127: EgoTesticle

WEBVTT
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Peek behind the curtain of the Softly Training Lab with the Softly Performance Podcast.
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The pinnacle of human performance is out there.
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And we intend to find it.
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So let's maybe we should this is not a dog podcast.
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No, not a dog podcast.
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Well, it can kind of be because the size of my dog's balls are outrageous.
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Go G.
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Start with that.
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Hey, welcome.
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Well, we're gonna keep all that in.
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Welcome to the next episode of the Soft Leap Performance Podcast.
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And apt segue, Matt, because today's episode is focused on egotisticalism.
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Yeah, on not dog balls.
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Yeah.
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Ego testicle.
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So what is that about?
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So uh it's something that's been frustrating me in the tactical space for some time now.
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And I do think it's worth talking about.
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There's some in some avenues when it comes to physical performance, I think the tactical space is behind.
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And when I say behind, I mean from a social, I don't know, psychology standpoint.
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What do I what am I talking about?
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I want to say around 15 or 20 years ago, if you were a high-level practitioner, you were very protective of your methods.
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Like you didn't want to share your training secrets.
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And it was about taking over.
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It was almost like akin to that 70s, 80s, early 90s zeitgeist movement where karate dojos were very protective, sweep the leg like hell, that's why the fucking karate kid movie even existed.
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But everything was in silos.
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Well, I'm seeing that in the tactical space today, and it's been pervasive for as long as I can remember, even in the like, let's say firearms community, my way is best.
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Recently was talking shit about practitioners saying that unless you have special operations experience and combat action experience, you have no business coaching special operations, either athletes or potentials, candidates, so to speak.
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I think he's just shit stirring, but it kind of pisses me off because I don't know what it is about this space where tactical professionals think that they have to shut off everybody else.
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Everybody can win.
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And competition should be about who's the better practitioner, not who can shut other people out more efficiently.
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Now that's speaking a lot of it comes to trading and experiencing credentials.
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And what I'm and you see it you see it everywhere.
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Like it's it's not uh it's not something that you only see in human performance, it's not something that you only see in shooting, which is two shitty industries that we kind of like live between all the time.
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You see it everywhere, and what people will do, in my opinion, that are lacking in substance with what they're doing is they will try to retrade in either credentials or experience, depending on which camp they're in or which or or both, right?
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So if they're putting out bad information, they'll anchor that to a good place, whether that's a unit, a degree, a PhD, etc.
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You know, you've I've I see it time and time and time again where somebody puts something out, it's not good information, and you go, hey, this isn't this isn't it, and then they go, Well, here's my credentials.
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Like, well, let's talk about the information you put out.
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How'd you arrive to that?
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And maybe your experience or your credentials helped you get there, but probably not.
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I've also seen a lot of people whose experience and credentials don't they draw a false conclusion that's very odd to me, where you know, they they they tell you about the thing they did and the how they got there, and then the idea that they're presenting isn't supported by that experience is always my favorite one where you're like, hang on, you had me here, you had me there.
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Your read of that was like as dumb as it could be.
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Um and I see it.
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It sounds like you have something specific in mind.
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No, I actually don't.
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I see this as a trend line across uh as anybody who's listened to a few episodes with me knows, like I'm involved in a few different companies in the business side as a board member or executive.
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And I often see where people are looking at the same data points and drawing bad conclusions.
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Meaning, what was so after during World War II, there was like the bombers that that came back and they were shot to shit, right?
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And the ones that Matt knows exactly where I'm going with this.
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Everybody's heard this story.
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So the guys are like, hey, we've got to reinforce where they're getting hit.
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And the one dude was like, nah, well, like those are the ones that made it back.
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We need to reinforce everywhere that they're not hit because that's you know, where they're shot to shit, those aren't the critical components.
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And so my point is two different people can look at two different data sets or two different experiences and draw two completely different conclusions.
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And I think that's often where things get missed when you talk about people arguing credentials and experience.
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Credentials and experience I think are important, but the conclusions that you draw from those are more important.
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I really am a fan of making mistakes for myself, but it's even better when I can see somebody else stick their finger in the light socket and I don't have to do it.
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So that's that was my rant.
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I think I ranted for a solid two, three minutes on that.
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Excuse me.
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Yeah, so I I largely, largely I think in in agreement.
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And I think uh the other thing that I keep coming back to with with a lot of this stuff, with the experience side of things in particular, is that like when you when you reflect back on education and experience at different points through your career, you get or you hopefully should get a different perspective on those things each time.
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So it's kind of like a doubly moving target.
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But I think that the thing that sort of I'm all over the place on the cold and flu, so apologies in advance.
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I think the thing that underpins that, like, that's only effective if you're if you're willing to say like, okay, I'm I might not have all the answers on this.
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Like I think this is what I'm seeing, but I'm willing to be wrong.
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And I think the minute you you're like, nope, kind of like to G's point, the minute you're like, no, I'm this is this is the law, this is how this thing works, then you like that that system starts to stick.
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You don't get those kind of benefits from hindsight, I don't think.
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Yeah.
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So here's a here here's a question.
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So, Brent, you were talking about appeal to authority where expertise is not being enough, and I agree wholeheartedly, and I think we all agree wholeheartedly with that.
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The information matters more than well, what you did.
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That being said, I have a question on Brent, what are your thoughts on the value of being special operations and being a coach for special operations?
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Because I mean, that would say that Matt and I are not qualified.
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So I'm just curious how much of that is important as far as your experience to helping people.
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I think in a team it it is hugely important.
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And so if if Giovanni or Matt were training special operators in a vacuum with no input from special operators, I don't I think you would fail, having if you had never done it, right?
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Gee, you're a step closer having been in the military.
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So you've or you guys were both in the military, but in a combat arms and a you know, combat deployments, I think is a step closer.
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But I think it's foolhardy.
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One of the tenets of SoftLead is like it's not Brent's Fitness Company.
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I may have started it and lashed the Motley Band of retards together, but the the intent was never for it to be one guy or two guys human performance program.
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It was supposed to be all encompassing.
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And in the early days, I was very cognizant of that.
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So we actually got we had a CCT on board, we had a SEAL on board, we had representation from Army Special Forces, Rangers, and then the Marine side, you know, recon Marsock as well, and a little bit heavier on the marine side for all of the obvious reasons.
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But I think it's foolhardy to think that as a one-man band, you're gonna do better than a team in most regards, right?
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Especially a decent team, let alone a good team.
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So I agree with the sentiment that the knowledge and experience is important, and that's why we saw, you know, I I will say after 12 years of this, like Soft Lead has led a change in special operations to where you're seeing more emphasis.
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And we're we weren't the only ones, but we were certainly culturally making it popular to focus on things like recovery and mobility, downregulation breathing drills.
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My last uh Afghan deployment, I was on a base with a number of units, guys from other units, etc., and caught guys from effectively every branch's special operations at different times doing yoga in their training, right?
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And these were operators like still going out and doing the thing.
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So I think when you want to look at training anybody, you would be foolhardy to think that you could do that in a vacuum without any knowledge or experience by yourself of that thing.
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But to say that you had to experience it firsthand, I don't know that that is a correct conclusion, to be honest.
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Uh I I mean, I know that it's not.
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Otherwise, I would have made it a like a minimum to get hired at SoftLeet, and it's not.
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So, and I don't think like I've had this argument on the business side where, you know, in an MBA program, you would have you'll have faculty, you have teachers, probably more than not, that have no actual business experience.
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So they're teaching people how to run businesses and they've never run a business.
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And you run into this this issue quite a bit where the theoretical doesn't imp in doesn't intersect with reality in the way that people think it will.
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But there's definitely an argument to be made when you're talking about certain things in business, even if you have no firsthand knowledge of it, like let's say you're gonna change your system that takes all of your data in your business from one brand to another.
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I don't know that you necessarily have to have been a you know executive to teach that class.
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And probably not, right?
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Or a certain type of mathematics, certain communication and psychology.
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So I think if we look outside of our sphere of tactical, there's definitely an application to pull people in.
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And when you talk about the fitness needs, I think the fitness needs need to be checked by somebody who has been in special operations and understands a breadth of special operations and the needs there.
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But if you look at any one unit at any one time, if a guy was a is a sh was a a short timer in one special operations unit and did like one deployment, maybe two to the same AO, they likely don't have a breadth of knowledge and experience on special operations, frankly.
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To think that special operations is like land on the X, run 50 meters to the door, do the hit, get back on the bird, make it back for mid rats, like you're not even scratching the service of what special operations does and entails.
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I saw a clip the other day of a guy talking about you can't do everything.
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Like in special operations, you can't be the best at everything.
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I saw the same one.
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Yeah.
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At any time.
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I'm gonna have you edit out names, by the way.
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Okay.
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I don't one, I don't like uh I don't like putting certain people in the conversation that frankly are not in the conversation, if that makes sense.
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Like some people aren't in the conversation, and I don't want to put their name out there and let them think that they are, uh, aside from when, you know, they poke the bear a little bit.
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But in this clip, it was a talk about you can't be everything at all times.
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In anything, it applies universally, right?
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So if you were gonna be a phenomenal swimming coach, you know, I'll pick on that for a split second, you probably cannot also at the same time be a phenomenal Olympic weightlifting coach, right?
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And so you have to have a breadth of knowledge in a lot of things, and the breath definitely helps.
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But if you want to take it to another level, you have to have depth in in that knowledge or rely on somebody else with the depth, right?
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Which I'm the pro at.
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I'm the pro at you know, a mile wide and an inch deep.
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And uh that's why I tap other people in.
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And so if you're not, again, not gonna have a team, I guess you could argue for hey, if your resume doesn't fit exactly what mine is, you're not as good.
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But I would also then go look at whatever they're putting out and go, well, is this better information or is it shit information?
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Matt.
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Yeah.
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So I think, and I think almost to kind of extend Brend's point, like to tactical operators, like they to tactical professionals, like they should be 100% specialists in their their given role.
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So I think as us as us as coaches, it's kind of well, we'll we'll be the nerds behind the scene.
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You if if you're interested in this stuff and you want to learn some more, awesome.
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We can definitely, we can have those conversations, we can lead you along.
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But you shouldn't need to have postgrad doctoral understanding of exercise physiology to understand like your training.
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Like that's we can take care of that stuff.
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You take care of running the hose line, of chasing down suspects, kicking the doors in, whatever your specific role is.
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Because I think like like Brent was saying, there's not enough time in the day or years in a career to be able to afford to be good at everything.
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And I think that's that's kind of where well I I think you can be good at everything.
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You can't be great at everything.
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So one of my favorite team leaders I worked with, he used to say that, hey, we're just trying to be as good as high school girls.
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And what he meant by that was if you look at the human performance of a special operator, typically the the median performance metric that you're gonna see is commensurate with like a pretty good varsity high school girl.
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Look at the 5K times, look at the swim times, look at et cetera, et cetera.
