[ARCHIVED THREAD] - Physically Fit for SHTF? (Page 1 of 2)
Posted: 5/6/2009 6:21:01 PM EDT
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Quite often we discuss being prepped for the eventually of SHTF. Stores of food, ammo, and trying desperately to find those guns we all lost in various boating accidents. Preparation is key, right?
But when SHTF day really comes and is in progress, will any of us be able to stand up to the rigors of defending one's self? Can we run more than a mile? Can we stand the rigors of hunting for food day after day? Are we physically able enough to do the heavy lifting as required and to haul ass as necessary? What about building a shelter? Chopping down trees for firewood? The list goes on and on... I know we're probably all expert zombie assassins (or working hard to attain that status), but just how long can each of us survive the physical rigors of actual survival when the screws get turned? |
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I run 10 miles a day (5 in morning 5 at night) and I run it at a pace of a 7-8 minute mile my goal is getting back to 5-6 minute mile... Once you get to a good shelter and you get yourself sorted out the rigors become a lot easier... It will actually be harder to get to the shelter then it will to survive after you get to your shelter... Remember SHTF you have to bug out (for most people) as long as you're fit to follow whatever plan you have come up with you are good. If you aren't you need to either adjust your plan or get in shape. |
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Quoted:
Quite often we discuss being prepped for the eventually of SHTF. Stores of food, ammo, and trying desperately to find those guns we all lost in various boating accidents. Preparation is key, right? But when SHTF day really comes and is in progress, will any of us be able to stand up to the rigors of defending one's self? Can we run more than a mile? Can we stand the rigors of hunting for food day after day? Are we physically able enough to do the heavy lifting as required and to haul ass as necessary? What about building a shelter? Chopping down trees for firewood? The list goes on and on... I know we're probably all expert zombie assassins (or working hard to attain that status), but just how long can each of us survive the physical rigors of actual survival when the screws get turned? I can do all those things and more. Good points. |
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You don't need to be in shape to sit in a lawn chair on the COSTCO roof with a cooler full of beer next to you, and a rifle in your lap.  fixt Quoted:
I think I better rent a bush mower and clear some fire lanes. No plans on going anywhere. Is easier that way. Like this... 
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SHTF is relative, many here are going through it right now.
The shit hits if you get laid off and can't find a job. ETA: Another SHTF is somebody in your family gets sick or leaves. Running will not help there. Running 5 miles won't do you much good in that situation. Osama ain't gonna save you, he's gonna save his own ass. TEOTWAWKI is different though, that's where training and condition are important. I ain't gonna last long if that happens, and I will have lots of company that post in this forum. |
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You don't need to be in shape to sit in a lawn chair on the COSTCO roof with a cooler full of beer next to you, and a rifle in your lap. fixt Quoted:
I think I better rent a bush mower and clear some fire lanes. No plans on going anywhere. Is easier that way. Like this...
http://www.eutoposphere.com/72mower05.JPG OPSEC!
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Costco while it may sound good, may be less so than you think.
1) They are quite often located close to large populations that may want in. 2) The elevated position of the roof while good for many things is also very large and would take close to a dozen bodies to defend, allowing for rest and food. 3) While trying to defend your position from the approaching mob, you could easily expose yourself to snipers (remember you would have to stand to shoot down on them. and it is flat). 4) That type of take over may bring in what is left of the police or other forces. I suggest grab all the dry goods and cans you need and head to the country. Less people, less problems. |
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I think I better rent a bush mower and clear some fire lanes. No plans on going anywhere. Is easier that way. Like this...
http://www.eutoposphere.com/72mower05.JPG That Sir, would do nicely, when can you have it here.?? |
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You don't need to be in shape to sit in a lawn chair on the COSTCO roof with a cooler full of beer next to you, and a rifle in your lap. fixt Quoted:
I think I better rent a bush mower and clear some fire lanes. No plans on going anywhere. Is easier that way. Like this...
