So as charming as you are, Mr. Bond… I’ll keep my eyes on our government’s money and off your perfectly formed arse.

Vesper Lynd in Casino Royale

Living the Gentleman Spy lifestyle is about being ready for anything life throws at you, and one of THE biggest contributor to that readiness is your level of fitness. Like a real-life James Bond, fitness for the Gentleman Spy isn’t the end goal, but a means to an end.

While there are countless programs around that will help you look better, the goal of training in the Gentleman Spy program is to be capable.

Aesthetics and performance are related and not mutually exclusive, but training one doesn’t guarantee the other. Specifically, working out to look good doesn’t guarantee capability. I’m sure we’ve all seen people—or been there ourselves—that look good but can’t run far or fast, can’t lift heavy things, don’t have good mobility, etc. On the other hand, training for all-around performance will never result in your looking worse.

The good news is that the recipes for performance are widely understood by those whose lives depend on it. Military, fire department, and professional athletes lives and livelihoods depend not just on their capability, but their ability to do it day after day, for decades on end. This is the kind of performance we’re after.

Why have standards in the first place?

Standards help us measure where we are against a baseline. Not a scale or a mirror, but functional tests across multiple domains so we know not just where we want to be or where we are, but also what we need to work on.

You’ll notice the standards here are more involved than most. That’s by design. This isn’t a military fitness test or a triathlon designed to be completed one event after the other, but a general benchmark so you know where you stand and have something to train for across multiple physical domains.

Fitness standards and tests for various organizations are all over the board, but they normally include pushups, situps, and running, usually 1.5–3 miles. Some organizations include pullups which is a good call; pulling strength is important but often neglected. There are other important areas for overall functional fitness and general life skills that most standards neglect like swimming, speed work, and rucking (walking with a weighted backpack), so a good baseline should include those, at least as optional elements. Weightlifting standards are useful benchmarks, but will likely take longer to achieve than the others.

In any case, meeting these standards across the different domains represents a solid overall fitness capacity and gives us all something to judge ourselves against.

You don’t have to meet all the numbers across all domains—most guys won’t—but these represent a well-rounded overall physical capacity we should aspire to.

Trainee

Bare Minimum / Trainee is a bit of a misnomer: these numbers aren’t necessarily something that the average guy in average shape will be able to knock out without training, but they are easily attainable with minimal training. The Trainee level, if you’re not already meeting these scores, should be attainable with as little as a few weeks of training, maybe a few months depending on your starting point.

  • Pushups: 25
  • Pullups: 5
  • Situps: 25
  • Run 400 meters in 2:00
  • Run 1 mile in 10:00
  • Ruck 3 miles with 30 pounds in 1 hour (20 min/mile)
  • Swim 200 yards (no time limit)
  • Press: 0.5x bodyweight
  • Bench press: 1x bodyweight
  • Squat: 1.2x bodyweight
  • Deadlift: 1.35x bodyweight

Operative

Baseline / Operative represents a solid fitness base. These roughly coincide with military fitness requirements for healthy men. With consistent work and a solid training plan, most men should reach the Operative level for bodyweight exercises, running, and swimming within a few months to a year.

  • Pushups: 50
  • Pullups: 10
  • Situps: 50
  • Run 400 meters in 1:30
  • Run 1 mile in 8:00
  • Run 5k in 27:00 (<9:00/mile)
  • Ruck 6 miles with 40 pounds in 1.5 hours (15 min/mile)
  • Swim 500 yards in 12:30
  • Swim 25 meters underwater
  • Press: 0.8x bodyweight
  • Bench press: 1.25x bodyweight
  • Squat: 1.6x bodyweight
  • Deadlift: 1.85x bodyweight

Once you meet these numbers, structure your life in a way that you don’t drop below these again. As long as you are healthy and injury-free, you should be able to maintain at least this baseline level of fitness across all domains virtually indefinitely with minimal effort.

“00” Status

Advanced / “00” Status is excellent, yet attainable. These are passing scores for most special operations screenings and represent good amateur abilities for running, swimming, etc. They’re not world-class, but these are solid numbers for athletes like CrossFitters and triathletes. Meeting any of them is a reasonably good indicator of fitness. Meeting all of them makes you unstoppable.

  • Pushups: 80+
  • Pullups: 20+
  • Situps: 80+
  • Run 400 meters in 1:10
  • Run 1 mile in 6:30
  • Run 5k in 21:00  (~7:00/mile)
  • Run 10k in 45 minutes (<7:30/mile)
  • Ruck 12 miles with 50+ lbs in 3 hours (15 min/mile)
  • Swim 500 yards in 9 minutes
  • Swim 1500 meters in 30 minutes
  • Swim 1 mile in fins in 25 minutes
  • Freedive to a depth of 60 feet (18 meters)
  • Press: 1x bodyweight
  • Bench press: 1.5x bodyweight
  • Squat: 2x bodyweight
  • Deadlift: 2.5x bodyweight

To reach this level, you may have to begin programming your workouts with different goals in mind. Scale back the strength workouts to meet the running goals, then scale back the running to meet your next strength goals, alternating back and forth until you’re consistently able to meet the standard across all domains. Depending on your natural abilities and capacity to self-teach, some guys will have to seek specialized training to meet certain goals: running clinics, swimming workshops, freediving training, weightlifting technique coaching, etc.

If you’re young and already in good shape, you might hit these goals within a year, probably two. For older guys or those who haven’t been working out consistently, it could take 2-5+ years to reach “00” Status. Don’t let the extended timelines dissuade you. Once achieved, you can maintain this capacity almost indefinitely, though it will require more effort than the Operative level. Even if you relax or fall off the wagon, having achieved this level of fitness once means it’ll be easier to get back into fighting shape when you suffer setbacks.

Quick-Start Guide

If you aren’t meeting the standards you want, the first order of business is to get started. Most guys should start with the Gentleman Spy Bodyweight Workout and do those workouts Monday/Wednesday/Friday until you’re at least at the Operative level for pushups, pullups, and situps. Run, swim, or bike on Tuesday (speed day: short and fast) and Thursday (long intervals or long slow distance endurance work). Rest on the weekends, or go adventure. Saturday is good for longer walks, rucks, or runs (optional but recommended).

More programming and information is available inside the full Gentleman Spy program, but if you’re just getting started… just get started! You’ll be amazed at how fast you can progress when you know what you should be paying attention to and have something concrete to work towards.

JOIN GENTLEMAN SPY NOW.