Noctis Strength and Conditioning
Tactical / MilitarySelection isn’t a fitness test. It’s a durability test!
Long days under a bergan. Moving at pace across rough ground. Minimal recovery. The ability to keep producing when your legs are cooked and your back is screaming. What breaks most isn’t one hard event, it’s the accumulation of stress.
The Pre-Hills phase is about building the body that can survive that accumulation.
This program develops the strength, work capacity, and structural resilience required before you ever step onto the hills. The focus is simple: build a chassis that can handle weight, build an engine that doesn’t quit, and harden the connective tissue that keeps you moving when fatigue sets in.
Across the training week you’ll complete two full-body strength sessions, core endurance work, aerobic conditioning, and progressive load carriage. Before moving into strength maintenance and becoming more yomp/tab focused.
The strength work is deliberately simple and brutally effective. Expect movements like trap bar deadlifts, front squats, split squats, presses, rows, sled pushes and loaded carries. These develop the legs, posterior chain and upper back — the muscle groups that keep you upright when you’re hours into a movement with weight on your back.
Trunk strength is trained relentlessly. Anti-rotation, stability, and endurance work build the midline stiffness required to carry a bergan efficiently and prevent the kind of lower back breakdown that ends a lot of selection attempts.
You’ll also complete low-impact aerobic conditioning to expand your aerobic base without destroying your joints. The bigger your engine, the easier it becomes to recover between efforts and maintain pace across long days. Optional swimming sessions are included to maintain water confidence and provide additional aerobic work while allowing your body to recover from impact.
Finally, the program includes structured load carriage and carries to prepare you for the reality of moving with weight. This builds grip strength, postural endurance, and the ability to stay mechanically sound under load — skills that matter far more than gym numbers when the terrain gets rough.
ENDURE isn’t about flashy workouts.
It’s about building the kind of strength and resilience that lets you keep moving when the easy option is to stop.
Because that’s ultimately what selection comes down to.
1 sessions per week
Must use App app to view and log training
Program Training
Prep
A
RAMP warm up - Strength
Raise: 3- 5 min Full Body - Any CV Machine. Lower - Air Bike / Rower/ Bike-erg / Treadmill Upper- Air Bike / Ski-erg / Run Activate/Mobilise: 8 Reps Worlds Greatest Stretch 8 Reps 90 90s into hip push through 8 RepsFloor Angels 20 Seconds Cat Camels. Prepare: Using an ash pole or empty bar/ light weight mimic the movement patterns in the session you're about to do for 2 - 3 rounds 6 reps each move
B
Sled Push
3 x 20
C
Trap Bar Deadlift
3 x 6 @ 70 %
D1
Weighted Strict Pullup
3 x 10 @ 70 %
D2
Seated DB Press
3 x 10
D3
Bulgarian Split Squat
3 x 6
E1
Alternating DB Hammer Curl
3 x 12
E2
Split Stance Overhead Tricep Extension
3 x 12
F1
Paloff Press
3 x 12 @ 6
F2
Rear Plank
3 x 0:20
Conditioning
G
Cool Down
Start cool down with 3-4 rounds of Box Breathing (4sec inhale, 4 sec pause, 4 sec exhale, 4 sec pause) Carry out the following for 20 seconds in total for 2-3 rounds Couch Stretch Pigeon Stretch Broom Handle Rotations
A1
Dead Bug
3 x 8
A2
Side Plank
1 x 0:30
A3
Back Extension
3 x 8
Prep
A
RAMP Warm Up - Load Carry
Raise: 400m Run Activate/Mobilise: 30 Second each leg Yielding Iso Split Squat 8 reps Inch Worm Walk-Out 30 second per leg Pigeon Stretch 8 reps per leg Single Leg RDL 4 rounds IYT Prepare: 3-5 reps Negative Pull Ups A Skip B Skip Combo 2x20m each into: Run - 2x 20m Bounds/ Power Skips 2x 20m resisted sprints.
