Co-authored by Ryan Toshner
Participant registration is now open for this spring’s Tactical Strength Challenge on May 9. Register here.
In our previous article, we laid out the most common snatch, pullup, and deadlift technique and tactic flaws that leave a lot of TSC performance potential under-realized. And because our goal is to see people thrive during their training and on the competition floor, we outlined our top fixes for those problems. While applying these form pointers can set you on the right path from the beginning and allow you to get out of your own way, you’ll also need a proven program to help you ready yourself for the rigors of test day. That’s the focus of this article—to outline the latest version of the program we use to help prepare ourselves and our TNT Performance athletes for the Tactical Strength Challenge.
We say the latest version because for each and every TSC, we apply lessons learned from previous competitions, using ourselves as test subjects. For example, one of our early TSC training insights was not to attempt too many pullups because it led to injuries like a painful lats strain. While we overcame these in time for test day, they provided a valuable lesson: if you do enough snatches, you should have sufficient strength and endurance to also perform well on the pullup portion of the TSC. We learned something similar about deadlifting: the snatch provides enough full-body power to give you a heavy deadlift, with an exception for those without much deadlifting experience. If this is you, work with a coach on a deadlifting block before commencing the TSC-specific program, or have him or her tweak the program to focus more on this movement early in the 12 weeks before testing rolls around.
The TNT Training Program
Let’s get down to the nitty-gritty. Here is the 12-week, 3-days per week program that we’ve used for our athletes and ourselves with great success. As mentioned, this isn’t version 1.0, but more like 10.0 as we’ve been revising, testing, and revising again for many years. We’ve found three days a week to be the most effective training frequency when preparing for the TSC. Before you get started, please read the notes below.
We assume technical competence with the listed skills and drills—and enough good judgment to choose regressions as appropriate.
W= Week, D=Day. So W1D1 means the first training day of week one.
Re-set deadlift so you do each rep as an individual one.
% of max for deadlifts: 6 means you could do 8. 4 means you could do 5. 2 means you get 1 and hopefully 2.
Begin ab work with hollow position and hollow rocking. Progress to the recommended ab exercises (or an appropriate regression) once you’ve mastered the hollow rocking and TRX Suspension Trainer body saws (see videos below).
All swings are two-handed.
+1, +2 mean a kettlebell one or two sizes heavier than snatch test size.
EMOTM Every minute on the minute.
Hollow rock progression
Suspension trainer body saws
Movement Preparation on Every Training Day
FMS passive leg lowers: 20/20
FMS shoulder mobility drills: 7 minutes
Warm-up: 10 two-handed swings + 10 goblet squats + 5/5 snatch + 1/1 get-up; repeat for three rounds
FMS scapula wall slides
W1D1
Deadlift: 2×5, 1×3, 1×2, 3×1
Power wheel rollouts: 5×5
Finger board workout: 10 minutes
Finger board training: Hangs, walking, pulls
W1D2
Snatch: Test size bell EMOTM for 12 minutes, reps between 5/5 to 8/8
Dragon flags: 3×5
Finger board workout: 10 minutes including 3 rounds of pullups to 80% of your repetition maximum
Dragon flag
W1D3
Pullups: 50-70 reps in as few sets as possible
Snatch: Test size bell EMOTM for 10 minutes, 5/5 to 6/6 reps
W2D1
Accelerated eccentric (AE) swings: 2×8
Heavy swings: 3×5
AE swings: 1×8
Deadlift: 5×8
W2D2
Snatch: Test size bell EMOTM for 14 minutes between 5/5 to 8/8 reps
Power wheel rollouts: 5×5
W2D3
Pullups: 20 sets of 20% max reps, as fast as possible (AFAP)
Snatch: Test size bell EMOTM for 10 minutes, 5/5 to 6/6 reps
Finger board workout: 10 minutes
W3D1
AE swings: 2×8
Heavy swings: 2×5
AE swings: 1×8
Deadlift: 5×8
Dragon flags: 2×10, 1×5
Finger board workout: 10 minutes
W3D2
Snatch: Test size bell EMOTM for 16 minutes, between 5/5 to 8/8 reps
Power wheel rollouts: 5×5
W3D3
Pullups: 60-80 reps in as few sets as possible
Snatch: +1 or +2 bells above snatch test size EMOTM for 10 minutes, 5/5 reps
W4D1
Deadlift: 3×6 RM
Front lever: Grease the groove, practicing appropriate regressions as necessary
Front lever regression (SFB)
W4D2
Snatch: Test size bell EMOTM for 18 minutes, between 5/5 to 8/8 reps
Power wheel crawl for maximal distance: 1 set
Finger board workout: 10 minutes
W4D3
Pullups: Ladder 80% of your max pullups for the first set; decrease 1 rep each set to 0, AFAP
Snatch: +1 or +2 bells above snatch test size EMOTM for 10 minutes, 5/5 reps
Kettlebell farmer carry “mile”
W5D1
AE swings: 2×8
Heavy swings: ((1×1 + 1×2) x 3) x 3—i.e. 3 rounds of 9 swings
AE swings: 1×8
Deadlift: 3×6 RM
Bent press and heavy pullups: Alternate heavy bent press 1/1 with weighted pullups x 1-3 (use personal assistance to reach full range if needed); repeat for 3 sets
W5D2
Snatch: Test size bell EMOTM for 20 minutes, between 5/5 to 8/8 reps
Front levers: 3×4 with a 2 second hold on each rep
W5D3
Pullups: 70-90 reps in as few sets as possible
Snatch: +1 or +2 bells above snatch test size EMOTM for 10 minutes, 5/5 reps
W6D1
AE swings: 2×8
Heavy swings: ((1×1 + 1×2) x 3) x 3—i.e. 3 rounds of 9 swings
AE swings: 1×8
Deadlift: 3×6 RM
Front levers: 3×4 with a 2 second hold at top of each rep
W6D2
Snatch: 5-minute test; rest, then practice cadence work that you want on competition day
Dragon flags: 5×10
Finger board workout: 10 minutes
W6D3
Pullups: 20 sets of 20% max reps AFAP
Snatch: +1 or +2 bells above snatch test size EMOTM for 10 minutes, 5/5 reps
W7D1
Deadlift: 3×10 (de-load and pull for speed and technique)
Power wheel body saws: 3×6
Snatch: Test size bell 100 reps AFAP + 5 minutes rest + 100 reps AFAP
W7D2
Snatch: Test size bell +2 10/10 for 4-7min EMOTM
Bent press: 1/1 to 3/3 with heavy pullups 1/1 to 3/3 for 3 sets
Front levers: 3×4 with a 2 second hold at the top of each rep
Finger board workout: 10 minutes
Front lever on rings with a knee tuck (SFB)
W7D3
Pullup: 80-100 reps in as few sets as possible
Power wheel crawl: Maximal distance 1 set
Kettlebell farmer carry: Repeat workout
From now until TSC test day, stop all other exercises. Do only the following program.