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Right?
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If you pick any one thing, the difference is we're at that level across, like, think of a thing, and we get to that level very quickly.
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So I think it's hard for a lot of guys to realize that their job is to learn things really fast and get pretty good at it.
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Not great, but pretty good.
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To where the person who maybe dabbles in it or has done it once or twice or has never done it is like, holy shit, that dude is a rock star.
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But to like, but to the person that does it, like, you know, to the to the runner, to a cross-country runner, military guys are not fast.
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Like your 18-minute 5K that we all think is like, damn, that dude is smoking.
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Like, you don't get to ride the bench at your local high school cross-country team with an 18-minute 5k.
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You're not fucking making it, right?
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And so what you'll see that that this is one of my greatest frustrations with the soft training, like guys who are in soft, and we get out and we have a training company, is they like to take the thing they were best at, and then they they act like that was the standard at their unit.
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And it's like, no, if you were the best dude at that thing, luckily for me, I was the least fit guy in my team.
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So I went the opposite way with it, right?
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But most guys will take the thing that they obsessed over, and they're like, Yeah, every soft dude runs a 1455K.
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And you're like, dude, I don't know fucking what like not one guy that I was in a team with ever ran a 1455K, just wasn't a thing, right?
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And I'm just pulling a fucking number out of the hat.
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But you see this time and time again with shooting, you'll see guys that, you know, hey, every every guy in soft should be a USPSA A class or B class or L, whatever the thing is.
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And they're like, hang on, buddy, I didn't carry a pistol on 70% of the fucking things that I did.
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Like, what are you talking about?
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I have to be an A or a B class, like whatever the class, and I shoot USPSA.
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I'm a guy who likes to do that.
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I invest into that, but the shoe doesn't fit.
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And so you see this time and time again with soft guys, where they take that one thing that they really enjoyed doing, and now and that was their person, like they were the shooting guy, right?
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In the team, or they were the fitness guy, or they were the driving guy, and they say everybody should it'd be like me saying everybody's got to race dirt bikes in international races if they want to be a good soft mobility guy.
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Sometimes you might use a dirt bike in the field.
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Yeah, never done it once, but you know, some really interesting.
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You're you're right.
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Like it goes back to what I saw, and it's like fitness.
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This is something I think more coaches need to internalize.
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Like, we really don't matter all that much.
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What I do, especially with pro athletes, it moves barely moves the needle.
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They're pro-athletes because they were born that way.
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And I think a lot of people struggle with that.
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Yeah.
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Well, and I think don't break them, right?
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What what we're doing on this podcast and what you were doing at Xos and to a lesser degree, softly doesn't focus on this, to be frank.
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But giving guys the tools in their toolbox, we've we've tried to do that so that they can train on their own when they're they're home.
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Like, yes, we sell training plants.
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That's our number one thing.
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And you get access to coaches in that.
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However, we're hoping that you're smart enough, and our customer base, frankly, is smart enough to go, oh man, I had this training plan programmed and showed up at hotel gym, and I emailed Matt or Brent or G and said, Hey, I don't have 250 pounds to bench press.
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What can I do instead?
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I've only got 40 pounds worth of weight, right?
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And Matt had me do, you know, warm-up to the 40s and then hotel.
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Yeah, and then I moved to a better hotel.
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And then did ISO holds, right?
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So I was still getting maximal effort lifts, but like didn't have any fucking weight.
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Now I've got that tool in my toolbox, and next time I'm not gonna email them, even though it's back squats this time.
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I'm just gonna figure out a way to get a 100% effort ISO hold back squat.
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Like there's I think that what you're doing's really important, but it's not important in the way that guys think it is, where it's like they have there's still a 90s karate mentality of, you know, hey, I'm gonna teach you how in one move how to defeat any opponent.
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Just grab my wrist, my other wrist.
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Like, no, we're not teaching you the fucking one move.
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In that one training session, you're probably not adding 40, 50 pounds to your one-rep maxes.
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Like, that's not reality, especially when you have a high training age.
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The reality is we're trying to give you some more tools to the tool toolbox, specifically in special operations, to do it longer because you're already doing it.
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Kind of sorry, gee, I know you're just about to talk, but just really quick.
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That was one of the things.
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So when I did my undergrad, this was like 2010, I graduated.
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Um, and I got really frustrated with we had a I did sports science and we had a uh coaching psychology coaching science module.
00:17:25.279 --> 00:17:34.160
And my 18, 19, 20-year-old idiot self got really frustrated that it was so wishy-washy, there wasn't any like black and white, like I couldn't live there, I couldn't like wrap my head around that.
00:17:34.240 --> 00:17:35.359
I was much happier in the lab.
00:17:35.759 --> 00:17:43.599
But one of the things that really stood out to me in this coaching science module was the the professor was was kind of pushing this idea that your job as a coach is to make yourself redundant.
00:17:43.680 --> 00:17:51.440
Like you are, you are done, your your mission accomplished mission accomplished box ticked when your athlete's like, oh yeah, I've got it, I I get this.
00:17:52.160 --> 00:17:57.440
And I think that's a that's a really interesting segue back to G's point at the top of this with like ego.
00:17:57.680 --> 00:18:05.519
I think knowing where you sit in that support network as a coach or SNC, whatever, a technical coach, knowing where you sit in that is huge.
00:18:05.680 --> 00:18:14.640
And having that for me, having that shift from like being kind of autocratic, like as the coach, I'm the boss of this weight room, you're my subject, I'm gonna tell you what to do.
00:18:14.799 --> 00:18:20.000
Shifting from that to like a kind of a servant leadership type responsibility where you're working for the coach.
00:18:20.400 --> 00:18:21.119
For me, that was huge.
00:18:21.359 --> 00:18:22.400
That's really interesting, man.
00:18:22.480 --> 00:18:25.200
Like I think that's a great uh he's gonna beat his dog.
00:18:25.279 --> 00:18:26.079
Is that what you're saying?
00:18:27.599 --> 00:18:29.440
Yeah, let's let's wait for Brent so he doesn't miss.
00:18:32.079 --> 00:18:33.200
Do you have to beat your dog?
00:18:33.359 --> 00:18:39.440
No, uh the kids were yelling for each other, playing hide and seek, and I thought I heard dad, but I did not hear dad.
00:18:39.599 --> 00:18:39.759
Okay.
00:18:40.079 --> 00:18:40.880
Didn't hear it at all.
00:18:41.119 --> 00:18:43.359
I thought I heard a kid screaming, dad, and I was like, oh.
00:18:43.519 --> 00:18:45.119
You're cool enough to be part of the game.
00:18:45.359 --> 00:18:45.759
Yeah.
00:18:46.240 --> 00:18:46.559
Yeah.
00:18:46.640 --> 00:18:48.400
Uh they they were just messing with you.
00:18:48.720 --> 00:18:50.720
Matt bringing up the servant leadership thing.
00:18:50.799 --> 00:18:51.519
That that's an interesting.
00:18:51.759 --> 00:18:59.759
So what I'm seeing essentially is this I know everything, I am the master, listen to me, versus let me help you.
00:19:00.000 --> 00:19:05.599
Yeah, and I and so I I would I would caveat that big time by saying, I think it takes all kinds of kinds.
00:19:05.759 --> 00:19:05.920
Sure.
00:19:06.160 --> 00:19:10.960
And I think I think for me, that's a better fit for my personality and coaching style.
00:19:11.039 --> 00:19:16.160
So I'm probably more drawn to that anyway, as opposed to the like clearly I'm the alpha or a soft lead.
00:19:16.319 --> 00:19:17.279
Obviously, everybody knows that.
00:19:17.359 --> 00:19:18.480
But but you know, do you know what I mean?
00:19:18.559 --> 00:19:25.200
Like as opposed to being drawn to that kind of more autocratic style leadership, I don't think that really jives with like with with who I am and how I coach.
00:19:25.440 --> 00:19:36.480
Well, I feel like most people our age, a little older, who who've got skin in the game, who've done done some work, I don't think they respond to that, that like do what I say kind of thing.
00:19:36.640 --> 00:19:38.400
Like it's not an insecurity thing.
00:19:38.480 --> 00:19:44.880
It's just like, unless like you're a fucking G G and you're teaching me something that I I really don't have any bit.
00:19:45.279 --> 00:19:47.279
Like, I'm thinking of uh John Daly.
00:19:47.599 --> 00:19:51.440
Like if he's teaching me something about being recon, I'm gonna fucking listen.
00:19:51.599 --> 00:19:54.480
But yeah, but but he doesn't present it that way.
00:19:54.640 --> 00:20:01.759
Like I know John really well, and he does he's not so I love the phrase the loudest one in the room is the weakest one in the room.
00:20:01.839 --> 00:20:03.359
And I that's what I'm kind of getting at.
00:20:03.839 --> 00:20:09.920
I'm waiting for that phrase to like not hold true because it's like 10 out of 10 for me.
00:20:10.079 --> 00:20:15.599
And so what I think you'll see is you know, you there's a joke now about like I'll pick on SEALs.
00:20:15.839 --> 00:20:18.000
I've got tons of SEAL buddies, and this is not true.
00:20:18.079 --> 00:20:27.839
There's shitloads of great, humble, silent professional SEALs, quiet professional SEALs, whatever you want to call it, but everybody you know talks shit about soft specifically seals.
00:20:28.079 --> 00:20:32.160
They all have a book deal, they all you know want the credit, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah.
00:20:32.319 --> 00:20:38.240
There's still the majority of the 99% of guys that graduated BUDS, they went to a team and they served honorably.
00:20:38.400 --> 00:20:41.119
You don't like that dude isn't, he's not on a podcast.
00:20:41.200 --> 00:20:42.400
You're not getting the best of us.
00:20:42.480 --> 00:20:50.160
Sorry, guys, you're only getting the shitty special operations guys, and I'm looping myself into that, that are going on podcasts, telling their war stories.
00:20:50.319 --> 00:20:59.519
And so I think with a lot of these blowhards that are trying to they're seeking external validation, and then it's obviously not paying off monetarily.
00:20:59.599 --> 00:21:05.519
So now they're screaming from the mountaintops why everybody else sucks and they're the best, and it still just isn't working.
00:21:05.680 --> 00:21:11.279
And that's probably because they're betraying the community that they came from and the way that they're presenting that information, right?
00:21:11.359 --> 00:21:21.519
If you're if part of your community is being a silent, quiet professional, and again, I realize I'm on a fucking podcast as a former soft dude putting my foot in my mouth, but that's because I suck too.
00:21:21.680 --> 00:21:29.519
The reality is you're not the best at it, so quit screaming that everybody else is terrible and just work on your own shit, is the real answer.
00:21:29.759 --> 00:21:35.519
But if you if you think about it, 99% of the guys that did the job, they're not on a fucking podcast talking about it.
