Would you really survive?

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bigcountry1315 said:
Well let me just say I use to weigh 265 with very little body fat.I benched 525 could squat 800 plus.Was always in shape,team leader on our Emergency Response Team. Then I had a knee replacement and 7 months later I slip and fall on ice and rupture a disk in my spine that required surgery.The surgery did not go well it is hard for me to walk 100 yards with out my legs going numb. Good for ya you lost 50lbs, but don't judge us as fat and lazy until you have walked in our shoes!
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Pseudonym said:
Pretty sure that amount of muscle would put a lot of strain on your ligaments, no?
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Back in the late 1980s I was up to about 250 lb at 5'11". The previous few years I worked in midtown Manhattan, walking home 3 miles every day, and after I got a job uptown I continued to work out and bicycle a lot. Useless muscle for a desk job, but I figured it was better than the alternative.

Then my knees began bothering me, so much that bicycling didn't even help. Over the next three years I took it down to 180 by cutting way back on portion size, then cut out excess sugar/fat/salt, and gave up weights for calisthenics.

THEN I became diabetic, and eventually lost my right foot. Ya can't win. :)
All you can do is shade the odds in your favor, and live with the results.
 
This thread is like a stock yard, full of shit. I'm on the slim side and I can be a real lazy SOB buts that's because I have a bum shoulder and knee. True if you weigh over 375lbs and aren't 6'6" you might not make it, but survival in the outdoors is about brains/knowledge more than anything.
 
I have extensive knowledge in internet troll identification. This thread is a hard one. I see moments of trollism followed by moments of clarity and then moments of insanity. I think we may have some bi-polar issues possibly caused by adverse side effects of too many supplements.
 
Esav Benyamin said:
Back in the late 1980s I was up to about 250 lb at 5'11". The previous few years I worked in midtown Manhattan, walking home 3 miles every day, and after I got a job uptown I continued to work out and bicycle a lot. Useless muscle for a desk job, but I figured it was better than the alternative.

Then my knees began bothering me, so much that bicycling didn't even help. Over the next three years I took it down to 180 by cutting way back on portion size, then cut out excess sugar/fat/salt, and gave up weights for calisthenics.

THEN I became diabetic, and eventually lost my right foot. Ya can't win. :)
All you can do is shade the odds in your favor, and live with the results.
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I've come to the decision that it's all about achieving a happy medium. Don't eat McDonald's all the time, but don't try to live off protein shakes/granola bars/whatever either. I used to play a lot of sports but started to cut down on things like basketball, track and field, etc. when my ankles, knees, and back started to give. Tried rowing for a couple years but I was too short to be competitive and I don't enjoy sports without competition.

Now I walk from A to B whenever possible and avoid overeating.
 
For Barlow!


Really though, yes I would survive. Remember that survival is probably more about mental fitness than it is about physical fitness. I don't mean to say that physical fitness isn't important, it is very much so, but the will to live and knowledge of how to do so is tops. Just my two cents, I'm not an expert.
 
I suppose it kinda depends on who your opponent is. If it's another person, then yes, I'd absolutely prefer to be more fit. But if it's Mother Nature, well, she's gonna do what she wants. Skill and knowledge is going to be paramount in that situation. You can survive being a bit overweight if you know how. But if you're fit, but lack the skills, that's a MUCH harder thing to come by in a survival situation.
 
crimsonfalcon07 said:
I suppose it kinda depends on who your opponent is. If it's another person, then yes, I'd absolutely prefer to be more fit. But if it's Mother Nature, well, she's gonna do what she wants. Skill and knowledge is going to be paramount in that situation. You can survive being a bit overweight if you know how. But if you're fit, but lack the skills, that's a MUCH harder thing to come by in a survival situation.
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Yeh ill take my beer gut and (little bit of) know how over jersey shore abs and idiocy any day of the week
 
Skipping the monkey poo flinging, I'd say that when I used to run and at least do push ups and sit ups I felt better and was more "awake" and active. Now for "survival," I think a little body fat would be helpful...we all remember watching that group of back packers on Discovery playing in the Amazon for a couple weeks...half of them looked like skeletons by the end.

It's all about mental attitude. There was a thread or two in W&SS a while back where people would actively participate by posting their workout routines, walks, hikes, the gym, treadmill, etc... and it was very motivating having everyone chipping in their 2 cents and cheering each other on.
 
I'm about 5-10 pounds over my personal ideal body weight, but am in general pretty physically fit. I hit the gym about 3-4 times a week, and am currently 190lbs-ish and can rep 205 about 6-8 times my last set on bench. I also walk something like 6-9 miles a day (back and forth to campus, and then around campus at work), and try to take the stairs everywhere I can (can't figure out why people would take the elevators up one floor myself).

