The Loadout Room
Professional Gear Reviews
Like many of us, I had issues with occasional lower back pain while in the military. Eventually, suffering a major injury that required surgery, that was in no way related to the normal workout routine that the Army conducts with soldiers doing PT. However, it wasn’t until many years later, I was doing some physical […]
And others you can’t I recently was talking to a few old friends who had either been members of the Ranger Battalions of the 75th Ranger Regiment, or attended Ranger School as a member of the Special Operations community and we got into a discussion about the ways Ranger students can be prepared for the […]
Rucking is one of the biggest discriminators for Special Operations Selection. It, along with Land Navigation are two of the biggest problem areas that candidates face when attempting to enter into one of the units in the military. And now with Special Operations open to women, they face the same issues that men face. In […]
About a year ago, we wrote a piece about preparing our candidates for Selection and in regards to the Physical Fitness test, training for the UBRR (Upper Body Round Robin) rather than the old, outdated 3-Event Physical Fitness test. We had received several questions from potential candidates asking,“Why do use the Upper Body Round Robin […]
In our Selection preparation, we always stress the importance of Rucking and the value that all of the services put on it in the Special Operations community. The services will all stress the 45-pound minimum in training and one of the frequent questions we get is why train with 45-pounds when in reality the amount […]
In our recent (6-24) post in the PT Program, we wrote that it was time for the next 12-mile rucksack march. And of course, like the old warhorse that runs to the sound of the gunfire, it seemed like a great idea at the time to do another dozen miles under the pain pill to […]
Blue Force Gear has been garnering a lot of attention in the last couple of years (rightfully), mainly for their significant advancements in the design of load bearing equipment. Â Their use of proprietary materials in their ULTRAcomp fabric, as well as their Helium Whisper attachment system and MOLLEminus designs, have generated a new standard for […]
Recommending gear is always a difficult proposition. Why? Because everyone is different, has different tastes, is built differently and certain gear that may work perfectly for one guy, won’t work a bit for someone else. Caveat aside, one thing that we’ve harped on is having comfortable, tough, versatile boots on your feet. In Special Forces, your boots and your […]
Special Operations Forces Selection PT Preparation Week 8, Day 5 Back to the gym today as we prep for the UBRR with a Chest and Triceps workout. Then a 4-mile ruck march with 45-pounds minimum. Since we’re rucking two days in a row…. It would be a great time, to wear that second pair of boots. […]
Special Operations Forces Selection PT Preparation Week 8, Day 4 Shoulders and back day in the gym before heading off to do a 5-mile rucksack march in under 75 minutes. Conduct the ruck over varied terrain. It will probably be a very early start here in the Northeast as we’re supposed to get hit with […]