Who stays in shape and is REALLY ready if the SHTF

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[ARCHIVED THREAD] - Who stays in shape and is REALLY ready if the SHTF (Page 1 of 2)

Posted: 6/12/2001 5:02:36 AM EDT

I have read about being ready for when the SHTF, but being ready is listed as weapons only.

Who runs everyday and goes to the gym so they are in the top physical shape? I think that is at least as important as the weapons you would have with you.

Posted: 6/12/2001 5:26:07 AM EDT

[#1]

Quoted:
Who runs everyday and goes to the gym so they are in the top physical shape? I think that is at least as important as the weapons you would have with you.

View Quote

I try to bring this up now and then.

I am no conspiracy theory/SHTF, tin hat wearing person,but being physically fit and acquiring new skills is important.

Another item of importance is maintaining contact with people who complement your skills.... should you ever need their services.

Posted: 6/12/2001 5:27:28 AM EDT

[#2]

I go to the gym 3-4x a week. Don't like running though. I get shin splints. I swim instead. The gym I belong to has a lap pool. I hit that about once a week and go for about a mile. I have a make shift BOB that I tried out running with. I lasted about 1/2mi with some energy left. 1mi woulda killed me.

Posted: 6/12/2001 5:30:21 AM EDT

[#3]

Not I! [:D] For many complicated reasons, I'm in the worst shape of my life. I'm working on it, but it's slow.

Hopefully if things fell apart I would shape up fairly quickly.

Posted: 6/12/2001 5:36:36 AM EDT

[#4]

Hiked to the top of Mt. Marcy, this weekend (Adirondaks).
19 miles, round trip.
I did it.
My wife did it.
My dog did it (he carries his own gear, too).

Got drunk, later that night, and lifted up the front of a '75 Porsche 911.

I'm ready.

Posted: 6/12/2001 6:01:32 AM EDT

[#5]

Originally Posted By Major Murphy:
Hiked to the top of Mt. Marcy, this weekend (Adirondaks).
19 miles, round trip.

View Quote

He,he.....I did it last year and it was fun....all except the hike from the parking lot to the camping area at the foot of the mountain!
A few miles of uneven terrain with an ALICE pack and 70 pounds of equipment,water,etc is more than I was prepared for.

The black bear that came to the lean-to and tried to eat our food provided plenty of entertainment.

Posted: 6/12/2001 6:09:30 AM EDT

[#6]

My previous job was working as a mountaineering guide/whitewater guide. With that job I didn't have to hit the gym since the job itself kept you in great shape.

Now that I've gotten married and have gotten a job that is closer to home w/better hours it is harder to keep in shape so I try to hit the gym twice a week and do something outdoors that is strenous on the weekends.

idaho-ar15

Posted: 6/12/2001 6:15:50 AM EDT

[#7]

I am also in damn good shape. 6'0", 154lbs., workout 3+ times a week, work full time, raise a family( wife and 8 year old daughter), and keep LOTS of contacts. I agree w/Ed that who ya know is very important. In my case, everyone I know says that if SHTF, they're comin' to my house. And most of them will show up well armed and in shape.

Posted: 6/12/2001 6:24:03 AM EDT

[#8]

Im in decent shape, but it has nothing to do with the SHingTF. I run on occasion and hit the weight room every once in a while.

I mostly do it though so I can fight my way up to the front of the crowd at the gunshows and buy up all of the cheap prebans for my collection. [thinking]

Michael

Posted: 6/12/2001 6:45:17 AM EDT

[#9]

Quoted:
He,he.....I did it last year and it was fun....all except the hike from the parking lot to the camping area at the foot of the mountain!
A few miles of uneven terrain with an ALICE pack and 70 pounds of equipment,water,etc is more than I was prepared for.

View Quote

Ed, try it in the Winter, with snow-shoes.
-20 on top, not including wind chill.
That really sucks (but is fun and challenging).

