AAR: Tough Mudder 5k and the Value of Generalism

As a team building event for my day job, I joined a Tough Mudder. After finishing, I decided to jot down a few thoughts about how it went, how to train, and why I think it's a decent approximation for "real life emergencies."

Virtue in the Crosshairs: The Martial Marksman Ideal

Every year, I tend to focus in on a “theme” to pursue. Sometimes it’s personally, sometimes it’s got a bit more to do with the site. For most of 2022, the key phrase was “Minimum Capable Citizen.” The idea was around a set of standards and baseline targets that I think any prepared citizen should strive for. Eventually, the idea fizzled out a bit when I felt like there wasn’t much more to write. I’m not interested in “minimum.” I believe we should strive for excellence, and minimum doesn’t cut it. In 2023, my goals turned personal, with a heavy ...

Introducing the Rifleman Pentathlon: A Game for Martial Marksmen

For a while, I've been kicking around an idea for a new type of competition. I enjoy all the various disciplines I've played in, but also think that each of them in isolation is missing something. Today, I'd like to tell you about my vision for a "complete" type of match that I think covers all of the foundations of Everyday Marksmen, and it does so in a way that lets all of us have an objective to train for. Let's talk about the Rifleman Pentathlon.

Radically Simple Strength Development: Consistency, Not Variety

This is both my review of a new book on strength training as well as an interview with the author. Over the last year, I've built up a library of strength and conditioning books, and I think I've settled on the one to suggest to just about everyone who wants to get started. Let's dig in.

The 2023 West Virginia Gun Run: The Retrospective

Months of prep time, new gear configurations, and a lot of articles. I finally ran the West Virginia Gun Run this past Saturday. Here's some notes on how it went and what I'd do differently in the future.

The Four Corners Approach to Unlocking Peak Performance

Today I'm discussing a concept that's been brewing in the the back of my brain. While working on the book, I've needed a way to illustrate how different things we do relate to improving the whole and take use to new levels of performance. I think I've figured it out, and this is my first go at explaining it.

The Road to Victory: My Tactical Biathlon Training Blueprint

So I did it, I got my ticket for the April 2023 West Virginia Gun Run. On the request of a community member, I want to tell you a bit about how I'm structuring my training for it, and how it's going now that I'm about half way through it. If you're interested, you can also join up to use my full program for yourself.

WTF: You Just Have to Experience It

I sat down with a few of our community members who recently competed in events put on by Waco Tactical Fitness. I'll be doing a similar tactical biathlon event later next month, and I was curious about equipment, training, and lessons learned from the events.

What Bench Are You Sitting On?

While reading through some of Coach Dan John's work, I came across a philosophy for breaking your annual training cycles. It's impossible to do everything well all of the time- something must give. Instead, we should think of our training, all of our training, from two perspectives: the bus bench, and the park bench.

The Devil’s Mile Sandbag Challenge

This marksman challenge is about grit. It's about pushing through pain, discomfort, and exhaustion to reach a goal. Our tool of choice? The humble sandbag and a pair of shoes.

Chasing Optimum and Other Marketing Failures

Everyone loves talking about optimization. Entire industries spend huge amounts of money convincing you that their new whiz bang gadget or service will take you to the next level with no additional skill required. Today I'm putting a stake in the ground to tell you that optimum is a myth, and our constant pursuit of it only detracts us from focusing on what's actually important for our success.

VO2 Max, Aerobic Energy, and Why it Matters to You

You might not have noticed, but I recently updated the Level 1 fitness standards to include a 1.5 mile run instead of the 1 mile that I originally used. I did this based on a lot of learning I've done over 2022 concerning conditioning, metabolism, and how your body recovers from stress. In this post, I want to touch on the key measurement used for aerobic conditioning, how I'm using it for the fitness test, and some tips on how you can improve it for yourself.

Adventure Awaits

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