Ideally I would love to generate some discussion on this topic.
Now, before I open up my question I feel like a little background on me would assist in understanding where I am coming from to shape the discussion. I have been in the military for ten years now and undertaken a variety of different training ideologies. Long distance running, rowing, barbell training, traditional ‘body-builder’ weightlifting, crossfit, crossfit endurance on top of Military training (circuits, field time, obstacle courses, pack marches – or ‘rucking’ as the US calls them, military skills competitions, orienteering, etc). I am also a qualified Combat Fitness Leader which allows me to construct and deliver Physical Training programs for military units, generally spanning a 12 month period. My mindset towards training is ‘how do I make you more resilient, both physically and mentally’ which, I believe is the core (or Foundation) to improving fitness in a Military perspective. I note that this statement is very broad, however whenever designing training I return to this ideal as a self-check.
At the moment, my training week looks like this:
- 2 x F1 sessions (doing F7, so all elements, within a single session)
- 3 x H1/H2 sessions (doing Wrist Strength exercises, HS and pHS elements)
- 1 x Interval session per week (alternating between 4 weeks of running and 4 weeks of rowing. Interval types vary, but an example session would be 3 sets of 600m, 400m, 200m with 1:1 work/rest ratio between each interval)
- 1 day of complete rest.
I also warm up each session with a 2km run at 5:00 minute/km pace (that equates to an 8:00 minute mile) – nothing arduous, just a warm up, but also serves to get weekly ‘volume’ under my belt. On one of the H1/H2 days I also extend this warm-up to 5km for added recovery benefit (ordinarily at the end of the week).
Now, my question. Are Military and Emergency Response personnel out there using F1/H1 as their primary component of training and how are you/they finding it?
I personally have seen some notable strength increases in my core and pressing strength. Pulling strength has not changed too much (but I was never strong in this area). I find that after a session of F7 my nervous system is often quite taxed, particularly on week 3 of a cycle. This often leads to the next day’s training reducing in intensity somewhat. I am also considering reviewing the supporting work (intervals, etc) to generate a bit more 'military specific' training, such as pack marching, running in equipment, etc.
I would be very interested to hear what has and has not worked for you; if you are using F1 as your primary training component, or as a supplement to your regime (and if so, what your primary component is?); have you found it translates well to ‘on-the-job’ fitness; and just your general thoughts on applying F1/H1.
Lastly, as a final note/point – I am considering utilising Foundation training to supplement preparation for Special Forces selection. I would be particularly interested if anyone has used GB training for a selection course and to hear how it went / played out.
