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Dr. Dave Walton from TF Voodoo joins Aaron and Peaches to break down how to actually train for rucking without wrecking your body.
Dave is a retired Green Beret, doctor, rucking coach, and the brain behind TF Voodoo. In this episode, he explains why most people train for rucking wrong, why “just ruck more” is one of the fastest ways to get injured, and how to build real load carriage performance through Zone 2 cardio, strength training, progressive ruck programming, foot care, boot selection, sock selection, posture, breathing, pacing, and misery management.
This episode is especially important for anyone preparing for Air Force Special Warfare, Special Forces Assessment and Selection, military selection courses, long rucks, heavy rucks, or tactical load carriage events.
Dave lays out what candidates should do months before a ruck, how to build a base before adding load, why short intense rucks beat long junk-mile rucks, how to manage blisters, what to eat and drink before and during a ruck, and how to survive if you have a hard ruck coming up with limited time to prepare.
Find Dave and TF Voodoo:
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Chapters:
00:00 - Ones Ready Intro
01:05 - Tasty Gains and Modern Athlete Strength Systems
03:11 - Welcome Dr. Dave Walton from TF Voodoo
03:30 - Dave’s Background in Rucking and Special Forces
04:00 - Why “Just Ruck More” Is Terrible Advice
05:00 - The Three Parts of Rucking Performance
05:53 - Fitness, Technique, and Misery Management
06:39 - Start With Zone 2 Running Before Rucking
07:30 - Why Zone 2 Builds the Engine
08:55 - Build to 90 Minutes of Zone 2
09:14 - Why Zone 2 Is Boring but Necessary
10:00 - Strength Training for Rucking
10:55 - Bench Press and Squat Standards
11:30 - Upper Body and Lower Body Strength for Load Carriage
13:00 - When to Start Actual Rucking
13:30 - Field-Based Progressive Load Carriage
14:28 - How Often Should You Ruck?
15:00 - Start With 10 Percent of Body Weight
15:56 - Short Intense Rucks Beat Long Junk Miles
16:50 - Why Long Rucks Increase Injury Risk
18:22 - Shut Up and Ruck and TF Voodoo Resources
19:20 - Load Carriage Training Circulars
20:00 - Foot Care for Tactical Athletes
20:46 - Dave Does Not Have a Foot Fetish
21:20 - Skin, Boots, Socks, and Insoles
22:12 - Old Boots vs. Modern Rucking Boots
23:00 - Heat, Friction, Moisture, and Blister Formation
24:00 - Finding the Right Sock and Boot Combination
25:00 - Foot Conditioning Takes Time
26:00 - Mobility Screening and Ankle Mobility
26:55 - Taylor Starch Is Somewhere Punching the Air
27:30 - Flexibility vs. Mobility
28:00 - Ruck Selection and Frame Use
29:00 - Posture Under a Ruck
29:30 - Strength Exercises That Actually Matter
30:00 - Six Main Lifts for Tactical Athletes
31:25 - Functional Strength vs. Bodybuilding
32:30 - Shoulders Back and Down
33:15 - Head Up and Eyes on the Horizon
34:15 - Breathing Under Load
35:00 - Leaning From the Ankles
36:00 - Walking Fast vs. Running With a Ruck
37:00 - The Ruck Shuffle
38:21 - Misery Management and Strap Adjustment
39:30 - Hip Belt, Waist Belt, and Load Transfer
40:43 - Why You Should Use the Hip Belt
42:02 - How to Find Your Iliac Crest
42:30 - Sternum Strap and Shoulder Strap Management
44:00 - Why Ruck Setup Is Individual
44:44 - Unit Ruck Training and Avoiding Injuries
46:22 - Free TF Voodoo Training Circulars
47:00 - What to Do If You Have a Ruck Tomorrow
47:30 - Hydration, Fueling, and Carbs
48:30 - Nerd Clusters and Snickers for Ruck Fuel
49:30 - How Much Water to Drink During a Ruck
50:39 - Fueling During a Zulu Course Refire
51:23 - Eat and Drink Before You Think You Need It
51:45 - Warm Up Before the Ruck
52:20 - Cadence and 180 Beats Per Minute
53:15 - Music, Pacing, and Ruck Rhythm
55:34 - Liner Socks, KT Tape, and Hot Spots
56:30 - Why Duct Tape Is a Bad Idea
57:47 - Taping Feet Before Blisters
58:23 - Moleskin, Donuts, and Blister Management
01:01:16 - Boot Lacing for Hot Spots
01:02:20 - Packing the Ruck Correctly
01:03:20 - Mental Prep and Not Quitting