http://www.eutoposphere.com/72mower05.JPG If you take the hitch and mod it so the lift arms of the 3 point lift on your tractor can lift the front, remove the rear turn buckle adjuster for a hyd cylinder, plumb that into the tractor hyds, you can use your Bush Hog ANYWHERE and it makes it a helluva lot more useable and handier |
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Quoted:
Quite often we discuss being prepped for the eventually of SHTF. Stores of food, ammo, and trying desperately to find those guns we all lost in various boating accidents. Preparation is key, right? But when SHTF day really comes and is in progress, will any of us be able to stand up to the rigors of defending one's self? Can we run more than a mile? Can we stand the rigors of hunting for food day after day? Are we physically able enough to do the heavy lifting as required and to haul ass as necessary? What about building a shelter? Chopping down trees for firewood? The list goes on and on... I know we're probably all expert zombie assassins (or working hard to attain that status), but just how long can each of us survive the physical rigors of actual survival when the screws get turned?  Lets break it down some... This is all opinion on my part obviously
will any of us be able to stand up to the rigors of defending one's self? Do you already have someone to watch your back? In a SHTF there will probably be a major free for all by a lot of people with no moral fiber but lots of firearms, more eyes would be better Can we run more than a mile? If you are running you probably already screwed up. You likely already did something you shouldn't have to draw attention from people who view you as prey. And if your running you are leaving a easier trail to follow. At this point your depending more on luck than anything else. You also want to avoid sweat that will have to be dried before sundown to prevent a chill and potential sickness and weakness developing. Can we stand the rigors of hunting for food day after day? Do you already have enough property to be self sustaining for food? gardens and game will draw attention and you will not be alone in the woods. Of the 80 million other people with firearms how many else do you think came across the brilliant idea to go to the woods when the SHTF that you're trying? If you own your own bug out location do you have enough other people already organized to meet there that you can defend your self sustaining resources from the people who did nothing to prepare but get ammo so they could take it from you? Are we physically able enough to do the heavy lifting as required and to haul ass as necessary? Do you think you'll be carrying enough stuff in one trip to set up a permanent shelter? If it's SHTF whatever you have left in your vehicle for multiple trips has a good chance of getting looted by everyone else who is fleeing town with some probably following your lead hoping you know a faster way, will they be like sheep or wolves depending on their desperation? What about building a shelter? If you're serious about this you need a discrete shelter already established with dried goods already there (read as not distinguishable as someplace someone can find and pillage supplies from before you get there), if it's truly SHTF you shouldn't be packing anything more than your rifle a couple of magazines (you're a fleeing refugee at this point so your not taking the gunsafe) and enough fluids and calories to make it to where you already have a well stocked discreet shelter set up with water or a way to acquire drinkable water. You cant rely on rain, and all stream water contains stuff that can make you sick without purification. If you don't already have your own property you might be trying to set up on someone else's property who may be more prepared than you. Chopping down trees for firewood? Again if it's truly SHTF a fire of any size that your collecting firewood big enough that your chopping down trees instead of collecting twigs to heat food you will creating smoke that stands out like a lighthouse in the dark that could be seen for several miles that there's someone there with supplies to be taken. You should be looking into wood gas generating types fires that don't create nearly as much smoke and are more efficient. If you want to survive in the woods without already having something set up you will have to have one pack that you can carry one time far enough to be past what the vast majority of people will be able to do I'm thinking about 15 miles from a road to leave behind local people who will take advantage of the opportunity presented by one solo person and there's not many places like that. You will need enough calories and ways to procure water until you can build a reserve to do other things. You will need to pack this along with the cookware, soap to last the duration of your stay to stave off illness, axe head (why pack a handle too?), multiple knives for when one breaks, knike sharpeners, clothing, mosquito netting, arm, extra parts for weapon, sleeping bag, tarps, rope/paracord, blankets, rechargeable batteries, a solar charger, a radio, bleach to make and preserve clean water and general cleaning/sterilization, a saw, a file to sharpen the axe and saw, candles, first aid kit and the first aid training to not waste stuff in it, suture, socks, extra clothes, wood gas stove, flour, salt (it takes a lot to preserve the meat you plan to hunt if it's winter and you cant dry it in the sun), a suppressor to mask the gunshot from other opportunistic people passing through the area? will you bring T.P. or hope you find the right not leave you a itchy ass leaf in the dark? Did you get wool clothing? cotton kills wool will stay warm even when wet while cotton will give you a chill. Do you plan on running with this pack? And in such a way that you will not be leaving a obvious trail for others to follow. Do you already have experience knowing what local food you can eat? What berries are good and which ones are bad? Mushrooms? What plants have tubers underground that'll provide starches and carbs? Can you start a fire without your lighter? Will you need to acquire this for more than yourself? Do you have the packs ready for every person that is also going? Are they ready to defend themselves if you are collecting wood while they are collecting berries or cultivating the garden? Have you already found the location you will go to and not the general area? If there is a road nearby you will not be alone. You have prepped for that, right? |
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I can, my kids can't. Little fucking deadweights slowing me down. And don't get me started on the missus! Ho-lee-shit!
