Building your body for survival

S

Scottman

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Jun 24, 2007
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Building your body for survival. I saw and read the thread about big vs. small people. So, heres my question.

-What exercises do you think would benefit your survival? Weight lifting, cardio, yoga, anything you can think of.

For me, I think cardio- that's maybe running or swimming or such, is best. I think many guys-like me- shouldn't focus on lifting weights so much as making sure they still can run decent. I think I should add cardio everyday, and make weights the supplement. Thoughts on this.

-Scottman
 
I might be a little off here and I don't do this myself but maybe something like yoga or karate would be good exercise. Not only is it good for you physically but these things help train your mind and give you mental strength. Mental strength is important in a survival situation when you are hungry, thirsty, and worrying about making it back to civilization. Has anyone done martial arts or yoga before? Do you think it helps?

Aside from this strange suggestion, I would agree and say cardio is very important and you could also carry a very heavy pack around, which would strengthen your back muscles and prepare you for camping trips.
 
I agree with you Scottman with supplementing with weights. But I would suggest not adding bulk but rather use a circuit training approach with weights higher reps lower weight. I think the basics will cover most physical health types such as calesthenics: push-ups, sit-ups, leg lunges (no-weight), jumping jacks etc. and hiking and jogging. I think mental training is big priority when thinking about survival so I would practice fasting and meditation of some sort.
 
Scottman i would agree with you. Running far and fast is one of the best things you can train for.. If your heart is stronge the rest would follow. Now what people like me with flat feet are to do????????? If i run 200 meters i feel like someone beat me on my feet with a stick, it hurts like a mother ******. For me I started to get back in shape with sit up push up and some other basics. When it would get easier i would add more things.
But running is one thing i could never do.


Sasha
 
An important consideration when you are getting fit for survival is don't pick a system which can create long term injury. If you are trying to get fit and develop weak knees, I
am not sure it would give you the benefit you seek.

I do Tai Chi and Qi Gong myself. I also do alot of Kali stick work, which has tons of survival benefits. Tai chi keeps awareness honed also teaches stalking skills. Another survival benefit of TC is it lowers cortisol (stress hormones) this comes in handy during emergencies. I have experienced this myself.

Search on the term functional fitness. I am way into it. www.dragondoor.com has tons of free articles. Also Scott Sonnon and Paul Chek are great! Pavel of Dragon Door has a very efficient great system for true fitness.

Great thread!
 
Survival situations typically require endurance, not momentary brute maximum strength. I aim to swim a couple of miles each week, during the summer. Running is always good exercise, but can be harder on your knees and ankles than swimming.
 
I have heard from some credible sources that long distance walking is one of the best exercises. It is low impact and it is what humans did 10s of thousands of years ago as nomads.
 
Elen said:
Survival situations typically require endurance, not momentary brute maximum strength. I aim to swim a couple of miles each week, during the summer. Running is always good exercise, but can be harder on your knees and ankles than swimming.
Click to expand...

Cardio would be more preferable to weightlifting...although a good balance would be most optimum. A lot of the more muscular folks will burn fuel much faster. Endurance is probably the goal, whether walking, biking, swimming or running (although running has the most impact on the body).

Just as a side note, I have found over the years that backpacking can only be trained with a backpack and walking. Being in great shape running doesn't address the muscles required when hiking with a pack. Also, I've been wearing boots 7 days a week for the past year here in Iraq. I do know that continually wearing boots weakens your ankle muscles since the boots provide the support and take the pressure off the lateral muscles of the ankle. Fortunately I'm at a place where I can still run 2-4 miles in the morning with regular running shoes.

I liked the idea of Yoga or Tai Chi...your mind is as important as your body and keeping stress managable will go a long ways in a survival situation.

ROCK6
 
Don't forget riding a bike, swimming, hiking, etc as aerobic excercises. Walking is probably the best for those over 30 (as opposed to running or jogging), as it is low impact and doesn't kill the knees. Running and jogging are hard on the knees. Just don't think that because you can run forever (or bike or swim or whatever) that you can swim/bike/run very far. Each excercise uses different muscles differently. But in a survival situation it may not hurt to be able to "one hand" that boulder off of your crushed arm (weight training anyone?).
 
hlee said:
But in a survival situation it may not hurt to be able to "one hand" that boulder off of your crushed arm (weight training anyone?).
Click to expand...

That exact survival story came to my mind as well. Funny!
 
a mixture of real weightlifting and minimal but hight intensity burst type of cardio.

20 rep sets of squats will train you in every aspect of nearly anthing athletic.
 
I think they are both important. Heavy squats haven't added that much bulk to me, but give me the ability to carry heavy packs without hardly noticing the weight. Cardio has helped me carry those packs up and down the mountains of Colorado.
 
Check out the following two types of exercise by doing a search on google:

Flexercise
transometrics

Good stuff.
:)
 
andrew7978 said:
I have heard from some credible sources that long distance walking is one of the best exercises. It is low impact and it is what humans did 10s of thousands of years ago as nomads.
Click to expand...

A man who was, without a doubt, the greatest cyclist ever (Eddy Merckx) was asked about training suggestions and what his secret was. His typically succint answer was simply "ride lots". Cross training has its benefits for sure, but there's a reason that militaries introduce recruits to sleep deprivation, exhaustion, starvation, and even (tear)gas exposure.
 
Ever since I did a long distance walk last year I've kept pack walking in my routine. Usually once a week or so I take my pack with 25kg over some sand hills. I find it covers a number of bases.

1) Cardio
2) Keeps feet tough
3) Is good for core strength

It's obviously very survival specific also.

+1 for Yoga also. Keeps the whole skeleton sound, 'injury proofs' you and is good for the mental resilience.

Overall I think fitness is like investment however. Spend less time worrying about what is the best form and just do something consistently.
 
I've just got to tout my favorite exercise ... 12 oz decreasing curls! It's a great way to add bulk.

Gordon
 
Circuit training with weights. Believe it or not, multiple circuits ie leg press to leg curls to pulldowns to benchpress to shoulder press to curls to triceps extensions all in one circuit then rest 2 min and do again, then rest 2 min and do again, will strengthen and get your heart pumping greater than ever. Well at least I've read some studies that have shown this.
You don't have to follow this routine just mix up with different exercises and do the exercises consecutively.

TS
 
I believe survival is about stamina. Most "built" people require huge amounts of protein intake to function and they tire easily.
 
I would say all around fitness is what you need to achieve, so a balance of cardio, strength and flexibility should be what you aim for.

This should include running, walking (also pack work) and swimming, daily stretching and body weight and weight training.
 
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