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R.O.P.E

TACFIT R.O.P.E.Copyright © 2010 TACFIT Commando. All rights reserved. Important: You may PRINT one copy of this manual for personal use (you have our full permission).

Disclaimer: The information in this book is presented in good faith, but no warranty is given, nor results guaranteed. Since we have no control over physical conditions surrounding the application of information in this book the author and publisher disclaim any liability for untoward results including (but not limited to) any injuries or damages arising out of any person’s attempt to rely upon any information herein contained. The exercises described in this book are for information purposes, and may be too strenuous or even dangerous for some people. The reader should consult a physician before starting this or any other exercise programs.

TACFIT is a registered mark of Sconik International, LLC. Clubbell, Intu-Flow, and Circular Strength Training are registered trademarks of RMAX.tv Productions.

Welcome to TACFIT R.O.P.E. - Rapid Onset Pull-up Equipment.

ROPE was designed as an expandable plug in module for the TACFIT Commando bodyweight training suite. For those who want to add pulling movements to their workout, ROPE can be seamlessly integrated into the larger 3-month Commando progression for an incredible - and completely portable - bodyweight training system.

ROPE can also be done solo as a standalone portable pull-up system, and we’ve provided guidelines on how to program it in this manual.

How to Use This Manual

1) Read the Introductory Briefing: understand the rules of engagement; understand the scope of the mission you’re about to accept; quit now if you’re afraid.

2) Decide which course you’ll follow through TACFIT ROPE. You will either integrate it into TACFIT Commando, or you will use it as a standalone 28-day program. Clear instructions for both variations are provided in the section entitled “Programming TACFIT ROPE”.

3) Read the TACFIT ROPE Rules of Engagement. This chapter explains exactly what a TACFIT ROPE workout looks like.

4) Download all three Instructional Video Briefings (Recruit, Grunt and Commando levels) and study the movements.

5) Download the Warmup and Cooldown videos. You’ll use them to prime each ROPE session, and to release tension and cool down at the end of your sessions.

6) Download all three Mission Simulation Follow-Along Video Briefings (Recruit, Grunt and Commando levels). You’ll follow along with these videos on your workout days.

Now prep your ROPE and get to work.

It’s that easy.

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TACFIT ROPE

When TACFIT Team Leader and Faculty Coach Brandon Jones served in the US Navy, he learned that there were three ways to do something: There’s the wrong way. There are many right ways. And then there’s the way we’re going to do it.

We’re not concerned with how other systems do things. There are no absolutes. The solution is always relative to the mission, the training equipment you have at your disposal, your point of origin, and your ultimate goal. At TACFIT, we’re concerned with the most effective and efficient way to achieve OUR goals.

With ROPE, our goal is to take a piece of equipment that costs less than a Starbuck’s Latte and use it to train anywhere, anytime.

The tactical operators we work with don’t always have access to fully stocked gyms. They’re often forward-deployed in makeshift camps, and they have to fit their training in between sorties. They need to know how to improvise makeshift training tools with whatever they have close at hand, so they can expand what they’re capable of working on in the field.

TACFIT R.O.P.E. (Rapid Onset Pull-up Equipment) uses a simple piece of rope in very specific ways to take you through your entire movement potential — represented by the 6 Degrees of Freedom — to develop multi-directional pulling and pressing strength and functional muscle that works through the entire range of your movement potential.

As your nervous system adapts, you’ll add new levels of sophistication to the exercises so you continue to stimulate muscle growth AND develop skill and coordination.

It’s functional. It’s fun. And it’s completely portable.

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The Benefits of ROPE

Suspension training gives us the ability to use gravity in new dimensions. The suspension aspect of ROPE builds strength in all 6 Degrees of Freedom through the "imperfection" training concept. This is combat's chaos-induced version of "instability" training.

Fixed adaptation is never the goal - constant progress is. As soon as we adapt to a new stimulus, ROPE allows us to attack that weakness on another front. The training formula allows us to train from infinite angles, giving weakness nowhere to hide.

Mastery is not an end process. To continue improving it isn’t enough to simply refine skills. We must keep challenging the nervous system in new, innovative and progressive ways. That sparks the kind of sophisticated motor development that is the hallmark of the world’s elite special operators.

As in the larger TACFIT performance enhancement suite, we continue the pattern of DELTA-ALPHA motor sophistication in ROPE, because this produces the greatest carry-over into real-life crises. By stimulating the Central Nervous System, we restore our full functioning as a neurological predator - and we ravage new challenges daily.

Let the gym-goers spend their meager 3 hours a week at the club. That’s good enough for them.

It isn’t “good enough” for us. Remember the ABC’s of performance enhancement: Always Be Conditioning.

We must train anytime, anywhere and in every moment.

Our tactical operators don’t have time to mess around, and neither do you.

