My 45lb Plate Workout | Prepare Your Body For The X

Prepare your body for the X? What the hell is this guy talking about?

In the military community, especially special operations, you’ll commonly hear the phrase ‘get off the X.’ The X represents ground zero when engaged in combat or a fight for your life. In the military, we were trained to do whatever it took to get off the X quickly to reduce the chance of casualties and injury. However, while you’re on the X, your body needs to deal with the stress and chaos of the moment. You may need to navigate obstacles with 60+ pounds of gear, carry a wounded brother, or traverse an unknown distance to get to safety.

Outside of the military, you can think of the X as a street fight, home invasion, or active shooter situation. No matter the situation, your body needs to have the strength and stamina to deal with it, create space, and break contact (aka run). With strength comes confidence, which may be just enough to get you through. The purpose of this workout and some of the other routines I perform are self-preservation, longevity, and having the strength and capability to kick someone’s ass if they attempt to harm myself or those around me.

The 45lb Plate Workout

• 10 Standing overhead press
• 10 Standing bicep curls
• 10 Around the World
• 25 Push-ups
• 10 bent-over rows per arm

Repeat this 3 to 5 times

Once I’ve run through the above routine, I finish it off with some dips and core exercises. Dips are a great compound exercise as they work the shoulders, chest, and triceps.

• 15 bar dips
• 15 bench dips
• –10-second rest–
• 10 bar dips
• 10 bench dips
• –10-second rest–
• 5 bar dips
• 5 bench dips

End the workout with 100 reps of your favorite ab finisher. For me, that is flutter kicks and a 1-minute plank.

*A bonus of being physically fit is improved reaction times when shooting.