Posted: 6/12/2001 6:53:29 AM EDT

[#10]

I am by no means ripped but I am definately solid.... I work out 5 times a week. I rotate swimming, biking and running (8 minute miles) plus nautilus strength training and sit-ups.

I like how it feels to actually [i]use[/i] my body and push it's limits. One of my favorite feelings is that kind of absolute physical exhaustion that empties your head of all BS.

Since I have the farm and I do everything solo, I have to be in some semblance of shape to do things like put up 300 90lb square bales in the hay loft and wrestle 500lb round bales out of the back of my truck.

** A friend of mine likes to say he's in shape... because [i]round[/i] is a shape... [:D]

Posted: 6/12/2001 6:55:32 AM EDT

[#11]

I love to lift weights. Unfortunately I shattered my shin a couple of weeks ago so it will be a long time before I can run again. When that day comes however I will be doing quite well as I am 6'6" and although I have not tried I am pretty sure that I can bench press a house and then run several miles. Last summer myself and my friends made up a game which was played exactly one time. It was kind of like a big game of capture the flag except there are just runners and chasers. The course was about 13mi long and I sprained my ankle about 2 mi. into it. I was running for several weeks before to get into great shape, but the guy I was running with was really out of shape. My ankle slowed me down enough to where he could keep up and it worked out really well. Although I could not walk right for several days to come that was about the best shape I have ever been in. I know it sounds lame, no pun intended, but making up our own game made each of us drop about ten pounds last summer and we had a great time.

Posted: 6/12/2001 6:57:07 AM EDT

[#12]

i have a gut not from beer but from to much GOOD FOOD! i cant run the like i used too... my own fault though.

Posted: 6/12/2001 7:05:21 AM EDT

[#13]

Y'all can't partake in SHTF until you do Mt. Whitney in 1 day. It's about 22 miles round trip and almost 15k feet up. Highest point in lower 48 states.

The worst part is trying to get a permit which has recently been highly regulated.

Posted: 6/12/2001 7:09:40 AM EDT

[#14]

I lift weights daily, and do push-ups and sit-ups daily (about 70 each). If I didn't work out I'd run a higher risk of getting injured at work. I have hated running since the first day I was in the Army, but I started running again because the ski machine wasn't doing it for me. I could keep my heart rate up in the 180s for 20-30 mins, and it was no impact, but it didn't push my muscles like just plain old hateful running does. I started running again, and I still hate it, but I can still pass an APRT for my age group. I meet the screening weight for AR 600-9 (i.e. height and wieght standards). I ride my bicycle to work when I work days (only one more week of nights left for a while) and that's 7.2 miles a day. During the day at work, I walk probably a good 20 miles on the dock and on the route (a FedEx company). I still have a slight beer gut, though I've actually lost 10lbs when I shifted to nights because half of it is all dock work at the hub, and I don't stop and throw junk food down my throat like I do on my city route.

Physical shape is important, but the most important thing is your attitude and mental state. Obviously if you have the right attitude, you'll probably be taking care of yourself anyway. Guns are just tools, like a hammer or a shovel. It's the ability to use what you have, and the will to survive that will make you succeed.

Ross(who still has a slight beer gut, damn!)

Posted: 6/12/2001 7:11:12 AM EDT

[#15]

Quoted:
I have read about being ready for when the SHTF, but being ready is listed as weapons only.

Who runs everyday and goes to the gym so they are in the top physical shape? I think that is at least as important as the weapons you would have with you.

View Quote

I am in pre-ban shape! [%(]

I also have a string of contacts throughout the state and SE US. One of my close friends is a Class III dealer and SWAT shop owner. Big Colt and H&K dealer with MP5's, 10's, and M16's in safes always! Have a friend with a decent size sailboat, and we are away!

Been fighting with my wife for 14 years, so I possess extreme mental toughness! [%D]

Posted: 6/12/2001 7:13:57 AM EDT

[#16]

I run 2 to 3 times a week - between 4 and 6 miles every time, and I try to find the time to go and lift at least once a week (preferably more often), and do small stuff at home that doesn't require a weight room.