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The Principles

Let’s take a closer look at some of the principles at play in TACFIT ROPE.

Burst-Recover-Burst Energy System

Like TACFIT Commando, TACFIT ROPE platforms off of a variation of the Tabata protocol that has been carefully designed to cause the tactical operator to maximize recovery in the shortest possible time.

We discussed this protocol at length in the TACFIT Commando Mission Brief Manual, but we’ll cover it again here for those tactical operators new to our method of training.

The Tabata Protocol was named after Japanese researcher Dr. Izumi Tabata. In 1996, Dr. Tabata and his colleagues at Tokyo’s National Institute of Fitness and Sports conducted a groundbreaking study using high intensity intervals that challenged the prevailing fitness wisdom of the time.*

After just 6 weeks of testing, Dr. Tabata noted a 28% increase in the anaerobic capacity of his subjects, along with a 14% increase in their ability to consume oxygen (V02Max). These were not sedentary subjects. Dr. Tabata achieved these results with athletes who were already physically fit. In the years since his study was published, a number of other scientists have verified Dr. Tabata’s claims and have built upon his work.

These researchers have proven that exercising at a high level of intensity for a short period of time is more effective than exercising at a low level of intensity for longer duration. This is good news for the already overworked tactical operator. TACFIT ROPE can be completed in less than 30 minutes, and yet it still delivers superior results compared to traditional military calisthenics and typical cross-training approaches. Those 30 intense minutes also burn fat faster than long hours of cardio-style exercise.

Tabata circuits have obvious benefits for those with health and fitness goals, but they also have important applications when preparing for any activity that requires a burst-recover-burst pattern of effort.

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What is burst-recover-burst?

It’s the factor that determines how quickly you can recover from exertion in a crisis.

Think of a fighter in a 2 minute round. He isn’t throwing a nonstop flurry of strikes for 2 full minutes. Instead, that 2 minute round is characterized by intense bursts where the fighter darts in to throw a few hard and fast blows. He then backs off and works to stay out of range while looking for another opening. If you were to graph the output of effort for the round, you’d see rapid, intense bursts punctuated by brief periods of recovery in motion.

This is similar to the burst-recover-burst pattern demanded by tactical ops, but for the tactical respondent it’s never a 2 minute fight.

Tabata-type intervals are of key importance because they teach the body to maximize recovery in the shortest possible time.

The end result is that the tactical responder adapts in such a way that he’s not only recovering between bursts of activity, he’s recovering while moving and in anticipation of rest.

This tactically-specific energy system training underpins the entire TACFIT system.

* “Effects of moderate-intensity endurance and high-intensity intermittent training on anaerobic capacity and VO2max” in the journal Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise (October 1996, Vol 28 Issue 10).

Structural Alignment

Exercise should transfer the training load to the ground by incorporating your entire body.

Whether you’re manipulating your bodyweight through a complex range of motion against gravity, or using an improvised training device as in this TACFIT ROPE plug in, exerting force with proper structural alignment brings many unforeseen benefits to the tactical operator.

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The muscle growth caused by the effort is only part of the point of the exercise. Even greater benefits come from the neurological efficiency you’ll gain as a direct result of learning to integrate your body and direct the sum of its forces.

We teach our tactical operators to recruit the greatest amount of force—with the highest degree of efficiency—through integrating the 7 Key Components of Structure:

1) Crown to Coccyx Alignment2) Shoulder Pack3) Arm Lock4) Grip Confirmation5) Core Activation6) Hip Recruitment7) Leg Drive

Think of the 7 Key Components as the links in your “power chain.” When each link is aligned, force is transferred smoothly through the entire system. If a link is missing, you’ll only have access to the force production of the links between that break and your application of force—in the case of ROPE, your pull-up apparatus.

Let’s look at shoulder pack as an example. You may have solid grip confirmation and perfect arm lock, but if you’re lacking shoulder pack you will only be pulling the ROPE with the force of your arm. You will not be able to access the stabilizing force of core contraction or the driving forces of your legs.

To put that into a tactical context, a fighter who lacks shoulder pack cannot transfer the force of a strike up his legs, snapping through his hips and out the length of his arm. Unless he learns how to integrate proper mechanics into his strikes, he will forever be an ineffective “arm puncher.”

Each exercise in TACFIT ROPE is coached with reference to integrating these 7 Key Components, so you learn to harness the full power of your body and apply it.

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Movement Sophistication

Most of the fitness world is stuck in simplistic stupidity. This is the polar opposite of TACFIT training. We don’t just do more—more reps, for more time, at higher frequency—we move better, and we do this by increasing movement sophistication.

Adding motor sophistication to the mix doesn’t just increase the challenge of the exercises—you’re actually teaching your body a new skill. You’re assimilating a new tool that you can use to meet the demands you face on the battlefield and on shore leave.

