The TacFit Commando program is a bodyweight-only program designed to get people into top physical condition. That’s not as hard to do as it sounds. However, getting people into top physical condition, maintaining it, and avoiding injuries, over-use syndromes, and over-training syndromes, is another matter altogether. Many programs will achieve the former, and very few will achieve the latter. TacFit Commando is such a program. It’s not the latest greatest program to jump on the “functional fitness” bandwagon by slapping together a bunch of unrelated exercises, it’s a well thought out well designed program that follows many of the core principles I have been writing about for years. Why do most programs fail in the long run? Here’s why:
Ok- so for Hybrid Week 6- I was actually SUPPOSED to be on a beach, but my trip got canceled, and thanks to a variety of aggravating circumstances it never materialized. 2 days, 2 different airports, a malfunctioning airplane and the like…all with a tired, impatient, wiggly toddler…meant I had my first staycation. I *don’t* recommend this for anyone! *sigh* Anyway.
The one positive thing is that I get to head to the gym this week for Week 6 of Hybrid. My weight is amazingly and gradually inching up (yeay!) and I’m still making strength gains. I’m at 116 now and it’s inching upwards.
No beach for mommy and Shaila, but we still got our sunshine on
Hard to believe I’m almost mid-way to 6 weeks on the program. I am still having tons of fun on the program and I doubt I can end at the 12 week mark! Week 5 begins with a HIIT session for me and boy, this day never gets easier!! Now, maybe it’s possible that if I picked another machine I might see some difference (like the treadmill), but I really like the elliptical for this because even with a moderate-high resistance I can really go all out. The belt of the treadmill always takes a little longer to catch up and by then I’m mentally ahead by 10 seconds and every single second of “all out” counts! I’m also getting great feedback, especially from Body Building Revealed Forum members and moderators that I probably am doing HIIT right because it’s supposed to be taxing! For those of you that are under the impression that you can do 40-45 minutes of interval training, take a good hard look at what you can accomplish in 20 minutes. Body Building Revealed also teaches you that the fat-burning, higher intensity programs like HIIT get the job done in less time than low-moderate intensity cardio, and especially if you’re a busy working professional and/or busy mom, why waste your precious time!?
After 4 weeks on the program, I take a 9 point caliper test which shows I’ve made the awesome gain of 4.01 lbs (yes I have to mention the .01!) of lean body mass (LBM). According to the calipers, my bodyfat as a percentage of my total body weight has actually gone down. A pleasant surprise to me, although I am feeling a little softer in the abs. No matter! 4.01 lbs of LBM is a huge treat! I just want to keep it going! From last week, it’s hard for me to see any changes but they’re happening somewhere.
Week 4 begins with a 5X5 lower body day. I’m still doing 135 lbs for my barbell squat, which is not an improvement over last time, but this time I am focusing on going deeper. I am at war with my sticking point! I also remind myself that this workout takes place after a really poor night’s rest, and indulging a bit from Memorial Day weekend. I’m at the point where my body is truly a well-oiled machine. It knows when I’m not feeding it or resting it right. If you eat clean you know what I mean! My deadlifts do see an improvement, which is great. 10 lbs more on the bar than last time. The best feeling is after a heavy leg day, you just feel so strong!
TACFIT Commando, the fat loss, conditioning and functional fitness program you can do at home without equipment can be found here at www.commando-fatloss.com
TACFIT Commando : Are You Ready For Anything ?
by Guest Author Adam Steer.
Are you ready for all the surprises life throws your way?
Remember the old saying, “It’s not a question of IF something will go wrong, but when”?
True readiness for your life, sport or occupation requires more than just specific training — it requires venturing outside the range and scope of your normal activities to create a “safety valve” for when things go awry.
What the heck does that mean?
Yeay! Week 3 on Hybrid starts off with a real improvement for me in strength gains and in weight. I’ve gained 1 lb a week steadily since starting eating (a lot more!) for 4 weeks now, so I’m almost at 115. No doubt, I’ve gained some fat too as the pics at the end of this post will show, but it’s a small sacrifice for seeing strength gains. It’s so satisfying to see the numbers go up here in weight carried. I’m glad I take careful notes and always bring my training journal. Most people feel naked without their iPod— me, I can’t get by without my notebook. I repeated the same workout for the upper body hypertrophy hybrid day and here’s how I made out:
I’m following the every other day training protocol for Hybrid, and this week begins with a total body Hybrid HIIT protocol. I decide to look up Will’s suggestion for trying his “killer conditioning” day (sounds fun!). In his video, Will uses a piece of cardio equipment that looks like an elliptical/stairstepping machine. Honestly, there are so many choices at the gym, and all the fancy gadgets and screens confuse me a bit, but I pick one that looks similar to the one in his video. After a brief 5-minute warm up, I do 1 minute low intensity followed by 30 seconds all out 100% tongue-hanging-out panting-like-my-dog effort, and repeat. I did that for 15 minutes, which is literally all I could stand. I get off and my legs are wobbly but I can still walk. Success! I can’t do math and work out at the same time, but I count the intervals when I’m done and I’ve nine, which sounds like too many. I’m thinking next week I’m going to try this on a machine I’m more familiar with!
Below is a recent 5×5 squat workout I did with a few sets of leg presses. The 5×5 is a classic old school but effective program. On my 5×5 squat day, I will often do 2-3 sets of leg press afterward for 3×6. Hamstring work will be done in another workout.
Although the 5×5 is an excellent stand alone program, it can also be incorporated into other programs as I have with my Hybrid program where it’s introduced at specific intervals within a program, that alters volume, loading, reps, etc. For example, BBR member Sumi outlines some of the variations that can be used in her new section following the Hybrid Program.
There are also some great stand-alone 5X5 programs out there people may want to look into and try for say a 10-12 week block to get beyond a plateau. I find one common area of confusion of the 5X5 is loading. After warming up, all sets in the 5X5 are in the 80-85% 1RM range. Taking appropriate rest between sets to allow you to complete all 5 sets using that loading – using acceptable form – is the essential component of the 5X5.
Week 1 on the Hybrid was AWESOME. Day 1 was a 5X5 chest and back day. I was warned 5X5s would take some “getting used to” as I have never followed a program that has such long rest periods between sets. The hardest part was figuring out what was 80-85% of my 1 rep max was as that’s a fairly new concept for me also. That was the weight I could successfully handle for about 5-6 reps while maintaining correct form. I was also warned it would take a few weeks to really dial in the correct loading (which changes depending on what part of the program you are following) so I’m still getting that figured out, which will be apparent from the number below. 
The vid below is a similar workout to the “Alternative Workouts for Burning Calories and Losing Fat” workout I put up recently, but minus the upper body work. This workout has forward and reverse sled drags, lunges, one leg ‘straight’ leg deadlifts, and Planks (which didn’t get filmed…) for a highly effective “functional” leg, butt, and general conditioning workout. If more people – especially women – did more workouts like this, using low tech tools, they would get far better and faster results. I see so much wasted time in the gym on all manner of “butt firming” machines, exercises, and other time wasters, which could all be done with a program such as this.
