[junglecrawler]

This has probably been addressed before, but It'd be nice to hear some fresh answers.
When TSHTF, a deciding factor is fitness. If you're short on some other aspect of your planning, a hale and hearty constitution may see you through.
There isn't an area of survivalism where a healthy body is not required. Whether bugging out from a catastrophe, self/home defense, even the act of remaining in your stocked basement till the all clear sounds requires fitness to see you through cramped conditions.
Some things I follow that may seem obvious, but are more difficult to apply in reality that have benifit for me and that I hope can help out others.

1) Your exercise routine should mirror your body's needs in a survival situation as closely as possible. This weekend, I took the wife, child and dog on an excursion, with 30% of my BOB gear (this varies each time, from a 'naked' hike to 100% of gear), and we did a slightly harder than intermediate climb up a mountain and had lunch at the top. I carried our child -with my gear- on the rough spots while the wife carried lunch and smaller kit, making a good pace.
Whether your'e a senior, single, or like me a DILDO (Double Income, Little Dog Only your bugout location will be worthless if you cant strap on your BOB and hustle to it.

2) Without drawing attention to yourself, you should frequently train while wearing as much as your kit as possible. If you've a treadmill at home, setting it to fast walk, than loping on it in your tac vest, ammopouches, BOB and boots for 40 min or so should give you a wakeup call as to whether or not you're physically ready.

3) Concentrate on the strength and endurance training that will make you a survivor, not make you a prettyboy/girl. In any event, the hard physical training will make you more attractive - and more genuine.

4) Somehow, include a self defense structure in one of your workout routines. Be it shadowboxing, breakfalls, combatitives with a partner, or some Tae Bo in yellow spandex, it's better than nothing and builds confidence.

5) Finally, whenever, whatever, find the time to train. It doesn't matter if you're a geriatric, amputee, war vet, or business yuppie travelling 24/7, you should make the time to fire off the max amount of pushups, free squats and find a place to do chinups. 20 min before you go to bed or when you wake up before your S.S.S. will do wonders. Even in my last days, I'll be doing something physical. Even if I can't do one, I'll be trying to fart out a pushup in the senior's ward, with a tube in my nose.

Query: If you're not committed now to personal health, how will your resolve be when TSHTF?
-If you're a family person, can you compensate for carrying children or a lower level of health in your spouse?
-Are you prepared to possibly flee a dire situation, carrying your BOB and a loved one, fend off potential aggressors, find a secure L.U.P. then set up a tent, a fire and get food on in near darkness?

Remember, if the Man comes down on us, their underlings train 5 days a week, at govt expense - and get paid to do it. If there's social collapse, desperate people may resort to any measure to acquire what you have. Medical facilities may be lacking, and the only thing to see you through disease is a fit body. Who knows, if you treat exercise as a facet of survial preparation, and don't go gung ho all at once, it might not be as painful. :thumb:

....Thoughts?

 

[coinshooter]

I was doing pretty good on losing weight and getting into a regular training routine, been then got real sick and have neglected it since. I had dropped 30 some of the 50 some I gained from stopping smoking and was building up a running routine.
I will try and get back into this again, I really wish I would have gotten the bikes fixed up for my wife and myself this year but the time to ride is almost over

 

[junglecrawler]

I hear you, Coinshooter. It's hard when you're sick.
I got some kind of crazy bug overseas once and was loosing fluid from all ports.
But whenever I wasn't in the latrine, I was at least doing some yoga.
Exercise is also away of spiritually giving it to the Man. Yeah, they're crashing our economy, flouriding our water, but each time you fire off push ups, you're giving the Man the finger, and stating categorically "I"m still hear, mutha****. I"m still alive."

 

[Lowdown3]

Good point about training in your gear. I've seen more than a few guys that were in "gym good shape" go on hikes, shooting classes where they had to hump there gear all day long, walk, shoot, hike, carry gear, etc. that HAD A VERY ROUGH GO, even though they were gym specimens.....

One reason might be because most gyms are AC'ed and bench pressing 220 isn't really the same workout as carrying a 50 lb. ruck all day through rough terrain.

To me running is the #1 exercise. Other than that, the only "regular" stuff we do is homestead work. Digging, gardening, cutting wood, building things, etc. This alone can be a work out...

Great post.