There’s one other benefit to increased motor sophistication. Although some people refer to it as “muscle confusion,” the increased demands on your system go beyond just muscle. Your entire organism must adapt to this new stimulus. Placing this new demand on your body creates a need for further adaptation—causing greater metabolic disturbance and gains like you’ve never seen before.

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Programming TACFIT ROPE

TACFIT ROPE has been carefully calibrated to give you incredible strength and functional movement gains in the shortest amount of time—so you can train pull-up type movements with improvised equipment even while forward deployed, maintaining constant mission readiness.

We’ve provided you with two main options for training TACFIT ROPE: as an expandable plug in module of TACFIT Commando, or as a standalone 28 day program. We’ll explain both of these options below.

Before we look at programing ROPE, we’ll first review the intuitive rating system that we’ve created to ensure you’re hitting precisely the right intensity level on each day of the program. This subjective scale of performance evaluation is woven into every TACFIT session that you do.

Intuitive Training: A Reminder

If you’ve already completed a couple TACFIT Commando missions you should be intimately familiar with our Intuitive Training protocols. We’re going to review it again, because you should always be working to refine your lens. Please review this briefing before moving forward with TACFIT ROPE.

How much is ‘a lot’? How tough is ‘tough’?

What might be considered a difficult session for a new recruit would be a walk in the park for an elite commando, and what an elite commando considers low intensity might be beyond extreme for the average soldier. How do you determine “low” or “high” when it’s all so subjective?

You do this by journaling your training and by applying your tools. The TACFIT Intuitive Training Protocol gives you the ability to differentiate form, exertion and discomfort subjectively, and you can then use this as a determinant factor in progressive resistance. By learning to quantify the subjective, you give yourself an immediate sense of where you stand, and you create a very accurate gauge of your progress.

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In order to make this tool work for you, you must first learn how to use it. That takes a bit of diligence in the beginning. By journaling your training and by rating these three variables, you will come to a better understanding of your body and you will calibrate your instrument. The skill of rating your performance becomes more finely honed with each use, until eventually you barely have to think about it. But you will have to think about it in the beginning.

These are the three variables you will rate after each training session:

Rate of Perceived Exertion (RPE): the subjective evaluation of your effort on a scale of 1 to 10, 10 being the hardest you’ve ever worked.

Rate of Perceived Discomfort (RPD): the subjective evaluation of your pain level on a scale of 1 to 10, 10 being the worst pain you’ve ever experienced.

Rate of Perceived Technique (RPT): the subjective evaluation of your mechanical performance on a scale of 1 to 10, 10 being the best possible form in that exercise.

If your technique is high enough (greater than or equal to 8) and your discomfort is low enough (less than or equal to 3) you can hold even an exertion level of 10 for as long as your stamina, strength and endurance allow.

But your stamina, strength and endurance diminish as you begin to hit the wall. As fatigue takes over, your technique begins to deteriorate. Without that technique you no longer have the channel to safely harness the fluid forces of your effort, and discomfort increases. As discomfort increases, the potential for injury also increases, and so on down the spiral. Your goal is to ride that edge of high output, high quality technique, and to stop when you’ve tipped the balance into deteriorating form. You are playing a game of balancing between your output and what’s being lost as ‘leakage’ to poor technique.

In addition to carrying the potential—or even the likelihood—of injury, poor technique is repeatable. It’s a fundamental aspect of the Law of Conditioning: whatever you repeat you are making repeatable,

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whether you want to or not. The greatest efficiency lies in knowing how to precisely gauge your form so that you stop exercising before you begin to groove poor technique.

As a general guideline, when you can sustain an RPT of equal to or greater than 8, an RPD of less than or equal to 3, and an RPE of equal to or greater than 6 over the course of 3 sessions, it’s time to increase a variable: frequency, intensity, speed, density, volume, complexity, etc.

Each of the four days in the 4x7 protocol includes specific target guidelines that you should be aiming for with each of these three variables. We have also precisely calculated exactly which variable to change, and by how much, when it comes time to move on. All you have to do is rate your performance in terms of the Intuitive Training Protocol, and plug-and-play the program. We’ve taken care of the rest.

Next, we’ll discuss exactly when and how often you should train TACFIT ROPE.

Option 1: The TACFIT ROPE Plug In

TACFIT ROPE was designed as an expandable plug in module for the TACFIT Commando program. There are several ways that you can incorporate it into your existing training.

If you crave a temporary distraction from your current TACFIT Commando mission objectives, or if you’ve been through several Commando missions and simply want to add pulls to the mix, there are a number of ways you can do this.

