CSP Intern Interview with Coach B

Recently, I had the honor and opportunity to be asked by a previous Career Skills Program Intern some interview questions in order to complete an assignment for their advanced degree program. The following are the questions asked to myself and the responses. Happy reading!

Strength & Honor,

Coach B

CSP Intern Interview with 10th CAB H2F Lead Coach

1.      Can you describe your role as a tactical strength and conditioning coach in the military and how it differs from traditional strength and conditioning coaching roles?

My role as a strength and conditioning coach for the military involves creating physical readiness systems and programs that enhance the overall performance capabilities of the modern-day war fighter.

These systems and programs could look like a physical training plan, a lifting-technique clinic on movement instruction, or the creation of a curriculum designed to provide Soldiers the operational wisdom to effectively lead and plan unit physical training in a more effective manner.

2.      What are some of the most common physical challenges Soldiers face, and how do you design strength and conditioning programs to address them?

Through a needs analysis, we can easily identify the most common physical challenges that Soldiers face in their environments. A needs analysis allows us to look at all the factors that both positively and negatively impact a Soldiers readiness or their ability to perform their military occupational specialty (MOS).

As strength and conditioning coaches (SCCs), we identify not just what their MOS demands are in terms of field training and deployment scenarios, but most importantly, what they are doing daily for most of their time during their career.

The truth is, Soldiers will spend most of their career back in garrison and not deployed. This presents its own unique set of challenges that impact Soldier health and wellness; readiness.

Consistency drives adaptation, a basic principle of understanding training. However, the body also adapts to stressors not applied to it and this can be extremely detrimental to Soldier’s readiness for a myriad of reasons.

Activities like sitting for extended periods of time can cause Soldiers to lengthen and weaken areas of the body while simultaneously shortening and weakening other parts of the body. This becomes an issue when the Soldier is then “asked” to run over 15 miles a week without proper tissue mobilization and strengthening interventions to counteract and balance the negative adaptations that they are placing on their body because of the positions they are in for hours on end throughout their careers.

Most of our overuse musculoskeletal injuries are not coming from “acute” (sudden) scenarios but instead “chronic” (overtime) scenarios. Soldiers are not given the proper movement education to withstand and survive physical training scenarios led by uneducated individuals who just want to make them “sweaty” or “sore” for the sake of being so. Physical readiness and well-being for every Soldier is an individualized tasking and should be treated as such. Therefore, the stressors needed to make a positive impact on Soldier readiness are also individualized and should be handled delicately by subject matter experts and those learning from them daily.

Most injuries we see are lumbar spine, shoulder, knee, and foot/ankle related. These all can be attributed to the scenarios illustrated in the above sections. Physical Training should be specifically designed to support the strengthening of specific parts of the body that are placed in shapes and positions that are weakening them day after day and year after year. It is not an exaggeration to say that many of military careers have been ruined by countless combinations of the examples given in the past few sentences. And in my opinion, it will never be to bold a claim to suggest that many, if not all, could have been prevented with proper education, skill development, consistency in training, and adequate planning to ensure progress and not distress in the Soldier’s life.

As SCC, we run a needs analysis of our Soldier’s MOS, their current training age (fitness level), and how they spend most of their day, such as, what positions are they putting their bodies into consistently (office, mechanic, driver, etc.). From here, we can easily identify what is happening to the body as far as what needs to be mobilized (more efficient range of motion), strengthened (ability to handle load), or stabilized (ability to hold a static position). Of course, we also look at incorporating all the necessary physical components and movement patterns that they will need to have sufficient capacity within order to be successful with their current regulation physical assessments (rucking, running, ACFT, water survival, etc.)

3.       How do you incorporate injury prevention strategies into your training programs, and what are the most common injuries you encounter?

SCCs in the military must balance performance and injury prevention just like any other performance professional in their respective field. The number one difference between a sport SCC and a tactical SCC is that Soldiers are working full-time jobs most of the time and their external and internal stressors are far different compared to that of a sport-athlete.

There truly is no “off-season” for a Soldier, no “white space” on the training calendar, and they are constantly bombarded by individuals lacking in the proper knowledge and experience to develop individualized physical readiness interventions (programs/training plans) across a large force to meet their needs specifically to further their physical performance and recovery capabilities. This lack of understanding often leads to over-use musculoskeletal injuries, chronic (recurring) injuries, missed duties days, and in more cases than we would like to discuss as human performance professionals, career ending situations.

