TRAINING

So, you think this Freedom Ops thing might be for you, but you want to know how to train up? Good on you. Read on.

First off, training is better with friends, so we encourage you to get together with your future log-mates and decide what works best for you. We know that one of the reasons you might be taking this on is to grow your region, and as such you may not have a ton of rucking going on right now, but would like to change that. Outstanding.

What you really need are three elements:

• Time under a ruck
• Conditioning with heavy loads and general PT
• Confidence in your gear

There’s no substitute for time under the ruck. You can’t fake it. Make sure no matter what you do, you build up to the point where you’re in double-digit ruck miles per week, and have done a few long (>3hr) rucks. 12 miles in 3h30 at PACKED event weight is a good goal. 12mi in 3:00 is even better.

As far as conditioning with heavy loads, spend some time carrying CMUs, kettlebells, sandbags, logs, water cans, whatever you can get your hands on. I like training with a jerry can because they are about the worst thing you can solo carry. They slosh, they’re hard to grip, just terrible. 

Confidence in your gear will come with the first two. Try out different combinations on longer events, and push it to figure out what you like. Don’t try anything new the last couple weeks before the event; you should be locked in by then. Don’t stick with something that doesn’t work for you just because other folks have said it’s what they like. Unlike most things about F3, this part IS about you!