For a temporary distraction, perform ROPE on both the Moderate day and the subsequent High Intensity day of your current mission. You must still follow the TACFIT Commando progression: remember that you're displacing that Commando session, not replacing it. Here’s how it might look spread over four 4x7 micro cycles: TCMDO Cycle 1, TCMDO Cycle 2, ROPE Cycle 1, TCMDO Cycle 3, etc.

If you perform two ROPE cycles in a row (or cycles of any other plug in module, such as TACFIT Mass Assault or Spetsnaz Kettlebells), you must drop back and repeat the prior Commando cycle in order to

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keep your main mission on track. Here’s how that might look spread over five 4x7 micro cycles: TCMDO Cycle 1, TCMDO Cycle 2, ROPE Cycle 1, ROPE Cycle 2, TCMDO Cycle 2, etc.

Finally, for every additional plug in cycle added, you must drop back one Commando cycle until you reach the point where you simply restart that TACFIT Commando mission at cycle 1. Here’s how that might look: TCMDO Cycle 1, TCMDO Cycle 2, TCMDO Cycle 3, ROPE Cycle 1, TFMA Cycle 1, SPETSKB Cycle 1, TCMDO Cycle 1, etc.

Training hard and “working out” is easy. If you just want to do anything and be unpredictable, then you'll get unpredictable results.

The timing for peak performance, however, is very specific—but it’s absolutely necessary if you hope to reap the full benefits of your training.

If you follow these plug in module instructions, you will still reap the full benefits of TACFIT Commando while incorporating ROPE training into it.

See the TACFIT ROPE Rules of Engagement section of the manual for a detailed explanation of exactly what you should do on each training day of this program.

Option 2: TACFIT ROPE as a Standalone Mission

TACFIT ROPE can also be trained as a standalone pull-up system by following the same 4x7 protocol used in TACFIT Commando. The training sessions unfold in a set pattern, which escalates as you work your way through the program.

The following combination of “training days” is repeated throughout TACFIT ROPE for a total of 28 days per mission:

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Intensity -> No Low Moderate High

Cycle 1 ROPE Warmup 3x

ROPE Cooldown 3x

ROPE session(RPE: 5-7)



ROPE Cooldown 3x




ROPE Cooldown 3x




ROPE Cooldown 3x




ROPE Cooldown 3x




ROPE Cooldown 3x




ROPE Cooldown 3x



The TACFIT ROPE programs were configured to hit all 6 Degrees of Freedom, so there will be nothing “missing” from your training if you decide to cycle through a full 28 day mission of ROPE only.

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See the TACFIT ROPE Rules of Engagement section of the manual for a detailed explanation of exactly what you should do on each training day of this program.

What If You Don’t Want to Train 4x7 Style?

At this point you might be asking, “What if I don’t live in an ideal world?” Sticking to a set schedule can be difficult for some, especially when other activities must be factored in. We’ve included two scheduling variations for performing TACFIT ROPE as a standalone program: the traditional 4-day wave, and a 7-day wave in which the training days remain constant from week to week.

Scheduling on the 4-day Wave

If you are following the traditional 4x7 wave, your schedule will consist of No, Low, Moderate and High days, repeated 7 times in succession for a total of 28 days.

This is the same pattern of cycling used in the main TACFIT Commando program.

Scheduling on a 7-day Wave

If you are following a 7x4 progression, your schedule will consist of No, Low, Moderate, No, Low, Moderate, and High days, repeated 4 times in succession for a total of 28 days.

In this version the training days remain constant from week to week, rather than shifting forward as in the 4-day wave. This allows you to arrange your workouts so that the High Intensity day falls on the same day each week. For example, if you’d like to hit your best effort of the week on Fridays, start with Day 1 (No Intensity) on the previous Saturday. A little forethought and good planning can mean the difference between completing your mission and bailing out partway.

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TACFIT ROPE Rules of Engagement

Mission Objectives

This section explains exactly how to do each of the 4 workouts in TACFIT ROPE.

TACFIT ROPE applies movement in 6 Degrees of Freedom, alternating between Rotational and Translational Movements to compound the impact of the work involved.

All movements are completed circuit style, with 20 seconds of high intensity exercise followed by 10 seconds of rest. This cycle is repeated 8 times for a total of 4 minutes per movement. We’ll refer to this as 20/10 x 8.

Each TACFIT ROPE session will follow this pattern with 6 different exercises.

This is how you will put it into practice. You can see from the exercise chart on the following page that your first Recruit level task is the Double Row. Perform 20 seconds of Double Rows followed by 10 seconds of rest, repeated 8 times. When you’ve finished all 8 rounds, rest for 1 minute, then move on to your second Task—the Squat Fly—for another 8 sets of 20/10. Follow this pattern until you’ve completed all 6 Tasks.

Your goal during that 20 second burst of effort is to crank out as many reps as possible while maintaining good form. Your goal during the 10 seconds of rest is to shake it off, recover your breathing and lower your heart rate in preparation for the next round.

