We’ve been absolutely blown away by our community’s reaction to the MTNTOUGH Military Pack Test since we released it last month. Athletes all over the country are tackling this total-body military workout, and the feedback and results speak for themselves. They are stronger, more resilient, and mentally tougher.

We want the MTNTOUGH Military Pack Test to become the standard for military strength - endurance testing. The focus of the M.M.P.T. is progressive load capacity and improved mental toughness.

We have designed three accessory workouts to include in your regimen that will catapult your progress in the original M.M.P.T. In this program, you will see a strategic combination of movements, created to increase total body strength, power, agility, posture, core, and coordination – all to build a more resilient and well-rounded athlete.

We are launching the first accessory workout here, and we’ll follow up with #2 and #3 in the next two weeks. Each of the accessory workouts takes about an hour, and they require access to other equipment commonly found in a gym setting. They’re highly dynamic and will build endurance quickly. It’s been fun to see our progress week-to-week, and we think you’ll see the same results.

One important note is that these accessory workouts do not necessarily integrate a weighted pack, but are designed to increase your ability to carry a heavy load and lunge until the end of days.

Without further ado, here is the MTNTOUGH Military Pack Test Accessory Workout #1:

EQUIPMENT

Barbell
A tire (We recommend a sturdy, solid tractor tire.)
Sledge hammer
BARBELL WEIGHT SUGGESTIONS

Level 1: Male, 95-105 pounds / Female, 45-55 pounds
Level 2: Male, 115-125 pounds / Female, 65-85 pounds
Level 3: Male, 135-155 pounds / Female, 95-115 pounds
ACCESSORY WORKOUT #1
Complete eight rounds for time. It should take about an hour.

Clean & Jerk X 5

The Clean and Jerk creates explosive power and translates to being able to pick up heavy loads in the field, whether it is military equipment or a wounded soldier. This will help build a good foundation before conquering the sandbag, which will follow in the second accessory workout.

Barbell Walking Lunge X 10 per side

The barbell weight is not meant to be your absolute maximum lunge weight, but should be heavier than your pack weight in the M.M.P.T. Think higher reps, more volume. Focus on full range-of-motion in each lunge and you’ll realize why one of our athletes calls this portion “a real peach.”

Run X .25 Miles

Head out for a quarter mile run.

Tire Sledgehammer Throws

These sledgehammer throws will challenge your coordination and rotational power through the trunk. Pretend you’re driving a stake into the ground. These require working in the transverse plane of motion. Injuries are most common in the transverse plane, and training the body to handle loads in all planes will be incredibly important for your overall functional strength.

Buyout: Barbell Walking Lunges X 40

Once you complete 8 rounds of the circuit above, perform 40 barbell walking lunges to complete the workout for a total of 200 lunges for the day.

Let us know how you do!

During a trip to the east coast last week, our founder Dustin Diefenderfer had someone approach him after seeing his MTNTOUGH shirt to ask him if he had tried the Military Pack Test! Have you tried it yet?