This is a collection of templates for the Tactical Barbell program. Included are the Operator, Zulu, Fighter, Gladiator, Mass, and Grey Man templates – all in the same spreadsheet, with drop down menus and 1RM inputs for easy customization.
Tactical Barbell is K. Black’s strength system for people whose job demands more than lifting: military, law enforcement, fire fighters, and other first responders. Sessions are short and submaximal – you’ll work between 70% and 90% of your 1RM in 3 week waves – so you can keep training hard on the conditioning side without digging yourself into a recovery hole.
Most templates run 2 to 4 days per week on a 6 week cycle, so there’s a version for almost any schedule. If you want a minimalist strength base that leaves room for everything else in your life, it’s hard to beat. If a bigger squat or bench is your main goal, a dedicated program like 5/3/1 will get you there faster.
Table of Contents
Tactical Barbell Template Spreadsheets
All six templates live in the same spreadsheet. Pick your template, enter your 1RMs on the Entry tab, and the sheet handles the percentage math for each wave.
via the Tactical Barbell forum
Tactical Barbell Books
Tactical Barbell is essential reading for anyone that needs operational strength (e.g. military, law enforcement, fire fighters, and other first responders). The spreadsheet covers the templates, but the book covers everything else: picking your exercise cluster, integrating conditioning, and choosing between templates.
Definitely check out the book on Amazon if you haven’t already – it’ll make your training much more effective (which is the point, right?). If you’re not in a pure tactical (i.e. military, law enforcement special ops) environment and are interested in putting on additional muscle mass (not that the below programs won’t help with that), check out Tactical Barbell Mass Protocol.
The latest and most popular edition of K. Black's infamous Tactical Barbell series.
Tactical Barbell Program Summaries
Tactical Barbell programming has many different flavors, all of which are pretty similar. All run in 3 week waves where intensity increases and volume decreases before resetting on week 4 with a slightly higher intensity than on week 1, at which point the volume/intensity tapers over the next 3 weeks and peaks on week 6. Pretty straightforward. Nothing sexy, but it works.
- Operator
- Operator is a 3 times per week strength program, training every other day.
- You’ll train the squat and bench press 3 times per week. Weighted pull ups are done 2 times per week and deadlifts are done 1 time per week.
- Training takes place in the 70% to 90% of 1RM range, working in rep ranges 1 to 5. This is your bread and butter strength program.
- Retest your 1RM every 6 to 12 weeks.
- Zulu
- Zulu is a similar program to Operator with some key differences. Zulu calls for training 4 days per week and has 2 different training sessions that are alternated each session (A/B/A/B).
- The main lifts are all trained 2x per week, meaning this has less squatting and benching than Operator, but more deadlifting and overhead pressing (i.e. more back and shoulder work).
- The set and rep ranges are very similar to Operator if the “I/A” configuration is selected. The “standard” configuration is a little lower volume by comparison, but the intensities do not change. Like Operator, intensity ranges from 70% to 90%.
- Fighter
- The Fighter template is 2 days per week, but you’ll be hitting squat, bench, overhead press, and deadlift each workout. When you’re doing 3 to 5 sets of 3 reps at 90% of your 1RM on 4 lifts, those will be tough workouts.
- This is a solid option for people that do not have the schedule to train 3 or 4 days per week.
- Gladiator
- This is very similar to Fighter, but trains 3 times per week. Like Fighter, Gladiator trains all 4 major lifts each session.
- Mass
- Mass is very similar to Gladiator, but uses a higher rep count scheme (i.e. 4×6 instead of 5×5). It also doesn’t ramp intensity up to 95% in week 6, instead programming 4 sets of triples at 90% of 1RM.
- Grey Man
- This is a 12 week program (all the others are 6 weeks long) that is a little lower volume than the other program options. It is also a 3 day per week training program.
Tactical Barbell: Training Max or True 1 Rep Max?
The book recommends using a training max (90% of your true 1RM). If this is your first time running Tactical Barbell programs, I’d recommend using a training max. Lots of other successful programs, including 5/3/1 and GZCL, are based on using a training max.
If you’re hoping to run this program repeatedly and continue stacking on strength gains, a training max will help you do that. Grinding out reps at 90% of a true max every 3 weeks is not going to be sustainable for most lifters.
The spreadsheet lets you pick a training max or a true max on the “Entry tab.”
Tactical Barbell FAQs
Which Tactical Barbell template should I start with?
Operator is the default for a reason. You’ll squat and bench 3 times per week, do weighted pull ups twice, and deadlift once, training every other day. If you can only get to the gym twice a week, run Fighter instead – same lifts, compressed into 2 tough sessions.
How long does each Tactical Barbell cycle last?
6 weeks for everything except Grey Man, which runs 12. The templates are built to be run back to back: finish a cycle, retest your 1RM every 6 to 12 weeks, and start the next wave with updated numbers.
Do I need the book to use these spreadsheets?
You can start training off the spreadsheet alone. You’ll get a lot more out of the system with the book, though – it explains how to pick your exercise cluster, how to plug in conditioning, and when to switch templates. If you’re planning to run this for more than one cycle, it’s worth the money.
Where’s the conditioning?
These templates only cover the strength side. Conditioning is programmed separately in Tactical Barbell II: Conditioning, which is designed to slot alongside any of the strength templates without the two competing for recovery.
Can I use Tactical Barbell to build muscle?
Strength is the main goal here, but the Mass template biases size with higher rep schemes (4×6 instead of 5×5). If muscle is your primary goal, grab the Mass Protocol book linked above or pick from our bodybuilding programs.
