Would love to see a more in depth post/ protocol about perfect posture throughout the whole body including the rib cage which your briefly mentioned in the mcgregor post.
Some postures are more beneficial for certain sports (swimmers will have hypermobile shoulders, Usain bolt has scoliosis and in the fastest human of all time).
The focus should not be obsessing over posture, but obsessing over a training system that develops a well balanced physique, and the Lethal Gents protocol is designed in that fashion.
Instead of focusing on posture:
- Work on being able to move in as many different ways as possible.
- Make sure your muscles are well balanced & you're not just doing machine based exercises
- Develop general strength & musculature will a variety of different movements.
My question is specific to myself, but it might help others too. I trained calisthenics for years, then discovered muay thai and was hooked. I found you through searching for strength and conditioning for combat sports. Through training I quickly learned about the reason for weight classes, and I would like to add muscle mass while maintaining cardio and other athletic attributes. I was following the durability protocol for this. Is the may update equal or better for this pursuit? Should I tip the balance of the workouts and add another anabolic day, or is three still optimal for gaining strength and lean muscle mass?
As a sidenote, I had a hard time researching an ideal body weight for a person's build. I want to get to a weight where all of the athletic attributes are maximally balanced as described in your lethal gentleman criteria. I am currently 71 kg @est. 12-15% bodyfat, 174cm tall. Through my research, and comments in your post "The Martial Artist Archetype," I decided on 81 or 82 kg as my eventual goal weight. Do you have any thoughts on finding optimal body weight by height/frame?
These two resources interested me in my research to set my goal weight:
If you are serious about your Muay Thai training (sparring 2x/week & doing 4 total sessions), then 3 sessions would be my suggestion.
Ideal bodyweight is going to integrate several factors, however for athletic pursuits 12-15% is ideal, if you're below this, you're going to find it hard to stay healthy (not get sick / injured). If you are having to cut weight for a fight this is a different story.
Optimal bodyweight will come down to:
- How you 'feel' at a certain weight (if you are 81-82 but feel way slower and more sluggish vs a lighter weight, then that might not be the best range).
I think people get too objective with this metric, when its very individual and subjective to how you feel at certain weights & its up to you to find the best balance.
Hello Jack, I have two questions at the moment: With protocols such as the lethal gentleman, can I have two sessions on the same day? For example, one of strength in the morning and my martial art practice at night instead of doing one each day? The other question is: Is it possible of making the grapplers' protocol with cardio sessions? Aside from the martial artst practice itself
I find myself struggling with following the full protocol (lethal gentleman) between sport / drumming / time with GF.
I train to live and feel like I manage to get yield out of the protocol but I want to have your take as a coach on how to follow Protocol on time contrained week
Yes this is completely fine & a lot of my clients who are in a time crunch do this.
Breath hold work can have benefit, but it depends on why you're using it.
Do I ever program it personally? I will sometimes use it when I couple it with an isometric hold (e.g split squat), the breathe is a very interesting aspect of health especially for injury rehab because so many people are so stressed / overstimulated so learning how to calm the nervous system is an elite skill to have.
If I wanted to improve my CO2 tolerance, I'd rather just swim and stack multiple skills instead of sitting in a room holding my breath (better use of time).
A question about the Elite Gas Tank Protocol. I’m able to hold a consistent effort around 700 watts across the intervals, but I’m absolutely wrecked afterwards. Nauseous, lying on the floor during rest, etc. even when resting for 5 min. Still, my heart rate only reaches around 170 bpm. In sprint work I’ve hit 180+ just the week before.
So my question is: am I still training the intended system even though HR doesn’t reach max, or does that suggest I should change something?
Also curious about the lethal standards. For example, I’m really strong in the legs (Deadlift 2.5x BW) but the upper body is lagging in comparison. (Bench just over 1x BW)
Should I be modifying my anabolic session based on my imbalances?
1. How are you measuring your heart rate? if its chest strap then that's an accurate reading.
2. If it is staying at 170, its likely your limitation isn't a cardiorespiratory one (heart & lungs), but more so a muscular endurance / power one. If this is the case, you may benefit form doing shorter intervals with more of a repeat style.
