Let's go over some of the things that you may have to do in the end of the world. This is by no means an all inclusive list. Just something to jump start your brain to the issues you need to consider prior to a disaster or emergency situation presenting itself.
Tests of strength (and endurance)
Gardening/grounds-keeping - sounds easy until you are using a hoe to manually till your garden, a very exhausting task. Grounds-keeping sounds crazy right? Who cares about a nice looking lawn in the end of the world? The answer, No One! I'm not talking about mowing grass, but I am talking about trimming shrubs. Also, cutting down trees or limbs to use for trapping, defense, or just "improving your foxhole". Speaking of Foxes, there is a great article from ID magazine that I will link if I can find. Probably the most important reason for grounds-keeping....is to keep your fields of fire clear. This leads us to defense.
Defense - most of you will probably think of MMA when you think of this. I think the best quote about fighting styles is from Dana White: "Actually, the father of mixed martial arts, if you will, was Bruce Lee. If you look at the way Bruce Lee trained, the way he fought, and many of the things he wrote, he said the perfect style was no style. You take a little something from everything. You take the good things from every different discipline, use what works, and you throw the rest away."
For the "other" kind of defense, you need to have the stamina and physical strength to not only wear your gear around, but to wear it for sometimes extended periods. Include training in a gas mask if you have one. If this is a scenario that you believe is likely, it would be a shame to find out when it really matters, that you are incapable of running a resupply route should you fall short on ammo, water, etc. This will probably lead to someone in your survival group becoming injured. Injuries require medical supplies and working knowledge.
Medical - from dragging a wounded member of your survival "team" to foraging for medical supplies. You will have to travel into potential populated areas, fend off anyone who is also trying to get the supplies you are going for, etc. Additionally, if you haven't already, take a basic first aid class. Take a CPR class too. CPR is a physically exhaustive process, even for someone who is in great condition. Obviously, CPR is irrelevant if NBC is an issue, but you get the point
Escape/Evasion - both from people and animals. How far and how long can you run with how much gear? What about your team? Do you practice together? How fast can you hike a mile? Two? Ten? Can you make it ten with the gear you would need to survive?
I'll stop there, but we all know there are thousands of other examples for reasons you should be physically fit. Now how do we go about improving our strength?
I used to be a very, very small guy. I'm still smaller by a lot of people's standards, but I've put on about 20lbs of muscle in the past year to year and a half. This is without spending thousands on supplements, or personal trainers. All I have done is sought out sound advice from fellow "bodybuilders" and actually followed it. The single greatest resource for this in my opinion is Bodybuilding.com
Now in fairness I should state that I do take supplements, but I don't spend a fortune on them, and I have done a great deal of research on what items to take that are as natural as possible. Effectively, my supplement routine is based around increasing the amount of natural "supplements" that I could not possibly ingest by eating whole foods. I simply can't eat that much, and unless you are already an enormous bodybuilder, you probably can't either without packing on excessive weight. Additionally, I drink protein shakes so that I can increase my daily intake of lean protein without adding massive sums of money to my grocery bill.
This is an example of how I eat/supplement on a daily basis:
Morning: 0830 (after Army PT session 0630-0800): 2 cups oatmeal with chopped apples w/one scoop of ON(Optimum Nutrition) Gold Standard Whey Protein mixed, 1 8oz. glass of OJ
Mid-Morning: 1030 - 1x12oz glass of Amino Energy (2 scoops) and 1x8.4oz Red Bull
Lunch: I cheated today and ate a pulled pork sandwich w/ shredded provolone and blue corn tortilla chips, 24oz water
Mid-Afternoon: 1430 - 1x12oz glass of Amino Energy (2 scoops)
Mid-Afternoon Snack: 1500 - 1xPowerbar Harvest Energy Whole Grain Bar
During Workout: ON Glyco Maize w/Amino Energy (3 scoops)
Post Workout: ON Platinum Hydro Builder w/a pinch of Citrulline Malate
Dinner: 1800 - 8oz Fresh Broccoli, 1 cup Corn, 2 Chicken Breasts
Late Evening: 2200 - ON Gold Standard Casein Protein (1 scoop)
Additional Snacks: based on hunger levels I may intermittently munch on Beef or Pork Jerky to try and keep my protein intake high.
Additional Supplementation: taken three times daily w/main meals: ON OptiMen Multivitamin, ON BCAA 1000 Caps, ON Amino 2222, ON Tribulus 625 Caps, ON CLA Softgels, ON HMB 1000 Caps, NOW Super Antioxidants, Sundown Naturals Omega 3-6-9
And this is the generic overview of my workout plan:
Summer 2012
Primary Goal - add size
Secondary Goal - maintain or lower bodyfat %
All workouts focus on compound movements primarily.Monday - Chest/Biceps
Tuesday - Legs/Abs
Wednesday - Back/Triceps
Thursday - Legs/Abs
Friday - Shoulders/Upper Chest/Upper Back
Why focus on compound movements? Compound movements don't waste time. Additionally, compound movements and "cross-fit" styled workouts focus on functional movements. Good for you if you have 19 inch biceps when SHTF, doesn't mean anything if you can't carry your buddy, or hike over uneven terrain for long distances.
So why do I do legs twice? I NEVER grew until I started doing squats and dead-lifts at least twice a week. I prefer to do them three times a week.
Final note, lift heavy, drink milk (I drink almond milk, because cows hate me), get PLENTY of rest (no less than 7 hours) and always try to increase the weight you lift by a couple pounds once a week.
Fitness will help you get D.E.E.P., F.A.S.T.
and then survival becomes second nature.
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