FEBRUARY- BULLETPROOF FRIDAY
Friday is not for getting fitter. It’s for getting harder
The BPF Origin Story
Most special operations schools I’ve been to incorporate Bulletproof Friday physical training.
The Friday-morning training session was exceptionally rigorous. It didn’t matter if it involved a long run, swim, ruck, hand-to-hand combat, gym workout, or some combination of all of the above. The session was much longer and more challenging than typical.
The instructors knew we had the weekend to recover and hoped we would be too tired to stay out late and get into trouble (That seldom worked).
We knew that they couldn’t kill us, and in the unlikely event that they did, they couldn’t eat us, so ultimately, it would all be over before the sun went down.
Because of that, we collectively said, “Fuck it, we’re bulletproof. Let’s get it on.”
What we didn’t realize at the time was that each Friday workout forced us to draw on a reservoir of mental toughness, and that each grueling PT session was making that reservoir deeper and wider.
That is the purpose of BPF. Go until you can’t go anymore, then go some more.
Rules:
—Puking is absolutely allowed (just rehydrate after).
—Scale the workout to be above your current level.
—You can always do two more.
— It’s always better when you bring a buddy.
—If you have a buddy, it pays to be a winner.
— It doesn’t need to happen on Friday, but make it happen.
— If you don’t post a photo, it didn’t happen.
The February Workout:
Let Your Ass Be The Scoreboard
As one of my mentors in Force Recon used to say, “Let your conscience be your guide, and your ass be the scoreboard.” (Thanks, Willy-T)
Do what you’re going to do, but you have to own the results.
The workout:
1-hour ruck with a weight/pace combo that challenges you.
After 1 hour, drop your ruck and sprint for 4 minutes, building to a pace as hard as you can maintain for the full 4 minutes (85-95% of your max heart rate).
—For heart rate zone questions, look here:
—Don’t run with your ruck, but don’t leave it if it’s not likely to be there when you return. That should go without saying.
Jog to recover for 2 minutes
Repeat the 4-minute run / 2-minute recovery for a total of 4 iterations.
The fourth run should be everything you have left.
Just before you reach the end of the 4th sprint, and your heart is slamming, and you are gasping, pick a tree or a telephone pole 25-50 meters further and give a final push.
But wait, shouldn’t I stretch first?
The ruck should warm you up gradually so that you are ready for the sprints, but if in doubt, you can check out this video from my pals at SOFLETE.
The why:
The ruck should keep you in a Zone 2 heart rate for 60 minutes, which is great for building your aerobic capacity, and the 4x4 high-intensity session is optimal for improving VO2 Max.
The final extra 25 or 50 meters is because you should always do a little extra and always go a little further.
If the workout is too much, do what you can. Ruck for 30 minutes instead of an hour, lower the weight, do fewer sprints, etc.
The end state is that when it’s over, you are smoked but not injured.
If you can do this once a week, track your performance and progress.
Let us know how it went.
It’s absolutely cool to scale it to your ability, but none of us want to hear an excuse of why you didn’t do it— remember NBC— No-Body Cares.
Leave a comment & post a photo.
Until next week, Ruck The Fuck Up,
John
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Humorous and motivating. Your posts are the shit.
Let your ass be the scoreboard is so funny and spot on. Also love adding a little extra to the end of every workout. Been doing that in various ways for a few years and it always is a great lesson to my soul. Great stuff John
I love it....“Let your conscience be your guide, and your ass be the scoreboard.”