Injury prevention strategies come in many forms from SCCs. An easy approach is to identify what muscle groups need more attention than others in terms of GPP or general physical preparedness. For example, across the board we see Soldiers lacking in their ability to load and utilize their hamstrings to absorb and produce force. So, in turn, during warm-ups let’s say, we incorporate some low stress movement interventions to educate, develop, and prime said “weak” hamstrings for the training day. Another method may look like incorporating tissue or joint mobilizations between working sets during a training session. For example, during a lower body day, we know that a Soldier needs to work on thoracic spine mobility or range of motion, so we have that Soldier perform some targeted mobility work on the thoracic spine area of the body.

The most effective intervention to injury prevention however is ensuring that physical training programs are designed to provide adequate recovery from session to session on a weekly basis. To simplify, if we have a heavy lower body intensive day (high volume, load, stress, etc.) we give the lower body at least 48 hours to recover before we hit it again with a similar intensity. Throughout the week we have high, moderate, and low stress days. We look at all our physical components that we need to balance in terms of Soldier development; aerobic endurance, anaerobic endurance, muscular strength, muscular endurance, and power; we ensure adequate individualized stimulus and recovery for each throughout the week; and we rinse and repeat. Making sure we are avoiding any overtraining and auto-regulating (adapting and tailoring the program based off the day-to-day readiness levels of the Soldier) intensities as we progress through the program that has been “planned” (nothing ever goes according to plan, so, plan for that, and your Soldiers progress will speak for itself).

The most common injuries we encounter, again, are lumbar spine, shoulder, knee, ankle, and foot. The positions Soldiers are putting themselves in for extended periods of time throughout the duty day, paired with physical training plans that do not counteract these negative adaptations of the tissues of the body, and don’t respect the crucial balancing act of monitoring high, moderate, and low stress training days to maximize performance gains and recovery, ultimately, lead to the continued deterioration of the structures listed above.

4.      What role does periodization play in the training plans you develop for Soldiers, and how do you adapt these plans to meet mission-specific requirements?

Periodization plays a massive role in what we do as SCCs especially in a military setting. Like I stated previously, there is no “white space” on the calendar and what you won’t find on any training calendar is something that is expected to happen every day in a Soldier’s career, PT.

The luxury we do not have as SCCs in a military capacity is having extended periods of protected time where Soldiers can train consistency following a linear periodized programming model. Meaning, if we as SCCs program a training cycle that is to focus on muscular hypertrophy for 6-weeks but their training calendar changes in the middle of that program and they only receive 3-weeks of that training stimulus, we as the SCCs have to adjust everything thereafter based on the Soldiers not absorbing the planned amount of performance stimulus we had intended when we designed the training program.

A one-factor model of training, such as linear periodization or supercompensation (building up in stress overtime towards a planned drop in stress to let the body rejuvenate or energize past previous homeostatic levels to reach new ones) is not the greatest for Soldiers when they are back in garrison (when their schedules are the craziest). In most cases, deployment is when Soldiers would have more time to follow a linear periodized or one-factor style of training due to increased “down-time” and less training while down range. A common misconception is that Soldiers are preparing for deployment like it’s a Friday night lights football game. Unfortunately, it just doesn’t work like that. Soldiers must be prepared to operate at anytime, anywhere, no matter their MOS or environment and that’s just not equivalent to any sport.

While back in garrison, schedules are non-stop in some cases (most cases). A two-factor training style or fitness-fatigue model, would be more realistic to meet the many needs of Soldier performance readiness. In a fitness-fatigue model, or stimulus-fatigue model, two things are occurring from your training simultaneously. Training or applying stimulus to the body forces the body to adapt. This process in turn fatigues the body systems to the point where to display similar outputs or greater in the future, the body systems need to recover back to new homeostatic levels.

In the life of a Soldier, many various stressors can affect how training stimulus is absorbed and how the systems recover from said stimulus. As the SCC, it is our responsibility to not just respect these factors, but also to educate our Service Members on why they should respect them if enhancing their physical prowess is of their utmost concern.

We teach our Soldiers that we do not want our training to negatively affect our performance and/or our ability to do our jobs. This is the opposite of what training is meant for. Training is meant to enhance our capabilities during the duty day and/or mission. Walking around “living sore” a tired, is not necessarily a great sign that you are making “gains” in training. Most times, it is a sign that your recovery capacity (nutrition, sleep, hydration, PT schedule, etc.) is poor and needs to be maximized, whether through more effective periodization around training calendars or doing less in training and not more. Don’t get me wrong. There is a time and place to get a good “pump” and there is benefit to that but not if it is taking away from your ability to be “gas station ready,” meaning, ready to throw down at any moment.

5.      How do you balance strength training with other components of fitness, such as endurance, agility, and mobility, to ensure Soldiers are mission-ready?

We teach our Soldiers what the DUP method to training is or Daily Undulating Programming. This method structures all the physical components that the modern warfighter needs to be proficient in throughout an entire week.