If you are unable to burst for the full 20 seconds with a particular Task despite choosing the appropriate level (Recruit, Grunt or Commando), focus on completing as many reps as you can and then pause to shake it off. Score the lowest number of reps you achieved for each exercise. (For example, if these were your repetitions over all eight sets of the Double Row – 5, 6, 7, 8, 6, 5, 5, 3 – the total score for that

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exercise would be 3.) The lowest set of all 6 exercises are totaled to arrive at the operator’s final score for that session.

Keep track of your reps and strive to at least equal what you did in the prior round. Your Objective is to add one or two reps to your previous best each session. In this way, you’re always making progress and you’re keeping it within safe limits.

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TACFIT ROPE - Mission Objectives

Like TACFIT Commando, the TACFIT ROPE plug in module is divided into three levels of difficulty: Recruit, Grunt and Commando.

• Recruit level is for those fresh out of boot camp and new to tactical fitness• Grunt is for those with several missions under their belt• Commando is for the brave folks who have completed several successful tours of duty spanning many missions...

Begin at the level appropriate to your current ability and experience.

You do not have to match levels if you are combining ROPE with TCMDO. You may have progressed to the Grunt level of TACFIT Commando but still be working on Recruit level of TACFIT ROPE to shore up your pulling strength. Simply plug this module into your program at a level that challenges you and that allows you to meet the appropriate RPE targets.

Now let’s get to the exercises.

TACFIT ROPE

Recruit Grunt Commando

Double Row Climbing Row Plyometric Climb

Squat Fly Airborne Pistol Jump Pistol

Knee-Up Pushup Press Up Rocca Press-Up

Single Row Lawnmower Extension

Dip - Feet Knee-In Dip Knee-In Table Dip

Knee-In Pushup Side Knee-In Pushup Knee-In Star Pushup

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Tactical Applications

Each Task in TACFIT ROPE has been carefully programmed to forge the highest level of specific conditioning while building and reinforcing tactically relevant skill sets.

The climbing row series trains you to connect pulling movements to your core, and from there through the rest of your structure to the earth. You’re also working on your ability to grab and halt. This grip strength is not restricted to your forearm - it’s connected to your core. Finally, this series develops the ability of the shoulders to absorb collision and to stop exterior pull.

The squat series trains you to use the ROPE to pull yourself from a deep squat position, in addition to using leg propulsion. Connecting your elbows to your core activation develops enormous pulling strength, which aids in weapon or equipment retention. This series also develops the ability to drive force up through your legs and out your arms.

The press up series teaches you to connect your press to your core, and to deliver force to the front (in hits or throws) using the safest and strongest biomechanical position of the shoulder. The Commando level takes this force delivery overhead, channeling force from the tight lower body through the core without losing power above chin level.

The lawnmower series develops a powerful locking arm and driving arm, key attributes in all hand to hand combat applications, especially throws, rollovers, and controls. This series also develops your ability to deliver and absorb force contra-laterally. At Commando level you’ll learn to transfer that pulling force smoothly into a press.

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The dip series teaches you to connect your core to triceps extension, enabling you to drive a heavy weight or a person off your belly, something impossible to do using triceps strength alone. You’ll also develop “dead leg pull” - the ability to draw in the legs with core strength and move your entire body out of danger even when your legs are injured or entirely unresponsive.

The knee-in pushup series trains you to generate power purely from the core, even when your legs are destabilized. As you progress to Grunt level you’ll begin to work cross-body force transfer, developing your ability to draw force up one leg and out the opposite arm so that you can deliver and absorb collision. Finally, at Commando level you’ll remove one foot, forcing you to develop core activation from foot to opposite hand.

Video Download Briefings

The “Video Download Briefings” included in this dossier explain every single exercise in all 3 levels of the TACFIT ROPE using precision coaching cues and performance goals.

Study these Instructional Briefings before attempting the movements in the chart above:

Recruit - ROPERecruitInstructGrunt – ROPEGruntInstructCommando – ROPECommandoInstruct

We’ve also included follow-along Mission Simulation videos for each level of the plug in. Cue these up when you’re ready to train, and follow along with Coach Sonnon as you work your way through these challenging objectives:

Recruit - ROPERecruitSimGrunt - ROPEGruntSimCommando - ROPECommandoSim

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Remember to prime your TACFIT ROPE sessions with the specific warm up progression, and to end your sessions with the compensatory cooldown:

Warm up - ROPEwarmupCool down - ROPEcooldown

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The How-To

First choose which option you’ll use to program your ROPE training: Option #1 TACFIT Commando ROPE Plug In, or Option #2 ROPE as Standalone Mission. That choice will determine how you fit ROPE into the 28 day progression. See the earlier section on “Programming TACFIT ROPE” if you haven’t yet decided on your 28 day framework.