00:21:35.599 --> 00:21:43.200
And a lot of us that did the job that are on a podcast talking about something, like we're not sitting there telling war stories.
00:21:43.359 --> 00:21:50.160
We're talking about information that we have, whether that's planning, you know, leadership, shooting, etc.
00:21:50.400 --> 00:21:56.480
And like we don't even really point to those units that we were a part of as the validation, the information stands on its own.
00:21:56.640 --> 00:21:59.759
And so if your information doesn't stand on its own, now you immediately have to point.
00:22:00.160 --> 00:22:04.000
Back to validating your information with your alma mater, for lack of a better term.
00:22:04.319 --> 00:22:08.799
So what's the lesson for I guess a lot of what we're saying, I feel like comes with maturity.
00:22:08.880 --> 00:22:14.799
So I feel like the people who are grabbed by this are people who who have less, less experience in general.
00:22:15.039 --> 00:22:24.000
So I'm wondering, are those people going to listen to what we have to say, or are they attracted to that kind of thing and they're kind of a lost cause until they go through it?
00:22:24.400 --> 00:22:36.400
Yeah, you know what's really interesting is I've I always thought um, you know, like softly's views, we don't get the views on some of our content that other people do, but uh we get the views that matter.
00:22:36.559 --> 00:22:41.920
So I've been able to look behind the curtain at a few other like competing businesses, let's just say.
00:22:42.160 --> 00:22:52.799
And it was very unfortunate and eye-opening to find out that we were kind of the largest in the space for what we do as far as like an online membership training company.
00:22:54.480 --> 00:23:00.400
For fitness, you know, there may be somebody else who sells whatever they sell, shooting, etc.
00:23:00.640 --> 00:23:13.599
But for for training plans, I have yet to see behind the curtain and see somebody that you know has had more than 75,000 people on their app, you know, at any given time, anywhere from four to seven thousand, like current.
00:23:13.759 --> 00:23:20.079
And that translates to us to anywhere from 600 to 1200 daily users like in our app doing the training.
00:23:20.160 --> 00:23:21.359
That's a fuckload of people.
00:23:21.519 --> 00:23:22.880
Like that's a lot of people.
00:23:23.039 --> 00:23:32.319
And so what I have what I use, my point is I used to think that our like low-key, more relaxed, more more reserved demeanor was just not landing.
00:23:32.400 --> 00:23:41.359
And I think it's landing with the people that it needs to because they're gonna seek out good information that you can research and see, you know, is this good?
00:23:41.519 --> 00:23:45.519
A lot of times we're linking the studies that we talk about, the articles that we have.
00:23:46.400 --> 00:23:48.319
No, geez, camera die.
00:23:48.640 --> 00:23:49.440
He's too hot.
00:23:50.240 --> 00:23:50.880
Yeah.
00:23:51.279 --> 00:24:04.240
Uh, but I I think that our messaging does land and that the blowhards, they might get a lot of views, but I don't think that's actually translating into to customers or clients or or however you want to look at that, athletes, so to speak.
00:24:09.519 --> 00:24:17.519
Yeah, and I you know, I think there's a big difference between getting somebody to watch your reel on TikTok or Instagram and getting that person to go give you dollars to train with them.
00:24:17.680 --> 00:24:20.000
Like that's two very different things, right?
00:24:20.160 --> 00:24:30.880
So, you know, we've I've talked about this in my other roles where just because I can, you know, if I put a chick in a bikini shooting a gun, it might get a million views, but nobody's buying the gun because of that, right?
00:24:31.039 --> 00:24:36.160
Whereas if you put some information behind it, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, then it converts into a customer.
00:24:36.240 --> 00:24:39.119
And so not I all eyeballs are created as equally.
00:24:39.200 --> 00:24:39.359
Yeah.
00:24:39.599 --> 00:24:41.599
Are you still listening, G, and we just can't see you?
00:24:41.759 --> 00:24:41.839
Yeah.
00:24:41.920 --> 00:24:42.240
Yeah, yeah.
00:24:42.640 --> 00:24:43.759
Let's try for the better anyway.
00:24:44.079 --> 00:24:44.960
Face for radio.
00:24:45.039 --> 00:24:46.000
Yeah, give me a second.
00:24:46.160 --> 00:24:47.279
I have another camera right here.
00:24:47.359 --> 00:24:49.279
So is that how hot is it in there?
00:24:49.359 --> 00:24:50.400
Are you just like drifting?
00:24:50.640 --> 00:24:51.519
It's not bad right now.
00:24:51.599 --> 00:24:53.200
It's like um, oh my god.
00:24:53.279 --> 00:24:54.400
I said it's not bad right now.
00:24:54.480 --> 00:24:56.559
It's probably 95 in here, 100 something.
00:24:56.720 --> 00:24:57.279
Oh god.
00:24:57.839 --> 00:24:59.440
I I feel fine.
00:24:59.759 --> 00:25:00.640
I feel fine.
00:25:01.200 --> 00:25:03.759
I think what's happening is the camera, yeah.
00:25:04.000 --> 00:25:11.759
I think the camera is like over time its sensitivity is increasing to the heat because it's not it's a DSLR, it's not built for video.
00:25:12.240 --> 00:25:21.519
So so listeners, for those of you who are wondering what the hell's going on, it's I had to switch cameras because my other one overheated, and that is a first world problem we're contending with right now.
00:25:21.680 --> 00:25:22.640
So Yeah.
00:25:22.880 --> 00:25:23.279
All right.
00:25:23.680 --> 00:25:26.720
Your garage is still cooler than every house in England, apparently.
00:25:26.960 --> 00:25:27.359
Oh yeah, man.
00:25:27.519 --> 00:25:29.519
I saw France had deaths or something like that.
00:25:29.839 --> 00:25:30.880
That's nuts.
00:25:31.200 --> 00:25:31.599
Yeah.
00:25:32.000 --> 00:25:33.119
Matt, what's your take on it?
00:25:33.279 --> 00:25:34.720
Um, yeah, we're just not built for it.
00:25:34.799 --> 00:25:36.640
Like we we've not not set anything up.
00:25:36.720 --> 00:25:38.400
We don't have just the same as when it snows.
00:25:38.480 --> 00:25:45.440
We haven't got anything in the infrastructure that's ready for it, and we've invested loads in making sure houses are really e-coaked, as in to stay warm in the winter.
00:25:45.680 --> 00:25:49.279
Um, and so they're really good at staying warm, which sucks.
00:25:49.680 --> 00:25:50.000
Yeah.
00:25:50.240 --> 00:25:50.640
Wow.
00:25:50.880 --> 00:25:58.079
Well, one thing I've always been enamored with is the building standards in in Europe, but I guess there's a flip side to that, especially today.
00:25:58.400 --> 00:26:00.319
I guess it's okay if you go ahead.
00:26:00.720 --> 00:26:07.519
The structural standards, I think, are at least in a lot of places, really high because the houses stick around a lot longer.
00:26:07.839 --> 00:26:13.119
Um what's super interesting to me about Europe and Japan, I've been down a rabbit hole a little bit.
00:26:13.519 --> 00:26:16.559
Uh I was at architecture buff for quite a bit, actually.
00:26:16.720 --> 00:26:19.680
So I still kind of get down a rabbit hole here and there.
00:26:20.079 --> 00:26:31.440
Uh but what blew my mind was the idea of like a starter home in the US, and then you like get bigger and bigger and bigger houses.
00:26:31.680 --> 00:26:34.079
It's not a thing in Europe.
00:26:34.319 --> 00:26:36.960
Like it's like no, no, you bought a house, you're done.
00:26:37.680 --> 00:26:39.119
That's the house now.
00:26:39.359 --> 00:26:42.559
Uh there's no like, oh, I've got equity, let's go up, you know.
00:26:42.720 --> 00:26:43.200
Yeah, yeah.
00:26:43.359 --> 00:26:48.319
But I mean that's what I feel like right now in in the home that we started with, we're sticking in there.
00:26:48.880 --> 00:26:49.279
Yeah, dude.
00:26:49.440 --> 00:26:54.160
Especially if you got like a 2.1% mortgage at you know pre-COVID prices.
00:26:54.240 --> 00:26:54.480
Yeah.
00:26:54.720 --> 00:26:56.240
Matt, do you own that place in New York?
00:26:56.480 --> 00:26:56.640
Yeah.
00:26:57.200 --> 00:27:00.480
Well, like we said before, the bank does, but yeah, I'm I'm trying to slowly own it.
00:27:00.559 --> 00:27:02.720
I'll maybe be a hundred by the time I own it.
00:27:03.039 --> 00:27:06.960
In the US, we consider it owning it, even though the bank owns 90% of it.
00:27:07.279 --> 00:27:07.920
Yeah, yeah.
00:27:08.079 --> 00:27:13.839
Yeah, but like what so my my sister is in she's quite a bit younger than me and she's trying to buy at the moment.
00:27:13.920 --> 00:27:17.599
And the interest rates are brutal at home, as I think they are here.
00:27:17.759 --> 00:27:25.200
Um, and that getting that first step on the property ladder is is just yeah, it's just so hard because the base price is so high.
00:27:25.440 --> 00:27:25.759
Yeah.
00:27:26.000 --> 00:27:30.160
Well, and that's what the other thing is, the base price is crazy high in the US.
00:27:30.480 --> 00:27:30.559
Yeah.
00:27:30.720 --> 00:27:30.960
Yeah.
00:27:31.119 --> 00:27:37.359
It can get worse too, which is sobering when I see how much Australia, how their housing market works, it's just like, oh boy.
00:27:37.920 --> 00:27:40.640
Can it so what's what's the deal with Australia?
00:27:40.720 --> 00:27:42.720
Are they lower prices but higher interest?
00:27:42.799 --> 00:27:46.880
Or is it like higher prices, higher interest, like all other things worse?
00:27:46.960 --> 00:27:47.279
Yeah, yeah.
00:27:47.759 --> 00:27:48.000
Everything.
00:27:48.079 --> 00:27:48.319
Yeah.
00:27:48.400 --> 00:27:50.400
So it's like pretty much impossible to buy a home.
00:27:50.480 --> 00:27:57.119
And uh, if memory serves now, keep in mind, I I looked this up years ago, like before interest rates were what they were.
00:27:57.359 --> 00:28:05.599
And uh I think it's not uncommon to have a mortgage that exists into your children, and your children take over and keep paying for it.
00:28:05.680 --> 00:28:07.359
Yeah, so it's pretty fucking bad.
00:28:07.519 --> 00:28:11.119
Well, and and if you think about the landmass that's actually habitable over there, it kind of makes sense.
00:28:11.200 --> 00:28:12.799
So and Australia?
00:28:13.039 --> 00:28:19.119
Yeah, because you only got the coastal, like no one's buying up the move wherever, they're just not doing it.
00:28:19.359 --> 00:28:19.680
Right.
00:28:19.759 --> 00:28:21.039
That's what I mean.