                  Primary focuses can change week to week and day to day, in terms of skill work, endurance, power, and strength, however, throughout that same week you can still structure the training to tap into every physical component important to building Soldier readiness, aerobic endurance, anaerobic endurance, muscular strength, muscular endurance, and power.

When we use methodologies in likeness to DUP, Soldiers can more consistently provide all their physical components some stimulus in terms of gains and maintenance. Following training structures that force Soldiers to spend too much time training one physical component can be detrimental to their readiness overall.

Many various styles of training can be adjusted in such a way to make them DUP. A well-versed SCC can structure a Bodybuilding, Powerlifting, Strongman, CrossFit, Endurance, or Olympic Weightlifting focused program to be DUP in nature with a focus on the specific goal of that style of training. This may just take the addition or reduction of a few components of the program. This can build buy in with your Soldiers extremely quickly by providing them a program that is individualized, specific, respectful, and honoring to their goals, while simultaneously, providing them a program that will ensure they are well rounded and not falling behind in other components of their readiness crucial to them being able to effectively operate as a Soldier.

6.      Can you discuss any recent advancements in fitness technology or tools you’ve implemented to improve training outcomes for Soldiers?

We live in a wild “performance-based” world currently in the military especially. Everyone is in a rush to drop millions of dollars on technology across the force when we can’t even get Soldiers to track their progress in a “green book” from the supply room or stay consistent long enough with a training plan to even pull viable data from technology to make informed decisions from. This is happening successfully in small pockets out there in the world, to that I have no doubt. But again, coming from working with a larger population of Soldiers, we need to find and invest in technology (solutions) that makes sense and don’t just make “cents.”

                  Technology that works for me in my space would be any velocity-based training systems (to educate Soldiers on what intensity looks, feels, and sounds like), heart rate monitoring technology (to manage intensity goals, recovery, and pacing), step trackers for activity level management (to ensure Soldiers are fueling themselves accordingly based off their activity levels throughout the day as well as training), and some type of training software that allows our Soldiers to track progress and SCCs to get their programs out to the masses with ease and variety.

                  Most Soldiers are massively under eating because they are training upwards of two times a day between morning PT and what they want to do on their own for PT after the duty and then oh, logging over 20,000 steps a day just at work. Activity doesn’t just mean you training. It means the stress you’re accumulating throughout the entire day. This matters greatly.

                  The technology we choose needs to provide immediate feedback to our Soldiers to educate them. Tools as such are powerful additions to the SCCs arsenal and can make meaningful impacts to larger populations of military working with human performance teams.

7.       How do you collaborate with other professionals, such as athletic trainers, physical therapists, or nutritionists, to create a holistic approach to Soldier fitness?

Working with the military as an SCC offers the amazing and unique opportunity to be on an integrated team of human performance professionals. On our team specifically, we have created specific pipelines for Soldiers to follow when they come to our performance facility seeking treatment, training, or wisdom.

These integrated human performance teams allow us to showcase to Soldiers how we all integrate to optimize their readiness. When a Soldier comes into the facility seeking a physical training plan to be successful for a physical training test or Ranger selection, we have them fill out a referral form, which essentially acts as an initial screen to determine the Soldiers individual goals and overall current state of health and fitness.

Let’s say for example that Soldier has some prior injuries that they have highlighted on their initial screen, prior to the SCC sitting down to discuss a training plan, that SCC will want to discover if this Soldier needs some attention from our Injury Control Team (Physical Therapists, Occupational Therapists, or Athletic Trainers). The last thing we want to do with this Soldier is add “stress” to a system that needs some specialized attention to address whatever lingering (chronic) or acute (sudden) injuries that may impact their ability to efficiently absorb training prescriptions from an SCC accordingly. Once these highlighted issues are addressed and this individual is cleared by Injury Control to be seen by an SCC, the SCC will plan to sit down with the Soldier to dive deeper into a needs analysis in order to determine what the training plan is working towards and what it will essentially look like in execution (training frequency, end state goals, standards that need to be met, etc.).

Another direction could be if a Soldier comes into our facility and wants to lose weight or manage their body composition more effectively. This Soldier would meet with our Nutrition Team professionals to get an initial screen to determine a baseline and baseline needs. From this point, the Nutrition Team would determine if this individual were ready to meet with an SCC or maybe due to some prior injuries that our team is not tracking, they proceed to Injury Control and then eventually an SCC to develop a plan to aid in the management of their body composition.