I feel like in a physical sense, I would do pretty darn well in a survival situation. I don't quit easily (in grad school for some reason now... I should have quit a while ago :P), so I think I'm at least fairly mentally fit as well.

My biggest problem would be my lack of skills. I'm ok with generic bushcrafty type stuff, but I think I'd likely starve to death if anything if I was left in the woods myself right now. Thats one of the reasons I joined this forum, because there seems to be lots of good resources and access to people that have the types of skills I need to learn. The biggest one would be getting food for myself. I've never hunted (*gasp*), and I have no idea what is edible plantlife around where I live (or anywhere for that matter).

So yea, being mobile is important, but the skills are hugely important as well. Thats my 2cents.

I like the idea of a BH fitness thread, where we can post what we do, and help encourage others.
 
And even better, BH fitness thread involving Becker knives. I'm thinking get two BK11's, jam them into trees as in clich's thread, and then use them for pull ups... Hmm, maybe that's why I need another BK11.
 
The ultra shitty OP got me thinking that yeah, I'm probably about ten pounds heavier than the average guy my height and my build. Problem is I just can't seem to figure out what exercises would be best for slimming down my enormous manhood. My "BK-11", so to speak.
 
If your goal is just to live long and be healthy, the comments about body building being bad for you are mostly true. It's not as bad as being obese, but in some ways it's similar to be being just plain fat. Your biceps get bigger. Your liver and other essential organs do not. A fat out of shape dude of 250lbs burns about the same amount of calories as a muscular 210lb guy. Just look at these retired wrestlers and athletes who never make it past their 60's. It's a lot of work for your body. Consuming, digesting, and processing all those calories. Tearing down and building up muscle. The guys who make it to being over 70, 80, and even 90 years old tend to be really skinny guys who never weighed more than 150lbs, 140lbs, and 130lbs, for there entire lives. At 80, there only consuming and using around 1000 calories a day. Small meals. A cup of coffee and a piece of fruit for breakfast. A cup of soup for lunch. Ect. A lot of walking and socializing nearby. But only a few miles total throughout the day. They're not jogging marathons.

But....You could make a case using the indoor vs outdoor cat analogy. The indoor cat does live longer on average. But the outdoor may have lived a more exciting life. Given the choice, most cats prefer to go outside. Even if it's only hanging around the backyard. Some people just prefer to live more active lives and have stronger bodies even knowing that it may shorten their lifespan. And by active I'm lumping together endurance buffs who ride a bike 20+miles a day, the long distance joggers, along with the body builders. It's not good to red line a sports car and burn rubber, but it feels good. And it good to use your body. Scrambling down a mountainside trail, doing pullups on a tree branch, sprinting downhill on a bike, cartwheels and hand walking, it all feels good. And people treat you better when you're in shape. Woman like muscles on their men. Men respect men who are muscular and athletic. So you gotta weigh longevity with quality when making your fitness plan. And don't forget, food taste awesome and athletic people can eat more. And really once sex goes to crap in your life, it's really the best pleasure you have left. Especially chocolate. But also pepper jack cheese chicken quesodillas, pastrami with provolone, terramisu, flan, fried ice cream, fish and chips, chili, BACON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Also being a really skinny and frail twerp can have some real disadvantages in life.
 
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Damn, I go shoot a few clay pidgeons, and go and start a big testosterone fest without me.

What are the odds?:D

I'm gonna be gone for a few days, so you kids be nice for the sitter. :D

Moose
 
BRL said:
The ultra shitty OP got me thinking that yeah, I'm probably about ten pounds heavier than the average guy my height and my build. Problem is I just can't seem to figure out what exercises would be best for slimming down my enormous manhood. My "BK-11", so to speak.
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There's an old saying, abs are made in the kitchen and not in the gym.

Depending on your age and a bunch of other things, you can lose a lot of weight by eating right and doing cardio; this combined with weight training gets results but, it takes time.

If anyone has any questions on fitness, I'll try my best to help out.
 
As someone who generally hovers around 7% body fat, I can honestly say that it sucks being this lean when it's cold.
 
LECTER said:
There's an old saying, abs are made in the kitchen and not in the gym.
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Hey brother, you really, really need to read my post that you quoted all the way to the end. But thanks for the earnest comments anyway :D
 
stabman said:
As someone who generally hovers around 7% body fat, I can honestly say that it sucks being this lean when it's cold.
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That's borderline dangerous if it's true! How did you figure out that percentage?? Did you use a califer?
 
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