00:28:22.480 --> 00:28:23.839
Um that's funny.
00:28:24.160 --> 00:28:26.799
All right, so back to where we're where yeah, where were we?
00:28:27.039 --> 00:28:28.400
Well, Brent, let me let me ask you this.
00:28:28.559 --> 00:28:33.119
Who hit a nerve with me, so you're getting me firing on all cylinders.
00:28:33.359 --> 00:28:33.599
Yeah.
00:28:33.759 --> 00:28:36.240
Well what shit about myself.
00:28:37.039 --> 00:28:37.920
What should I be?
00:28:38.400 --> 00:28:40.240
Let's say I'm going into special operations.
00:28:40.400 --> 00:28:43.039
Let's say I'm interested, actually, even more germane.
00:28:43.279 --> 00:28:46.000
I'm interested in training for special operations.
00:28:46.160 --> 00:28:47.599
There's a lot of information out there.
00:28:47.680 --> 00:28:57.359
So, like in the coaching world, straight up coaching, yeah, you've got you got, I'm gonna, I'm not gonna, I mean, if you want me to cut these names, I will, but Naughty Aguilar for functional patterns, he's a dipshit.
00:28:57.440 --> 00:28:59.519
Fucking David Wec, he's a dipshit.
00:28:59.680 --> 00:29:01.599
But they're very provocative, right?
00:29:02.000 --> 00:29:02.799
All the names.
00:29:03.039 --> 00:29:03.680
Yeah.
00:29:04.160 --> 00:29:05.279
They're very provocative.
00:29:05.359 --> 00:29:11.039
And you don't know shit about fuck, like you're gonna pay attention to what they have to say because it's provocative.
00:29:11.200 --> 00:29:12.559
So what are the fundamentals?
00:29:12.640 --> 00:29:16.319
Like in coaching, it's like, hey, consistency is heavily slanted.
00:29:16.400 --> 00:29:18.559
Like, like that's what you want to be paying attention to.
00:29:18.720 --> 00:29:21.119
It shouldn't be provocative, it should be fucking boring.
00:29:21.279 --> 00:29:22.480
It need not be different.
00:29:22.640 --> 00:29:23.440
There's nothing in here.
00:29:23.680 --> 00:29:29.279
There's a reason the squat, the bench, and the debt have in Olympic lifting have stuck around for so long.
00:29:29.519 --> 00:29:37.200
So, what are some like principles or or standbys that people can use, you know, when it comes to training for special operations?
00:29:37.279 --> 00:29:40.400
And I'll just leave it at training for special operations, very agnostic.
00:29:40.720 --> 00:29:48.319
Yeah, so I'm gonna break that up into a couple the various phases of the tactical professional, if you will.
00:29:48.400 --> 00:29:50.079
I'm gonna talk about a couple of them.
00:29:50.240 --> 00:29:55.039
Um, so if you are looking to go to selection, you this falls into two buckets.
00:29:55.200 --> 00:30:06.079
You're either in the military and you're going to a special operations selection, um, in which case you have access to training plans for free from those units.
00:30:06.240 --> 00:30:08.000
Like selection is totally free.
00:30:08.160 --> 00:30:09.680
In fact, they pay you to go.
00:30:09.759 --> 00:30:11.359
I don't know if people know that or not.
00:30:11.599 --> 00:30:13.440
So selection is fully free.
00:30:13.519 --> 00:30:17.680
You can use that unit's training plan um to go.
00:30:17.839 --> 00:30:20.079
Most of them are like you'll get there.
00:30:20.160 --> 00:30:35.680
You'll get selected if you just do whatever that unit puts out for their training plan and you do it and you perform to the standards that they tell you, because not all of the units, somebody correct me in the comments or DMs if I'm incorrect.
00:30:35.839 --> 00:30:39.839
All of the units that you can go to for selection, it's your first selection.
00:30:39.920 --> 00:30:48.480
There's a couple units where you don't know what the standards are, but but all of the ones that like you can go on a website for that unit, they publish those training standards.
00:30:48.559 --> 00:30:54.480
So they tell you it's a 12-mile ruck round with a 45-pound pack before water and food in under three hours.
00:30:54.559 --> 00:30:56.319
Like that shit's all published.
00:30:56.559 --> 00:31:05.119
Um, you can also, now the the internet's a great thing, you can Reddit and go, what like how many push-ups should I be doing before I ship to AS?
00:31:05.200 --> 00:31:15.440
You're also gonna work with a recruiter, and that recruiter is gonna tell you, like, hey man, if the minimum push-ups is 70, you need 90 in the tank because some of them are like not gonna get counted.
00:31:15.759 --> 00:31:27.519
So, one, I would start with the recruiter if you're be if you're like pre-selection or pre-career, uh, but in in the military or out of the military, you're gonna have a recruiter there.
00:31:27.680 --> 00:31:29.039
Um yeah.
00:31:29.200 --> 00:31:30.319
So that's where I would start.
00:31:30.640 --> 00:31:34.480
Those guys may recommend to you a training plan like Softleet.
00:31:34.640 --> 00:31:40.559
They may say, hey, you should do SoftLeet's training plans, or um, there's another one.
00:31:40.799 --> 00:31:46.079
The name is is it's not Mass Method, that's Judd Leinhart's thing, I think.
00:31:46.240 --> 00:31:50.079
But uh there's another one out there that I've heard some really good things about as of late.
00:31:50.240 --> 00:31:51.680
God damn it, I can't remember.
00:31:51.759 --> 00:31:55.680
Uh Alex from Intrepid Defense is telling me he worked with them quite a bit.
00:31:55.920 --> 00:32:11.200
But um if you get, let's say, two references, like two guys at that that are recruiting you into that unit, or you know another guy and they're both like, yeah, I did this, or I did multiple ones, that's probably a decent bet to go, yeah, let me give these guys a shot.
00:32:11.359 --> 00:32:17.440
Obviously, if you're listening to Softly, like we've there's a reason that we are still trusted in special operations.
00:32:17.680 --> 00:32:22.160
There's a reason that you still have guys active duty doing our stuff.
00:32:22.319 --> 00:32:24.000
Like we've been around a long time.
00:32:24.160 --> 00:32:36.079
But if a training plan is not giving you some semblance of strength conditioning, strength training, some type of conditioning that is a longer effort, like this is again, we're talking pre-before selection.
00:32:36.240 --> 00:32:42.160
You are not gonna get it is sorry, it is highly unlikely you're going to get selected if your training never went long.
00:32:42.319 --> 00:32:49.759
If all you did was 400-meter repeats, like that's not a great way to train to go really long with a ruck on.
00:32:49.839 --> 00:32:53.039
So you need to go long, you need some type of strength training.
00:32:53.279 --> 00:32:55.759
And so there's this uh Terminator Performance.
00:32:55.920 --> 00:32:57.440
G, you sent me his page.
00:32:57.599 --> 00:33:06.160
You'll s what you'll see is that the good companies and the good coaches, we have quite a bit of consistency in the things that we want you doing.
00:33:06.319 --> 00:33:10.559
Where we deviate is how deep we want you going in those certain directions.
00:33:10.720 --> 00:33:16.640
And then our backgrounds and experience will also dictate like the direction that we go in.
00:33:16.720 --> 00:33:20.720
So the Terminator guy, I forget his real name, we've had some good DMs back and forth.
00:33:20.960 --> 00:33:23.519
He's not a big swimming guy because he was in the army.
00:33:23.680 --> 00:33:24.559
Swimming wasn't important.
00:33:24.960 --> 00:33:34.079
We have quite a bit of swimming at Softle because we've had a background of guys from Air Force Special Operations, SEALs, Recon, etc.
00:33:34.319 --> 00:33:35.519
There's more swimming.
00:33:35.680 --> 00:33:37.599
Swimming is a huge piece of that.
00:33:37.920 --> 00:33:47.200
The reason that we still put swimming into our other training plans is it's a great way to increase aerobic capacity with low and no impact, right?
00:33:47.279 --> 00:33:53.519
So we see that it's you could, in my mind, not quite, but you could almost swap out swimming for cycling, right?
00:33:53.599 --> 00:33:59.440
For some of the longer stuff, like, hey, I want low impact, no impact, low potential for risk.
00:33:59.599 --> 00:34:03.599
We're gonna taper more into those things as we get closer to selection date.
00:34:03.839 --> 00:34:10.159
But my point is in a good plan, we may argue about some minutiae, like Terminator guy doesn't want a ton of swimming.
00:34:10.320 --> 00:34:13.519
I do, even if you're not gonna go to a swimming-based selection.
00:34:13.679 --> 00:34:16.719
What we both agree on is you should be putting in some miles.
00:34:16.880 --> 00:34:20.960
Like you got to be on the feet, you gotta be moving before you go to that selection.
00:34:21.119 --> 00:34:24.800
Now, when you get to the degree to which you're gonna move, right?
00:34:24.880 --> 00:34:32.000
I don't think you should be doing a 20-miler to go to a selection process that is uh for a unit that has a website.
00:34:32.079 --> 00:34:34.239
That's how I'm gonna start to dictate the differences.
00:34:34.719 --> 00:34:40.079
The units that have websites, you don't need to go to a 20, you don't need to do a 20 miler to get selected.
00:34:40.159 --> 00:34:45.039
You don't, you probably you don't need more than a 10 miler, and a 10 miler is really a a type track.
00:34:45.360 --> 00:34:47.119
So can I ask you a question?
00:34:47.360 --> 00:34:48.000
Yeah.
00:34:48.239 --> 00:34:49.280
About the 20 miler.
00:34:49.519 --> 00:34:51.199
What if you can do a 20 miler, no sweat?
00:34:51.280 --> 00:34:53.440
Like I'm pretty sure I can do a 20 mile or no sweat.
00:34:53.519 --> 00:34:54.400
Is there benefit to that?
00:34:54.639 --> 00:34:55.920
Yeah, I think there's benefit to it.
00:34:56.000 --> 00:35:06.719
I don't see a downside to it, but I don't I don't I don't think the ri the other things that we're going to be um man, you get a lot of topics swallowing my head at once.
00:35:06.880 --> 00:35:14.639
There's other things that we need to train for, and you have to remember how long we have to get the we have in order to get these guys ready for selection.
00:35:14.800 --> 00:35:15.039
Right.
00:35:15.280 --> 00:35:21.199
So you're you've been you're what two, three years into this endurance journey that you've been on there, G.
00:35:21.440 --> 00:35:22.239
Like that's as of late.
00:35:22.639 --> 00:35:23.760
You're two, three years into this.
00:35:24.000 --> 00:35:26.239
Guys are not training for three years to go to selection.
00:35:26.320 --> 00:35:27.119
They're not going to be able to do that.
00:35:27.280 --> 00:35:31.440
Maybe two, maybe two, three years if they're up if they haven't gone into the service.