The goal is to get Soldiers to strength and conditioning teams as soon as possible. Performance is the mission. Soldiers will never be able to maximize their performance if they are lacking in foundation vital areas such as general health, sleep hygiene, nutrition, and mindset. We need our Soldiers to understand how crucial it is to maximize the basics of life where they can before we begin adding additional stress even if it is from a training plan developed by subject matter expert SCCs. The greatest SCCs know this and operate as such in the military space of strength and conditioning. The last we want is to throw a Soldier into a training regimen not knowing if they have pre-existing injuries, only getting 3-hours of sleep a night, and eating two pop tarts a day with a couple of red bulls. Not ideal for the human body to perform well in a state as such.

8.      In your experience, what are the biggest mental challenges Soldiers face during training, and how do you integrate sports psychology or mindset training into your programs?

My perspective may be a bit different compared to those working with smaller populations across the tactical strength and conditioning spectrum. We are working with large army populations of Soldiers. This brings about its own unique challenges that many SCCs have never experienced and a lot of those that do don’t have a long shelf-life in the game for a few reasons. Working with large brigade (BDE) sized populations of Soldiers (3,000-7,000 plus) provides SCCs with quite the mixture of Soldiers who understand how strength and conditioning can positively benefit their careers and well-being as well as Soldiers who have no idea how or why SCCs can assist them in achieving their goals.

These challenges effect both Soldier and SCC a like. If an SCC doesn’t understand how to effectively communicate and show how their expertise can benefit someone who doesn’t come seeking their skill sets, then a large chunk of the population will never know how an SCC can help them. A lot of SCCs are stubborn in this regard. Refusing to meet Soldiers where they are at (mentally or physically) and adopt the “they can come to me approach,” which is completely unfair to the Service Members. SCCs in my space need to be able to illustrate their value up and down the chain of command. We are advocates and warriors of holistic performance, as such, it is our obligation to champion the benefits of our worlds out to the entire force. If we do not do this, who will do it for us? No one.

To be successful as an SCC is quite simple when operating within a large Soldier population. You only need to ask yourself one question to begin your success,

“Where are the Soldiers going to be throughout the day and how can I reach them?”

Long story short, go where the Soldiers are. When your Soldier communities see you out and about in their footprint, at wellness meetings, command meetings, ORG days, field training exercises, or just poppin’ by the office to “shoot the shit,” etc., they are given the opportunity to know you as professional but more importantly, as a human being. You are just like them, in more ways than you think. When these connections are made, curiosity typically follows suit. They show you what they do for work and then they want to know what you can show them.

Another easy win for SCCs in this space is integrating with your human performance team. Human bodies are guaranteed to breakdown in the military. This is non-negotiable. The military is designed on all levels, to exploit, explore, adapt to win. This takes a toll on the delicate but resilient system that is our body. What does this mean for an SCC? If you have strong relationships with your team, eventually those Soldiers are going to be referred to you for “strength” and “conditioning” to recover from injury. This is an SCCs opportunity to showcase their abilities to not just their team but also to their Soldiers, demonstrating value a building trust with both domains.

When Soldiers understanding how we as SCCs can help them, then they will use us. It’s that simple. However, if you’re hiding in a corner waiting for the 1% of the population to come and find you because you only wish to work with high speed “tactical athletes” you’re not going to be effective at all to the other 99% of those you are here to support. You will fail your mission as an SCC.

9.      Looking ahead, what changes or improvements do you think are needed in tactical strength and conditioning to better support the evolving demands of military service?

I could sit here and throw a bunch of things out and just sound like most of the military coaching populations; coaches need better salaries, more equipment, better facilities, access to better equipment, etc. (all true by the way), however, the deeper truth is, that what tactical strength and conditioning needs to better support evolving demands of military service is a higher quality of human being in these coaching roles. The strength and conditioning professional that is here to not chase titles, patches, awards, or challenge coins. A true coach that is here to take care of their tribe and build a culture of excellence despite whatever they are lacking to do so with.

Service Members can spot passion, authenticity, and a genuine human being from a mile away. If you’re not having success with your military populations then I would encourage you to look in the mirror and have a real conversation with yourself about why you are in this game. It may not be for you right now or ever. Harsh but true.

The 10th CAB H2F Journal

Welcome to the 10th Combat Aviation Brigade Holistic Health and Fitness Journal!

The purpose of this journal is to educate, inform, and connect the experience and wisdom of our H2F team with all those interested in learning from those that have been operating in the field of human performance for their entire lives.

The 10th CAB H2F team is a passionate, committed, and driven group of individuals integrating daily in order to provide our Leaders and Soldiers with the highest quality of care and resources to improve lethality and resiliency.

Our mission with this journal is to share our integrated and individual journeys in our respective fields to provide our community an in depth perspective as to what occurs behind the scenes of our H2F team to bring successful methods, systems, and principals to light for our brigade and beyond.

Disclosure: The views presented here in no way represent those of the United States Army and are soley a collection of personal and professional experiences centered around the pillar of human performance in the tactical realm.