01:04:10 - Ruck Pacing Strategy
01:04:37 - Don’t Start Too Fast
01:05:00 - Physiological Sigh and Breathing Reset
01:07:00 - Arm Swing and Maintaining Pace
01:08:30 - Shuffle, Fast Walk, and When Not to Run
01:10:21 - Why Stopping Can Break Momentum
01:10:55 - Final Thoughts from Dave
01:11:41 - TF Voodoo Resources and Rucking Handbook
01:12:40 - Closing
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Aaron jumps on solo for a serious episode about the reported Air Force Special Warfare Zulu course ruck event, why it matters, and what candidates need to understand right now.
This episode focuses on reports of a heavy evaluated ruck in the Zulu course, including a 10-mile ruck with roughly 100+ pounds, a 15-minute pace standard, full uniform and equipment requirements, Texas heat and humidity, medical concerns, heat casualties, and the larger question of whether the event is operationally valid, properly risk-managed, and appropriately messaged to candidates before they arrive.
Aaron also talks directly to future Air Force Special Warfare candidates: if this event exists in the pipeline, you need to prepare differently. Running still matters, but rucking, foot conditioning, equipment setup, hydration, recovery, pacing, boots, socks, and load management now matter even more.
This is not about making the pipeline easy. This is about standards, safety, professionalism, validated training, instructor accountability, and making sure candidates are prepared for the events they are actually going to face.
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Chapters:
00:00 - Ones Ready Intro
01:00 - Aaron Opens With a Serious Message
01:30 - The Problem With the Zulu Course
02:00 - Why Ones Ready Initially Supported Zulu
02:58 - Calling Out a Failure at Chapman Training Annex
03:30 - Messages From Parents, Students, and Sources
04:10 - Don’t Call Peaches, Talk to Aaron
05:00 - Accountability for Leadership and Instructors
06:00 - The Reported Zulu Ruck Standard
06:45 - OFT and SOCOM Ruck Standards Compared
07:47 - Block Two and Block Four Ruck Progression
08:30 - Why Ones Ready Is Speaking Up
09:15 - Helping Candidates When Official Messaging Fails
10:12 - Is This Event Operationally Valid?
11:00 - What Requirement Does This Ruck Actually Test?
12:00 - Could the Instructors Pass Their Own Event?
13:00 - Testing Events Before Students Do Them
14:54 - Weather, Heat, and Texas Conditions
16:00 - Instructor Responsibility and Professional Standards
17:18 - Aaron Challenges Instructors to Prove Him Wrong
18:00 - Candidate Warning: Your Ruck Volume Is Not High Enough
18:45 - Rucking, Foot Conditioning, and Equipment Setup
19:45 - What Candidates Need to Know About the Practice Ruck
21:00 - Why the Practice Ruck Matters
22:11 - The Human Performance Problem
23:00 - Take the Practice Ruck Seriously
24:00 - Straps, Socks, Boots, and Load Management
25:30 - The Evaluated Ruck Event
26:51 - Texas Heat, Humidity, and Full Uniform Concerns
28:30 - Reported Heat Casualties and Medical Coverage Issues
30:00 - Was the Event Worth the Risk?
31:31 - Aaron’s Open Challenge to the Training Wing
32:15 - Medical Planning and Heat Injury Concerns
33:00 - Refire Numbers and Course Attrition Concerns
33:56 - When Someone Should Have Called Knock It Off
35:00 - Safety Calls, Training Events, and Instructor Judgment
36:17 - Training Deaths and Why This Matters
37:00 - Safety Concerns Should Never Be Shamed
39:00 - Respecting Knock-It-Off Calls
40:15 - Candidates Must Hydrate and Recover Aggressively
41:01 - No More Trash Recovery Habits
42:15 - Refire Ruck and San Antonio Forecast
43:22 - Heat Index and Refire Conditions
45:00 - Why This Standard Does Not Match the Rest of the Force
45:51 - What a Better Heavy Ruck Event Could Look Like
47:00 - Ones Ready Supported Zulu, But This Has to Change
48:14 - Accountability If Students Were Hospitalized
49:00 - Why This Episode Had to Happen
50:00 - Final Message to Instructors and Candidates
50:42 - Sponsors and Closing
Support the show
Join this channel to get access to perks: HERE

