August September 2024 - 19

Strength Focus
Sports athletes include team sports and individual sports.
These events do contribute to a team's achievement but they
are inherently based upon the success of an individual during
their specific event.
So, what is the difference between tactical and athletic
strength training?
First and foremost, strength training is training that finds
its foundation in exercises that incorporate an external load
with the human body including weight, barbells, dumbells,
machines, resistance bands, medicine balls, and utilizing
your body weight. In tactical and athletic strength training,
the primary objectives are training the body in the three
anatomical planes of motion which are the sagittal, frontal,
and transverse planes. Furthermore,
both athletes will incorporate the
basic movement patterns of squat,
hinge, push, pull, and core-centric.
The tactical and sport athletes do
not necessarily train for aesthetics
but for strength, power, and
muscular endurance.
The tactical athlete, depending
on their job description, might train
based on what they have historically
known or what they have been
taught. If they are not basing their
physical fitness regimen upon a
progressive detailed strength and
conditioning program then they may
be falling shy of achieving optimal
athletic performance and their
career. Strength and conditioning
is paramount to elicit premium
physiological adaptations that will
result in becoming a better tactical
athlete. A tactical athlete has to be
able to have all the physiological
adaptations that a sports athlete has
but they have to have it day in and
day out, every day of their profession.
Furthermore, they must exhibit
qualities of resiliency and recovery
which are both key components in
safely maximizing their career and
more importantly, longevity in life.
The tactical athlete, unlike a sports
athlete, has no off-season. This
means they do not have months
and months to prepare to be at
optimal performance for a set
period based on a season's game
schedule. They have to be at peak
performance every day during the
year and have to be able to make critical and life-changing
decisions for themselves, coworkers, and respective third
parties. They are typically afforded a working schedule for a
few months at a time. Their schedule can be either an eight,
10, or 12-hour day and may or may not include shift work -
which depending on the agency or department may rotate
every three to four weeks. This abnormal sleep schedule
disrupts the normal body chemistry of hormone production
and plays a significant factor in the ability of the tactical
athlete, to perform optimally when called upon.
Those in the military can be on missions, TDYs, or
deployments in which they may or may not have access
to a gym and traditional equipment. Therefore, it is
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August September 2024

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of August September 2024