I'm tearing the deck apart to barricade the windows and doors and I will be firing from the roof. If that doesn't work I've got a nice big culvert picked out to hide in. I've got to build a cart to hall some stuff when it is time to bug-out... |
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I can, my kids can't. Little fucking deadweights slowing me down. And don't get me started on the missus! Ho-lee-shit! I'm tearing the deck apart to barricade the windows and doors and I will be firing from the roof. If that doesn't work I've got a nice big culvert picked out to hide in. I've got to build a cart to hall some stuff when it is time to bug-out... You don't have to outrun the bear, you just have to outrun your wife. |
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I love questions like this, let's bring some reality to the table. When SHTF, can you keep a sound psyche is the REAL question; let me count the ways:
- Can you keep going on when a family member dies? (i.e. rotting from some disease, obscenely murdered, mamed and slowly dying, etc.) - If you get blungened in the head / pounded-on / stabbed / seriously hurt/ are you going to have the mind-set to dis-associate the pain and finish your objective? - You lost everything.......are you going to keep a leveled-head and move-on, or are you going to just give up and stay emotionally involved? - Are you going to have the stomach to skin your assailant, but keep him alive; and then stick him up on display in front of an establishment with a post in his ass as a form of 'Psy-Ops'? (Gotta let the masses know who they are dealing with and make them think twice about entering the 'Safe-Zone'. - Are you going to know how to hit arterial points without being sprayed in the eyes and carry-on? Because once you have blood in your eyes.....you are no good to anybody for awhile. - Other than being in shape.......what are going to do with it? Run? Chop wood? FODDER......and here is why: When there are numbers trying to survive together you have Planners / wood seekers / food seekers-hunters / perimeter personnel / kid management personnel / etc. Only the guys who do pre-emptive / active maneuvers will need to be fit......but you better have 'Trained-in-Pain' because you WILL get hurt in the process eventually and if you can't dis-associate the pain.......well, then you probably should have been the 'wood-seeker' or 'perimeter personnel' that sits in an elevated position and now somebody has the fucked up opportunity in telling your family the bad news. This is all hypothetical of course, but having a strong mind-set in combat is key to any situation........but I wouldn't know, I've never enlisted in the military. Most of you already do though, I'm sure. 
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Wife is dead if the SHTF. No cops around anymore, no government, cities burning...