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Register for our Operator Training Summit:  OperatorTrainingSummit.com
Find an Air Force Recruiter: AirForce.com

Collabs:
Ones Ready - OnesReady.com
18A Fitness - Promo Code:  ONESREADY
ATACLete - Follow the URL (no promo code):  ATACLete
Danger Close Apparel - Promo Code:  ONESREADY
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This solo episode with Trent gets real fast. No hype. No fake motivation. Just an honest conversation about why people walk away from Air Force Special Warfare—and why some still choose the hard path anyway.
Trent breaks down something most instructors don’t talk about enough: at some point during training, candidates realize the logical choice is probably to quit. The conventional military path offers stability, comfort, family time, better work-life balance, and way less risk. Meanwhile, special operations asks you to willingly move closer to danger… over and over again. 
From his time as a United States Air Force Special Operations Weather Team operator and instructor, Trent explains the exact moment many students see the reality of the job—and why the math simply doesn’t make sense on paper.
But then he digs into the other side of it: brotherhood, purpose, sacrifice, and the unexplainable pull toward doing something bigger than comfort.
Bottom line: logic might tell you to quit… but purpose is what keeps certain people moving toward the edge anyway.
⏱️ Timestamps:
00:00 Purpose Over Motivation
 01:00 Why This Episode Matters
 02:00 America Is More Comfortable Than Ever
 03:00 Why Special Warfare Doesn’t Make Logical Sense
 04:00 The “Juice Isn’t Worth the Squeeze” Moment
 05:00 What Students Realize During the Pipeline
 06:00 The Reality of Risk & Sacrifice
 07:00 Why Conventional Military Life Looks Appealing
 08:00 The Pull Toward Comfort & Stability
 09:00 Trent’s Experience in Conventional Weather
 10:00 The Temptation to Stay Comfortable
 11:00 Why He Still Volunteered Anyway
 12:00 Replacing a Guy Who Got Shot
 13:00 Seeing the Risk Become Real
 14:00 Why Logic Tells You to Quit
 15:00 What Money Can’t Buy
 16:00 Brotherhood & Living Closer to the Edge
 17:00 The Value of Shared Sacrifice
 18:00 Why Some People Keep Going
 19:00 Final Thoughts
🎯 Call-to-Actions:
👍 Like if this one hit home
 🔔 Subscribe for honest conversations about Special Warfare
 💬 Comment—have you ever faced a moment where comfort fought against purpose?
 🌟 Leave a review if you value real talk
 🪖 Join the Ones Ready Membership
 👕 Check out onesready.com for merch
 💥 Share this with somebody preparing for the pipeline
Support the show
Join this channel to get access to perks: HERE

Buzzsprout Subscription page:  HERE
Register for our Operator Training Summit:  OperatorTrainingSummit.com
Find an Air Force Recruiter: AirForce.com

Collabs:
Ones Ready - OnesReady.com
18A Fitness - Promo Code:  ONESREADY
ATACLete - Follow the URL (no promo code):  ATACLete
Danger Close Apparel - Promo Code:  ONESREADY
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No crew. No guardrails. Just Aaron on a members-only mic doing what he does best—thinking out loud and lighting fires. This episode is an end-of-year wrap that turns into a manifesto: why fitness is a moral obligation, why “peaceful” without capability is a lie, and how attribute-based selection actually works when the slogans stop. Aaron breaks down why OTS waited, why it’s scaling fast, and why 2026 is about to get wild—including international moves. Then he unloads on the Venezuela boat story, media hysteria, political hypocrisy, and why precedent matters more than pearl-clutching. If you’re looking for polished takes, you’re lost. If you want clarity without comfort, press play.
⏱️ Timestamps:
00:00 Aaron Solo, Members Only
02:15 Fitness, Violence, and Real Virtue
05:00 Attribute-Based Selection Explained
08:30 Why OTS Exists and Why It Waited
12:45 Going International & Ego Management
16:00 Zulu Course Reality Check
20:00 Venezuela Boat Story and Media Panic
27:30 Precedent, Power, and Hard Truths
30:00 2026 Direction & Final Shots
🎯 Call-to-Actions:
👍 Like the episode
🔔 Subscribe
💬 Comment with your take
🌟 Leave a review
🪖 Join the Ones Ready Membership
👕 Check out the merch store
Support the show
Join this channel to get access to perks: HERE

Buzzsprout Subscription page:  HERE
Register for our Operator Training Summit:  OperatorTrainingSummit.com
Find an Air Force Recruiter: AirForce.com

Collabs:
Ones Ready - OnesReady.com
18A Fitness - Promo Code:  ONESREADY
ATACLete - Follow the URL (no promo code):  ATACLete
Danger Close Apparel - Promo Code:  ONESREADY
DFND Apparel...