The purpose of the elite gas tank protocol I built was to give you guys a sample + cater to the largest number of people (8000 people read this, and I am trying to provide maximal value).
UPPER BODY Q:
You can modify things, the whole purpose of the protocol is to give you guys a template then I work with guys 1:1 who need bespoke help.
Even benching 2x per week, or adding more chest volume can help (but remember bench is also highly determined by your pulling strength too).
2. Do you have any examples of how you'd structure those shorter, repeat-style intervals you suggested? Maybe a specific work:rest ratio or watt/tempo targets you typically use.
3. Based on where I'm at, I'm either at or just under the lethal level for lower body strength and dead hang. Upper body strength and conditioning seems to be around intermediate or slightly below. So for now, I'm planning to put more focus into upper body and conditioning.
What's the minimum effective lower body volume you'd recommend to mantain strength during that time, based on 3x anabolic sessions per week?
Also, would love to see a post with sample breakdowns of different gas tank conditioning formats and one focused on how to test or structure max effort testing for the lethal standards.
If your goal is to compete on a national level (I work with several judokas who are striving for this in the US).
You need to be prioritising Judo as #1. This means skills sessions 5-6x per week.
S&C: 2-3x per week.
The S&C should look something like the grapplers protocol and working towards maximal strength development + hypertrophy in areas of common injury for Judokas (shoulders, ankles, knees, wrists & elbows).
Hey Jack, I have a question about how best to train to meet the lethal standards. Say for example I need to increase my bench press PR, how should we work this into the recommended plan? Would it be best to add some bench press to the start of the anabolic sessions, or potentially add bench press to one of the other days? Thanks
For max HR & HR training (I prefer HR monitor / chest strap).
For sleep and tracking strain, it can be a good tool and I use it with my clients that enjoy using wearables.
Me personally, I obsess too much over the sleep and strain scores so I don't like to use them, I would rather actually listen to my body because I am very in tune with whether I am on the verge of getting sick or if I am sleeping like shit.
I am also very skeptical of the HRV data on all brands and for that reason its something that if you try it and like it, use it, but you're not missing out greatly if you aren't using it.
Struggle to do the supersets/circuits in my anabolic sessions due to gym equipment layouts, should I perform the plyometrics separately after completing A1 & A3?
Do I need to follow your Gas Tank Protocol if I do wrestling 2 times a wekk and we do 15min. of hard sparring everytime, because in sparring you also need to be explosive for a long period of time.
Would love to see a more in depth post/ protocol about perfect posture throughout the whole body including the rib cage which your briefly mentioned in the mcgregor post.
I personally don't believe in 'perfect' posture.
The body is assymetrical.
Some postures are more beneficial for certain sports (swimmers will have hypermobile shoulders, Usain bolt has scoliosis and in the fastest human of all time).
The focus should not be obsessing over posture, but obsessing over a training system that develops a well balanced physique, and the Lethal Gents protocol is designed in that fashion.
Instead of focusing on posture:
- Work on being able to move in as many different ways as possible.
- Make sure your muscles are well balanced & you're not just doing machine based exercises
- Develop general strength & musculature will a variety of different movements.
The posture then takes care of itself.
My question is specific to myself, but it might help others too. I trained calisthenics for years, then discovered muay thai and was hooked. I found you through searching for strength and conditioning for combat sports. Through training I quickly learned about the reason for weight classes, and I would like to add muscle mass while maintaining cardio and other athletic attributes. I was following the durability protocol for this. Is the may update equal or better for this pursuit? Should I tip the balance of the workouts and add another anabolic day, or is three still optimal for gaining strength and lean muscle mass?
As a sidenote, I had a hard time researching an ideal body weight for a person's build. I want to get to a weight where all of the athletic attributes are maximally balanced as described in your lethal gentleman criteria. I am currently 71 kg @est. 12-15% bodyfat, 174cm tall. Through my research, and comments in your post "The Martial Artist Archetype," I decided on 81 or 82 kg as my eventual goal weight. Do you have any thoughts on finding optimal body weight by height/frame?
