Tacfit 26 is a unique program by Scott Sonnon with an emphasis on safety and time efficiency. Each of the 26 intense workouts is over in 20 minutes and all are designed in four different levels of intensity to get you fit without injury.
Created for law enforcement and special forces that need to be action-ready and injury-free 24/7, this protocol comes in very handy for regular guys who want a gym-free and minimalist program.
Tacfit 26 can be implemented with old-school tools like kettlebells, clubbells, gymnastic rings or straps, medicine balls, monkey bars, sandbags, and parallel bars, which you can use for swipes, throwing, swinging, pulling, and pressing.
However, the plan can also be done bodyweight-only with zero gear.
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Who Is It For?
This program was created with the idea to restore functional strength, stamina, and mobility for action readiness and improve fitness with the help of basic tools, in contrast to modern-style gym machines that constrain your movements and promote injury over a long time through artificial movement patterns.
It is, therefore, suitable for those seeking to improve a wide range of fitness skills for enhanced, real-life performance, not just strength, muscle building, or fat loss, but also flexibility, mobility, coordination, and injury prevention.
Tacfit 26 is a very varied program with a ton of workouts and information. This is the second, updated version of the program that was originally created a few years ago, and here you will find how this program of the Tacfit range works.
Tacfit 26 is quite different from Tacfit Warrior, Tacfit Commando, or Six Degree Flow because it was created for total training variety with multiple tools as the key to functional fitness.
In order to achieve variety, Tacfit 26 workouts are designed to be performed with a vast array of traditional gear like clubbells, kettlebells, rings, and so on.
Strictly speaking, in its default layout, it is not a “pure” calisthenic protocol because all body movements are performed with the addition of simple tools that you need to get hold of.
However, it is also flexible because the author made it possible to do your routines with a bodyweight-only alternative regimen called Primal Stress included in the program for those without gear at all, or for those who prefer it that way.
Law Enforcement Background
This program is part of the Tacfit range, which was born out of the need to provide a professional blueprint for special forces that would satisfy federal government requirements.
The most important factor is that Tacfit protocols proved very effective not just for conditioning but also for preventing injury, very important for military or armed forces who cannot afford to be out of action.
For the regular guy, this translates into a program that is not just effective for performance, but also healthy and safe, allowing for his fitness levels to be maintained and increased while undisturbed by setbacks, injury, and pains.
Tacfit 26 Variety
Variety is the name of the game for this plan. There are so many workouts for so many fitness levels to leave your head spinning. But it is not confusing, there are structure and a method in Tacfit 26.
For a start, the 26 different workouts are called after the letters in the NATO alphabet from Alpha to Zulu, a clear nod to the military origin of this blueprint.
There is an assessment test called “Qual” you need to pass to determine your level of fitness first. Depending on the result, you can choose from four different levels of intensity for each workout.
In turn, the fitness levels are named after the Greek alphabet: Alpha level is the top one, Beta is for those already conditioned, Gamma for those still conditioning, and Delta for the beginners.
However, these levels are not set in stone, and you can switch back and forth in intensity as you progress. This means that even when you are advanced you can always go back to easier routines.
Tacfit 26 is professional and well thought of, you can see this from the attention given to warm up and cool down around the workouts.
This is an often overlooked part of many programs, but here is thoroughly covered precisely because this program was created with tactical personnel in mind who needs to be as fit as possible and ready for action while injury-free, a quality that can only be guaranteed by NOT skipping on warm-ups and cool-downs.
Time Efficient Workouts
The workouts are over in 20 minutes. They can be worked up and down in intensity across the four levels of fitness, with different gear, like a kettlebell or a clubbell.
It that it’s too much gear, you can switch over to the Primal Stress bodyweight protocol. In any case, all the workouts are preceded and followed by mobility and compensation parts, a fancy way to describe warm-ups and cool-downs.
Mobility and compensation are paramount in this program as they are in place to prevent injury since the program was designed for elite commandos.
This way you can keep fit and increase your performance in a sustainable way. Tacfit 26 provides good quality videos, charts, and journals to keep track of your progress.
You can also use the blueprint as an add-on to your existing training plan, however, the training method is demanding enough to be carried over on its own and for some, it may be too much to handle in conjunction with another program.
According to Scott Sonnon, there is a reason why the workouts are limited to 20 minutes because beyond that time frame you enter into a diminishing return spiral and you may end up not just wasting your time but even hindering progression.
According to Scott, you only have a 20-minute “anabolic window” to take advantage of. This may be up to debate as to what the ideal workout time frame should be, as it can vary wildly depending on factors like your personal fitness levels, age, gender, and lifestyle.
However, a 20-minute time frame is certainly a reasonable and realistic workout duration that balances both personal free time and adequate workout volume for most. You can then vary the intensity within this time frame to suit your conditioning levels and goals.
Gear Needed
While the program is designed to be a change to the glitter and glamour of today’s gym multinational corporations with all their top range machines and state-of-the-art facilities and a return to more wholesome workouts, you still need equipment to be able to do it.
If you really want to dig down to everything that the program has to offer, you are supposed to get hold of a lot of gear, and quite unusual for many.
You need one kettlebell for overhead pressing, a medicine ball for throwing, one clubbell for swinging, rings for pulling as well as a sandbag, parallettes and a bar.