Here’s what to do when you reach each of the four “days” within either progression:

Day 1—No Intensity

RPE: 1-2; RPT: 8 or higher; RPD: 3 or lower

When you reach the No Intensity day, follow along with the ROPEwarmup Video Briefing included in your TACFIT ROPE dossier. The ROPE specific warmup progression is:

ROPE Warmup

Arrow Pulls

Shinbox Swing

Caterpillar

Shirt Rip

Accordion (Wind/Bridge)

Sit Thru Twist

Run through this progression 3 times.

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Your No Intensity recovery day is one of the keys to the rapid adaptation you’ll experience with this program. Do not skip it soldier!

Day Two—Low Intensity


Your task on the Low Intensity day is to use specific compensatory movements to balance growth and remove the parking brake from your high-performance output and mobility.

When you reach the Low Intensity day, follow along with the ROPEcooldown Video Briefing included in your TACFIT ROPE dossier. The ROPE specific cooldown progression is:

ROPE Cooldown

1/2 Table

Psoas Warrior OH Hands

Rabbit

Floor Lunge Handcuff

Side Bend Child

Dying Warrior

Run through this progression 3 times, slow and deep.

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Day Three—Moderate Intensity


Warm up with 1 set of the ROPE specific warmup. Reference the ROPEwarmup video briefing.

Complete your ROPE session. Circuits are based on the 20/10 x 8 protocol. Begin with the first exercise and complete 8 rounds of 20 seconds work followed by 10 seconds rest (in other words, you’re working for 20 seconds, resting for 10 seconds, working for 20 seconds, resting for 10 seconds, etc until you’ve completed all 8 rounds for that movement). Rest 1 minute. Then move on to the next exercise, and so on through the list.

Recruits follow along with the ROPERecruitSim video briefing. Grunts follow along with the ROPEGruntSim video briefing. Commandos follow along with the ROPECommandoSim video briefing.

End your session with 1 set of the ROPE specific cooldown. Reference the ROPEcooldown video briefing.

Day Four—High Intensity


If you’ve been following orders, this will be your peak performance day.

Warm up with 1 set of the ROPE specific warmup. Reference the ROPEwarmup video briefing.

Complete your ROPE session. Circuits are based on the 20/10 x 8 protocol. Begin with the first exercise and complete 8 rounds of 20 seconds work followed by 10 seconds rest (in other words, you’re working for 20 seconds, resting for 10 seconds, working for 20 seconds, resting for 10 seconds, etc until you’ve

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completed all 8 rounds for that movement). Rest 1 minute. Then move on to the next exercise, and so on through the list.

Remember: your Target on the High Intensity day is to complete more reps per exercise than you did on yesterday’s Moderate Intensity day. Maintaining the status quo is not acceptable. You are expected to step up each time and conquer new territory.

Recruits follow along with the ROPERecruitSim video briefing. Grunts follow along with the ROPEGruntSim video briefing. Commandos follow along with the ROPECommandoSim video briefing.

End your session with 1 set of the ROPE specific cooldown. Reference the ROPEcooldown video briefing.

With deeper understanding comes greater benefit. Execute fewer but better reps and you’ll reach your targets faster. The overriding objective is always “quality quantity.”

Good luck, and be safe out there.

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Exercise Description

The following photos are a reminder of the Directives presented in the detailed briefing videos. Study the videos carefully before you set out on this mission.

Recruit

Double Row

Begin in the decline position. Hips are held up in a bridge, forming a straight line between shoulders and knees.

With your elbows tight against your body and shoulder blades pinched together, pull evenly with both arms until your hands are level with your waist. Avoid popping your chest, and pull with your lats. The crown of your head points away from your tailbone - do not pitch your head forward and round your back. Lower with control and repeat.

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Squat Fly

Begin in a deep squat while holding the ROPE in each hand above the knot. Squat as low as you need to go to achieve elbow lock.

With a hard exhale bringing belly to spine, pull yourself up to a standing position. Elbows come out and down to flare the lats without arching your back. Hips are locked forward and knees locked back in top position.

Your goal is to minimize the leg drive and shift as much of the effort as possible to your pull on the ROPE.

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Knee-Up Pushup

Begin in press up position on the ROPE with your knees on the ground. Engage the closed packed position of the shoulders by keeping your elbows pinched tight to your sides. This is very important because suspension training will require much more stabilization than grounded pushups.

Exhale hard and press, engaging your core and bringing your knees off the ground. As you press up, drive your knuckles together hammer grip style so that your arms and shoulders are resting against the ROPE at the apex of the movement. Lower under control and repeat.

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Single Row

Begin in the decline position. Hips are held up in a bridge, forming a straight line between shoulders and knees. Grip the ROPE with both hands but on the same side, either in the loop or above the knot.