While I'm not in bad shape, it is still depressing to realize that I'll never be in the shape I was in when I was a sergeant in the infantry at age 20. Those days are gone - boo hoo.

I figure I don't need to be in full iron man triathlete shape - because when the comet hits I'll just need to sit on my doorstep with my AR and protect my home from all the other neighbors who'll want to storm my huge cache of hoarded spam and toilet paper! [:D]

Posted: 6/12/2001 7:17:47 AM EDT

[#17]

[left]I think Gym is less important has for tin hat crap i think its important where to get a good water supply/food ect! don't go overboard with bunker's and crap just learn the basic survivalskill's to stay alive you could get in a car wreck and nobody would find you for day's how would you survive? remember stay alert stay alive this has really happen to me and i
survived. i was almost killed by a train i could not stop my truck and it slid right in front of it train going about 35 MPH came right
for my door i bailed out really fast then BOOM
ripped my truck right in two; see survival can
be any time anyplace just learn to stay alert stay alive.[/left]

Posted: 6/12/2001 7:17:55 AM EDT

[#18]

all thease post talk about ..I run every day blah blah blah every time I see a pic of someone.. thier belly says its miller time....this is just an observation.

Posted: 6/12/2001 7:32:25 AM EDT

[#19]

I thought I was in good shape, but a recent move to a new house (I've moved about 90% of the stuff alone) has beat my arse into the ground. I guess I'll need to beef up my weight training over the summer...got the cardio down.

Posted: 6/12/2001 7:40:08 AM EDT

[#20]

Running makes me spill my drink...thats out! Lifting weights...too strenuous. Remember the story of the two bulls on top of a hill? Anyway the son says to pappa bull,"lets run down the hill and do a cow". Pappa bull looks at him and says "lets walk down the hill and do them all"

Posted: 6/12/2001 7:48:43 AM EDT

[#21]

I let myself go for about 10 years, and am trying to make up for lost time- have lost 20+ pounds in the past two months (Weight Watchers- works great- ignore the housewife emphasis of the program- the prog. works!!), and exercise a a lot, just to get back in shape and feel healthy- weight really drags one down- it's amazing how much energy one has when one works out and takes care of oneself- much better in an emergency situation- not only does the body work better, but the mind works better, and more quickly.

Fat gunowners are their own worst enemy- they not only get lazy and sluggish about themselves, but get lazy about what goes on around them. "They'll never take muh .30-30- Ahm jes' a hunter, not one o' them "black gun" nuts.." Sound familiar? Usually uttered by some Bubba who is, as my late Grandma from WV used to say, "six axe handles wide".... <:^O

Stay away from sugar, salt and fat in food- you'll live longer- and better. Eat smaller portions- "super-sizing" leads to "super-gut".

As for contacts in a SHTF sitch? Oy - I live in Massachusetts- I'm on my own.... :^(

Posted: 6/12/2001 7:49:10 AM EDT

[#22]

Quoted:
all thease post talk about ..I run every day blah blah blah every time I see a pic of someone.. thier belly says its miller time....this is just an observation.

View Quote

Hey [b]ROUND[/b] is a shape. I do have a spare tire but I think I can pull my own weight if needed. I still pass the Navy PFT with an Outstanding rating. Good enough for them, good enough for me.

I'm not too out of shape am I? I'm the guy in the foreground wearing the tac holster.
[img]http://wsphotofews.excite.com/018/Ld/jq/rJ/Od20541.jpg[/img]

Posted: 6/12/2001 7:55:33 AM EDT

[#23]

Quoted:
all thease post talk about ..I run every day blah blah blah every time I see a pic of someone.. thier belly says its miller time....this is just an observation.

View Quote

Is this just a trick to get those of us that are in fact relatively fit to send you revealing pictures of us?

