Tactical Barbell: Mass Protocol

by K. Black

Tactical Barbell I and II were initially written with a unique population in mind; tactical law enforcement and military special operations/combat-arms. Excessive mass can potentially be detrimental to this group. Every ounce of weight that isn’t contributing to performance is felt tenfold in the field. A high strength-to-weight ratio is key in that arena. That said, Tier 1 & 2 players are a minority in the tactical world. The majority; patrol officers, paramedics, firefighters, corrections and others – can get away with having greater amounts of muscle mass. In most cases it’s an occupational benefit. On the street having a capable-looking physique can be a major psychological advantage. A bad guy’s perception of your abilities can shape his behaviour. As some of you already know, officer presence can affect subject response during any given interaction. Same thing goes for Corrections. Even among inmates, physical presence has an impact on prison hierarchy. The benefits don’t stop there. Muscle mass is functional. It enhances strength through greater leverage and increased force generation. Just ask any weight-class combat athlete. Or take firefighters. Having extra muscle can offset all that heavy gear. Would you rather be 140lbs wearing 75lbs of kit, or a muscled 185? Enter Mass Protocol. This program was developed and refined for the operational professional looking to build muscle and improve function, whatever the reason. Whether you’re a recruit beefing up for that first patrol assignment, or a seasoned UC trying to develop a certain look, Mass Protocol will get you there. Gaining quality muscle mass is a systematic repeatable process that works regardless of who you are or your perceived shortcomings. Mass Protocol is a blueprint. Exercises, loads, reps, sets, calories, macros, – everything is provided. No guess-work required on your part. You trusted us with your strength and conditioning – and we delivered. Now you have the same professional option when it comes to building mass. As always, our mantra is ‘Results Speak’. Regardless of objective, Mass Protocol will be an invaluable addition to your toolbox.

Genres: Fitness, Health, Nonfiction

159 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 22, 2019

About the author

K. Black is the pen name for a twenty year veteran of the military and law enforcement. K.Black's interest in functional fitness came about while serving in various physically demanding units, as an infantryman, paratrooper, operator, and subject matter expert on a federal hostage rescue team.

Reviews

[Sarah Holloman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Everyone, this is not a cry for help. This was a way to love my husband by reading the book he uses to plan our training program. I learned that I am NOT the targeted demographic that the author wrote the book for 😂

[Sil · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked up this book after seeing it frequently recommended on Reddit for those interested in hybrid training. The dedicated subreddit, r/tacticalbarbell, further piqued my interest. While training for a marathon, I wanted to incorporate more military-style training, and this book seemed like a valuable resource.

Before reading this, I had already gone through Tactical Barbell: Definitive Strength Training for the Operational Athlete, which I highly recommend reading first. This book serves as a follow-up, with a stronger emphasis on hypertrophy training rather than foundational strength.

I found Tactical Barbell: Definitive Strength Training for the Operational Athlete particularly useful, especially for someone with prior lifting experience. It simplifies programming in a way that removes much of the guesswork, making it easy to apply. The widespread positive feedback online further suggests that the methodology is effective. I’ll be updating this review in five months to reflect my progress and results.

That said, I had mixed feelings while reading this book. I don’t think the content fully justifies a standalone book, as much of it could have been incorporated into the first one—some of it already is. The book suggests using rep ranges mostly between 3-8 for the "base building" phase, followed by several weeks of either a hybrid approach (half strength, half hypertrophy) or purely hypertrophy-focused training.

However, I find the recommended rep ranges for the base-building phase somewhat low. While the overall structure offers a refreshing take on programming, it isn’t well-argued why this approach would be superior to a more common method—starting with compound strength exercises followed by isolation work for hypertrophy. The book presents its system as definitive, but I believe additional research is always beneficial, as some of its claims may be outdated or one-sided.

Overall, it’s a decent starting point with a simple, no-nonsense approach to hybrid training. The author clearly has extensive experience in military-style strength training, and if that’s what you’re looking for, this book is a solid choice. However, if your primary goal is building muscle(alongside conditioning), there are in my opinion better books and more qualified experts to follow.

[Tibor · Rating 5 out of 5]

The books Tactical Barbell I and II were initially written to efficiently combine strength training and conditioning for Operational Athletes. This is a difficult endeavour and even more so when you want to focus on additional hypertrophy training to build quality muscle mass.

Enter MASS Protocol. An invaluable book for athletes looking to build muscle mass while keeping up their current conditioning levels. KB lays out different (completely new) strength and hypertrophy templates and explains how you can combine them with various conditioning sessions. Don't worry about the thinking part. There are complete programs included!

This is technically not a required read if you're currently running the regular templates or simply not interested in hypertrophy training. However, I immensely enjoyed the book and there were a few nuggets throughout the book that I will certainly be able to apply in my own programming. Well worth the read!

[Daniel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love the simple writing style even though it's a bit repetitive at times (literally duplicate text for the same concept that was already explained).

Honestly, I didn't learn many new things but it's a great book nevertheless because it strips away all the complexity and tells it how it is. In my case, I'm the type who struggles with eating enough and that's probably the main reason why I didn't gain significant lean body mass when looking at my training experience (plus some injuries/setbacks).

You can blaze through this book in about 2 hours or so and I definitely feel motivated to at least try it for a while. I'm most conflicted about the diet because it's so typically meat heavy and I made a big effort to reduce my meat+fish intake a few years back. Let's see...

[Ahmed Hussein · Rating 5 out of 5]

Informative, precise and straight to the point

This is the first book I've read out of TB series and I feel it's a must read and try for anyone looking for getting a stronger looking shape.
It gets into the details and numbers right away. Calculating macros, program templates, rest durations, deload weeks and how it fits in a cycle of strength/hypertrophy training that you can use for the rest of your life.
The balance between the details and the flexibility of choosing training templates and blocks is amazing. Gives you enough freedom, yet protects you from messing up your progress and makes your training decisions much more informed.

[Yevgeniy Brikman · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the third book in the Tactical Barbell Series, and whereas the first two books are written for operators who need to keep weight to a minimum (e.g., special ops), this book is a guide for the many other tactical professions where some extra muscle mass is acceptable or even beneficial (e.g., police officers). In other words, this is a guide to hypertrophy for athletes who also need to maintain high levels of other types of fitness (unlike bodybuilders, who can focus solely on hypertrophy).

Read my full review here: https://www.ybrikman.com/blog/2026/01...

[. · Rating 1 out of 5]

The worst strength training book that I ever read. The whole content of a book is not more than a mid-sized article. Its funny that author wrote 3 book on this topic.

You can find a lot better info online for free. Also there are great books on this topic. So if you prefer printed book just look elsewhere.

[Stefany Loren · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love it 🤩

I've read and used TB I and II; now I'm gonna try this one. As the other books, this one is well structured, precise and cover almost all the details without getting bored or excessive.

[Jarred · Rating 4 out of 5]

How I wish, I had read this when I started lifting, I could've saved more time and setbacks. Even though my fitness goals are not inclined toward hypertrophy anymore, the approach of this protocol provides me a good framework if I ever venture towards gaining more mass in the future.

[Sturla · Rating 4 out of 5]

An easy read, butnot for saturdays. Program itself is great.

[Ryley Dumas · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5