Any you would recommend? I was attracted to PTTP because it emphasized training the nervous system and not packing on muscle. I also thought that the low volume high frequency approach would be a good pair with the military lifestyle where I'll be active.
For what I would recommend - how strong are you? How long have you been lifting? What are you actually trying accomplish?
A very simple (and classic, and flexible) setup is Squat-Push-Pull - no purchase necessary, some assembly required. This can be made to made to work in a wide variety of circumstances, which I think is going to help you succeed.
| Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 |
| Squat - Main Movement | Squat - Alternate Movement | Squat - Alternate Movement |
| Press - Alternate Movement | Press - Main Movement | Press - Alternate Movement |
| Pull - Alternate Movement | Pull - Alternate Movement | Pull - Main Movement |
Main can be barbell-based. Alternates aren't. Pick 1 main and 1-2 alternates for each movement category. Squat, Trap Bar Deadlift, Bench, and Press are excellent mains; DB stiff leg deadlifts, DB Incline Bench, DB Incline Row, and DB Goblet Squats are excellent alternates. Dips and pull-ups can be used if you can do sets of more than 5. Focus on good reps. Be progressive - add weight, or sets, or reps gradually. There's a lot of progression schemes out there. I like the double progression model; here are three ways to run that. You can do that with a single top set (e.g. I did 5 reps with 225, I stick with that week to week until I can do 9 or 10 reps with 225, then I'll add weight and repeat) or a more volumized-version - e.g. I did 3x5 with 225, each week I try to do more reps until I can do 3x8, then add weight and repeat - or even more volume - e.g. first grow 3 sets into 5 sets, then grow sets of 5 into sets of 8, then add weight.
For the alternate movements I like dumbbells and growing them from 3x8 to 5x12 and then going to the next size of dumbbells and starting back over with 3x8.
For main movements I like the single top set approach, or if I do three sets, the first two are sets of 5 and the third set is the only one I rep out (so it would start out as 3x5, and I'd add 10lbs when I got 5, 5, 10).
If you are doing a ton of group PT/FTXs/running/rucking cut it down to 2 days a week and cut out the barbell squat. I know you want to squat. That's great. Too much barbell squatting really got in the way for me, so I'd cut that out first. You might not need to, but that's my recc.
A good plan is largely dependent on how experienced you are with the squat/bench/deadlift, what group PT you are required to do, what job stresses you're going to be dealing with (such as long FTXs), and what other training you are doing outside (I mountain biked on weekends, played flag football, etc.). The more running and rucking you have to do, or the more often you're doing field training exercises that impact training, or the more physically stressful your job is, the more you have to adapt your training. A high-frequency plan like PTTP would NOT be one I would recommend out the gate when you're also adding in company PT and a physically demanding job. A flexible plan is more advisable than a rigid plan.
It also depends on what your actual goal(s) is(are), how often you take your ACFT, and how easy (or hard) the events are for you (and how easy/hard it is for your to score acceptably for your unit/job)...
Be prepared to adapt based on your unit PT.
For general training, there are a lot of good basic plans out there. Jim Wendler has good ones, Barbell Medicine has good ones. Faleev is a good one. Reg Park 5x5 is a classic. Mike Mahler has a good Kettlebell/Barbell Fusion. There's a book called FIT by Lon Kilgore that's good - if you really want to start expanding your understanding of training, buy FIT and start reading through it. The list goes on. There are TONS of programs out there that combine a squat, a deadlift, and a bench!
If after all this you're deadset on PTTP, use a full zercher lift instead of trying to do both a squat and a deadlift.
Packing on muscle is largely due to diet. If you're eating at or below maintenance, you won't gain much muscle. If you're a beginner, you may still see some muscle gain, but if you start seeing that weight tick up ... start eating less - or start running more. Or maybe stop blaming the weights and start blaming all that alcohol...
Depending on your job and your size, maxing out your height/weight while staying relatively lean (12-15%BF) could actually be a good idea and help (I'm thinking of all my 240B gunners and my 11 charlies out there), provided you aren't also risking failing height/weight or your ACFT. If it becomes an issue, switch to 3s and 5s. (e.g. double progression model start with 3x3, grow to 5x3, then grow to 5x5, then restart).
If you decide to run a setup like I laid out and have any questions feel free to reach out after basic etc.
