EVENT: MALTZ Challenge 2012

Click to enlarge this photo flyer.

No need to repeat the info. Just click on the above image for the details. As last year, the DEA's 2012 Chicago Field Division event will be at CrossFit Darien in Woodridge, Illinois.

Click here for my post for preparation ideas.

MALTZ Challenge - event preparation

Congratulations on your desire to complete the US DEA's MALTZ Challenge, on Saturday, March 19th , 2011. What lies ahead is quite a journey. Some experienced functional fitness enthusiasts need every bit of an hour to complete this grueling contest. Even if you consider yourself to be in elite physical shape, a half-hour is a very aggressive goal. Armed with the right mindset and proper preparation, finishing a MALTZ is not a distant dream. If the full challenge is too much of a commitment, then consider finding scaling options such as Half-MALTZ or Assisted-MALTZ.

There are plenty of exercise ideas on how to achieve this goal. Three pieces that factor into a plan of preparation are:

• In what physical shape is one in now?
• How much time dedicated per week to prep?
• How much time until the event?

Since I cannot address each potential participant's abilities or weaknesses, I have to estimate an average for the first answer - and I'll pick "relatively non-functional." (Even if you exercise quite frequently, functional fitness workouts make demands on a body that traditional cardio and/or bodybuilding-type resistance training does not.) I will also average the second answer, and assume two days per week is fair. For the third question, the Maltz Challenge - Chicago 2011 is about 10 weeks away. Here are SOME ideas for one's preparation journey:

First off, one must learn each of the movements or exercises.

• Pullups (yes, kipping is allowed).
• Farmers Walk (use dumbbells or kettlebells).
• Dips.
• Pushups.
• Hanging Knees-to-Elbows.
• Situps (you can anchor feet, but don't have to interlock hands behind the head).

None are all too technical. Most have been practiced since grade school fitness tests. However, learn them properly so the other participants don't tease you for your bad form!

KEEP IN MIND THESE ARE ONLY IDEAS ON HOW TO BETTER PREPARE YOUR BODY AND MIND FOR THIS CHALLENGE. THERE ARE MANY, MANY OTHER METHODS AND PHILOSOPHIES. THESE JUST SO HAPPEN TO BE MINE.

Take one day each week as "Partial MALTZ Day" -- maybe a Saturday? Consider gradually building up each week. Since the event is 10 weeks away, take the first week to run through all the exercises, but doing only 10% of the repetition numbers. For example, only do 5 pullups, 5 dips, 10 pushups, 5 hanging knees-to-elbows (HK2E), etc. In Week 5, those numbers jump to 25 and 50. It doesn't sound like much, but those numbers jump up each week until the last week is the actual event. The actual event requires each movement be finished before moving down the list. Try this on a weekly basis with less reps than the 50/100.

Use other exercise days to develop abilities in specific movements. Some participants might like to work on the complimenting movements on the same day (ex: Dips with Pushups, or HK2E with Situps). Others would prefer to pair up opposing movements (ex: Pullups with Pushups, Dips with HK2E, Farmers Walk with Situps.) There are endless ways to combine exercises, repetition numbers, and set numbers. The following are just SOME examples of what a workout session might look like (each line is a separate day's workout):

• Do 5 rounds of: 5 pullups, 5 dips, 10 pushups. (scale down to 3 and 6 reps)
• Do 5 rounds of: 10 pushups, 5 HK2E, 10 situps.
• Do 7 rounds of: 5 dips, 10 pushups.
• Do 7 rounds of: 5 HK2E, 10 situps.
• Do 10 rounds of: 5 pullups, 5 dips.
• Do 10 rounds of: 10 pushups, 10 situps. (scale down to 7 reps)
• Do 25 dips, followed by 25 dips, followed by 50 pushups.
• Do 50 pushups, followed by 25 HK2E, followed by 50 situps.

Each of the above sessions should be done As Fast As Possible. Take rest only when absolutely necessary. When even small repetition numbers of 5 become difficult, do 3-2 or 2-2-1, but try to complete 5 before moving on to the next movement. Workouts towards the beginning of the preparation cycle should resemble those at the top of the list. As the event date nears, the workouts should begin to resemble those at the bottom of the list (with larger repetition numbers). Where I posted "scaling" options, if the suggested repetition numbers are too high, then adjust them down. I do recommend keeping the proportions of repetitions equal to the event (ex: pushup numbers are double that of dips).

I purposely ignore the 400m running or the Farmers Walk in these prep sessions. There isn't all that much time to be made up during the 400m runs. The Farmers Walk is more about "gutting it out" than anything physical. During the event, it just plain ol' sucks and burns the forearms. I'd recommend adding in a few unstructured Farmers Walks into a prep plan, but nothing formal.