00:35:31.519 --> 00:35:39.199
Like one of my buddies who became a CCT, I swear that motherfucker trained for like a decade before he finally enlisted and went and became a CCT.
00:35:39.760 --> 00:35:41.119
Uh fit dude.
00:35:41.199 --> 00:35:42.239
He owned a gym.
00:35:42.320 --> 00:35:46.960
And it like I kind of thought he was gonna be that guy that like was always gonna go.
00:35:47.039 --> 00:35:47.760
It never went.
00:35:47.840 --> 00:35:53.039
And then he went and did the thing, did some deployments, like by all accounts, is a great dude in the teams.
00:35:53.199 --> 00:35:59.840
That motherfucker, I I'm probably I would bet he trade for four or five years to go to get selected.
00:36:00.000 --> 00:36:04.639
And in hindsight, way smarter than me because like he was way better prepared going and do it.
00:36:04.719 --> 00:36:07.119
He knew it'd just dummy.
00:36:07.360 --> 00:36:13.760
Like I was like, you know, I did my normal, you know, swing my arms back and forth and send it bullshit.
00:36:14.000 --> 00:36:28.400
Um so it's not to say you shouldn't have 20 miles on the tank, but if you're if you got 20 miles in the tank by neglecting strength, by neglecting all of the other attributes that you need, that's when it starts to become counterproductive to getting selected.
00:36:28.639 --> 00:36:31.599
All right, so we talked about pre-selection pre-phase.
00:36:31.760 --> 00:36:56.960
If you're if you are in training and or or in a in a soft team in some capacity, and you are, let's say uh you're in your first team rotation, you're like your your first or second time like workup deployment, you're probably still, unless you came into that that team really late in your military career, you're probably still in a building phase.
00:36:57.280 --> 00:37:16.880
So I would say you need to be on a training plan that is challenging you as far as things like you know, maximal strength, high speed running, like short sprint efforts can still get pushed, like you're still in this build phase, at least in terms of strength, speed, um, aerobic capacity, maybe, maybe not.
00:37:17.119 --> 00:37:22.320
Uh, those programs, if they're tailored for a special operations guy, it's 2026.
00:37:22.559 --> 00:37:26.400
They should also have down regulation type of protocols.
00:37:26.559 --> 00:37:29.039
Like, are is that program helping you relax?
00:37:29.199 --> 00:37:31.760
Is the program doing things like D-Load weeks?
00:37:31.920 --> 00:37:37.440
Is the program doing things like warmups and mobility work in some form or fashion?
00:37:37.599 --> 00:37:40.960
We can all argue about the different ways that that is effective.
00:37:41.199 --> 00:37:42.559
Those are the things that are important.
00:37:42.639 --> 00:37:44.639
Is the program making a good use of your time?
00:37:44.800 --> 00:37:51.519
I did it back in the day, I used to do exclusively not soft fleet training plans for a period of time.
00:37:52.079 --> 00:37:54.880
And the goal was to just see the other things that were out there.
00:37:54.960 --> 00:37:59.280
So in my personal training, I was on somebody else's shit at all times.
00:37:59.599 --> 00:38:10.000
And uh the guy we were talking about earlier, who G's gonna bleep out, uh, I did his training plans as a customer, and there was a full day of biceps.
00:38:10.159 --> 00:38:11.679
I remember it vividly.
00:38:11.920 --> 00:38:22.079
My buddy was my workout partner and is like a jacked polish dude who is allergic to iron, meaning as soon as he lifts weights, he like swells up and gets blown up super fast.
00:38:22.239 --> 00:38:26.480
And we did one of these bicep days, and I was like, dude, there's no way there's a day of biceps every week.
00:38:26.559 --> 00:38:37.440
And he's like, I'm not fucking doing it because in three weeks, literally, I won't be able to put my cam, like my uniform on because his arms get fucking huge fast, which fuck him for having that problem.
00:38:37.599 --> 00:38:42.239
Yeah, sure as shit, we made it like three weeks into this thing, and he's like, I'm not fucking doing it.
00:38:42.320 --> 00:38:44.559
Also, this program sucks, so we canceled it.
00:38:44.639 --> 00:38:59.039
So if you're if your training, if your training plan is doing too much that is not uh relevant to the fitness levels, not the way you want to look, but the fitness levels that you need to hit.
00:38:59.199 --> 00:39:02.079
And I I would take a real serious look at the rest of the plan.
00:39:02.159 --> 00:39:07.679
Where that starts to change is in like a tactical or a um functional bodybuilding program.
00:39:07.760 --> 00:39:10.079
So on SoftLeet, we've got some bodybuilding teams.
00:39:10.159 --> 00:39:12.480
I've been off and on those for a couple of years now.
00:39:12.559 --> 00:39:24.719
And now that I'm a recovering endurance athlete or recovered, um I think you can have a good tactical or functional bodybuilding program, but it has to touch on those things.
00:39:24.880 --> 00:39:37.440
And you have to realize that when you are you are trying to do bodybuilding with a sub-maximal program, in that like you still have to have endurance, you still have to train zone too, you still have to sprint.
00:39:37.760 --> 00:39:40.960
There's not enough days in the week to separate those two entirely.
00:39:41.039 --> 00:39:49.679
So if you look at somebody who's truly a just a bodybuilder, um that's gonna be tough to fit all of that in and recover unless you're on gear.
00:39:49.760 --> 00:39:53.519
And I'm not knocking gear, that's just the reality, you'll recover faster on gear.
00:39:53.760 --> 00:40:06.960
Um, yeah, when you're when you're early phase in your career, this is where I see a lot of guys feel like they have the confidence to deviate um more and they shouldn't, in my opinion.
00:40:07.199 --> 00:40:13.519
Meaning, if you are an endurance guy, now's not the time to abandon strength training.
00:40:13.679 --> 00:40:18.239
If you're a really strong guy, now's not the time to aband abandon your endurance training.
00:40:18.320 --> 00:40:20.480
You just made it out of that school phase.
00:40:20.639 --> 00:40:23.599
You're now not allowed to just be a power lifter.
00:40:23.920 --> 00:40:28.559
You still have to go and put a ruck on and move for 20 fucking miles.
00:40:28.719 --> 00:40:31.519
I think every selection, you're gonna move for 20 miles in a day.
00:40:31.679 --> 00:40:34.480
I don't think there's a selection out there that you don't end up doing that.
00:40:34.559 --> 00:40:36.559
It's just not a timed event for most of them.
00:40:36.800 --> 00:40:39.920
Or it's not like here to there, 20 miles type of thing.
00:40:40.079 --> 00:40:50.400
So if you're if you're early phase in your career and you are looking at doing a training plan, I don't think early phase is a great time to deviate.
00:40:50.480 --> 00:40:54.239
Now, as we get into like middle of the middle of the phase is kind of the squishiest.
00:40:54.320 --> 00:41:04.880
You've got like one foot in the old man camp and you're starting to have some miles on you, and you got one foot in the young man camp, and that is, in my opinion, the razor's edge of where guys make it or break it.
00:41:05.039 --> 00:41:12.639
So that's either where you see guys start to accrue injuries, or they're 10, 15 years into a career, and you're like, damn, that dude is it.
00:41:12.800 --> 00:41:17.119
Like that dude is fit, he can shoot, move, communicate, treat the wounded.
00:41:17.280 --> 00:41:19.679
Like, that is becoming the dude.
00:41:19.920 --> 00:41:23.599
And I, in my opinion, that comes to two consist two things.
00:41:23.760 --> 00:41:31.679
One, and they're kind of uh competing priorities, one, uh consistency, and two, measured intensity.
00:41:32.000 --> 00:41:43.119
When I say measured intensity, I mean that your hard days are really hard and your easy days are good recovery days, and you're not just you know maxing every single day and putting yourself into a hole.
00:41:43.199 --> 00:41:44.320
That's how you break.
00:41:44.480 --> 00:41:50.159
Um, so when you're in that like meat and potatoes of the career, you start to feel like you're on top of the world.
00:41:50.400 --> 00:41:55.760
That's where you need to be very intentional about my hard days should be hard, my easy days should be easy.
00:41:55.920 --> 00:42:01.840
As you get into that later stage of the career, I think it's the fourth phase for us, is late stage career.
00:42:02.159 --> 00:42:12.400
I am of the opinion that you need to shift your efforts to a program that is addressing your personally assessed weaknesses more than the shit you like to do.
00:42:13.199 --> 00:42:18.480
Maybe that's my own self-deprecating uh thought process seeping into that.
00:42:18.639 --> 00:42:26.800
But if you're a really fucking good runner, late in the career is not the time to just become a runner, if that makes sense.
00:42:26.960 --> 00:42:30.159
Like you've gotta do the other things that you are weak at.
00:42:30.400 --> 00:42:41.599
Otherwise, that weak the weakness is gonna start to show and you're gonna be illuminated because you're in a leadership position, you have gray hairs, young guys are looking up to you in all ways.
00:42:41.760 --> 00:42:44.000
That's when you have to really focus on your weaknesses.
00:42:44.159 --> 00:42:53.840
When you are knocking on the door of retirement, so you're riding a desk, you're doing your skill bridge, your post-career, that fifth phase is post-career.
00:42:54.079 --> 00:42:55.119
That's your time, man.
00:42:55.199 --> 00:42:56.880
You want to be a fucking bodybuilder?
00:42:57.119 --> 00:42:57.840
Go nuts.
00:42:58.000 --> 00:42:59.760
Like, do a real bodybuilding program.
00:42:59.920 --> 00:43:00.639
Who gives a fuck?
00:43:00.880 --> 00:43:03.840
Like, you you may not even run an exit PFT, right?
00:43:04.000 --> 00:43:10.480
Like that is your time that if you you want to be an ultra marathoner at that point in time, fucking have at it.
00:43:10.559 --> 00:43:11.840
Like, go for it, dude.
00:43:12.239 --> 00:43:16.960
And I so when that's a long-winded way to answer your question, that's what we were looking for.
00:43:17.199 --> 00:43:20.400
Yeah, I think I think that's so often overlooked though in in these discussions.
00:43:20.480 --> 00:43:32.159
It's it's normally so like so um blinders on for just the people kicking in the doors, you forget there's this whole spectrum of of different, like we talked about, different phases of a career.
00:43:32.320 --> 00:43:35.360
And I th I think they're it it's different horses, different courses.
00:43:35.440 --> 00:43:37.599
I think you have to treat it differently depending on where you're at.
00:43:38.079 --> 00:43:41.199
Different guys don't realize it's different per unit, too.
00:43:41.440 --> 00:43:56.079
If you are a if you're a Green Beret in a normal line company, I don't know what the hell they would call their normal ODAs, but or if you're in a Jetberg, like one of their units.
00:43:56.480 --> 00:43:59.599
It's highly unlikely that you're gonna end up doing a twenty K off.
00:44:00.239 --> 00:44:02.719
Set and walk in, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah.
