Weekly Workout: Leg Day with a Tactical Element

Leg days are great. The tactical athlete must have a strong foundation of core and leg strength to do challenging job-related skills, like rucking, equipment carry, buddy carry, running hills and stairs, and swimming with fins for long distances. So when you think leg day, do you think of adding in these types of job performance elements?

Here is a typical leg workout -- nothing groundbreaking here, just solid powerlifting with moderate weight to build your legs, back, hips and core for your job.

Warmup with 5-10 minutes on the bike, elliptical, rower or jog, followed by a light stretch.

Leg Day

Repeat five times.

• Deadlift 5
• Squats 5
• Overhead lunges 10/leg (carrying 25- to 45-pound plate)
• Shake off cardio for three minutes (bike, elliptical, jog, walk up/down stairs, light stretch)

Your choice of cardio tasks:

• Swim 30 laps with fins: Can you get 30 laps in less than 30 minutes? Shoot for 25 minutes?
• Or run up and down bleachers or hills
• Or ruck 30 minutes

This is a good way to cool down after a lift workout and keeps the legs and lungs working together so you do not ever have to say, "Man, I need to work on my cardio."

Stew Smith is a former Navy SEAL and fitness author certified as a Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) with the National Strength and Conditioning Association. Visit his Fitness eBook store if you're looking to start a workout program to create a healthy lifestyle. Send your fitness questions to stew@stewsmith.com.

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