Building your body for survival

I've spent many years in and out og gyms working as a personal trainer/fitness instructor, Ivealso worked as a martial arts instructor, cardio is important and often overlooked but muscle stregth cannot be under rated it provides vital support that prevents injuries to the bones and joints if done correctly, what I do this is just me i'm not nec reccomending it for anyone else is this I have 10 workouts written on index cards 5 total body circuits (callethenics resistance training and plyometrics) and 5 cardio workouts (running, sprints, hills etc) 6 days a week I shuffle through the cards and pick one workout and do it, it keeps it interesting and everday I'm placing a different deman on the body (not unlike what you would do in a survival sit) I now shy away from heavy wieghts after recently finding out that I have a mild congenital heart defect (the doc says I should shy away from power lifitng) but I can do all my body circuits in my house with a pullup bar some dumbells and some meger equipment. you don't have to be arnold to be fit, or prepared.
 
One thing that hasn't been mentioned here is hand & forearm training. I'm about twenty pounds over but I can walk forever. However whenever i spend an extended period of time outdoors where I have to provide my own shelter, fire, tool-make, etc (I'm not there yet with the securing of nourishment), It's my forearms that start to burn and vibrate all on their own. This could make a big difference in a survival situation. chop yer own wood boys.
 
I was thinking about this a little more. I believe FORM follows FUNCTION. So we should ask what will our bodies have to do in most types of survival situations?

One should be able to:
1. Hike for along periods in different environments.
2. Swim for long periods.
3. Hack wood for long periods.
4. Lift heavy objects and walk.
5. Fight.
6. Climb trees and ropes.
7. Jump high and far.
8. Calm your mind.
9. Coordinate your breath with your movements

Your exercise system should address these physical necessities.
 
The type fitness you need depends on the situation; the only way to be sure is to cover all bases and work on cardio, weight training, flexibility, swimming, and then throw on a pack and go for a hike. Physical conditioning is a core element of survival "equipment".
 
Now what people like me with flat feet are to do?????????
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Get the right shoes. You will almost never find the correct shoes for a flat footed person at anything but a high end running shoe store. I don't mean the New Balance store at the mall either. I end up mailordering mine unless I'm near a military base or a place with lotsa discriminating runners (like Tucson). The shoe you are probably looking for is a MOTION CONTROL shoe. I am large (6'0") and have very flat feet. The correct shoes make all the difference in the world.

This will be good for everyone: http://www.therunningadvisor.com/running_shoes.html

Also, this is my favorite running program for non runners: http://www.coolrunning.com/engine/2/2_3/181.shtml It really helps you avoid overuse injuries when you first try to run. It's real easy to do. Just 30 minutes or so three times a week.

flexibility... then throw on a pack and go for a hike.
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People forget those skills. Flexibility is very, very important for injury prevention.
 
I have tried many diffrent shows and inserts made of leather plastic cork and some type of gel . Nothing seem to work. I can walk fairly far as im used to the pain but running kills me. If you ever seen the 1978 movie midnight express. When the guy got punished with beating on his feet. Thats how i sometimes feel. I Just got used to so the pain dont bother as much.
RR would it be too much to ask to share your work out cards with the rest of us???? sound like a great thing.

Sasha
 
I have tried many diffrent shows and inserts made of leather plastic cork and some type of gel.
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You are going the wrong way, making it worse. You need motion control to keep the flat feet from pronating. The soft insoles only make that worse. From the page I posted:

If you have flat feet and overpronate, look for a Motion-Control shoe. Motion control shoes prevent your foot from rolling in too far, have a straight shape that gives maximum support to your foot and are the most rigid, control-oriented running shoes.

The shoes themselves will have almost no arch and will have fairly rigid heel lasting.
 
I'm preparing to be blasted, ripped, fried, and flamed for what I'm about to say...be gentle. Strength, flexibility, agility, endurance...all very important. Mental fitness...also important. I'm not taking anything away from anything anybody has said here. Here it comes...Fat is not necessarily a bad thing in a survival situation. I'm not talking Jabba-the Hutt, grotesquely obese, huge sheaves of sweaty fat. I'm just saying, don't train away all of your fat. It can be an important energy source, layer of protective warmth. Go to a Ranger School graduation and you'll see what I mean. Most of these guys, already quite fit to begin with, lose quite a bit of weight during the course. They're putting out huge amounts of work without getting nearly enough calories and the energy had to come from somewhere. Another example, look at the people that engage in longdistance coldwater swimming (hey, everybody needs a hobby). They actually eat very high-fat diets but under the "blubber", they're every bit the athlete that an olympic swimmer is.

Maybe I'm just trying to justify my current conditioning regimen...sorry...(sob)...just a moment of weak self-esteem...I need a hug
 
perksy said:
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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The best exercises are those that most closely approximate the type of activities you would need to perform in your survival situation.

Sometimes this may mean sustained periods of low or moderate aerobic activity (walking, hiking, chopping wood.)

Sometimes it may mean short bursts of high energy activity (running, fighting, climbing a tree)

Sometimes this may mean doing a whole lot of nothing.

I try to do a bit of everything, but seem to be best at that last one. :rolleyes:

As a side note super lean is not the way to be. Fit, yes, but not single digit bodyfat. You don't want to be a formula one car, you want to be a jeep.

Special forces have learned this the hard way, big muscles consume alot of energy even at rest and super lean makes you less resistant to hypothermia and less able to handle periods of high stress due to the lack of insulation and lesser energy reserves.
 
