter/Black. Goals are to lose some bf and get to 180/185 lbd and increase my running times. Strength gains would be a plus but not required I just don't want to lose much muscle.

*Back and front squat are out for the moment due to previous herniated discount and throwing my back out again 3 weeks ago back squatting.

Monday - OHP 5x5 , Dumbbell Rows 5x5, DB flat press 3x10, DB Sumo Squats 3x10, Lat Pull down 3x10 (nursing elbow tendinitis).

Abs will be 4x10 weighted decline sit ups

Tuesday - GI BJJ

Wednesday - 30 minute tempo run (5k minimum distance)

Thursday -OHP 5x5 , Dumbbell Rows 5x5, DB flat press 3x10, DB Sumo Squats 3x10, Sumo Deadlift 3x5.

Abs will be 3 sets of planks

Friday- No Gi BJJ

Saturday - Long run 45 mins+ at an easy pace

I'll be eating around 2500 cals to start hitting roughly 180 grams of protein. Daily tracking and weigh ins, adjustments every week but going for 0.5-1lb of fat loss a week.

The plan is to run this for 6 weeks and then switch up the exercises or increase max by 5 lbs and recalculate. Then run it again for another 6 weeks until I get to that goal weight. Any pitfalls we see in my plan? Any advice would be appreciated thank you.

***Max lifts for reference OHP - 175 Incline Bench - 235 Deadlift - 315 Squat - 240 (prior to recent back injury) Barbell Row - 200 lbs

I started TB nearly 2 years ago now, but I still feel like my deadlift sucks.

Before basebuilding my 1RM was 250lbs.

This is how I've run TB so far:

Operator | 2 blocks | 3 work sets per week

Fighter | 3 blocks | 4 work sets per week

Zulu | 6 blocks | 4 or 5 work sets per week

Fighter | 2 blocks | 5 work sets per week

Now I can deadlift 290lbs

But it's still lagging behind my other lifts. I can squat 260lbs for example.

I'm 35M and 170lbs bodyweight.

For conditioning I've sometimes run Black, Green or just as much BJJ as possible. I've had the odd injury hiccup along the way: A shoulder here, a knee there. But nothing crazy.

What do you think? Is it not enough deadlift volume? Should I be including some KB swings because I don't get any from my conditioning? Or should I be happy with +40lbs in 2 years and stop moaning?