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Aaron, Trent, and Peaches are back in the team room, and this one starts with Tasty Gains, UFC at the White House, soccer, Nitro Circus, sketchy bungee jumping, and somehow ends exactly where it needed to: Air Force Special Warfare pipeline standards.
The crew gets into a reported Zulu course ruck event involving a 12-mile ruck at a 15-minute pace with a ruck weighing well over the standard 45 pounds. That turns into a bigger conversation about assessment and selection, training standards, instructional drift, normalized deviance, and why “war is hard” is not a good enough reason to create dumb training events.
They also talk about the difference between expectations and standards, why evaluated events need to have a real purpose, why students should not be crushed just because previous generations got crushed, and how pipeline events can drift away from their original intent over time.
Also covered: UFC 250, America’s 250th, US soccer, Travis Pastrana, Dwayne Hackney’s Air Force Cross story, Weapon School patch night, fighter pilot culture, and why Peaches probably does not need to do a 117-pound ruck to prove anything.
If you are training for Air Force Special Warfare, waiting to ship, currently in development, or just interested in how military training standards should actually work, this episode matters.
Check out Tasty Gains:
TastyGains.com
Train with Modern Athlete Strength Systems:
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Operator Training Summit:
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Join the Ones Ready membership for early access, members-only episodes, and exclusive merch.
Chapters:
00:00 - Ones Ready Intro
01:05 - Tasty Gains Nootropics and Creatine Gummies
02:42 - Modern Athlete Strength Systems and AFSOC Prep
04:03 - Ones Ready Membership and MBRS-Only Episodes
05:21 - Welcome Back With Aaron, Trent, and Peaches
05:30 - UFC 250, the White House, and Fat People
07:28 - US Soccer, Paraguay, and World Cup Energy
10:58 - Nitro Circus at the White House
11:11 - UFC Weather Rumors and Fight Delays
12:25 - Drunk UFC Weigh-Ins and Bit or Real?
14:24 - Getting Fooled by Satire Online
15:34 - Trent Threatens Aaron’s Tattoos
16:02 - Bungee Jumping Disaster and Vacation Risk
18:21 - Show and Tell Goes Off the Rails
20:00 - Faces of Death, LiveLeak, and Old Internet Trauma
22:19 - Air Force A&S and Zulu Course Updates
22:50 - The Reported 117-Pound Zulu Ruck
24:20 - Why Exceeding the Standard Is Not the Standard
26:39 - Weapon School Patch Night and Fighter Pilot Culture
28:24 - What It Means to Be a Weapons Patch
30:20 - American Pie and Fighter Pilot Roll Call Chaos
33:10 - Institutional Drift in the Pipeline
34:48 - Dry Weight, Helmets, and Student Gear
35:10 - Zulu Is Training, Not Selection
36:17 - Why 100-Pound Rucks Are Not Smart Training
37:53 - When Heavy Rucks Might Make Sense
39:11 - This Is Not a Normal Pipeline Standard
41:19 - What Should Candidates Train For?
42:27 - AFSPECWAR Wait Times and IFT Scores
43:14 - Travis Pastrana and Red Bull Madness
44:33 - What If You Jump Without a Parachute?
46:39 - Dwayne Hackney’s Air Force Cross Story
48:24 - Vietnam-Era Pararescue Stories
49:31 - Weapon School Graduation and Space Force PSD
51:19 - Evaluated Events Need a Real Purpose
52:07 - Buddy Breathing and Operational Relevance
52:30 - OFT Ruck Standard vs. Zulu Course Ruck
54:25 - Normalized Deviance and the Monkey Story
57:29 - Training Wing, Please Fix This
58:31 - Final Thoughts and Wrap-Up
Support the show
Join this channel to get access to perks: HERE

Buzzsprout Subscription page:  HERE
Register for our Operator Training Summit:  OperatorTrainingSummit.com
Find an Air Force Recruiter: AirForce.com

Collabs:
Ones Ready - OnesReady.com
18A Fitness - Promo Code:  ONESREADY
ATACLete - Follow the URL (no promo code):  ATACLete
Danger Close Apparel - Promo Code:  ONESREADY
DFND Apparel...