I'm going to come at her like a spider monkey swinging a sock half-full of brass doorknobs. <introspective moment> If I could just quit talking shit about her on the Internet I would have the Love, Honor, and Obey thing down to a T. Brass doorknobs bitch. I'm going to beat you with brass doorknobs. My dad was a plumber. I bet when I'm beating her it will sound like my dad's work van when he would pass out drunk after picking me up from school and we would crash into the ditch and all the shelves of copper plumbing fittings would collapse. "CRASH TINKLE DING BANG!" |
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Quoted: I run 10 miles a day (5 in morning 5 at night) and I run it at a pace of a 7-8 minute mile my goal is getting back to 5-6 minute mile... Once you get to a good shelter and you get yourself sorted out the rigors become a lot easier... It will actually be harder to get to the shelter then it will to survive after you get to your shelter... Remember SHTF you have to bug out (for most people) as long as you're fit to follow whatever plan you have come up with you are good. If you aren't you need to either adjust your plan or get in shape. My plan is run down to the dock, hijack a ship, and live a pirate's life on the high seas, YARRRRRR  LOL, But in all seriousness, I read this article yesterday and picked up an interesting quote: The eighteenth-century general Maurice de Saxe famously said that the art of war was about legs, not arms The article is all about underdogs, and how they manage to win. In a zombie/SHTF/TEOTAWKI scenario, anyone who didn't have a phalanx of security guards and a bunker waiting in the Rockies for them would basically be a underdog. I don't feel that most people would be able to mentally accept what was happening around them, and do what was necessary to survive. |
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Quoted: Quoted: I run 10 miles a day (5 in morning 5 at night) and I run it at a pace of a 7-8 minute mile my goal is getting back to 5-6 minute mile... Once you get to a good shelter and you get yourself sorted out the rigors become a lot easier... It will actually be harder to get to the shelter then it will to survive after you get to your shelter... Remember SHTF you have to bug out (for most people) as long as you're fit to follow whatever plan you have come up with you are good. If you aren't you need to either adjust your plan or get in shape. My plan is run down to the dock, hijack a ship, and live a pirate's life on the high seas, YARRRRRR LOL, But in all seriousness, I read this article yesterday and picked up an interesting quote: The eighteenth-century general Maurice de Saxe famously said that the art of war was about legs, not arms The article is all about underdogs, and how they manage to win. In a zombie/SHTF/TEOTAWKI scenario, anyone who didn't have a phalanx of security guards and a bunker waiting in the Rockies for them would basically be a underdog. I don't feel that most people would be able to mentally accept what was happening around them, and do what was necessary to survive. Mt plan does involve stealing a boat  |
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You don't need to be in shape to sit in a lawn chair on the COSTCO roof with a cooler full of beer next to you, and a rifle in your lap. fixt Quoted:
I think I better rent a bush mower and clear some fire lanes. No plans on going anywhere. Is easier that way. Like this...
http://www.eutoposphere.com/72mower05.JPG If you take the hitch and mod it so the lift arms of the 3 point lift on your tractor can lift the front, remove the rear turn buckle adjuster for a hyd cylinder, plumb that into the tractor hyds, you can use your Bush Hog ANYWHERE and it makes it a helluva lot more useable and handier I have 2 personalities... High Tech / Low Drag and the other is Old-Timey Low Tech / High Inertia That tractor falls into the latter... There's no hitch, it's just a pull type. (set it and forget it) It sounds like helicopter going through the trees and it eats basketball size rocks.
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You don't need to be in shape to sit in a lawn chair on the COSTCO roof with a cooler full of beer next to you, and a rifle in your lap. fixt Quoted:
I think I better rent a bush mower and clear some fire lanes. No plans on going anywhere. Is easier that way. Like this...
http://www.eutoposphere.com/72mower05.JPG If you take the hitch and mod it so the lift arms of the 3 point lift on your tractor can lift the front, remove the rear turn buckle adjuster for a hyd cylinder, plumb that into the tractor hyds, you can use your Bush Hog ANYWHERE and it makes it a helluva lot more useable and handier I have 2 personalities... High Tech / Low Drag and the other is Old-Timey Low Tech / High Inertial That tractor falls into the latter... There's no hitch, it's just a pull type. (set it and forget it) It sounds like helicopter going through the trees and it eats basketball size rocks.
http://www.auctionadvisory.com/430mow.JPG You need to plant blackberries between the fire lanes, that srubery is just to easy to take cover in.
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Getting all skinny now makes no sense. If shit really does hit the fan your pot belly and organ fats will sustain you longer than the skinny guys. And once you drop all that weight you will be far more agile and energetic from being used to carrying that much weight in the first place.