These two resources interested me in my research to set my goal weight:
https://spiderstamina.com/athletic-calculator.php?sex=male&height=183&wrist=17&bic_nor=0&bic_tig=0&ankle=23&body_fat=10
https://btwb.blog/2017/01/24/is-there-an-ideal-bmi-for-performance/#:~:text=Dividing%20users%20into%20smaller%20buckets,range%20was%2026%2D30).
Thanks!
I would suggest utilising the May update.
If you are serious about your Muay Thai training (sparring 2x/week & doing 4 total sessions), then 3 sessions would be my suggestion.
Ideal bodyweight is going to integrate several factors, however for athletic pursuits 12-15% is ideal, if you're below this, you're going to find it hard to stay healthy (not get sick / injured). If you are having to cut weight for a fight this is a different story.
Optimal bodyweight will come down to:
- How you 'feel' at a certain weight (if you are 81-82 but feel way slower and more sluggish vs a lighter weight, then that might not be the best range).
I think people get too objective with this metric, when its very individual and subjective to how you feel at certain weights & its up to you to find the best balance.
Hello Jack, I have two questions at the moment: With protocols such as the lethal gentleman, can I have two sessions on the same day? For example, one of strength in the morning and my martial art practice at night instead of doing one each day? The other question is: Is it possible of making the grapplers' protocol with cardio sessions? Aside from the martial artst practice itself
Marcelo, 2 sessions per day is a common practise & my suggestion would be:
- Cardio in AM (if possible & gym in PM), this will maximise development of both qualities, but it can be flipped if this is not feasible.
- You can also do an elite gas tank session AFTER a martial arts session (e.g assault bike after a martial arts session).
In regards to grapplers protocool, I can add conditioning / cardio in future when I update the protocol.
Thank you Jack!
I find myself struggling with following the full protocol (lethal gentleman) between sport / drumming / time with GF.
I train to live and feel like I manage to get yield out of the protocol but I want to have your take as a coach on how to follow Protocol on time contrained week
Option 1: Reduce jacked mobility sets to 1 instead of 2.
Option 2: Do 2x Full Body Sessions per week.
Option 3: Remove Jacked Mobility circuit from the sessions (not ideal, but better than nothing).
If you do any less than this, you're not going to get good yield overall.
If time is limited on some days, will it be ok to split the anabolic sessions? Do A and B and the day after do C and D?
What do you think about breath hold work? Do you think it’s beneficial to one’s health?
Keep up the good work!
Yes this is completely fine & a lot of my clients who are in a time crunch do this.
Breath hold work can have benefit, but it depends on why you're using it.
Do I ever program it personally? I will sometimes use it when I couple it with an isometric hold (e.g split squat), the breathe is a very interesting aspect of health especially for injury rehab because so many people are so stressed / overstimulated so learning how to calm the nervous system is an elite skill to have.
If I wanted to improve my CO2 tolerance, I'd rather just swim and stack multiple skills instead of sitting in a room holding my breath (better use of time).
Thank you! I just signed up for a freediving course.
Hello Jack!
A question about the Elite Gas Tank Protocol. I’m able to hold a consistent effort around 700 watts across the intervals, but I’m absolutely wrecked afterwards. Nauseous, lying on the floor during rest, etc. even when resting for 5 min. Still, my heart rate only reaches around 170 bpm. In sprint work I’ve hit 180+ just the week before.
So my question is: am I still training the intended system even though HR doesn’t reach max, or does that suggest I should change something?
Also curious about the lethal standards. For example, I’m really strong in the legs (Deadlift 2.5x BW) but the upper body is lagging in comparison. (Bench just over 1x BW)
Should I be modifying my anabolic session based on my imbalances?
GAS TANK Q:
1. How are you measuring your heart rate? if its chest strap then that's an accurate reading.
2. If it is staying at 170, its likely your limitation isn't a cardiorespiratory one (heart & lungs), but more so a muscular endurance / power one. If this is the case, you may benefit form doing shorter intervals with more of a repeat style.
