Tactical Barbell II: Conditioning

I have both of these books. I'm a 38 year old woman who is an intermediate Muay Thai athlete. I wondered how to balance lifting and running with training 3-5 times a week. These books broke it down for me. I did the protocol for starting up and saw a big difference. There's nothing like banging out burpees faster than men half your age. I use the lifting schedule and add in the long slow runs and I'm able to keep up in the gym. Made a big difference, and it feels great to have a solid, simple plan that I know works. Thanks.

I really enjoy reading books on strength and conditioning (and have acquired quite a collection over the years), so I like to think that it takes something quite special to secure my attention and endorsement these days. This book is truly unique, however, in several regards. First off, it is one of few works I've come across that takes a realistic and comprehensive look at the physical needs of armed professionals. Having served in both military and law enforcement roles, the author has a tremendous first-hand grasp of what physical attributes are most important for soldiers and police and he does a great job of articulating this information for the reader. The book also provides multiple training plans for achieving that kind of fitness. As far as the plans are concerned, there is a refreshing emphasis on employing tried and true methods that are both simple and efficient. I greatly prefer that approach to the more complex and trendy stuff that seems so prevalent these days.The author also gives some nice, concise breakdowns of the various energy systems used by the human body and how they operate. Sometimes my eyes begin to glaze when writers get to "sciencey," but I feel like this book strikes a perfect balance - it educates but never bores. In some ways, this explanation is one of the most important aspects of the book because it counters the current and unfortunate trend in the fitness industry to demonize steady state cardio. In an era dominated by Crossfit and HIIT training methodology, sustained aerobic heart rate zone training doesn't get a whole lot of love. Tactical Barbell 2 really helps to dispel the myth that aerobic zone work isn't important and illustrates why it can be especially beneficial for the unique fitness needs of armed professionals.I'm also pleased to report that nothing in this book raises any red flags for me or contradicts any of the good information I've collected from other qualified sources. There are no fads or gimmicks, just solid information. The book is an easy and enjoyable read, and the author does a remarkable job of making a complex subject accessible to the reader. He also gives you a whole variety of user-friendly training plans to take the guess work out of working out. I highly recommend this book, and its companion, Tactical Barbell (Definitive Strength Training For the Operational Athlete).

This guy is a genius. As an Army guy myself in a combat unit I know he speaks from experience when he says strength and endurance both are necessities. He has created what is basically the bible, for anyone in any tactical profession, and also civilians to get into extreme shape. The best part is, the age of the person doesnt matter. This is truly a "one size fits all" program, because it is based on YOUR numbers and YOUR starting ability. It will take an overweight mouth breather into a stud in a year's time or less I can guarantee that. It will take you from the back of unit or group PT sessions about to fall out to leading them in less than a year's time. Because this shorten's the individuals need to have to learn all of these training types themselves. They can simply consult the book, plug and play. Like using a pre-made football playbook as opposed to making your own, if that playbook was used by the National Champions. Thanks Mr. Black for creating this awesome book and sharing the knowledge you have gained through so many years of service to our country. You have a very unique and easy to understand writing style that made reading and digesting the book 10x easier, than any PHD crap you can find. It must be the military talking with the KISS principle haha! Thanks again man, keep writing books and I will keep buying. I also have your TB1 book, and it is great as well.

Well written and mostly concise this book lays out a simple to follow conditioning plan and gives tons of workout examples. It was so compelling I finished it in a few days and am committing myself to following it for one year.Background in general fitness, bodybuilding style, and cross fit. I'm a notorious program hopper that loves variety. This has likely sapped my fitness potential. So, ready to give this a shot. Ran TB1 for strength training years back with solid success. Ill be starting that again as well.

Ever come across one of those training books that clicks it all into place for you? This is one of them. You literally have everything you will need for long-term programming in one cover in terms of combining strength and conditioning. Too many programs just concentrate on becoming a lifter or a runner, but using these clever strategies you can become both a lifter and a runner (or whatever else you choose). The kind of guy who can move a respectable amount of weight in the gym and then follow it with a competitive 10K time. It leaves plenty of flexibility to adapt to your schedule. Whether you're a stay at home mom, a Marine deployed overseas, an amateur fighter with hopes of making it big, or an obstacle course racer, there's something for everyone in here. I wish I had found this book years ago when I first got into the military and LE.

This book is excellent whether you are LEO, military, outdoors-person, adventure racer or everyday person who wants to be fit as sh!. The author does a great job of helping you understand why consistency is WAY more important than high intensity and randomly changing exercises every time (AKA Crossfit).Lots of excellent advice and information for you to make your own training programme or just follow what is written.Highly recommend!