00:44:02.960 --> 00:44:12.400
If you are in a reconnaissance element for any of the services doing like deep reconnaissance, dude, you need to be down the rabbit hole on the endurance work.
00:44:12.559 --> 00:44:13.679
Yes, you have to be strong.
00:44:13.760 --> 00:44:18.000
You should still be working maximal lifts, but you can work maximal lifts without adding size.
00:44:18.159 --> 00:44:21.440
That is not the time that you want to pack on an extra five pounds of bicep.
00:44:21.599 --> 00:44:22.719
Like it's just fucking not.
00:44:22.880 --> 00:44:24.719
That's not gonna help you whatsoever.
00:44:24.880 --> 00:44:28.159
So a lot of people forget that different shit is different.
00:44:28.239 --> 00:44:30.960
And in special operations, that is still true.
00:44:31.119 --> 00:44:43.840
Now, what I will say on that vein is that whatever the selection standards are at your unit, in my opinion, you should be able to pass those selection standards barring injury 365 days a yeah a year.
00:44:44.079 --> 00:44:45.599
Like that is your min floor, right?
00:44:45.679 --> 00:44:52.960
So 12 mile rucker on under three hours, but you know, whatever your min standards are, that is what you should be able to hold again, barring injury.
00:44:53.760 --> 00:44:54.159
Here's your question.
00:44:54.719 --> 00:44:55.760
Oh, so you got JK.
00:44:56.239 --> 00:45:05.840
No, um, Brent, once they're past selection, does anything come to mind as something that kind of caught up to people is like, man, you shouldn't you shouldn't ever stop doing X?
00:45:06.000 --> 00:45:07.280
Like, for example, rocking.
00:45:07.519 --> 00:45:15.119
Does anything strike out as like, oh yeah, this this sneaks up on people, but they don't realize how important this is, and then they end up getting kicked.
00:45:15.360 --> 00:45:36.400
Yeah, um, but the shit that people are bad at like it and it kind of differs for a lot of the guys, meaning they get a sense of like I've arrived, and you and you if you get that sense, like you really fucking need to look at yourself and the people around you because nobody should feel that way.
00:45:36.559 --> 00:45:44.079
If you're in a good team, like every team that I've been in, I've been like not necessarily struggling to keep up with the guys, but I had to work.
00:45:44.159 --> 00:45:52.000
Like everybody should be lift elevating that level, and so getting comfortable and sliding back to the things that you like to do.
00:45:52.159 --> 00:45:55.679
And that doesn't mean necessarily sitting on the couch eating bonbons.
00:45:56.000 --> 00:45:58.639
That could be like I like surfing.
00:45:58.800 --> 00:46:22.320
If I just went nuts and was like, fuck work, I'm just surfing all the time, or running and not lifting, or lifting and not running, like we're shooting and not brushing up on communication skills or language, like whatever it is the thing when you are allowing yourself the personal gratification to the detriment of the other the weaknesses and like sharpening the stick, so to speak.
00:46:22.559 --> 00:46:25.920
Um, I think that's what you've got to be careful of.
00:46:26.239 --> 00:46:32.880
I didn't see aside from guys like I saw guys fuck themselves up rucking three, four days a week with crazy weight.
00:46:33.360 --> 00:46:36.239
That's probably the number one thing that I saw fucking dudes up.
00:46:36.639 --> 00:46:44.079
Um, but aside from that, I didn't see a trend of like guys running too much, guys lifting too much.
00:46:44.159 --> 00:46:45.360
It was kind of all over the map.
00:46:45.440 --> 00:46:49.599
But what I when I saw it become counterproductive is when guys did too much of that thing.
00:46:49.840 --> 00:46:52.000
And a lot of that is competing for time, right?
00:46:52.079 --> 00:46:55.840
So that too much of that thing, you that could be shooting guns.
00:46:55.920 --> 00:47:09.840
Like I've seen dudes that got I'm thinking of a guy specifically who comes to mind, he got so into three gun that it was detrimental to his how the like CQB, shooting on the range, wasn't training fitness as much, etc.
00:47:10.079 --> 00:47:14.800
So when you go too far down the rabbit hole in any one direction, I think you start to lose ground in the others too.
00:47:15.039 --> 00:47:15.679
Good hard slaw.
00:47:16.079 --> 00:47:16.320
Not really.
00:47:16.400 --> 00:47:18.320
No, it's the other one that I can't remember the name of.
00:47:18.880 --> 00:47:20.159
Yeah, I don't think that one is.
00:47:20.800 --> 00:47:26.320
So I don't know if this is something yeah, I don't know if this is something you want to touch on now, but it's kind of linked to what we're talking about.
00:47:26.559 --> 00:47:30.960
And I've been thinking about this a lot lately, and I'm really interested to hear what you you guys have to think, what you guys have to say.
00:47:31.039 --> 00:47:33.599
So if it's a if it's better for a whole new episode, then we can.
00:47:33.760 --> 00:47:37.840
Where where do you guys stand and how do you feel about like worst-case scenario training?
00:47:37.920 --> 00:47:43.440
As in like what's the worst thing that could happen on your shift on your day job when we're up?
00:47:43.599 --> 00:47:43.840
Yeah.
00:47:44.079 --> 00:47:45.840
How how do you factor that in for training?
00:47:46.079 --> 00:47:49.760
Um, no more than once a quarter should you be doing.
00:47:49.920 --> 00:47:51.440
I was thinking about this the other day.
00:47:51.599 --> 00:47:54.000
I had a I had a big day the other day.
00:47:54.239 --> 00:47:58.960
Um you guys are uh G U R.
00:48:00.239 --> 00:48:03.840
Do you ever tell your you ever you ever tell your son like hey you had a big day today?
00:48:03.920 --> 00:48:04.639
You need to get some rest.
00:48:04.800 --> 00:48:05.360
You ever do that?
00:48:05.519 --> 00:48:06.480
Every day, baby.
00:48:06.719 --> 00:48:07.760
Every fucking day.
00:48:08.000 --> 00:48:08.719
Oh God.
00:48:09.039 --> 00:48:09.679
Yes.
00:48:10.320 --> 00:48:32.239
But uh so I had a big day the other day, and I was thinking about it in that context because I'm you know no longer deploy for a living, and now my focus is on family, but uh I did uh impromptu one hour run and then I'd grab the bike and did some more, and then I'd move some weight for a while, and it and I but I did it intentionally.
00:48:32.400 --> 00:48:36.719
I was like, man, like I think you still have to like put that on from time to time.
00:48:36.960 --> 00:48:39.760
Um my thoughts on that are too so.
00:48:39.840 --> 00:48:45.840
If you uh read Michael Easter's book uh The Comfort Crisis, he talks about the Masogee.
00:48:46.000 --> 00:48:47.119
We've talked about the Masogee.
00:48:47.360 --> 00:48:48.320
Have we all read that book?
00:48:48.559 --> 00:48:49.679
Gee, have you read that?
00:48:49.920 --> 00:48:51.679
No, you guys gave me shit about that three episodes.
00:48:53.440 --> 00:48:53.920
It's on the list.
00:48:54.079 --> 00:48:54.480
It's good.
00:48:54.960 --> 00:49:08.559
Uh but he talks about this, like you have to do challenging things, but I I don't agree that I don't think you can see enough challenge in the gym to have that be a worst-case scenario.
00:49:08.719 --> 00:49:14.159
My opinion is that a a big day needs a feeling of hopelessness.
00:49:14.320 --> 00:49:20.800
Like you need to be 10 miles from the truck and you're 15 miles deep and there's no cell reception.
00:49:21.039 --> 00:49:21.599
Oh man.
00:49:21.840 --> 00:49:24.079
And you got a canteen left of water.
00:49:24.239 --> 00:49:33.519
Like that is, you know, people would talk about the you have to go to a dark place in the gym, and I'm like, I can't fucking get there, dude, because there's a water fountain over there, right?
00:49:33.679 --> 00:49:39.039
Like when you are my buddy who I was talking, uh talking about, that was my workout buddy.
00:49:39.119 --> 00:49:59.440
I I think I've told you guys this story, but I took him surfing one time and the rip current was bad, and we've we were surfing on a desolate beach in Africa, and the waves looked to be six feet from the shoreline by our measuring with no reference points, and they were really like 12 feet when we got out there.
00:49:59.679 --> 00:50:02.079
I say 10 to 12, he says 12 to 14.
00:50:02.159 --> 00:50:10.559
It was fucking big, and the current was ripping, and we spent two and a half hours fighting to get back in to land.
00:50:11.039 --> 00:50:13.360
Oh, that is the ocean's a pretty good leveler.
00:50:13.440 --> 00:50:15.199
Like, that's it's a fucking huge leveler.
00:50:15.440 --> 00:50:16.159
That's not bad.
00:50:16.559 --> 00:50:18.000
Like my nickname's Fish.
00:50:18.079 --> 00:50:20.079
I'm pretty fucking comfortable in the ocean.
00:50:20.320 --> 00:50:22.400
He was also very comfortable in the ocean.
00:50:22.480 --> 00:50:36.400
It took us a long time to get back in, and we destroyed two surfboards when we came in because we got the shore break was six feet tall, where we we ended up getting in on some cliffs that had rocks in front of them, and it was six foot waves breaking on the rocks.
00:50:36.559 --> 00:50:38.480
And so yeah, it was fun.
00:50:38.800 --> 00:50:50.880
But that feeling of hopelessness that you can only get in those big days, as I'm now calling them, uh, I think needs to be revisited no less than once a year, but no more than once a quarter.
00:50:50.960 --> 00:50:53.119
And I don't think you can get that indoors.
00:50:53.280 --> 00:50:55.280
Like you're on to something there, man.
00:50:55.440 --> 00:51:05.519
Like um Exos would have uh Monster Mash because of some some group guys that came in and they brought that to the San Diego facility, the Carlsbad facility as a tradition.
00:51:05.679 --> 00:51:10.000
And then, you know, that eventually pervaded into Arizona, which was it kind of made me laugh.
00:51:10.239 --> 00:51:13.039
Like, oh, we're gonna do something called a monster mash.
00:51:13.199 --> 00:51:16.320
It comes from the military like guys, I yeah, I I know what this is.
00:51:16.480 --> 00:51:18.159
Um it's just work for me.
00:51:18.320 --> 00:51:19.679
It's just work for me.
00:51:19.840 --> 00:51:20.320
It yeah.
00:51:20.880 --> 00:51:40.880
Whereas, sorry, uh whereas riding riding my bike in uh Phoenix Mountain Preserve or a different trail system, and more than once, it's I like to ride all year round and it's 110 plus, and I get a flat and I'm running out of water and I'm trying to fix this fucking flat, and I still and I'm like eight miles out and I gotta ride back home.
00:51:40.960 --> 00:51:44.800
Like, yeah, no, there's a level of like, oh shit, I might die out here.