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Getting all skinny now makes no sense. If shit really does hit the fan your pot belly and organ fats will sustain you longer than the skinny guys. And once you drop all that weight you will be far more agile and energetic from being used to carrying that much weight in the first place. Umm....well, we now know who will be one of the first to go.....GOOD LUCK. |
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Quoted: Getting all skinny now makes no sense. If shit really does hit the fan your pot belly and organ fats will sustain you longer than the skinny guys. And once you drop all that weight you will be far more agile and energetic from being used to carrying that much weight in the first place.  I guess that works, it kinda makes sense...
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Getting all skinny now makes no sense. If shit really does hit the fan your pot belly and organ fats will sustain you longer than the skinny guys. And once you drop all that weight you will be far more agile and energetic from being used to carrying that much weight in the first place. Umm....well, we now know who will be one of the first to go.....GOOD LUCK. I'm not "Going" anywhere. If SHTF it's the city boys who will be bugging out. Big muscles and athletic endurance are all find and dandy. At a beach or a track meet. But those features lose some usefullness when lead projectiles start entering your center mass at high velocities. I'd take a plate carrier and a pot belly over six pack abs and body waxing any day of the week. |
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Getting all skinny now makes no sense. If shit really does hit the fan your pot belly and organ fats will sustain you longer than the skinny guys. And once you drop all that weight you will be far more agile and energetic from being used to carrying that much weight in the first place. Umm....well, we now know who will be one of the first to go.....GOOD LUCK. I'm not "Going" anywhere. If SHTF it's the city boys who will be bugging out. Big muscles and athletic endurance are all find and dandy. At a beach or a track meet. But those features lose some usefullness when lead projectiles start entering your center mass at high velocities. I'd take a plate carrier and a pot belly over six pack abs and body waxing any day of the week. 
Yeah.....these guys are sure to go down quick, what the fuck am I talking about........wow, "I know how to use a gun so I'm BAD-ASS".....talk about false-confidence. |
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Quoted: Quoted: That short one in the middle grab-assing sure does look hot...  I bet he's the first one to go... I thought the one all the way on the right in the front row holding the piss bomb was a real hunk of beefcake. The one with the combat boots and the arm band tattoo on the left is also a beefcake |
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That short one in the middle grab-assing sure does look hot... I bet he's the first one to go...I thought the one all the way on the right in the front row holding the piss bomb was a real hunk of beefcake.
The one with the combat boots and the arm band tattoo on the left is also a beefcake
So many choices, so little time. |
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Physical fitness has more to do with one's ability to withstand rigor and recover from injury than any ability to perform to a "test". However, I think the APFT standards are a good benchmark especially when combined with strength and flexibility testing. Same as shooting for score in an organized environment. If you can do it when all is well then you can do some of it when SHTF.
Matt Furey's book has quite a few good exercises in it too. He's popular inside since his stuff doesn't require equipment and you never know when you might not be able to get to the weight pile. Yomping through the hills with a 40k bergen is a good test too.
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 When we evacuated our homes during the 07 flood, we were all quickly reminded that we're only as strong as our weakest links. 6 year old son in tow, girlfriend carrying the 25lb dog, 59 year old stepmother carrying her cat, 63 year old father limping behind, 61 year old aunt with her cat too, 13 year old son without a lick of sense. 3 other pets left behind. Nobody had proper raingear, much less any "training"...... no where to go to either. You guys go ahead and train for what ever it is that exists in your imaginations. A strong mind is what prevails when the SHTF. A strong body only makes it more bearable. IMO. |
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Wife is dead if the SHTF. No cops around anymore, no government, cities burning... I'm going to come at her like a spider monkey swinging a sock half-full of brass doorknobs. <introspective moment> If I could just quit talking shit about her on the Internet I would have the Love, Honor, and Obey thing down to a T. Brass doorknobs bitch. I'm going to beat you with brass doorknobs. My dad was a plumber. I bet when I'm beating her it will sound like my dad's work van when he would pass out drunk after picking me up from school and we would crash into the ditch and all the shelves of copper plumbing fittings would collapse. "CRASH TINKLE DING BANG!" Holy shit, I had to read that to my wife when I saw it! Funniest shit I've EVER seen on here! |