So with two days per week, that would include one circuit session (in green above) and one Partial MALTZ Day. If you want to add in a third day, have at it. But I would suggest against more than 3 days per week of event specific training. I would prefer one to instead participate in some other fitness programming, such as kettlebelling, running, rowing, stairclimbing, or anything else that doesn't replicate the same movements as MALTZ. Do not overtrain!! Rest and recovery is critical to growth and advancement.

The idea of preparing for an event like this goes against much of the theory behind functional fitness (and especially the brand name CrossFit). However, I believe that when one knows the What and When of a challenge, one should exploit the opportunity to train for it! Read this post that helps explain my position on the difference between a general/broad fitness program and event prep.

Spread the word. The MALTZ Challenge - Chicago 2011 is being hosted at CrossFit Darien on Saturday, March 19th, 2011. The Facebook event page is open to public invitations. The US Drug Enforcement Administration's Chicago Division is the driving force behind the event in our region.

Event Preparation / GPP, SST, SDP, and EP

General Physical Preparation (GPP) is a balanced, functional, practical approach to fitness. It has been accepted by athletes who need a strong, integrated foundation of all-around fitness in addition to the skills necessary for their sports. It has been especially embraced by police officers, firefighters, and military troops - to prepare them for "the unknown and unknowable." This GPP method gives the participant a "constant state of readiness," when the challenge or the time are both a mystery.

Sport Specific Training (SST) is more narrow in its approach. A classic example of this the training methods preferred by traditionalist triathletes -- swimming, biking, and running -- and unfortunately, not much else. Other SST methods might be: jump training for a volleyball player, sled pushes for a football lineman, or lateral lunges for a hockey player. This might be used for a specific season, if one exists for the sport.

This differs from Skill Development/Practice (SDP) in that SST is more gym-based strength-building and conditioning. Skill practice focuses on neurological changes in the body - aspects such as balance, accuracy, agility, coordination. SDP might include: throwing drills for a quarterback, punching bag routines for a boxer, or scrum practice for a rugby forward. This too might be used for a specific season.

Event preparation (EP) is a mixture of GPP, SST, and SDP. The formula for EP can be debated in as many ways as there are trainers in the world. Here is my take:

An "event" is a known (or highly predictable) contest or challenge, at a known time, under known (or highly predictable) conditions. There is a huge advantage to knowing what the challenge is ahead of time, and when exactly it is. A proper course can be plotted to bring one's abilities and skills up to meet the challenge, and time it so the climax of training volume or intensity runs right up to the event day. And training should replicate the contest.

For you marathoners out there, the Hal Higdon training program is one of the more famous EP marathon plans. I followed it myself when I ran the 2002 Chicago Marathon. There are similar programs for triathlons and all sorts of other events. I bastardize Hal Higdon's theories with triathlon "bricking" while training for adventure races.

With the growing popularity of CrossFit, other non-endurance events are beginning to emerge. The CrossFit community has used their functional fitness workouts as charity fundraisers. Some examples of the named workouts include: Fight Gone Bad, MURPH, Grace, RANDY, and MALTZ. These challenges aren't the typical 5k run/walk you might see in your neighborhood. These are intimidating if you aren't used to some of the movements such as pullups, clean-and-jerks, Sumo Deadlift High-Pulls, or Wall Balls. Everyone knows what a 5k run is. Only a small sliver of the population (probably way less than 1%) knows anything about Fight Gone Bad!!

Here's one of the problems when a newbie asks a CrossFit coach how to prepare for one of these CrossFit-esque events: The coach usually tries to sell the CrossFit package of broad-general-inclusive to the inquirer. Too many CF coaches try to sell GPP to these folks instead of suggesting an EP program!! Why is this a problem?

An event is KNOWN. For example, take the workout called MURPH (Run 1 mile, do 100 pullups, do 200 pushups, do 300 airsquats, run 1 mile) is very known. The participant knows exactly what the challenge consists of and when it is (however Spring 2011 date not announced yet). Doesn't it make sense to include some very specific programming into this person's plan? Hell yes. To most efficiently prepare for MURPH, it makes absolute sense to do pullups, pushups, and air squats -- and even to go as far as keeping the 1-2-3 proportions of repetitions. (click here for a prep plan I posted a few years ago.) Does this develop GPP? No way. Does it more effectively and efficiently prepare the person for MURPH? Yes. It is reasonable to do MURPH-specific training twice per week, and build this training up until the actual event date. Will following the randomized CrossFit.com workouts prepare for MURPH? Sort of. It will obviously get the person more fit, but just not as effectively for a known event. Why the heck would you take a shotgun approach (GPP) when a scoped rifle (SST and EP) is available?