00:51:45.119 --> 00:51:45.760
Yeah.
00:51:46.239 --> 00:51:49.440
Um that's a good place to be to know that you have that.
00:51:49.920 --> 00:51:52.880
Yeah, it's like these well, I better get started.
00:51:53.360 --> 00:51:57.679
Yeah, it's one of those things like you don't know if you have it or not until you've you've gotta do it.
00:51:57.920 --> 00:52:09.519
So yeah, if you're so if you're organizing this then, so if you're if you have the luxury of of being the director, whatever that looks like for for the group you're training with, do you let the guys know it's coming?
00:52:09.679 --> 00:52:12.480
It's like the kind of the Jaws documentary before you get in the C.
00:52:12.639 --> 00:52:17.679
Like, do you do you let them know it's on the horizon, or do you just smash them Tuesday morning, boys, here we go.
00:52:17.760 --> 00:52:19.519
How do you how do you how do you play that?
00:52:19.920 --> 00:52:28.320
I am a believer that you know, like I've I've had phone calls with people like former soft guys that wanted to start a fitness company and they're like, How'd you do softly?
00:52:28.480 --> 00:52:34.079
And I'm like, I'll fucking tell you exactly how we did software, you know, 12 years later, you still gotta do it, man.
00:52:34.239 --> 00:52:36.559
Like I read Shoe Dog by Phil Knight.
00:52:36.639 --> 00:52:38.800
I ain't fucking starting a Nike anytime soon, right?
00:52:38.880 --> 00:52:40.159
You still gotta do the thing.
00:52:40.480 --> 00:52:49.440
So I'm a fan of the idea that you if you tell the guys, like there's no you're not losing anything there because you still have to do the thing.
00:52:49.599 --> 00:52:56.880
And when I look at look back at those big days, my most memorable big days, I they weren't supposed to be big days.
00:52:57.760 --> 00:53:00.880
It became a big day, but they didn't start out that way.
00:53:01.199 --> 00:53:13.119
So uh I ran my battery died in like a really challenging technical dirt bike ride after I was like 10 miles into this canyon that like you can't get a car in.
00:53:13.360 --> 00:53:18.480
You're like, you know, you guys have seen the stuff where you're like wheeling up and over and like picking your way through slowly.
00:53:18.639 --> 00:53:25.119
So the story is I was guiding for my buddy's company occasionally, ready to ride Reynolds.
00:53:25.280 --> 00:53:25.760
Shout out.
00:53:25.840 --> 00:53:27.679
He's in the creator Phoenix area.
00:53:27.760 --> 00:53:37.519
He does these like big international tours, and every once in a while he has somebody that like wants to go in Arizona, and I would guide for a guy wanted to do this canyon run.
00:53:37.599 --> 00:53:38.880
It's like a really long day.
00:53:38.960 --> 00:53:44.079
You ride through a canyon up a mountain, there's a little like burger shack at the top, you get a burger, you ride back.
00:53:44.239 --> 00:53:48.559
It's about an eight-hour day of riding typically, six hours if you're really fast.
00:53:49.119 --> 00:53:56.079
Had done that route, but I had never had somebody finish it, and I had only done that route with other people, and like it'd been a while.
00:53:56.239 --> 00:53:57.760
So I was like, hey, I'll do the guiding.
00:53:57.840 --> 00:53:58.800
And I had two bikes.
00:53:58.880 --> 00:54:09.199
I had one that was built for that really technical stuff, so it's really soft suspension, and the other bike is a desert racing bike, it's not it's very firm suspension, the clutch is very challenging.
00:54:09.440 --> 00:54:12.559
I only had my desert bike in town, and I was like, fuck it.
00:54:12.639 --> 00:54:17.599
I moved the clickers to soften up the suspension as much as I could, and I was like, I'm gonna just do the thing.
00:54:17.760 --> 00:54:36.960
And so I went out the day prior to guiding this guy to try to do the thing, and my bike, my battery died, you know, eight miles or ten, I forget how many miles in, but I was multiple, I was more miles than you want to walk in motocross boots in battery dies, and I'm like, okay, I'm fucking smoked because I'm wrestling this desert race bike up this trail.
00:54:37.119 --> 00:54:41.440
I sit down, I go to take a drink off of my camelback, and it's empty.
00:54:41.519 --> 00:54:43.599
Like I'd already drank it all.
00:54:43.760 --> 00:54:45.599
And I was like, oh, you gotta be foot.
00:54:45.840 --> 00:54:46.559
Fucking kid me.
00:54:46.639 --> 00:54:48.880
I gotta walk it's summer, you know, in Arizona.
00:54:48.960 --> 00:54:55.360
So I'm like, I'm gonna walk eight or ten miles out of this canyon with my you know, in motocross boots.
00:54:55.440 --> 00:54:56.559
I didn't have regular boots.
00:54:56.639 --> 00:55:05.519
It's like walking in ski boots for those who've never done it, and uh leave this bike here, go get a battery, hike back in, jumpstart the fucking thing, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah.
00:55:05.679 --> 00:55:08.400
So anyway, thinking through all of this, and I'm like, okay, I can do this.
00:55:08.480 --> 00:55:10.559
Like, I have it's a big day, but I could do this.
00:55:10.719 --> 00:55:12.000
And I was like, you know what?
00:55:12.159 --> 00:55:17.360
I had tried a cut, like I had tried a couple times to jump start the bike, like roll it down a hill, pop the clutch.
00:55:17.519 --> 00:55:19.599
And I was like, I saw a hill.
00:55:19.840 --> 00:55:31.679
It was like a downhill of single track and rocks, but it was enough of a run where I could like get a roll down the hill, but then I had to turn a bike 180 degrees in the rocks, drag it up the hill, do it again.
00:55:31.760 --> 00:55:37.760
So I was like, I'm gonna give myself three tries at that because after three tries, I it's either going or I'm fucking smoked.
00:55:37.920 --> 00:55:42.079
Like, I'm not fighting with this thing all day to do it because I still gotta have gas in the tank to walk out.
00:55:42.159 --> 00:55:43.440
I have no food, I have no water.
00:55:43.599 --> 00:55:51.199
The third try at bump started, and so I got it started and I like let it sit there and idle and frankly overheat a little bit, probably.
00:55:51.519 --> 00:55:58.559
And uh I gave myself the rule of like you cannot stall this bike because the battery had died, right?
00:55:58.639 --> 00:56:01.920
So I was like, I cannot fucking stall it, or I am so fucked.
00:56:02.000 --> 00:56:12.559
Like, so out of food, out of water, another, you know, got halfway there, had to go back, but now I had to go back with like the crazy care, and I was so absolutely smoked when I got there.
00:56:12.719 --> 00:56:19.039
But I've got a bunch of stories of like quote unquote big days or misogies, whatever you want to call it, that were unintentional.
00:56:19.199 --> 00:56:29.119
And I think that's almost more important than like, you know, uh the ultra marathon I paced a guy for and I couldn't walk for like three days after.
00:56:29.360 --> 00:56:32.400
Um, I I was I was mentally prepared for that.
00:56:32.480 --> 00:56:34.000
So it was like, no, you just keep going.
00:56:34.239 --> 00:56:40.480
Whereas I think that feeling of hopelessness is so important that you have to do it.
00:56:40.559 --> 00:56:42.480
Like again, the last year.
00:56:42.719 --> 00:56:43.119
That's it.
00:56:43.199 --> 00:56:44.719
It's not manufactured, it's real.
00:56:45.519 --> 00:56:45.840
Yeah.
00:56:46.079 --> 00:56:47.039
I've got a mill story.
00:56:47.280 --> 00:56:49.360
I'll tell one more story after G goes.
00:56:49.599 --> 00:56:54.400
Well, I guess that's just what a Masoge is, is is manufactured hopelessness, if that makes sense.
00:56:54.480 --> 00:56:56.079
Like they're trying to emulate that place.
00:56:56.400 --> 00:57:13.440
You're trying to emulate that place, and in for it to be a proper Masogee, according to Michael Easter, and I don't know if he came up with that or this part of it, or if that was already there, but it's when you set out to do it, it's something that you don't know you're gonna be able to accomplish, is the most important thing.
00:57:13.599 --> 00:57:15.199
So it needs to scare you.
00:57:15.679 --> 00:57:16.639
Yeah, it needs to scare you.
00:57:16.719 --> 00:57:18.800
So Baja 500 was one for me.
00:57:18.880 --> 00:57:20.719
Like, I didn't know if we were gonna finish.
00:57:20.800 --> 00:57:25.360
You know, most of the big desert races I've done were kind of like that, where it was like, I just want to finish.
00:57:25.599 --> 00:57:40.880
We and I was at Marsock, we talked about this, and then at least for a time it was implemented in in a a company that I was in, but we did greenside reconnaissance and surveillance, which is basically walking around in the woods taking pictures of shit.
00:57:41.039 --> 00:57:46.960
And we would start, it's it's frankly the most um mundane and painful, like it's just suffering.
00:57:47.039 --> 00:57:48.400
Like, it sucks, it's not fun.
00:57:48.480 --> 00:57:52.559
You have to be super quiet, it's not comfortable, you don't bring dry clothes, like it sucks.
00:57:52.639 --> 00:57:54.800
You just suffer for however long you're doing it.
00:57:54.960 --> 00:58:03.679
And what we did is we kicked off our team workups with a five or seven day greenside reconnaissance and surveillance package.
00:58:03.840 --> 00:58:14.079
The last one I did was like at uh in January, and North Carolina went into a state of emergency, like on our second to last day or last day because there was freezing rain.
00:58:14.239 --> 00:58:18.000
And so what started out as like, yeah, a little bit of a suck fest.
00:58:18.079 --> 00:58:22.719
Like, I think one dude got trench foot and another team, like it turned into a real fucking event.
00:58:22.880 --> 00:58:24.000
Yeah, it was brutal.
00:58:24.079 --> 00:58:32.960
I I'm a pretty big, like, I adhere very strictly to the uh principles of reconnaissance patrolling, like you don't go on fucking roads in my mind.
00:58:33.119 --> 00:58:46.159
Like my first Afghanistan deployment, I think I probably walked down an actual road less than 200 meters in the entire seven-month like we did not go on fucking roads, we did not go on foot trails, we didn't drive on roads.
00:58:46.239 --> 00:58:50.719
Like, as if we were in a town and forced it to it, that's one thing.
00:58:50.880 --> 00:58:55.440
But like if there was anywhere to be other than a road, that's where we were gonna be.
00:58:55.599 --> 00:59:00.159
Um and again, I'm not telling war stories, it's relevant to this.
00:59:00.320 --> 00:59:11.760
The freezing rain and weather was so fucking bad that we knew it was gonna be a problem that we immediately went through from walking through the swamps of Camp Lejeune to like, eh, that's knee-deep water.
