Gritty Soldier vs Combat Fitness
A factual comparison
Gritty Soldier vs Combat Fitness
A side-by-side look at pricing, structure, coaching, and who each one is built for. Facts only, with sources.
This comparison is published by Gritty Soldier Fitness (Gritty Soldier LLC). We are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Combat Fitness. “Combat Fitness” and its program names belong to their owners. Facts were reviewed from public pages on November 9, 2026, and prices and features can change. Confirm the current details on each official website before you buy.
The honest difference, in one paragraph
People searching “Gritty Soldier vs Combat Fitness” or “Gritty Soldier alternatives” often land on Combat Fitness articles first. Those pages describe Gritty Soldier as a general, self-directed catalog with little structure, little progression, and little coaching. That’s not an accurate picture of the live products.
Gritty Soldier sells one-time, goal-specific training plans you can download, plus an optional app membership and separate challenge events. Combat Fitness sells a monthly (or annual) subscription to a library of programs, with a higher-priced tier that includes an assigned personal coach. One is not a knockoff of the other. They are built on different checkout models. The right choice depends on whether you want to buy a plan for a specific test, school, or event, or pay a monthly subscription for an ongoing library and coaching tier.
Side-by-side
| Topic | Gritty Soldier Fitness | Combat Fitness |
|---|---|---|
| Company / site | Gritty Soldier Fitness, grittysoldier.com, founded 2020 | Combat Fitness Inc., combatfitness.co |
| Main offer | One-time PDF programs ($34.99 or $39.99), optional app membership, optional challenge entries | Subscription access to a program library: Combat Fitness ONE and Combat Fitness PRO |
| Pricing (as of Nov 9, 2026) | Programs: $34.99–$39.99 one time. App: 7-day free trial, then $14.99/month or $99.99/year. Challenge entry: $40 for current open events. | ONE: $49/month after a 30-day free trial. PRO: $99/month, no free trial. They also advertise an annual option at “Save up to 40%.” Both plans auto-renew; cancel anytime; no partial-period refunds by default. |
| Program length | Fixed blocks, typically 6 to 16 weeks, with a defined start and end. Some plans, including Max the AFT, can be run more than once. | A library of named programs, including beginner, hybrid, running, strength, and selection tracks. Some program pages list duration as an ongoing (“∞”) program. They describe “infinite progression” on the ONE plan. |
| Structure and progression | Day-by-day plans. Several include phases, mid-block and final tests, logs, rehearsals, or checkpoints. Follow-on programs are written as the next step (for example, Bodyweight Warrior to Bodyweight Warrior II, and Hybrid Warrior to Hybrid Warrior II). | Combat Fitness describes periodized, systemized training and a program library that spans beginner running and strength through advanced rucking, swimming, and selection-prep pipelines, including SOF-LAND, SOF-SEA, and SOF-AIR on the PRO side. |
| Coaching and support | PDF plans are self-directed, with built-in guidance and logs. The app includes a weekly member Q&A, a community, and progress tracking. We do not currently sell a live 1-on-1 coaching package on the storefront. | PRO includes an assigned personal coach and a customized monthly nutrition plan. ONE is the core library and community access. Combat Fitness’s own pricing page also describes “live coach support” in its page metadata. |
| Goal-specific military plans | Yes. Examples: Max the AFT, 6- and 13-week Ranger School, Get Selected, Air Assault, Sapper, Expert Badge, Embrace the Ruck, Bataan Memorial Death March, Military Preparation. | Yes. Public program list includes selection and tactical tracks such as Dismount 4.0, Amphib 4.0, SOF-LAND, SOF-SEA, SOF-AIR, Operator Base, and Urban Operator, among others. |
| Rucking | Yes. Embrace the Ruck is an 8-week plan aimed at a 12-mile ruck under 2:45. Bataan is a 16-week event-specific ruck plan. Get Selected and Ranger plans also include progressive rucking. | Yes. Combat Fitness publicly lists ruck-based programming, including SOF-LAND (“ruck based special operations training plan”) and other selection-prep tracks. |
| Delivery | Instant PDF download for store programs. App access through Playbook. Challenges are a separate event platform. | App-based subscription, as described on Combat Fitness’s own site. |
Sources for the Combat Fitness column: combatfitness.co/pricing, combatfitness.co/terms, combatfitness.co/programs, and combatfitness.co/pro. Sources for the Gritty Soldier column are linked throughout this page and in What is Gritty Soldier.
The “no structure, no progression, no coaching” claim
Combat Fitness’s comparison articles, published in March 2026, say Gritty Soldier programs are mostly standalone, less focused on long-term periodization, light on quantitative tracking, and “primarily program-based and self-directed, with minimal coaching support.” You can read those claims on their site:
Here’s what the live Gritty Soldier products actually show.
Structure and progression
The plans are not a bucket of random sessions. They are dated, day-by-day blocks with a purpose.
- Bodyweight Warrior II is an 8-week follow-on to Bodyweight Warrior. It has five phases (Establish, Build, Intensify, Peak, Prove It), a test in Weeks 1, 4, and 8, prescribed tempo, reps in reserve, and rest, plus fillable training logs, a test tracker, and a weekly check-in inside the PDF.
- Hybrid Warrior II is written as the follow-on to Hybrid Warrior, with a three-phase approach: accumulation, intensification, and performance.