Hmmm - my tinfoil hat says you must be a federal agent collecting info on all us gunowners, but my homophobia gaydar (TM) says otherwise. [:D]

Seriously, if some people use the annonymity of an internet message board to live the tiny and pathetic illusion that they are not the couch potatoe (HEY - I did a Dan Quale!) they really are, then let them. No need to insult the rest of us, that are actually fighting to avoid the beer belly by sweating our asses off out on the road multiple times a week.

Posted: 6/12/2001 8:00:01 AM EDT

[#24]

Quoted:

I'm not too out of shape am I? I'm the guy in the foreground wearing the tac holster.
[img]http://wsphotofews.excite.com/018/Ld/jq/rJ/Od20541.jpg[/img]

View Quote

Lordtrader, you look in fine shape- but that BBQ- man... all I can say is: "heart attack on a plate"! (:^O

Homer Simpson: "Mmmmmm...barbecue" (_8^(I)

Posted: 6/12/2001 8:01:49 AM EDT

[#25]

Quoted:
all these post talk about ..I run every day blah blah blah every time I see a pic of someone.. their belly says its miller time....this is just an observation.

View Quote

There is something to be said about being famine resistant.

Posted: 6/12/2001 8:04:48 AM EDT

[#26]

Won't lie,
worst shape of My life I think
too much bad food...
trying to get started though.

Posted: 6/12/2001 8:07:17 AM EDT

[#27]

I carry enough rations for six months on my 250+ frame.
Notice how all the scrawny guys died in "Survivor".

Posted: 6/12/2001 8:21:58 AM EDT

[#28]

see a little more honesty comes out....

Posted: 6/12/2001 8:24:21 AM EDT

[#29]

Quoted:
all thease post talk about ..I run every day blah blah blah every time I see a pic of someone.. thier belly says its miller time....this is just an observation.

View Quote

The pictures you have seen, where we have beer bellies, have been altered with Photoshop to give the anti's and government agencies that monitor us a deceptive impression of our actual state of readiness! [;)]

When you see more of this in the future(pictures of the Ohio shoot at the end of this month),please remember it is all a plan.[:)]

Posted: 6/12/2001 8:26:59 AM EDT

[#30]

Quoted:
see a little more honesty comes out....

View Quote

To be truthful I am in bad shape. 3 months ago I weighed 256 and was gaining fast. Then I cut out the soda and snacking, and started exercising regularly. I have lost 30 pounds and have gained another problem. My pants don't fit me anymore. Now my new gun budget has to go to new pants.

Posted: 6/12/2001 8:36:15 AM EDT

[#31]

I am still 4' 11" 350 lbs. and I make sure that at every gun show I walk at least 3 aisles before I have to sit and rest.

Posted: 6/12/2001 8:57:57 AM EDT

[#32]

With me its sort of a job requirement. I either Run or Weight train 6 days a week. I'm in better shape now than when I was in the Marine Corps.

Posted: 6/12/2001 9:05:56 AM EDT

[#33]

My pants don't fit me anymore. Now my new gun budget has to go to new pants

View Quote

Just buy an IWB holster for your carry gun. That'll take up a couple inches.

Ross

Posted: 6/12/2001 3:49:31 PM EDT

[#34]

Try these benchmarks for starters. They are the minimum acceptable for the Marine Corps physical fitness test.

3 dead hang pull ups
45 crunches in two minutes
3 miles in under 29 minutes (30 year old)

These are absolute minimums, and would earn you much grief if this is all you could do. Getting the minimum on all three is still a failure. You would have to do better on at least one event.

Here are the "real world" minimums for the Marine PFT. Anything less will earn you much grief:

15 dead hang pull ups
90 crunches in under two minutes
3 mile run in under 23 minutes

Keep in mind that these are minimums!

