Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Outstanding post. I know that I don't have the upper body strength I'd need to do a lot of survival climbing, pulling up etc... Maybe it will be excellent incentive for me to go to the gym (which I hate with a passion! )
Haha totally agree, that movie was great!
I agree with OP staying fit is important , strong and fast moving legs, strong upper body strenght, also flexibility, i.e. fitting into small spaces/hiding out could come in handy.
I just recently saw the movie The Road, and in their post armageddon world people had resorted to cannibalism which made me even more determined to stay in shape!!! lol
I'm going to bump this thread as I think fitness is very important and can allow you to have one up on your neighbor in times of scarcity. I posted this exact same thing in another thread as well. I don't mean to sound like an infomercial, but I believe this can really help.
If you're worried about building/maintaining muscle while on go, or during the predicted Depression, I highly recommend the Bodylastic's Resistance Bands. You can bring them anywhere you want, and literally do a whole gym's worth of exercises in any place- even in the middle of a forest, if you so wish. This is like the Swiss Army Knife of strength training, and I think a set or two of these resistance bands would definitely be something worth adding to your storage list. I say only one or two because they are excellent quality and last a very long time. If you need something to help your body adapt to possible extreme physical labor during these foreseen rough times, or build or maintain muscle mass without access to a gym, these are the way to go.
NFL Wide Receiver Terrell Owens, after he had injured himself while on the Eagles, ONLY uses these- no gym what so ever. I myself am a taller 6'2" and, after not being able to afford access to a gym any more, bought myself a set of these and now maintain a lean, solid 210 lbs and still tipping the scale even more by the week, and I haven't been to a gym in over 3 months. I'm dead serious.
There's the minimum strength edition, maximum strength edition, and, the one I own, the TO Super Strong Man edition (I know, lame name). Basically how it works is (going by the TO edition), is it comes with handles and 6 separate resistance bands, each worth a certain amount of resistance. The resistance bands have a carribeaner (sp) like lock on each end of each band. You then hook the resistance band(s) of your choice to the handles (or one handle if you choose to double the strength of the bands), and do whichever exercise you please. You can hook one band on, or all of them, or any in between, for a maximum resistance of 200 lbs., or something along those lines. One of the band's in the set, I cannot even curl, and I have been working for a solid two years, that's how real this is. It also comes with a door anchor to allow for presses or any horizontal exercise needed.
Here is a list of all of Bodylastics' Resistance Band set's and products (note the "anywhere anchor"): Bodylastics All Products Page
Here is the TO Super Strong Man Edition:
Terrell Owens Developed his own Home Gym - On sale here (http://www.bodylastics.com/terrell_owens.html - broken link)
Yes, it is expensive, but the quality is superb and I definitely think it is a necessity for anyone worried about exercise and strength training during the foreseen depression. This is no joke, I'm just trying to help out. It is literally a whole gym condensed into one package. A set or two of these resistance bands can really come in handy if you are trying to stay in shape and have one up on those around you, so to speak. Definitely worth stocking/using along with canned foods, a swiss army knife, seeds, etc etc. Hope this helps. Unless you have weights already set up, look into it. It's great for when you're on the move too.
In a SHTF situation, learning how to fight will probably be one of the biggest factors. Even if you're armed to the teeth, you still need to use judgment...ie. not escalate a small situation into a major, like starting firefights over every little thing.
Joining a good MMA gym that actually spars full contact and gradually build you up to full sparring (with safety gear) is key. Training at home with a punching bag + YouTube videos is nice, but getting hit and kicked in the face by someone else....and repeatedly is a totally different thing that must be experienced to get experience.
You'll kill 2 birds with one stone as you can't help but get in shape. Almost everyone at our dojo has a six pack and we don't even try to get one (ie. focusing on exercises to get a six pack).
I'd just like to make a comment about this topic that will probably not be very popular. I've noticed that many posters here mention that, since they should be fit in a 'survival situation' (I agree), they are going to start going to the gym. Okay, I'm not going to say this is a bad thing, but I question whether this is the best thing to do to prepare. Others say they are going to start jogging/running to get fit. Again, this is fine... but... I don't think either activity is the best thing to do if you are preparing for a 'now I have to live off the land and have none of my high tech gadgetry' situation.
Feel free to offer your insight here. My comment is this: perhaps a better way to develop the type of fitness you'd need and at the same time develop the skills you'd need (knowing how to pump iron is not a survival skill) is by doing some of the types of work that you actually would have to do in a bad situation. For instance, learn to chop wood with an axe or logging saw. This is a hell of a workout and it does take some skills to do it efficiently. Build things in the traditional way--do a construction project with only hand tools rather than power everything. Do some intense gardening. Rather than a roto-tiller, grab a shovel. Do whatever you can manually. This will keep you fit in the way you'd need to be fit and it will develop some skills you'd need to know. I'm not saying that jogging/running is not good (I do that often), nor am I saying the gym is a bad thing. But neither really develop any skills. Practicing the actual traditional physical activities that might be needed, in my opinion, is probably more beneficial and as good a workout.
As an example, last summer, I began researching traditional timber framing. In the winter I actually started on a project. I've used absolutely no power tools. It's all been by hand (other than I did not actually hand-hew the timbers, they came from the sawmill). Well, it's been lots of fun, but it's been damn hard work too. Sawing, chopping, drilling, chiselling, fitting, etc, by hand has been an eye opener for me as to just how much we rely on our modern technology and conveniences, and how much we don't rely on our bodies to do the work. For weeks (more like months), I had muscles hurting that I didn't even know existed (and I was 'fit' before--been running for years). So my point is, if you're planning on doing certain activities in survival mode, perhaps pumping iron or running isn't the best preparation, or at least shouldn't be the only preparation.
Excellent points. The main obstacle is finding something that's fun & interesting. And work usually isn't. Having a good solar power setup should allow the use of some power tools.
Excellent points. The main obstacle is finding something that's fun & interesting. And work usually isn't. Having a good solar power setup should allow the use of some power tools.
I guess I have a bit of an advantage with motivation; I don't mind so much doing some 'traditional' type work. As for more conventional exercise, I find the only thing I can really get into is jogging (I can daydream the whole time!), hiking/walking (love the hills and mountains), and skiing (mostly XC). I like doing other recreational exercise too, but I'm not consistent. If I had to rely on going to a gym, I'd be screwed--I can't even force myself to do it.
You're right though... in general I've found that if the exercise is a miserable drag, there's no way I can motivate myself to do it.
A good illustration was that semi-reality show, The Colony....about a post apocalyptic scenario.
People who were skilled with their hands and had practical knowledge (contractors, handyman, electricians, mech engineers, nurse, MD, etc), were the most useful and carried all the others, who were dead weight (martial arts instructor, marine biologist, psychologist, etc.).
The thing was, they really stacked that show with many talented people. Some of the contraptions built were quite impressive.
I agree with the comments above by ChrisC. Fitness level is a lifestyle driven by daily choices.
In modern western countries, it isn't easy.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
)
which made me even more determined to stay in shape!!! lol