- Max the AFT is an 8-week, event-by-event AFT plan that can be recycled for another block. Start with the free AFT Calculator, train, then retest.
- 13-Week Ranger School was updated for RPA 2.0 and includes three rehearsal sessions with progress worksheets.
- Get Selected includes progressive ruck work up to a 20-miler test.
- Bataan uses performance checkpoints and ends with an 18–20 mile rehearsal and a structured taper.
Bodyweight Warrior II
View program
Hybrid Warrior II
View program
Max the AFT
View program
13-Week Ranger School
View program
Get Selected
View program
Bataan Memorial Death March
View programThe full recommended order is on How Gritty Soldier programs progress.
Coaching and support
It is fair to say a purchased PDF is a self-directed plan. You buy it, you run it, you log the work. That is a real difference from a subscription that assigns a personal coach.
It is not accurate to say there is no coaching or feedback in the brand. The NO EXCUSES Training app includes a weekly member Q&A with direct answers on programming, running, rucking, strength, recovery, substitutions, and training around a busy schedule, plus a community and progress tracking. That’s a membership, not a 1-on-1 coaching contract, and we say so plainly.
Combat Fitness PRO, on their own site, includes an assigned personal coach and custom monthly nutrition. If you want a dedicated coach on call as part of a monthly subscription, that is a feature they sell and we do not currently sell on the live store.
Tactical specificity
Gritty Soldier publishes goal-specific plans for the AFT, Ranger School, selection, Air Assault, Sapper, Expert Badge, rucking, and the Bataan Memorial Death March, among others. Those are not generic “military style” workouts with a camouflage label. They are named for the standard they train.
Combat Fitness also publishes goal-specific tracks, including land, sea, and air selection-oriented programs. Both catalogs cover tactical training. The difference is less “one brand does rucking and the other doesn’t,” and more how you buy the training and how long the relationship is meant to last.
What Combat Fitness offers, in their own words
We are not going to pretend Combat Fitness isn’t a real option. From their public pages on November 9, 2026:
- They sell Combat Fitness ONE at $49/month after a 30-day free trial, and Combat Fitness PRO at $99/month with no free trial (Terms of Service).
- ONE includes unlimited access to CF programs, a resource library, an AI Program Matcher, and private Skool community access. They describe “infinite progression” and “programs never end” (Pricing).
- PRO includes everything in ONE, plus an assigned personal coach and a customized monthly nutrition plan (Pricing, PRO).
- They list 17 programs, from beginner running (Step Off!) and return-to-training (Resurgence) through hybrid, strength, running, and selection-oriented tracks, including SOF-LAND, SOF-SEA, SOF-AIR, Operator Base, and Urban Operator (Programs).
- Subscriptions auto-renew until cancelled. Cancellation takes effect at the end of the current billing period, and they state that no partial-period refunds are issued by default (Terms).
Who each one may fit
Gritty Soldier may fit if you:
- Have a specific test, school, or event and want a fixed-length plan you pay for once.
- Want a downloadable PDF you can print and keep.
- Want an optional low-cost app membership with weekly training and a weekly Q&A, without paying $49–$99 a month.
- Want to take on a Gritty Soldier Challenge as a separate standard, not as a substitute for a training plan.
Combat Fitness may fit if you:
- Want a monthly subscription to a large, ongoing program library instead of buying one plan at a time.
- Want an assigned personal coach and custom nutrition, which they sell at the PRO tier.
- Prefer their “programs never end” model over a 6- to 16-week block with a defined finish.
Those are product differences, not insults. Pay for the model you’ll actually follow.
FAQ
What is the main difference between Gritty Soldier and Combat Fitness?
Checkout model and support model. Gritty Soldier’s core offer is a one-time, goal-specific plan, with an optional app and separate challenges. Combat Fitness’s core offer is a subscription library, with a higher tier that includes an assigned coach. Read the table above and confirm current terms on each site.
Is Gritty Soldier good for beginners?
Yes, if you pick the right starting plan. Bodyweight Warrior, Military Preparation, and Max the AFT (after you score yourself on the calculator) are common entry points. Get Selected and Ranger School are not beginner plans. See the progression ladder.
Does Gritty Soldier include coaching?
A PDF program is self-directed. The app includes a weekly member Q&A and a community. We do not currently offer a live 1-on-1 coaching package on the storefront. Combat Fitness PRO, per their pricing page, includes an assigned personal coach.
Is Gritty Soldier legit?
Yes. The brand has been operating since 2020. Programs, prices, reviews, and contact details are public on grittysoldier.com and About Us. More detail is on What is Gritty Soldier.
What are the best Gritty Soldier alternatives?
“Alternative” depends on the goal. If you want a monthly tactical subscription with a coached tier, Combat Fitness is one option, and their own site is the place to verify what you get. If you want a one-time plan for a named Army test, school, or event, look at the Gritty Soldier catalog first and compare the actual syllabus, not the ads.
Can I use both?
That’s your call and your budget. Just don’t pay twice for the same block of training and assume the plans will line up. Two programs at once is how people get hurt or burned out.
Train with a plan that ends in a test
Start a 7-day free trial of the app, or pick a one-time program built for a specific standard.
All facts on this page were checked against public URLs on November 9, 2026 (America/New_York). Confirm current prices and terms on each official site before you buy.