I'm NOT saying to ignore GPP. I believe all people should have some GPP methods in their training. But it should be balanced when sport and event is on the horizon. I grind my heels in with this stance when the person is a beginner. Many veteran functional fitness enthusiasts can do substantially well on events with no SST/EP....but with SST/EP, that same veteran can begin to reach optimal!!

I will be posting some preparation ideas for MALTZ Challenge - Chicago 2011 shortly. But realize why I post the prep plan ahead of time. Some of you die-hard CFters will argue against this specialization. I hope the above argument satisfactorily makes my point as to why SST/EP work is needed, especially by those who aren't functional fitness participants...yet.

Here is a quick summary of the categories of performance-related training:

• GPP: constant or perpetual state of readiness for everything and anything.
• SST: strength and conditioning for a sport's specific movement patterns.
• SDP: learning and near-perfect repetition for neurological adaptations.
• EP: building up to a state of readiness for a specific contest, held at a certain time.

Simply put, study the material that will be on the test!!

EVENT: MALTZ Challenge - Chicago 2011

It's exciting to see a date announced so far in advance. Put in your 2011 calendar:

• Saturday, March 19th, 2011. Beginning at 8am.
• CrossFit Darien, in Woodridge (Chicagoland) Illinois
• $20 donation to the DEA Survivors Benefit Fund.
• Click HERE to make an online donation.

The following is from the CrossFit Darien Facebook event:

Worldwide, the US Drug Enforcement Administration sponsors an annual physical fitness event called "The MALTZ Challenge." The workout is named after a DEA Special Agent's brother, Master Sergeant Michael J Maltz. MSGTt Maltz, a US Air Force pararescue jumper, was killed in 2003 while attempting a rescue of injured and sick children in Afghanistan. The MALTZ Challenge commemorates the lives of not only Michael Maltz, but all of those Americans who fight against evil in the world.

CrossFit Darien (Woodridge, IL) is honored to have been selected as the DEA-Chicago Division host site. The CrossFit functional fitness methodology is a terrific match for this event. www.crossfitdarien.com.

The MALTZ Challenge is:

• Run 400 meters
• Do 50 pullups
• Farmers Walk 200 meters with 50# dumbbells (25# for women)
• Do 50 dips
• Do 100 pushups
• Do 50 hanging knees-to-elbows
• Do 100 situps
• Run 400 meters.

Other options include a "Half MALTZ" (halve the repetition numbers), and scaling alternatives (assisted pullups, knee tucks, assisted pushups, etc). There are endless ways to adjust this event to match yet still challenge your abilities!!

HOW TO TRAIN FOR THIS? A few ideas on how to prepare for this event are posted here. Keep in mind that whether you plan to be competitive or whether you only desire to complete the event, this is no small accomplishment. Give yourself a goal, and stay the path to realizing it!!

For pictures and reviews of past MALTZ Challenge - Chicago events, click here and scroll down through the posts.

For those of you Facebookers, here is the event link. Please share it with others!

REPORT: MALTZ Challenge 2010 (Chicago)

Friday, April 2nd, 2010, was the third annual MALTZ Challenge. It was hosted again by the DEA's Chicago Field Office in Marquette Park. The weather was actually nice for a change. In 2008, we did it in two inches of snow while sleeting. In 2009, the muddy ground made for a mess. (Click here to see previous years' results.) In 2010, the sunshine and temps in the 70s was very welcomed.

"DEA Mike" is the event coordinator in Chicago. Thanks Mike for putting this together again. A great time was had by all.

Again, the MALTZ Challenge commemorates US Air Force PJ Michael Maltz, the brother of a DEA Special Agent...hence the sponsorship by the Administration. The challenge is (in order):

• 400 meter run
• 50 pull ups (alternate form for women)
• 100 meter Fireman's Carry or 200 meter Farmer's Walk with 50 lb dumbbells (25 for women)
• 50 dips
• 100 push ups (50 for women)
• 50 knees - to - elbows
• 100 sit ups
• 400 meter run

Leading the pack, Pat D finished in 36 minutes and change. He left his 29# vest off this year, and finished 9 minutes faster without it.

Mary L is one of only two women who have participated in Chicago over three years. She finished in well under one hour, but not sure exactly of her time. Her "can do" attitude infects the men as they compete.

My time was 47:23...shaving almost 4 minutes from last year, and 15 over the last two years. I'm pretty stoked about that. I'm all about constant and consistent progress. I went in with a good strategy: shorts sets of repetitions to avoid failure/overuse. It seemed to work well for me. Maybe one of these years I'll catch Pat D while he's having bad day, and all the planets are in perfect alignment!!

I am sore as hell this morning. My whole shoulder girdle is tender from all the pullups, dips, and pushups. At least my abs are doing well....so far.

