What Combat Training Taught Me About Fitness

By Jon Klipstein, U.S. Army Combat Veteran & Founder of Die Tryin Co.

Science reviewed by Onur Oncer, BS Physiology (Phi Beta Kappa) and peer-reviewed published researcher.

THE DRILLS THAT DIDN'T MAKE SENSE, UNTIL THEY DID

I'll admit it. When I was a young Soldier, a lot of the physical tasks we had to do in training seemed unnecessary. Dragging a 200-lb dummy under barbed wire. Hauling a rucksack that felt heavier than I did. Sprinting in full gear in the middle of the night. At the time I thought, how does any of this apply to real life?

Then it came time for combat, and those "unnecessary" drills saved lives. Every task, as grueling as it was, prepared us for the real thing. Here are three of them, and exactly what each one taught me about training, that you can use in the gym starting today.

1. DRAGGING A 200-LB DUMMY THROUGH THE MUD

At the time, I thought it was busy work, or that the command just wanted to watch us suffer. But it built functional strength and endurance, the kind I relied on in Afghanistan. Real strength is not about looking good in a mirror. It is about being able to move a load when it counts.

Your gym lesson: Train for functional strength, not just aesthetics. Build your program around compound lifts, deadlifts, squats, presses, and rows, that teach your whole body to work as one unit and produce real-world power. If you want the rule that turns those lifts into progress over time, read progressive overload.

2. RUCKING 24 MILES

I'll never forget the blisters, the bloodied feet, the aching back from those long marches. I hated every step. But when missions demanded that we move fast and carry gear, I understood why we trained that way. Those rucks pushed you past the point of quitting, past the voice in your head begging you to stop, and forced your body to keep moving anyway.

Your gym lesson: Endurance, and the willingness to keep going, is what separates people. Past a certain point, training is more mental than physical. Learning to push past that wall is where the real growth lives.

Fuel the work: grueling sessions break your body down, and protein is what rebuilds it. The ISSN position stand on protein puts the target at roughly 1.4 to 2.0 grams per kilogram of body weight per day to build and maintain muscle. That is exactly why we built Post Iso, 24g of clean whey isolate to help you hit that target and recover when your body is wrecked.

3. SPRINTING IN FULL GEAR

Sprinting in boots with 50 pounds of gear felt ridiculous. "This cannot be good for my knees. Why are we doing this?" Then you find yourself running for cover and every second counts. Those sprints were not about speed. They trained me to focus under stress, to silence the little voice screaming at me to stop, and to be ready for whatever came next.

Your gym lesson: Discomfort is the point. That burning, want-to-quit feeling is exactly where muscle, character, and willpower get built. Nothing worth having is easy, and the only way to reach a real goal is to push a little harder today than you did yesterday. If you struggle with the voice that wants you to quit, we wrote a whole piece on it: don't let the inner bitch take over.

PREPARATION BEATS PANIC

If the military taught me one thing, it is that preparation beats panic, every single time. The same is true in the gym. Every rep, every set, every session you don't feel like doing is preparation, building a body and a mindset that can handle whatever life throws at you.

Training with purpose means getting the fundamentals right: a dialed-in diet, real hydration, enough sleep, and the few supplements that actually earn their place. I leaned on creatine and quality protein long before I founded this company, and the research backs why. The ISSN position stand on creatine shows that creatine monohydrate improves high-intensity performance and supports recovery, and that it is safe and well-tolerated. That is the standard we built our Creatine and Post Iso to meet: real doses, third-party tested, no fairy dust.

And if you served, know that training can carry more weight than gains. We went deeper on that, with real resources, in training and mental health.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

What is functional strength training?

Training that builds usable, real-world power, not just appearance. It centers on compound movements like deadlifts, squats, presses, and rows that train multiple muscle groups to work together, the way your body actually moves under load.

Does creatine actually help performance?

Yes. Research suggests creatine monohydrate increases high-intensity exercise performance and can support recovery, and it is one of the most studied, safest supplements available. A daily 5g dose keeps your muscles saturated.

How much protein do I need to build muscle?

Research points to roughly 1.4 to 2.0 grams per kilogram of body weight per day for most people building or maintaining muscle. A fast-digesting whey isolate like Post Iso makes hitting that target simple on hard training days.

How do I push past mental limits in training?

Start by expecting the discomfort instead of fearing it. Set a goal just past where you'd normally quit, and treat that last hard rep as the one that counts. The wall is mental long before it's physical, and crossing it is a skill you build rep by rep.

Do I need military-style training to get results?

No. The lesson isn't to train like a Soldier, it's to train with intention, consistency, and a willingness to be uncomfortable. Those principles work for anyone, at any level.

READY TO GEAR UP?

Train with purpose, and back the work with the basics that actually move the needle. Real doses of real ingredients, built to combat-vet standards:

• Post Iso — 24g clean whey isolate to rebuild after grueling sessions.
• Creatine — 5g micronized monohydrate, the most research-backed strength supplement there is.
• Take the quiz — not sure where to start? We'll match you to the right stack.

P.S. In combat, training wasn't optional. It was survival. In the gym, it's how you thrive. Start today.

ALWAYS FORWARD.