 

[junglecrawler]

Very good points. Homesteading is a great to fortify the body.

 

[coinshooter]

Also an interesting point is that Bruce Lee was constantily doing something active even if it was wrists hands fingers there was always constant exercise. My wife just started martial arts training with a friend of the family who has taught for a while, I may join also.
Funny thing is my stepdad was my martial arts teacher when I was 7 years old, then once he married my mom he practiced on me actually he was teaching me how to defend myself without me even knowing.
And I was always taught to defend myself, and he was always right there in the principles office backing me up, because he knew he taught me well enough to not start anything but not to be bullied. sorry didnt mean to hijack the thread,
the point I really wanted to make was about bruce lee

 

[Darsemnos]

A treadmill will not approximate rough terrain. You might be able to walk 10 miles on a tread mill on an incline with 40lbs, but try that over say, the appalachian trail, and you would be in for a rude awakening.



Jogging is over-rated. Build strength with bodyweight exercises, like pushups, squats, etc. If you want to do some cardio type stuff, just find a sport you like to play that involves running. For instance racquetball is a great workout. Interval training is much better for you than slow and steady jogging. It will give faster results(weight loss) and better fitness.

 

[breakneck]

Good post.
I agree with getting fit.
To me, there is no excuse at all for not being in shape.
I'm not saying being in shape for the ironman, but some of your free time should be given back to yourself in the form of getting fit.

I also agree that jogging is over-rated.

I go the the gym and see people in there jogging from the time I get in there to the time I leave (1 hour). During that time they could've done so much more and have been so much more productive in their conditioning.
These people think it will make them lose weight and actually jogging is just about the worst exercise to burn mass amounts of calories.

 

[junglecrawler]

You missed my point about doing something, anything, Darsemnos. A family man/woman with two kids who can't get out is well served by throwing their ruck on and going on their treadmill at home. It's obvious that a treadmill doesn't equate to rough terrain.

 

[rednecknoise]

You missed my point about doing something, anything, Darsemnos. A family man/woman with two kids who can't get out is well served by throwing their ruck on and going on their treadmill at home. It's obvious that a treadmill doesn't equate to rough terrain.

most don't even do that!

Ive told folks before, 15-30 minutes a day to get ya going,start slow advance as it becomes easier. May take you 3 weeks to get up to walking 2 miles in under 30 minutes but in 3 months you may be down to a 15-17 minute mile walk, or least coming near that 4 mph mark.

On the tread mill. Most higher end ones can go to extremes on the incline and declines. Granted its not the same as a rocky mountain trail but it is exercise.
Heck walking 10 miles on a sidewalk is day and night to walking on dirt.


I remember when i 1st started getting back into backpacking and building my BOB. Each AM at 5 i'd roll outta bed,slap on my BOB and go walk 1.5 miles. Took about 17 minutes. My BOB weighed 50 lbs then.
The walk as cake, but once i went "off road" per say you could tell it was a big difference.When you train on your mill expect that. Want to see how you do for 2 miles,walk 4(if your on a mill).


the main key no matter what is to do something, you don't just buy your fancy shtf rifle to take a picture or two,run 100rnds through it then set it in your safe and forget about it do you? Your skills,gear and body are no different.:thumb:

 

[junglecrawler]

Agreed.
In addition, once a person has reached a modicum of health, hiking with their BOB, they should try to hit the terrain they'll be bugging out in at least once a month, to remind themselves how harsh it can get.
A mile through rivers and dense forest is ardurous and slow going.
Later on, other skills should be practised while on the march.

1) If you're following a rural road, practise ducking into the bush and going to ground at the sound of a vehicle approaching. Practise hitting deep cover if a copter/plane comes overhead.

2) Periodically while on the march, pick an item of kit from within your BOB that you predict you might need to grab immediately, such as a field dressing.
;how long did it take you?; did you have to tear apart your kit to find it?

3) Bushcraft should always be in one's mind. Any human/animal tracks about? Any antler scrapes? Are you leaving an obviouis trail? Are you silouetted?

4) If you can, practise taking your tent/shelter from your BOB, setting it up and camoflaging it as quickly as possible. How was your location? Secluded? Clearfrom floods/cliff falls/not in a bear cave:xeye: Is it well camoed from air detection? Do you have foil to deflect heat signerature?