That’s quite a lot of varied gear. Some of this equipment is portable, like rings and parallettes, others like kettlebells are just too heavy to be transported around.
Also, you may need to get a new, heavier kettlebell or clubbell down the line as you get stronger, resulting in more equipment and expenses later on.
So while you do not need a traditional set of a barbell with plates, dumbbells, and a bench, or a home gym, you still end up having to buy other gear.
That is unless you want to follow the bodyweight-only part of the program, but in that case, there are also pure bodyweight programs out there, some from Scott himself, like Tacfit Warrior, Tacfit Commando, or Six Degree Flow, and many others to consider.
The bottom line is that it’s a matter of personal choice. If you like the different stimuli that clubbells, kettlebells, sandbags, and the likes give to your workouts in terms of performance and well-being, go for it. If not, there are other options available.
Tacfit 26 Benefits
The main benefit of Tacfit 26 is that it is a professional program born out of the needs of real commandos and defense personnel.
This translates into a priority to get the trainee as fit as possible in the shortest possible time and most importantly injury-free, that is ready for action 24/7.
For a regular guy, this means the ability to get fit, flexible, resilient, and strong in a sustainable way, without setbacks and disappointments down the line.
This is why warm-ups and cool-downs are so important in this program. They have been tried and tested to be very effective for professionals, having had to pass federal government tests.
Another major benefit is that it is quite simply a different plan. In its default layout, it is not a regular strength training protocol that makes use of barbells and dumbbells, neither is it a pure calisthenics plan.
This may appeal to those who want to achieve flexibility, stamina, strength, and an injury-free physique with more old school, military kind of gear.
How Does Tacfit 26 Compare To Other Plans?
Tacfit 26 does not really compare to many other plans out there. It is a unique blend of bodyweight movements performed with different equipment.
As such, it is neither a pure calisthenic plan nor a traditional strength protocol. It is a combination of the two with a focus on peak performance, conditioning, flexibility, mobility, and injury prevention.
The plan has been tried and tested for people in the defense, commando business where errors or ineffectiveness are not an option, so everything that is in it, is there for a reason, as it is the net result of years of experience and unique knowledge of Scott Sonnon.
Who Is Scott Sonnon?
Scott Sonnon needs no introduction. He must be one of the most qualified coaches, martial art champions, special forces trainers, and fitness experts on the planet.
His credentials have been built over many years of dedication to fitness, defense, and bodyweight training through a career that saw him travel the world to coach in 22 different countries.
Aside from special forces and law enforcement agencies across the world, he also takes the time to offer his expertise to regular guys and gals with the creation of high-quality training programs like Tacfit Warrior (reviewed here), Tacfit Commando, Six Degree Flow (reviewed here) or Primal Stress.
While highly successful today, Scott Sonnon’s life was not always a walk in the park. He had to overcome many hurdles along the way which he managed to overcome with discipline and determination.
Today he runs the global brand producing highly-targeted classes and workshops for self-defense and fitness as well as quality programs for everyone, mostly calisthenic plans for functional strength, endurance, and flexibility, not bodybuilding.
The bottom line is that Scott Sonnon is super-qualified in fitness, conditioning, training, and coaching like very few others you may come across.
Tacfit 26 Program Contents
It is not an understatement to say this is a gigantic program. It ain’t no cheap, but you really get a lot of top-quality content. The program is digital, meaning you get access immediately on your computer or smartphone without having to wait for delivery.
There are 8 manuals and 5 video libraries in it. The standard program consists of 7 manuals and 4 video libraries, with one extra manual and one more video library for the Primal Stress bodyweight-only version of the program. Here is a quick breakdown.
Main Program
Tacfit 26 Start-Up Guide
Tacfit 26 Flip Chart
Tacfit 26 Exercise Manual
Tacfit 26 Qualification Manual
Tacfit 26 Mobility Manual
Tacfit 26 Compensation Manual
Tacfit 26 Daily Journals
Tacfit 26 Compensation Video Folder
Tacfit 26 Mobility Video Folder
Tacfit 26 Exercise Video Folder
Tacfit 26 Qual Video Folder
Primal Stress Bodyweight Alternative
Primal Stress Bodyweight Alternative Program Guide
Primal Stress Bodyweight Alternative Program Video
The Bottom Line
Tacfit 26 is an unusual but very effective training protocol specifically designed to get as fit as possible with short, high intensity, and varied workouts that make use of retro-style equipment.
The workouts have a military, commando-style background, thus they prioritize injury prevention, aside from resilience and functional strength, in order to be in peak condition all the time.
While the Alpha and Beta intensity levels are for advanced and professional guys, the Gamma and Delta levels also provide a complete workout opportunity for beginners and intermediates.
Tacfit 26 is a high-quality plan with a ton of materials in order to provide as much variety as possible, the key to sustainable fitness and injury prevention.
It is well put together and the result of the lifetime experience and knowledge of a leading authority in tactical workouts.
However, due to the unusual equipment required for the standard program and the very demanding workout routines of the high-intensity levels, it may not be suitable for everyone.
My name is Jay Fielding. I gained an interest in fitness since I was a child, and eventually developed my passion into a career path. I am now a Certified Personal Trainer with a natural ability to program customized body recomposition and motivate people in achieving their goals, be it gaining muscle or losing fat.
