“However beautiful the strategy, you should occasionally look at the results.”

This quote, often attributed to Winston Churchill, cuts to the heart of what separates effective training from merely going through the motions. In the context of Tactical Barbell programming, it’s a reminder that even the most elegant training plan means nothing if it’s not actually moving you forward.

The Trap of Program Worship

It’s easy to fall in love with a training program. Tactical Barbell’s structure is clean, logical, and backed by decades of proven methodology. The templates work. The periodization makes sense. The balance between strength and conditioning is elegant.

But here’s the danger: you can follow a program perfectly and still fail to progress.

Why? Because the program is a tool, not a guarantee. If your training max is set incorrectly, if your recovery is compromised, if your nutrition is inadequate, or if life stress is crushing your adaptation—the beautiful strategy on paper won’t produce results in the real world.

Why Testing Maxes Matters

Tactical Barbell emphasizes periodic testing of your training maxes for precisely this reason. It’s not just about ego or setting PRs—it’s about calibration.

Your training max is the foundation of every percentage-based lift in your program. When you’re working at 90% of a number that’s no longer accurate, you’re either:

  1. Training too light — leaving gains on the table, not providing enough stimulus
  2. Training too heavy — grinding through sessions, accumulating fatigue, risking injury

Neither scenario serves the mission.

When to Test

The standard recommendation in Tactical Barbell is to retest your maxes at natural transition points:

  • After Base Building — Before starting Continuation
  • Between training blocks — Every 6-12 weeks depending on your template
  • When progress stalls — If weights that should feel moderate are crushing you, something’s off
  • When weights feel too easy — You may have adapted beyond your current numbers

The key is building testing into the plan itself, not treating it as an afterthought.

Beyond the Numbers

Testing isn’t just about the weight on the bar. Looking at results means honestly assessing:

  • Conditioning markers — Are your HIC times improving? Is your LISS heart rate dropping at the same pace?
  • Recovery quality — Are you sleeping well? Feeling fresh between sessions?
  • Body composition — If that’s a goal, is it moving in the right direction?
  • Operational performance — Can you actually do the job better?

A tactical athlete who adds 20kg to their squat but can’t climb stairs without gasping hasn’t made real progress. The strategy must serve the mission.

The Humility to Adjust

Looking at results requires humility. You might discover that the program you’ve been defending to everyone in your life… isn’t working for you. That’s not a failure of the program. It’s information.

Maybe you need more recovery. Maybe you need less volume. Maybe your conditioning is lagging behind your strength or vice versa. The data tells you where to adjust.

This is the difference between a novice and an experienced trainee. The novice follows the program blindly. The experienced athlete follows the program intelligently—making adjustments based on actual outcomes, not theoretical ideals.

Practical Application

Here’s how to build “looking at results” into your Tactical Barbell practice:

1. Schedule Max Tests

Don’t leave it to chance. Put max testing days on your calendar at the end of each training block. Treat them as non-negotiable as any other session.

2. Track Beyond Weight

Keep a simple training log that captures:

  • Weights and reps (obviously)
  • RPE (Rate of Perceived Exertion) for key sets
  • Sleep quality and duration
  • General energy and motivation
  • Conditioning benchmarks (run times, HIC completion times)

3. Review Monthly

Set aside 15 minutes at the end of each month to review your log. Look for trends, not daily fluctuations. Are you generally moving forward?

4. Be Willing to Deload

If results show you’re overtrained or stalling, have the discipline to pull back. Deloads aren’t weakness—they’re strategy.

The Churchill Mindset

Whether or not Churchill actually said those words, the principle is sound. In war, in business, in training—attachment to a plan that isn’t working is a form of self-deception.

The best operators combine commitment to the mission with flexibility in tactics. You commit fully to the Tactical Barbell methodology while remaining honest about whether your specific implementation is producing the desired outcomes.

The beautiful strategy of your training program should occasionally be interrogated by cold, hard results.

Test your maxes. Track your progress. Adjust as needed.

Train hard. Stay ready.