Pull to your centerline with elbows tight to your sides to keep them from flaring out, and shoulder blades pinched together. Avoid popping your chest, and pull with your lats. The crown of your head points away from your tailbone - do not pitch your head forward and round your back. Lower with control and repeat.

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Dip - Feet

Begin face up with you feet through one loop of the ROPE, and the top leg crossed over the bottom leg at the ankle (you will switch legs every other round). Your weight is supported on your hands, with fingers pointed back (away from your feet).

With your shoulders packed down, exhale to engage your core as you swing your weight forward and dip down at a 45 degree angle (rather than straight up and down). Elbows point straight back and do not flare out.

Press back up to full lockout and repeat.

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Knee-In Pushup

Begin face down with both feet in one loop of the ROPE, and the top leg crossed over the bottom leg at the ankle. Your weight is supported on your hands in pushup position with shoulders packed down.

Keep elbows to ribs, shoulders packed down (no scapular flare), and chin down /crown long as you exhale hard and drive from the palm heels. Elbow pits face forward, with the goal of locking structure by driving the elbow pits forward rather than simply pushing up. Glutes, thighs and core stay strong to prevent “belly sag” and maintain solid alignment.

At the top of the pushup, pull your knees in to your core, extend the legs back out, and lower again for the next pushup. The goal is to make this highly coordinated sequence one continuous motion.

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Grunt

Climbing Row

Begin in the decline position. Hips are held up in a bridge, forming a straight line between shoulders and knees. Grip both sides of the ROPE above the knot. The crown of your head points away from your tailbone - do not pitch your head forward and round your back.

With your elbows tight against your body and shoulder blades pinched together, exhale hard and pull one arm elbow-down, connecting your elbow to your lat. Rotate slightly to that same side as you pull, which frees up your opposite arm to release, reach straight up, and re-grab the ROPE. Repeat from side to side, climbing the ROPE with each row.

Release your grip slightly to slide back down the ROPE to the knots and repeat.

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Airborne Pistol

Stand on one leg with mid foot balance, spine perpendicular and crown tall. Hold both sides of your ROPE and lower back into an airborne squat - the planted leg thigh is parallel with the ground, and the knee of the rear leg touches the ground at the bottom of the movement. Drive off the planted leg from mid-foot to return to standing, pulling on the ROPE with elbows driving down into your ribs.

Do not touch down with the floating leg. Instead, extend that leg forward into a pistol, with knee locked and leg held up as high as possible as you squat on one leg again using the ROPE to assist. Drive back to standing from mid foot, pulling on the ROPE with elbows driving into your ribs to connect your core to the movement.

Continue to squat, alternating back and forth between airborne and pistol squats. Change legs on the next set. Your goal is to minimize the leg drive and shift as much of the effort as possible to your pull on the ROPE.

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Press Up

Begin in press up position on the ROPE with elbows to ribs, shoulders packed down (no scapular flare), and chin down /crown long. Glutes are tight and knees locked, tailbone tucked, and thighs and core held strong to prevent “belly sag” and maintain solid alignment..

Exhale hard and press up, engaging your core. As you press, drive your knuckles together hammer grip style so that your arms and shoulders are resting against the ROPE at the apex of the movement. Lower under control and repeat.

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Lawnmower

Begin in the decline position. Hips are held up in a bridge, forming a straight line between shoulders and knees. Grip the ROPE with both hands in one loop, and on the same side.

Pull to your centerline with elbows tight to your sides to keep them from flaring out, and shoulder blades pinched together. Avoid popping your chest, and pull with your lats. As you pull up, twist from the core to drive your opposite shoulder into the ROPE. Think of pulling from ribs to opposite hip to access the correct core torsion. Lower with control and repeat.

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Knee-In Dip

Begin face up with your feet through one loop of the ROPE, and the top leg crossed over the bottom leg at the ankle (you will switch legs on the next set). Your weight is supported on your hands, with fingers pointed back (away from your feet).

With your shoulders packed down, exhale to engage your core as you draw your knees in while bringing your hips back to your wrists. Next, extend your legs as far as possible. Perform a dip with spine at a 45 degree angle (rather than straight up and down). Elbows point straight back and do not flare out. Press back up to full lockout and repeat.

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Side Knee-In Pushup

Begin face down with one foot in the loop of the ROPE and the leg straight. Place the other leg on top, with the foot wrapped around the loop of the ROPE to lock it in. Your weight is supported on your hands, and palms are placed diagonally to your body and to the ROPE, as in a Spiderman Pushup.

Keep elbows to ribs, shoulders packed down (no scapular flare), and chin down /crown long as you exhale hard and press up from the palm heels. Glutes, thighs and core stay strong to prevent “belly sag” and maintain solid alignment.