Nemoaz what shoes do you like???? Do you have any names that you tried and liked???? If you do please let me know and i would check them out... I found that many times i would wear the shoe that has NO support and is canvas top. I can walk the longest in it but i do need to try a diffrent shoe once in a while so as not put the stress on same part of the foot.

Sasha
 
task force k said:
.....don't train away all of your fat.
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A boat capsized 20k's offshore down here in the '90's. Four men were on board. One was a 45y/o field hockey player and as skinny as a rake, as was his 14 y/o son. They both died from hypothermia in less than 2 hours. Another guy (a friend of mine) was a 33y/o ex-triathlete who had gained 10kg or so and then recently lost the weight as he'd re-commenced training. He lasted through the night then drowned early the next morning within sight of shore. The only survivor was a significantly overweight guy from the goldfields in his 50's. He'd done no training but was fairly strong from a life of physical work. Yet it was his plenty of exra kilos of blubber that saved him.
 
Ming65 said:
A boat capsized 20k's offshore down here in the '90's. Four men were on board. One was a 45y/o field hockey player and as skinny as a rake, as was his 14 y/o son. They both died from hypothermia in less than 2 hours. Another guy (a friend of mine) was a 33y/o ex-triathlete who had gained 10kg or so and then recently lost the weight as he'd re-commenced training. He lasted through the night then drowned early the next morning within sight of shore. The only survivor was a significantly overweight guy from the goldfields in his 50's. He'd done no training but was fairly strong from a life of physical work. Yet it was his plenty of exra kilos of blubber that saved him.
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This is a great point. Being born in the midwest I naturally put on about 5 to 10 extra pounds in the winter. Perhaps it is becasue I'm less active, maybe it is in response to the cold, who knows.
 
BigNate said:
I believe survival is about stamina. Most "built" people require huge amounts of protein intake to function and they tire easily.
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LOL I'm sorry but that's retarded. I truely don't mean to be so blunt, but it's nessasary. Saying that is like saying every one who carrys a knife thinks he's rambo. It just makes no sense at all. I can elaborate if you would like.


edit: I will elaborate. No one, I repeat NO ONE needs protein to function in any kind of situation. Protien repairs torn muscle. You NEED carbs to function. All that a truely in shape person with a lot of muscle has going against him is a little more wieght to move which he actually will be able to move more efficiently than someone who lacks in muscle.
 
Marcelo Cantu said:
One thing that hasn't been mentioned here is hand & forearm training. I'm about twenty pounds over but I can walk forever. However whenever i spend an extended period of time outdoors where I have to provide my own shelter, fire, tool-make, etc (I'm not there yet with the securing of nourishment), It's my forearms that start to burn and vibrate all on their own. This could make a big difference in a survival situation. chop yer own wood boys.
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There's no need for most people do to forearm/grip specific training. If you have a good workout program, and you don't use gloves or straps, you're forarms will get strong. Even better and adds to this, remove your thumbs from any pulling movement. Example, seated cable rows or pulldowns. remove your thumbs.

this is an old picture and the first person to make fun of the look on my face or the ribbon in the back ground is gunna get a ethug. Back on point. This picture is on a 4 day workout, no illegal sups, just good diet and too much beer. It's also without ANY specific forearm training and minimal direct arm training.
Tri.jpg
 
OK jack. I misspoke and did mean to say huge amounts of carbs, and while typing was thinking about how much protein affects the way I feel. Muscle burns calories, more muscle requires more calories or they start to atrophy. Retarded? F off if you think you have need to be an asshole. It's not needed it's a choice you make.

And I stand by my stamina statement as well as the built guys tiring easily. Most of the meatheads at the gym do little if any cardio, most are on the juice, and I have seen them first hand in the field falling out before the guys that aren't as big but that train a more balanced routine.
 
BigNate said:
OK jack. I misspoke and did mean to say huge amounts of carbs, and while typing was thinking about how much protein affects the way I feel. Muscle burns calories, more muscle requires more calories or they start to atrophy. Retarded? F off if you think you have need to be an asshole. It's not needed it's a choice you make.

And I stand by my stamina statement as well as the built guys tiring easily. Most of the meatheads at the gym do little if any cardio, most are on the juice, and I have seen them first hand in the field falling out before the guys that aren't as big but that train a more balanced routine.
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Well.... ok. I will buy that part about the gear heads. Most of them don't even know what they're doing in the gym and they use juice to cover that up. As far as the first part, you're right that muscle will burn and require more calories. And they only thing I can say there is, so what. You burn it off. Just like fat. And then you're back to square one.

It's been a long week indoors short short of help here. I get a little over excited about fitness stuff. Just take me with a grain of salt.
 
Mental fitness would be something to work on, as there are going to be some tough days together with some split second decision making.

I would work on mindset, believing in myself, understanding my reactions to situations that may be beyond my control and how to deal with them. Work on my ability to think clearly during tough moments, and deal with the matters that come with difficult times.

In conclusion; to be able to mentally deal with a really tough haul.
 
Bufford said:
Mental fitness would be something to work on, as there are going to be some tough days together with some split second decision making.

I would work on mindset, believing in myself, understanding my reactions to situations that may be beyond my control and how to deal with them. Work on my ability to think clearly during tough moments, and deal with the matters that come with difficult times.

In conclusion; to be able to mentally deal with a really tough haul.
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"he's been taught how to ignore pain and to eat things that would make a billy goat puke" Love that line

I think you're right though. Just being able to push yourself a little more and keep a straight train of thought would be major.
 
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