The purpose of the elite gas tank protocol I built was to give you guys a sample + cater to the largest number of people (8000 people read this, and I am trying to provide maximal value).
UPPER BODY Q:
You can modify things, the whole purpose of the protocol is to give you guys a template then I work with guys 1:1 who need bespoke help.
Even benching 2x per week, or adding more chest volume can help (but remember bench is also highly determined by your pulling strength too).
1. Yeah it's a chest strap.
2. Do you have any examples of how you'd structure those shorter, repeat-style intervals you suggested? Maybe a specific work:rest ratio or watt/tempo targets you typically use.
3. Based on where I'm at, I'm either at or just under the lethal level for lower body strength and dead hang. Upper body strength and conditioning seems to be around intermediate or slightly below. So for now, I'm planning to put more focus into upper body and conditioning.
What's the minimum effective lower body volume you'd recommend to mantain strength during that time, based on 3x anabolic sessions per week?
Also, would love to see a post with sample breakdowns of different gas tank conditioning formats and one focused on how to test or structure max effort testing for the lethal standards.
What is your opinion on deload weeks? How do we lower the intensity of Cardio/Combat Training on deload weeks? What should be the frequency?
You are not a paid sub. Q&A is for Lethal Gents Club members only.
My question is quite specific to myself but hopefully others can gain something from your answer
Currently train *3/4 a week in Judo with a day of Strength and conditioning.
My goal is to compete more on a national level. I take basic multivitamin and started taking magnesium glycinate for recovery/sleep recently.
Is there anything you see on this limited information on how I could improve to reach goals?
For context I work full time aswell
For example - Better load management, more judo sessions, more targeted S&C sessions anything else
Thanks George
George,
If your goal is to compete on a national level (I work with several judokas who are striving for this in the US).
You need to be prioritising Judo as #1. This means skills sessions 5-6x per week.
S&C: 2-3x per week.
The S&C should look something like the grapplers protocol and working towards maximal strength development + hypertrophy in areas of common injury for Judokas (shoulders, ankles, knees, wrists & elbows).
Thanks Jack
Hey Jack, I have a question about how best to train to meet the lethal standards. Say for example I need to increase my bench press PR, how should we work this into the recommended plan? Would it be best to add some bench press to the start of the anabolic sessions, or potentially add bench press to one of the other days? Thanks
This is an option if it is severely lagging behind.
I sometimes get clients to bench 2x per week.
But you can also have accessory lifts like dumbbell variations etc that are in the protocol.
It depends on how urgent you are wanting to increase your bench numbers.
So does the Lethal Gentlemen's Protocol take the place of the previous protocol?
Also, maybe I don't know what I'm doing but I don't see any responses to any of the questions? Or are you doing one big answer post or something?
The Lethal Gents Protocol is the updated version of the durability protocol I built & followed the same process.
I will be answering questions here, thanks David.
Hey Jack, my question concerns electronic devices, do you recommend stuff like whop and ultrahuman ring to track sleep and strain ?
This is very personal dependent.
For max HR & HR training (I prefer HR monitor / chest strap).
For sleep and tracking strain, it can be a good tool and I use it with my clients that enjoy using wearables.
Me personally, I obsess too much over the sleep and strain scores so I don't like to use them, I would rather actually listen to my body because I am very in tune with whether I am on the verge of getting sick or if I am sleeping like shit.
I am also very skeptical of the HRV data on all brands and for that reason its something that if you try it and like it, use it, but you're not missing out greatly if you aren't using it.
thank u, your answer helps a lot ! keep pushing
Struggle to do the supersets/circuits in my anabolic sessions due to gym equipment layouts, should I perform the plyometrics separately after completing A1 & A3?
My suggestion would be to do the plyometrics at the very start before the strength lifts if you can't blend it all together.
These should be done when you are as fresh as possible, to maximise force production.
Perfect thankyou man love all your content!
Do I need to follow your Gas Tank Protocol if I do wrestling 2 times a wekk and we do 15min. of hard sparring everytime, because in sparring you also need to be explosive for a long period of time.
Martin, You are not a paid sub. Q&A is for Lethal Gents Club members only.