At the top of the pushup, pull your knees in to your core, extend the legs back out, and lower again for the next pushup. The goal is to make this highly coordinated sequence one continuous motion. Change legs for the next set, so that the other leg is on top and you’re facing the opposite direction.

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Commando

Plyometric Climb

Begin in a decline position. Hips are held up in a bridge, forming a straight line between shoulders and knees. Grip both sides of the ROPE above the knot. The crown of your head points away from your tailbone - do not pitch your head forward and round your back.

Exhale hard and pull evenly with both arms, connecting your elbows to your lats and pinching the upper arms tight to your ribs. You must pull hard enough to release your grip, reach straight up, and re-grab higher. Work your way up the ROPE, climbing with each plyometric row.

Release your grip slightly to slide back down to the knots and repeat.

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Jump Pistol

Stand on one leg with mid foot balance, spine perpendicular and crown tall. The other leg extends forward in pistol position, with knee locked and leg held up as high as possible. Hold both sides of the ROPE and lower back into a deep squat. Drive back to standing from mid foot as you pull hard on the ROPE with elbows driving into your ribs to connect your core to the movement.

Switch legs at the apex of the jump, landing on mid foot in the opposite side pistol. Eccentrically brake or yield with the ROPE to slow your descent into the squat.

Your goal is to minimize the leg drive and shift as much of the effort as possible to your pull on the ROPE. Continue to squat and jump, alternating sides.

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Rocca Press Up

Begin in a “down dog” position: hands in the loops of the ROPE, elbows out, and knuckles together so that your upper arms are resting on the “hammock” of the ROPE. Shift to your toes in order to maximize the amount of weight over your hands, and tuck your head down—you’ll stay on your toes for the entire set.

Lower as far as you can while keeping your elbows tight to your ribs. Exhale hard and press back up, engaging your core. As you press, drive your knuckles together hammer grip style so that your arms and shoulders are resting against the ROPE at the apex of the movement. Lower under control and repeat.

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Lawnmower Extension

Begin in the decline position. Hips are held up in a bridge, forming a straight line between shoulders and knees. Grip the ROPE with both hands in one loop, and on the same side.

Pull to your centerline with elbows tight to your sides to keep them from flaring out, and shoulder blades pinched together. Avoid popping your chest, and pull with your lats. As you pull up, twist from the core to drive your opposite shoulder into the ROPE. Think of pulling from ribs to opposite hip to access the correct core torsion.

At the apex of the pull, thread the underside leg beneath your driving leg (the underside leg is the leg opposite your “high” shoulder) and then drive the bottom hand towards the ground. Lean in to the ROPE as you roll up to full extension, releasing the top hand to reach upward.

Re-grip the ROPE and reverse the movement to lower to the start position, and repeat.

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Knee-In Table Dip

Begin face up with your feet through one loop of the ROPE, and the top leg crossed over the bottom leg at the ankle (you will switch legs on the next set). Your weight is supported on your hands, with fingers pointed back (away from your feet). Drive from the glutes to lock out your hips and legs in half-table position.

With your shoulders packed down, exhale to engage your core as you draw your knees in while releasing your hips and bringing them back to your wrists. Perform a dip with spine at a 45 degree angle (rather than straight up and down). Elbows point straight back and do not flare out.

As you press back up to full arm lockout, drive your legs and hips up into half-table, and repeat.

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Knee-in Star Pushup

Begin face down with one foot in one loop of the ROPE and the other leg free. Both legs are locked. Your weight is supported on your hands in pushup position with shoulders packed down.

Keep elbows to ribs, shoulders packed down (no scapular flare), and chin down /crown long as you exhale hard and drive from the palm heels. Elbow pits face forward, with the goal of locking structure by driving the elbow pits forward rather than simply pushing up. Glutes, thighs and core stay strong to prevent “belly sag” and maintain solid alignment.

At the top of the pushup, pull your knees in to your core. Extend the legs back out as you lower, allowing the locked legs to separate as far as you need to go in order to do the movement. Press back up and repeat.

The goal is to make this highly coordinated sequence one continuous motion without pauses. Change supported legs for the next set.

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Further Resources

TACFIT Commando

TACFIT ROPE can be done as a plug in module with the original TACFIT Commando 3-month bodyweight exercise program.www.TACFITCommando.com

Joint Mobility

The INTU-FLOW DVD is the place to deepen your exploration of the materials covered on the No Intensity recovery days of TACFIT ROPE.

Prasara Yoga Compensatory Movement

The Prasara Instructional Series 'A' Flows DVD is the place to deepen your exploration of the materials covered on the Low Intensity recovery days of TACFIT ROPE.

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http://www.TACFITCommando.com

http://www.TACFITCommando.com

http://www.profcs.com/app/?Clk=3513860




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