Posted: 6/12/2001 4:05:21 PM EDT

[#35]

What you guys are not considering is that in a SHTF scenario, there will be a shortage of food. I and my extra 25lbs of reserve will survive for months with a few vitamins and water. You skinny muscular guys with the high calorie per day bodies will starve or kill each other trying to get food. My beer belly buddies and I will just wait you guys out and take all your guns and women!! Not to mention all this fat is very insultating from the cold. We also float better in water. I saw a bunch of buff SEALs in California sink to the bottom like lead sinkers! Doesn't matter that their feet and hands were tied behind their backs. Its survival of the fittest but you have to define fit! :o)

Posted: 6/12/2001 4:15:12 PM EDT

[#36]

I dunno...You decide.
[img]www.fugly.net/g9/9m14.jpg[/img]

Posted: 6/12/2001 4:21:25 PM EDT

[#37]

I work all day roofing, siding,building decks installing gutters and a whole lot of other stuff that no one wants to do so they hire me, and when i'm done I manage to drag myself to my own personal gym that is in a old barn I wipe the dust and bird crap off whatever i'm going to be using that day and then I lift and beat the hell out of a few bags that are haging around. unless Im not in the mood,in that case I just go water skiing. and when im done its time for a beer. (dont want to take this in shape thing too seriously)....Damn ready

Posted: 6/12/2001 4:43:57 PM EDT

[#38]

osprey21 - no comment but it looks like we workout at the same club!

Old, wise and nasty beat young, fast, and foolish every time [^]

After about age 35 the mind was willing but the body decided to age itself. I've put on about 25 pounds in the six years since then. I've gotten a bit smarter and nastier since [;)] to compensate.

Posted: 6/12/2001 4:46:08 PM EDT

[#39]

I work out 3 times a week and run or bike 3 days a week. I'm in better shape than I've ever been. Unfortunately that;s not saying much as I spent my first 35 years trying to take off from my life expectancy! Too many beers, calories, and cigs.

Posted: 6/12/2001 5:12:20 PM EDT

[#40]

I am one of those guys who can pretty much eat and drink as much as I want, and won't hardly gain a pound. High metabolism, plus a huge caffeine addiction! No formal workout program, but my job (construction) keeps me pretty fit. Plus, I play ice/roller hockey at least two times a week.I've never been one of those guys who can bench press 250lbs. , but I have good endurance.

Posted: 6/12/2001 6:26:54 PM EDT

[#41]

Osprey21, You're Awesome!!

Posted: 6/12/2001 6:57:53 PM EDT

[#42]

I figure in shtf I'll have to live off of the earth. Since there are a lot of 7-11's on the earth in my area I eat my weight in little chocolate donuts every week, drink too much coffee, smoke cheap cigs, and wash it down with beef jerky and good local beer. When the beer is gone I chase my wife around naked until she gives in.

Posted: 6/12/2001 7:07:27 PM EDT

[#43]

I am in no shape if the SH*T hits the fan,I was 10 years ago when I was in the MARINES but now I just have to rely on my several thousand rounds of ammo,my pickup,and my 3 AR's. If the SH*T really hits the fan we all will get real skinny and be in good shape real quick.

Posted: 6/12/2001 7:22:58 PM EDT

[#44]

My trigger finger is always in top physical condition.

Posted: 6/12/2001 7:23:03 PM EDT

[#45]

15 dead hang pull ups
90 crunches in under two minutes
3 mile run in under 23 minutes

Keep in mind that these are minimums!

View Quote

Do you mean to tell me that the Gyreens have gone to those wussie tummy crunches? The country is in trouble!!

FWIW, I'm carrying about fifty extra pounds and I can do the run and the "crunches" although I prefer to do manly situp. Haven't been able to do chin ups for years because I have a shoulder that doesn't work anymore.

Posted: 6/12/2001 7:43:36 PM EDT

[#46]

Originally Posted By SSgt D:

15 dead hang pull ups
/quote]

Overhand or underhand? Either? Just curious.

