Training for the Warrior Athlete
Situation:
An American Civil Engineer was captured 8 weeks ago by a militant Islamic group while traveling with his Afghani business partner in Kabul. Both men were initially taken hostage; however the partner was released after a ransom was paid. There has been no mention of the kidnapping to the media in order to keep publicity from endangering the American’s life and making him more difficult to find.
The kidnappers have consistently moved from location to location, making a rescue operation impossible. Recently, however, reliable intelligence data has come in that places the kidnappers and their hostage in a training camp near Kabul for an extended duration.
The camp is located at about 8000′ in a mountainous region in Easter Wardak Province. It is heavily fortified and approachable only from a lower elevation. There are expected to be a large number of enemy forces there, which is presumed to be the reason they are not planning on moving their hostage.
Objective:
Deploy two separate fire teams under the cover of darkness to:
Insertion:
Fire Team ALPHA
Approach on foot and set up surveillance positions outside of camp to determine location of hostage and enemy guard movement patterns. When hostage location is reasonably determined Alpha will call in Fire Team Bravo. Alpha will then move in to camp to secure hostage.
Fire Team BRAVO
Insert via fast rope from helicopter after Fire Team Alpha has moved to secure hostage.
Actions at the Objective:
Fire Team ALPHA
Quickly move to expected location of hostage. Expect enemy resistance in close quarters combat fighting. Locate hostage and prepare to move out.
Fire Team BRAVO
Conduct high intensity raid to distract enemy focus from Fire Team Alpha, while destroying enemy camp. Use organized “violence of action” in the form of heavy fire and incendiary grenades to inflict as much damage as possible in a short time.
Extraction:
Fire Team ALPHA
Move hostage to a safe location within close proximity of camp. Call for helicopter pickup. Load hostage and extract entire fire team.
Fire Team BRAVO
Round up and take into custody remaining enemy forces. Destroy any remaining structures with high explosives and/or incendiary grenades. Call for extraction of prisoners and team.
Timeline:
From the time Alpha begins execution of mission, the total time on target, all the way up to extraction for both for teams should not take longer than 30 minutes, in order to ensure adequate fuel for helos to safely return to base. Anything longer than 30 minutes should be considered mission failure.
Insertion:
3 Rounds of:
Run 400 Meters 25 Burpees
Actions at the Objective:
30 – 20 – 10
Squat Jumps Pull Ups Kettlebell Swings (35lbs)
Extraction:
Run 1 Mile carrying 45lbs
Insertion:
3 Rounds of:
10 Deadlift (185 – 225lbs) Rope Climb (or 20 Dead Hang Pull Ups)
Actions at the Objective:
21 – 15 –9
Thruster (75 – 95lbs) Knees to Elbows 24″ Box Jumps
Prepare for Extraction:
2 Rounds of:
Run 200 Meters 10 Clean and Jerk (95 – 135lbs)
Note:
Pick one workout only.
ALPHA is a fast paced high energy workout that pushes the cardio-respiratory limits.
BRAVO is a hard and heavy workout that requires lots of strength and stamina.
*Mission is fictitious
See Operation Chimera Debrief.
- Warning -
This workout is for elite athletes.
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I just read the story. I think one of the most important parts to pull from this, as far as fitness is concerned was insertion vs. extraction. The task force was capable of ascending 2,000 feet over three miles. However, with their hostage, they had to make modifications for extraction that put all involved at risk. While the rescued hostage was by no means expected to be at that level of fitness, this did hold them back with respect to the original plan. I think this shows some less aware folks of just how important fitness is to the success of an elite team.
Coach,
I did the workout today because I was stuck in Portland for most of the week with the storm and my wife’s grandfather is not doing so well. So I missed 3 days this week. The full mission profile was kinda fun today, but cold. I did it in the snow. I couldn’t run full speed on the ice but went as fast as i could. I did the workout in 57 min. Sorry about the no call this week, it slipped my mind with all that was going on with family. Ill push for you when I see you. Thanks.
Hey Coach
I chose to do the Alpha Team portion of the FMP yesterday. It had good variety to it and the weights were as such that it was conducive to keeping the intensity up. Changes I made were I used a 40# KB for the the swings and my 1 mile run was on an elliptical machine and I carried no weight. Total time for the entire op was 29:20
Ah… now I know to post to here and not the Facebook. Did Alpha. Great work on this one, Rob- I felt like I was cutting close to the failure line pretty much the whole time. Subbed DB for KB and used a 55# pack for the run (it was all I had). I couldn’t tell from the pictures whether you packed the weight, Farmer’s Walked it, or carried it in hand. Wish I could have joined you guys up there in Oregon- looked like a real kick in the keister. I’ll be in England for the next one, but I’ll do my best to do it anyway. Adapt and overcome.
hey coach insted of doing the FMP i did a mock PST. my swim was 7.15 then i swam 1.5miles in fins, ten minutes after that i did 25 pullups with out kicking or rocking- 115 pushups in 2 minutes- 90 situps, and after that it was too dark to run on a two way road, and it was 35 degrees outside, but i think im looking at a run time of 10.40, well im looking forward to the next FMP.
Did Bravo…took about 35 minutes. Used 85# for thrusters and 115# for C&J.