This event is hosted each year in the end of March or beginning of April. Set your sights on participating in 2011. The DEA is working with some local functional fitness gyms to bring the challenge indoors. But then that strips us of our bragging rights about completing in a snowstorm! haha

MALTZ Challenge 2010 - Chicago

On Friday April 2nd, 2010, the DEA Chicago Division Office will hold this event at the same venue as they have in years past: Marquette Park located at the southeast corner of 67th Street and Kedzie Ave, Chicago, IL. We will begin at 10:30 am. Plenty of parking is available within park. Although this can be thought of as a competition, it's truly about pushing oneself and the pride in knowing you simply participated in remembering one America's finest: Master Sergeant Michael Maltz.

• 400 meter run
• 50 pull ups (alternate form for women)
• 100 meter Fireman's Carry or 200 meter Farmer's Walk with 50 lb dumbbells (25 for women)
• 50 dips
• 100 push ups (50 for women)
• 50 knees - to - elbows
• 100 sit ups
• 400 meter run

MALTZ Challenge Chicago - 2009 results

This year's MALTZ Challenge was held in Chicago on Friday, March 13th, 2009. Each March, the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) sponsors a memorial workout through their various field offices across the country. The workout serves as a remembrance event for a Special Agent's brother, Michael Maltz, an Air Force PJ killed in action several years ago. The MALTZ Challenge is:

• Run 400M
• 50 pullups
• 100M fireman's carry
• 50 dips
• 100 pushups
• 50 hanging knees-2-elbows
• 100 situps
• Run 400M
• Rules: No partitioning. Ex: finish all the pullups before moving on....

The Marquette Park (67th/Kedzie) location has both its positives and negatives. There is a running track, dip stations, pullup bars of various heights, and a nice grassy field. It's a great location when the weather is nice. We learned last year that doing pullups and situps in sleet and snow kinda sucks. However, this year the weather cooperated. Except for some muddy puddles that covered ankles during the dips, the 40 degree temperature was ideal!

Here were the highlights:

• Brian M had the fastest time at 36:42. Anyone who knows Brian can surely agree he doesn't short himself on the fullest range of motion on every repetition.
• Pat D did it in 45:19 in FULL TACTICAL ARMOR with PLATES. He's a stud. His vest probably weighs about 30 pounds. (Pat, post the weight if you can throw it on a scale!).
• On a personal note, I shaved 11 minutes from last year. I finished in 51:00. The dips kicked my butt, and I finished the pullups much faster this year.

So... start thinking about next year's MALTZ Challenge Chicago. It's always in mid to late March. Hope to see you out next year!

MALTZ Challenge summary

Seven participants braved the weather in Marquette Park in Chicago's South Side to complete the MALTZ Challenge. The MALTZ is hosted by the US DEA in rememberance for M/SGT Maltz of the USAF who was killed in an in-theater helicopter crash in 2003.

Individual times ranged from 38 to 64 minutes...not too shabby when the 2 inches of snow on the ground, the heavy sleet, and the 22-degree windchill are factored into the event!!!

The event is annually held on the same weekend, the anniversary of Maltz's death. Get prepared for next year's MALTZ.

MALTZ workout - Friday!!!!!!

Reminder that the DEA's MALTZ Memorial Workout is this Friday at Marquette Park in Chicago. 

DEA-Chicago tribute to USAF M/Sgt Maltz

Below is a recent message from a good friend of ours from the US Drug Enforcement Administration. This is another opportunity to keep the memories of those who have sacrificed themselves for our freedoms here in the United States. The event is less than 3 weeks away, so get training. LH

On Friday March 21, 2008 the DEA Chicago Division Office will hold this event at the same venue as we did last year which will be Marquette Park located at southeast corner of 67th Street and Kedzie Ave, Chicago, IL. We will begin at 2:00 p.m. This workout is challenging and is very similar to workouts found from CrossFit. This type of workout is very popular with Special Operations soldiers, SWAT teams, EMS, Fire, and First Responders. It's not how about the person who can run 10 miles without breaking a sweat but can't do a pull up or the guy that can bench 400 lbs but can't run a city block without sucking wind. If you don't normally do this type of work out, I encourage you to try it. You won't be disappointed! If you have friends from other law enforcement agencies, pass this along to them also. Plenty of parking available within park. Although this can be thought of as a competition, it's truly about pushing oneself and the pride knowing you simply participated in remembering one America's finest, Master Sergeant Michael Maltz. If you are interested please respond via email. (Email blocked. Respond with a comment to this blog. LH)

400 meter run
50 pull ups (alternate form for women)
100 meter Fireman's Carry or 200 meter Farmer's Walk with 50 lb dumbbells (25 for women)
50 dips
100 push ups (50 for women)
50 knees - to - elbows
100 sit ups
400 meter run

Thanks,
Mike Carroll
DEA Chicago
Primary Firearms Instructor