Posted: 6/12/2001 7:54:52 PM EDT

[#47]

LOL, i'm definitely toting a few more pounds than i need to! : )

but i'm strong enough to meet those US Marine Corp physicals... phew!

don't forget to add in some knifetraining and bladework conditioning for all those shtf scenarios, too!!

just a thought! Jeff C/NY
http://www.JeffChung.com

Posted: 6/12/2001 8:22:55 PM EDT

[#48]

I know it's no secret, but the S is going to HTF as sure as your reading this.
It probably wont be what [u]we[/u] think of when we say SHTF (If it does, there's many more facets to survival than most members even think about). Sure the last thing you experience just before TSHTF could be a bright flash on the horizon, or the sound of 60' Mort-T rotor with "hush paddles," etc.
But odds are over 99.?% that it'll be a chest pain (That you'll try to dismiss at first), a glimpse of another vehicle at an intersection (That you KNOW no one is stupid enough to run, "especially at this speed"), a doctor saying "I'm afraid I've got some bad news for you." Hell, it may start with a falling sensation in the tub, or thinking that you should've pulled over a little more to change the flat. Hopefully It'll be many years after you've lived your allotted "three score and twelve," but it'll happen, & the S is about to HTF is each case.
THAT is when the exercise you do today pays off, the more fit you are going in - the better your chances are of making it back out.
In the case "just plain old age" - it still pays off big time - being fit got you there, blah, blah, blah...

Like I said, it's no secret -- every single one of us know it.
It just surprises me how many of us will pay $2,500 for a Wilson, or $1,300.00 on a preban AR, then pay a hell of a lot EXTRA for [name your junkfood].
THEN worry about the price of ammo (If "we" practice at all),while "we're" eating a Ho-Ho, & watching the tube.

Keeeeeriiist boyz, being lazy is fun, easy, cheap, & it pays off now, but........

[i]Gota go, the Pizza man is at the door.[/i] [img]http://www.stopstart.fsnet.co.uk/Gif/couch.gif[/img]

Posted: 6/12/2001 8:52:51 PM EDT

[#49]

[b]Lordtrader, you look in fine shape- but that BBQ- man... all I can say is: "heart attack on a plate"! (:^O[/b]

What you mena heart attack on a plate the grilled chicken look's good! are you a vegitarian.

Posted: 6/12/2001 10:00:47 PM EDT

[#50]

Interesting thread...

I'm 5' 8" at 235 pounds with only a 36" waist. I workout once a week. I run a mile in about (haven't timed myself in years) 10 minutes. I squat 370#, deadlift 315#, and benchpress 215# each for 4-8 reps every week. As often as I can handle it (only about once every couple of months), I go to a boxing club and spar with 20 year-olds. About once a month, I usually seem to end-up helping a neighbor or relative move. It always seems that they're either moving into our out of an apartment that isn't on the first floor. At work, I often carry 100+# bags of either currency, papers or other valuables. Carrying bags of change from an arcade is a killer. For extra money, I repo (sometimes heavy) copiers for a company that leases them to businesses. Ever try defending yourself while carrying a copier?

Why is any of this important? It's because I'll be 73 years old soon. I'm in better shape now than when I was in the Army freezing my ass off in Korea. I don't understand why things happened this way, but they have. With the knowledge I gained this year about firearms, explosives, farming, and knife fighting, I feel more prepared to handle the SHTF, than I did when I was in the Army. Strange how old age and treachery can sometimes beat-out youth. My wife is very scared that the S will hit the fan, because she sees me preparing for something. I had something very bad happen to me in December, and I was also attacked by someone wielding a knife that month. Strange how I'm now more ready for something to happen, but I'm getting more afraid of what might happen. I guess it's that way for most people. The more you train and prepare, the more things you know you aren't ready to handle. It makes me long for the days when I was one of the simple, blind, unconcerned sheople.

[ARCHIVED THREAD] - Who stays in shape and is REALLY ready if the SHTF (Page 1 of 2)

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