B
Load Carry
1 x 39.6828 @ 12874
Recovery
C
Post Load Carriage Routine
Start cool down with 3-4 rounds of Box Breathing (4sec inhale, 4 sec pause, 4 sec exhale, 4 sec pause) Perform the circuit for 3-4 rounds 8 reps Banded Face Pulls 4x IYT (4 second hold at top of positions) 20 sec Psoas Stretch 8 reps Single leg RDL
A
Swimming
1 x 5
Prep
A
RAMP warm up - Strength
Raise: 3- 5 min Full Body - Any CV Machine. Lower - Air Bike / Rower/ Bike-erg / Treadmill Upper- Air Bike / Ski-erg / Run Activate/Mobilise: 8 Reps Worlds Greatest Stretch 8 Reps 90 90s into hip push through 8 RepsFloor Angels 20 Seconds Cat Camels. Prepare: Using an ash pole or empty bar/ light weight mimic the movement patterns in the session you're about to do for 2 - 3 rounds 6 reps each move
B
Single Arm Row, Rotate and Press
3 x 6 @ 5
C1
Front Squat
3 x 6 @ 70 %
C2
Eccentric Focus Calf Lower
3 x 8
D1
Bench Press
3 x 10
D2
Chest-Supported DB Row
3 x 10
D3
Prone Machine Hamstring Curl
3 x 8
D4
Band Pull-Apart
3 x 8 @ 7
E1
Paloff Press with Rotation
3 x 10
E2
Single Arm Farmer Walk
3 x 20
Recovery
F
Cool Down
Start cool down with 3-4 rounds of Box Breathing (4sec inhale, 4 sec pause, 4 sec exhale, 4 sec pause) Carry out the following for 20 seconds in total for 2-3 rounds Couch Stretch Pigeon Stretch Broom Handle Rotations
Prep
A
RAMP Warm up - Conditioning
Raise: Any CV Machine / Air Bike / Rower/ Bike-erg / Treadmill / Run Activate/Mobilise: 30 Second each leg Yielding Iso Split Squat 8 reps Inch Worm Walk-Out 30 second per leg Pigeon Stretch 8 reps per leg Single Leg RDL Prepare: A Skip B Skip Combo 2x20m each into: Run - 2x 20m Bounds/ Power Skips
B
Copenhagen Plank
3 x 20
C
Sled Push
1 x 30:00 @ 4
D
Stationary Bike
1 x 30:00 @ 4
Cool Down
E
Start cool down with 3-4 rounds of Box Breathing (4sec inhale, 4 sec pause, 4 sec exhale, 4 sec pause) Carry out the following for 20 seconds in total for 2-3 rounds Couch Stretch Pigeon Stretch Broom Handle Rotations
A1
Dead Bug
3 x 8
A2
Side Plank
1 x 0:30
A3
Back Extension
3 x 8
Prep
A
RAMP Warm Up - Load Carry
Raise: 400m Run Activate/Mobilise: 30 Second each leg Yielding Iso Split Squat 8 reps Inch Worm Walk-Out 30 second per leg Pigeon Stretch 8 reps per leg Single Leg RDL 4 rounds IYT Prepare: 3-5 reps Negative Pull Ups A Skip B Skip Combo 2x20m each into: Run - 2x 20m Bounds/ Power Skips 2x 20m resisted sprints.
B
Load Carry
1 x 39.6828 @ 12874
Recovery
C
Post Load Carriage Routine
Start cool down with 3-4 rounds of Box Breathing (4sec inhale, 4 sec pause, 4 sec exhale, 4 sec pause) Perform the circuit for 3-4 rounds 8 reps Banded Face Pulls 4x IYT (4 second hold at top of positions) 20 sec Psoas Stretch 8 reps Single leg RDL
A1
Dead Bug
3 x 8
A2
Side Plank
1 x 0:30
A3
Back Extension
3 x 8