Not perfect, but still very good for the experienced and knowledgeable trainee. The lack of Contents and difficulty of navigation is a real problem, but the content more than makes up for it.This is not a detailed "how to" book for the beginner, nor is it aiming to provide advanced training plans for the elite specialist. The sole aim is to address the needs of the athlete who needs to be competent in multiple fitness domains. Although this is aimed at "Tactical" athletes - military, law enforcement, etc., it will be useful to any athlete or recreational exerciser who wants or needs to be reasonably strong whilst also having reasonable work capacity, aerobic fitness, etc. If your goal is to excel at one sport, to have a 1000 lbs deadlift OR a really good triathlon, this is not the book and the author is clear about that. The author is also clear that it is possible to improve cardio fitness without suddenly losing all your muscles and turning into wet spaghetti. It is also possible to get stronger without suddenly becoming breathless after two steps.The exercise clusters and the templates are basic, but partly this is because they are not written in stone, if you have a better strength routine that fits into your week without compromising your other training, or if you already know how much running or cycling you need to do, then no problem. Secondly, the templates are intended to provide a minimum effective dose, so that one aspect doesn't take over to such an extent that it impacts negatively on everything else. Finally, as Dan John points out, too many options means too many choices means a loss of energy. This also applies to training plans; there is a place for complex spreadsheets and arcane percentages - esp. for the elite specialist who is trying to add another lb to an already world-class Squat or shave a few thousandths of a second off a race. But such things are a distraction for someone who has another job and who is using their time in the gym or on the track in order to be better at that job.To some extent, the simplicity is a virtue. If you can get better at running by going out and running for 30 mins, or stronger by only doing 3-5 sets of 5, why make things difficult? It should also be noted that the book contains more options which allow you to make the routines harder or easier, that allow you to switch from long slow distance to high intensity conditioning, that encourages you to move from strength endurance to max strength and from low volume or short distance to demanding multi-discipline fun runs. It is also important to realise that this book could and should be used alongside the original "Tactical Barbell" book(s), which focuses on specific max-strength/strength-endurance training. I recommend the 3rd edition.

If you want to get fit and you don't know where to start I think these books are a good place to start.For the price of one copy of Starting Strength or half a copy of 531 Forever you can get 3 books that cover all possible fitness goals. The military branding isn't for everyone but for the most part the information is relevant to everyone. Plus it doesn't have any of that cringey 'NOV' stuff a lot of fitness books do have.This book covers the conditioning programming for the TB series. If you're interested in incorporating some kind of conditioning into your routine and you're not sure where to start this is the place to be. The book lays out a base building phase, which everyone should do, and then offers you several directions to branch out into depending on your conditioning goals. I really do recommend everyone give the initial phase a go, even if it looks difficult on paper.The second part of this book is composed of conditioning workout ideas, divided into high intensity conditioning and the more slow, basic stuff. There are some really interesting workouts in here and most don't require that much equipment, at most a kettlebell or some dumbbells.If I had one critique it's that maybe the author could have offered some substitutions or ideas for readers who have a really poor level of fitness and can't complete the base building phase or one of the strength endurance circuits. However, this gap has been filled on the TB forums and tbh if you're a little creative you could figure out an answer yourself.I have actually run the programming from this book and it genuinely does work assuming you put in the effort. There's nothing particularly magical in here, no secret sauce, just a plan and some encouragement.

I've tried most training modals over the years. Starting strength, mad cow, 5/3/1, west side. All of those systems are great in their own right but as a mountain biker first and a strength enthusiast second I always struggles with how to be the complete package and be conditioned and strong.TB2 gives you the conditioninb part of the puzzle and TB 1 gives you the strength side and shows you how to prioritise attributes to become the Athlete you want to be.This is not the best system for all out Raw strength, nor is it going to be a great plan for running a marathon but for being a rounded athlete who is strong, Aerobically and anaerobically fit to a high level there is no better plan I have encountered, I can't recommend TB1 and TB2 highly enough.

Slamming! A quality book to fit all types. I am not someone who needs fitness for my job but I am a fitness enthusiast and have always struggled to know how to piece all the different aspects of fitness together. I also get bored doing the same things over and over again but this book has of plenty of variety to keep me entertained and still keep the gains coming. Highly recommended!

Hard core enough for everyone, well explained and thought out. If you are planning to operate and need to get in fighting shape this is for you.I bought volume 3 as an add on