00:59:11.920 --> 00:59:18.320
I did it for like a little bit, and I was like, let's not bring the team down here and like keep the guy, keep the guys on the roads.
00:59:18.559 --> 00:59:22.960
Speed is security, we're fucking running down these roads to not get compromised.
00:59:23.199 --> 00:59:28.719
But um the goal of that was to bring the team tighter with a Masogi type event.
00:59:28.800 --> 00:59:32.320
Like we knew we would finish, but again, a dude got fucking trench foot doing it.
00:59:32.559 --> 00:59:33.119
That's wild, bro.
00:59:33.519 --> 00:59:35.280
Yeah, it was it was uh it was fun.
00:59:35.440 --> 00:59:40.159
I've been on a few patrol ops that turned into like this is not a training event anymore.
00:59:40.239 --> 00:59:42.480
We're now like saving humans.
00:59:42.880 --> 00:59:46.159
Um and I think they're worth doing, man.
00:59:46.239 --> 00:59:52.719
Like, I am I would be that guy now if I ever went to like uh back to be a reserve recon guy or something.
00:59:52.800 --> 00:59:54.480
I'd be like, okay, so here's the idea.
00:59:54.639 --> 01:00:00.159
We're gonna do a 50-mile patrol through the mountains, and they're like, it's November, and I'm like, Yeah.
01:00:00.559 --> 01:00:01.519
Yeah, it is.
01:00:01.840 --> 01:00:02.480
Yeah.
01:00:03.360 --> 01:00:05.920
Um I I but I think it's critical.
01:00:06.079 --> 01:00:07.360
I think it's critical.
01:00:07.599 --> 01:00:15.599
Uh if you're gonna be in a job where your job is to run it to the unknown, I think you've got to go put yourself into that situation at least once a year.
01:00:15.760 --> 01:00:17.360
I can't come on, I can't add anything to that.
01:00:17.519 --> 01:00:17.840
Yeah, yeah.
01:00:18.000 --> 01:00:22.000
Matt uh Matt, have you ever done something like that?
01:00:22.159 --> 01:00:27.840
I don't mean that in a condescending way at all, but you're a a s a swimmer, you know, was your sport.
01:00:28.159 --> 01:00:29.599
So yeah.
01:00:29.840 --> 01:00:36.079
So I I kind of got a nice taste of that coming from uh I was an out-out sprinter, 50, maybe up to 100 meters.
01:00:36.159 --> 01:00:40.320
So we're talking like yeah, I don't know, 25 seconds to 50, something like that.
01:00:40.400 --> 01:00:40.800
So nothing.
01:00:40.960 --> 01:00:42.639
Yeah, I'm I'm like dominant in the water.
01:00:42.800 --> 01:00:43.199
I love it.
01:00:43.280 --> 01:00:44.159
That's my whole life.
01:00:44.480 --> 01:00:45.599
Yes, I love it.
01:00:45.920 --> 01:00:53.199
And then so when I went where I went to uni at the time, we were like the second closest uni to the sea, and I started getting pretty into coast steering, which I think I've talked about before.
01:00:53.280 --> 01:00:54.639
So, like you did, yeah, yeah, yeah.
01:00:54.719 --> 01:00:59.840
Yeah, like talking about on the rock, so a little bit of climbing, a little bit of like jumping in, swimming through caves and stuff like that.
01:01:00.079 --> 01:01:14.480
Um, and needless to say, that sprint swimming in a 10-lane double wet double anti-wave pool doesn't correspond super well to like when you've got, like you said, like double overhead crashing you into caves and rocks and stuff like that.
01:01:14.719 --> 01:01:21.199
Um I had a few, definitely had a few like unforced errors through that side of things where I got humbled very, very quickly.
01:01:21.679 --> 01:01:29.840
Um, I also did I came into s came into it with a very similar mindset of like, yep, swimming's my my life, that's my identity.
01:01:29.920 --> 01:01:42.000
Um and my boss at the time did a channel swim event and I did a few training swims with her and it broke me, like kind of 15, 20 mile swims with the mentality of like, yeah, I don't need to prep for this.
01:01:42.079 --> 01:01:46.960
We I'd have done that in like maybe two, perhaps three days worth of training.
01:01:47.039 --> 01:01:47.599
I'll be fine.
01:01:47.760 --> 01:01:48.880
And it was not fine.
01:01:49.119 --> 01:01:50.079
Did not work out, yeah.
01:01:50.320 --> 01:01:51.519
Yeah, yeah, not so much.
01:01:51.679 --> 01:02:09.920
But then my my biggest ones uh uh like you said, really, through through nature, like being in the hills and stuff at home with just weather changes and stuff like that, like days where you look out and you think it's gonna be like shorts and t-shirt all day today, and then you're up there and it clagged in with like a meter of visibility and horizontal rain and sleet and stuff like that.
01:02:10.159 --> 01:02:16.639
Um, so mostly unforced errors through being an idiot rather than like planned and and uh yeah, engineered out.
01:02:16.960 --> 01:02:17.199
Got it.
01:02:17.280 --> 01:02:18.559
I got a decent story.
01:02:18.639 --> 01:02:19.840
I think we should finish with this story.
01:02:19.920 --> 01:02:22.639
It's not as dramatic as yours, Brent, but it's funny.
01:02:22.800 --> 01:02:28.079
So I had the opportunity to work in uh Italy with AS Roma, which is a football club.
01:02:28.400 --> 01:02:32.800
And while I was there, I went for a hike with another coach who shall Renee nameless.
01:02:32.880 --> 01:02:33.840
He knows who he is.
01:02:33.920 --> 01:02:34.880
I'll send this to him.
01:02:35.039 --> 01:02:37.440
But we're on the top of this mountain and it's beautiful.
01:02:37.599 --> 01:02:38.159
It's awesome.
01:02:38.320 --> 01:02:39.119
There's a lot of clouds.
01:02:39.199 --> 01:02:43.039
And I remember prior to going, we looked up the weather and there were thunderstorm warnings.
01:02:43.199 --> 01:02:44.639
We're like, ah, let's go for it.
01:02:44.719 --> 01:02:46.239
Because it was like a 50-50 kind of thing.
01:02:46.400 --> 01:02:47.599
Let's take the risk.
01:02:47.840 --> 01:02:55.920
So we made it to the top and we're on our way down, taking our time, and we stop in this like little building cabin thing, and there was like 25 Italians in there.
01:02:56.000 --> 01:02:56.960
It was it was pretty rad.
01:02:57.039 --> 01:02:59.199
They were playing music, they were eating food or whatever.
01:02:59.440 --> 01:03:11.360
So we go outside to just hang out for a little bit, and I'm taking a picture of my buddy who's four or five feet from me, maybe six, and 20 meters beyond him, lightning strikes.
01:03:11.440 --> 01:03:14.719
Like I watched this lightning bolt strike that fucking close.
01:03:14.960 --> 01:03:20.639
And we both look at each other, and it was fucking loud as hell, and we're both looking at each other, and we're like, uh, we should, we should probably head home.
01:03:20.960 --> 01:03:27.599
So about five minutes, we're heading down, and he is starting to fly, and I can't keep up.
01:03:27.760 --> 01:03:31.760
He's around 150 pounds, and I was around 180 at the time.
01:03:32.159 --> 01:03:34.719
And uh my knee, I have a knee history.
01:03:34.800 --> 01:03:36.559
It just was not, I had to be more careful.
01:03:36.639 --> 01:03:39.519
It's not like I was in pain or anything, it's just I had to be deliberate.
01:03:39.679 --> 01:03:42.159
Anyway, it starts pouring, pouring thunder and lightning.
01:03:42.320 --> 01:03:42.719
What's that?
01:03:42.960 --> 01:03:44.239
Better put the umbrella up.
01:03:44.400 --> 01:03:47.280
Oh man, the wind would have blown it away, dude, if I had one.
01:03:47.519 --> 01:03:52.880
Um, and I'm at this point, I remember he's like, sorry, bro, I got I'm just I'll meet you at the bottom.
01:03:53.039 --> 01:03:54.239
He fucking leaves me behind.
01:03:54.320 --> 01:03:56.559
And I have a chest rig, which makes it sound sexy.
01:03:56.639 --> 01:03:57.599
It's just a little hip pack.
01:03:57.679 --> 01:03:59.199
I'm not wearing a fucking plate carrier.
01:03:59.440 --> 01:04:09.360
But um, as I'm going down, you know, I don't know where I'm at, so I'm gonna go check the map and I pull my phone out, and it's I'm fucking drenched, and I realized my phone died because of the it's not it wasn't waterproof.
01:04:09.440 --> 01:04:13.519
So I'm in Italy, no real bearing for where I'm at.
01:04:13.599 --> 01:04:14.719
I kind of have a general idea.
01:04:14.880 --> 01:04:19.280
Thankfully, like I took a fork in a road and I realized like 20 meters in, like, ah, this isn't right.
01:04:19.360 --> 01:04:21.119
So I turned around and went down the other way.
01:04:21.360 --> 01:04:22.880
This dude leaving me behind left me behind.
01:04:22.960 --> 01:04:24.079
I'm ankle deep in water.
01:04:24.159 --> 01:04:26.079
There's thunder and lightning regularly.
01:04:26.239 --> 01:04:32.400
I finally made it, but just the notion of I just when that happened, I'm like, I don't think I will ever do that to somebody.
01:04:32.559 --> 01:04:33.840
Just leave them behind.
01:04:34.079 --> 01:04:39.840
But if you're thinking like hopelessness, like there's definitely a I don't know what's gonna happen in the next 20 minutes or so.
01:04:40.000 --> 01:04:41.360
So it was interesting.
01:04:41.440 --> 01:04:43.199
Yeah, still pumped about that phone.
01:04:43.599 --> 01:04:48.400
Yeah, and I didn't have I didn't have a lightning strike on uh on camera.
01:04:48.639 --> 01:04:50.000
Uh that would have been dope.
01:04:50.159 --> 01:04:52.400
Yeah, I do have pictures of the cabin and stuff like that.
01:04:52.480 --> 01:04:53.840
I was able to get those.
01:04:54.000 --> 01:04:57.679
So yeah, it did upload and that lasts I don't know however long.
01:04:57.840 --> 01:04:59.840
But now phones are mostly waterproof.
01:05:00.079 --> 01:05:00.960
All right, gents.
01:05:01.199 --> 01:05:03.119
Anything to to end on?
01:05:03.360 --> 01:05:04.960
Make sure you edit this appropriately.
01:05:05.119 --> 01:05:05.840
It's my link.
01:05:06.079 --> 01:05:06.880
Yes, yes, yeah.
01:05:06.960 --> 01:05:09.440
I will confirm, but I will edit all names.
01:05:09.599 --> 01:05:10.320
All right, team.
01:05:10.480 --> 01:05:12.239
That's gonna do it for us today.
01:05:12.559 --> 01:05:13.679
Die livid.