W8D1
Deadlift: 1×6, 1×4, 1×2
Bent press: 1/1 to 3/3 with heavy pullups 1/1 to 3/3 for 3 sets
Snatch: Test size bell 10/10 for 10 minutes
Dragon flags: As many as possible with good form
W8D2
Snatch: Test size bell (2 minutes snatch + 2 minutes rest) x 5
Finger board workout: 10 minutes
W8D3
Pullups: Ladder 80% max reps and decrease 1 rep each set to 0 AFAP
W9D1
AE swings: 2×6
Heavy swings: 2×3
AE swings: 1×6
Deadlift: 1×6, 1×4, 1×2
Bent press: 1/1 to 3/3 with heavy pullups 1/1 to 3/3 for 3 sets
W9D2
Snatch: Test bell 200 reps AFAP OR 100 reps AFAP + 5 minutes rest + 100 reps AFAP
Ab exercise of choice: Grease the groove (GTG)
W9D3
Pullups: 20 sets of 20% max reps with added weight AFAP
Weighted pullups
W10D1
Deadlift: 1×6, 1×4, 1×2
Snatch: Test size bell or 1-2 size lower, 16/16 for 3 minutes straight
Power wheel rollouts: 1 set as many reps as possible with good form (80%)
W10D2
Snatch: Test bell 5 minutes + 5 minutes rest; +1 bell for 3 minutes + 3 minutes rest; +2 bell for 2 minutes
Pullups: 2 sets to 85% effort
W10D3
Finger board workout: 10 minutes
W11D1
Deadlift: 1×5, 1×3, 1×1
Ab exercise of choice: GTG
W11D2
Snatch: With a KB 2 size lower than test bell, 12/12 to 16/16 EMOTM for 10 minutes
W12D1
Speed Deadlift: 100 single reps at 18-22% 1RM with full rest every 10 reps. Take 90 minutes to complete
W12D2
No warm-up: 80% max pullups x 2 sets throughout the day (i.e. 1 in the morning and 1 at night)
W12D3
Snatch: Test bell for cadence for 3 minutes
W12D6 TSC DAY
Compete and conquer
There you have it, our TNT Tactical Strength Challenge preparation program. If you have questions, leave them in the comments and we’ll do our best to answer ASAP.
Community Edition—Snatching for a Cause
As you know, StrongFirst hosts two Tactical Strength Challenges each year. The first or spring event is where we emphasize individual improvement and take the opportunity to support a member of our StrongFirst community who had a challenging year. On May 9th, 2020, at our Community Edition TSC, we will support StrongFirst Certified Instructor, David Knuth.
In August of 2019, David was diagnosed with an aggressive bone cancer in his left leg. After four cycles of chemotherapy, doctors concluded that the bones in the leg could not be rebuilt. As a student of strength and law enforcement officer, the best possible solution for David was to have his leg amputated at the knee. Here is a short paragraph, written by David, about his journey:
“I wouldn’t have been prepared physically, mentally, or spiritually if it wasn’t for my family, my prayer warriors, my TNT Fitness and Sports Performance family, and my StrongFirst family. Learning to live “by the shield” having attended StrongFirst Level I & II Certifications, and the StrongFirst Bodyweight Certification, instilled in me the value of being a student of strength. Through their support, encouragement, and motivation, I continued to train at TNT Fitness and Sports Performance, to remain as strong as possible, and encourage others. The support from both StrongFirst and TNT Fitness & Sports Performance families made this journey successful for me and helped me to press on.”
David’s goals are to return to law enforcement and to be able to help train and encourage others with physical challenges. In order to do this at his best, David will need a quality prosthetic leg, at the cost of about $100,000. Let’s help David deadlift again, get back on the streets in his uniform, and inspire others with adaptive needs! Please consider asking friends, family, and neighbors to sponsor your 5-minute snatch event in the Community Edition TSC. If each participant could secure one sponsor at $1 per snatch, as a StrongFirst team, we would be able to gift an amazing prosthetic leg to David. Thank you, in advance, for your support.
You can learn more about David and make donations by clicking here.
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