Top Physical Condition!!!??

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combatantr2,

So, what are folks who have medical conditions to do? Or those with physical limitations, such as wheelchairs or degenerative conditions?

I think the constant chest beating about running to the back country to live like a mountain man when a disaster occurs is pretty damned silly. I pay taxes on my house, I plan on living in it.

I've watched the health nuts take over the debate about how men should live their lives, and it amuses me. Men on average live longer today than we did even 50 years ago. I personally feel too many folks look down their noses at the rest of us who aren't built like Adonis, or don't live up to their standards of what constitutes a healthly lifestyle.

Last year I was working as an RO at a recent SWAT Challenge. The competitors assembled had a large ratio of very fit, very well built men who drank protein supplements for lunch and eschewed "unhealthy meals". Present were several members of the Team, who all smoke cigars. Last day of the event, we were assembled in a group off to the side, doing our best to add to global warming, and one Officer commented, "You guys sure do smoke a lot around here, don't you?" I replied, with a huge grin, "Yup, that's what men do."


I've watched extremely healthy men contract illnesses caused by nothing other than the hand of fate. It grieved me to attend to their funerals. I've been touched by that cruel finger, too. In the end, none of us are making it out of here alive, so I've resolved to enjoy the time I've been given.
 
I will laugh when all you health nut/complaining guys come down with Arthritis, Lupus, Diabetes, MS etc Life isn’t freaking roses and once you have something like this and become out of Top condition I hope wherever you work Fires you regardless of you experience or expertise. YOU DESERVE it.:cuss:

As you can tell this thread is offensive to many of us older out of shape and disabled guys who will most likely out tactic, or whatever the new buzzword is, and take you out in a time of stress. A lot of us have been there and done what YOU have not. :banghead:

Do NOT Dis-Respect older officers/firefighters/EMT's try and learn from us so you don't have to do it the hard way. We wer in the bussinees long before PC or health kicks and did well despite it.:D
 
Got me to thinking that all is really a waste, the guns and rifles, tactics and training, and all if your not in top physical shape.
Click to expand...

Welllll, I'm not so sure that you're correct there. Perhaps a little overstatement?

"top physical shape" is a pretty lofty goal and very admirable, but I can't say training and skills and firearms are a waste if you're not in top physical shape. Certainly it's an advantage to be in top physical shape. Certainly it's desirable to be in top physical shape. But "a waste" if you're not? Can't see it. Many combat troops that are very effective are not in top physical shape prove that out.

BTW, as an older, rounder, shorter guy with multiple knee surgeries behind me I'm certainly not in the top physical shape I used to be. That didn't stop me from demonstrating firearms disarms with a airsoft glock with a fellow shooter that is almost half my age. He's a very physically talented young man in top physical shape and we train together from time to time. He runs a gun very fast and very accurately, but even with all that and a good 8 inches height on me he did not retain a two hand grip on the airsoft without eating the little pellet. More than once. So, it's not always the guys in top physical shape that are only effective.
 
I thought of you guys today while working out after school. I added a walk at lunch time, too.
Tomorrow morning is deadlifts, bright and early.
 
geez Louise...

...you guyz are TOUGH!!!...I try to only smoke cigarettes while climbing trees, cigars while sharping saws and dip when the weather is too cold or wet for either... or while I'm humpin' logs or chippin' brush...
I don't have the energy to work out any more...when I turned 53 I shoulda' started some kinda' program but I'm too tired now...
rauch06.gif
 
My bugout buddy and I have been working on getting in better shape over the past few months. Good thread!
 
Hydration.... hydration.... hydration!

Most people do not understand just how important that is even under
standard conditions. We are designed to be active, cube farms are not
conducive to a healthy lifestyle so we must take other measures.

If you want to swim farther, run faster/longer, or pickup small cars go for it.
Just take the responsibility in your mind that we were not designed for
extremes either. I know that in my lifetime my training or at times the lack
there of, as well as diet and other habits will effect the quality of life I
experience with each passing year. I accept this. If you can... do so, If you
can't.... don't.

And as for those who may say well you are younger and feel good now but
just wait..... I have had a few ruff motorcycle wrecks.... I do and am going
to hurt anyway so I might as well enjoy it while I can and always keep pushing.

And remember, worse case scenario we're armed to the teeth with arms and teeth.
 
Great topic. Anyone who takes on the responsibility of arming themselves
should consider being in the best physical shape possible part of the package.
I'm not saying we all have to run a 4 minute mile or do 100 pushups but dragging around that 20+ extra pounds in your gut does nothing to make you a better shot. I never saw a top shooter that was out of shape physically. In any shooting situation your heart rate is going to go crazy even when you are not moving. You can always do something to get in better shape regardless of how old you are or how physically incapable you think you are. Once you start you will shoot better, feel better and hey, your sex life might just get better also.
 
At 37, I'm in the best physical shape of my life, and continuing to improve.

Over the last decade I've been running, weight-lifting, doing martial arts, etc. My current, and imho best recipe for success:

http://www.crossfit.com/

Their motto: Forging Elite Fitness. They ain't lying.

One of my favorite quotes (from their FAQ):

"The world's most successful athletes and coaches rely on exercise science the way deer hunters rely on the accordion." :)

To see and understand what they're doing, check out this video as an example. It's large and a bit of a download, but worth watching. The level of fitness displayed by these ladies is amazing.

If you're seriously interested getting in top physical shape, check this out. Watch the demo videos to learn the exercises, then follow the workout of the day from the front page. Doesn't cost you anything, you only need a few pieces of equipment, most of which you can find at the gym, and you can substitute if necessary.

Great stuff!
 
I am a big believer in fitness.

Top physical shape will very from person to person. We will all peak and then begin to lose ground as we age, that's normal. Illness or injury can limit our ability to excercise or to benefit from that excercise.

What is important is that we don't add to our physical limitations by doing absolutely nothing.

Not everyone is cut out to be an olympic athelete (I'm certainly not) but there is a big difference between being a somewhat active person and a 400 pound heavy who is doing nothing to improve their situation.

Your personal standard of fitness shouldn't be based off of what the guy who lives next door can do, but off of your potential. If you could be in significantly better shape than you are then you are not in peak shape.

That's a lifestyle choice, but it is also an aspect of preparedness. I am not very well prepared in some areas of my life (I am still fighting debt, for instance) and I recognize this as something that needs to change and I am working to correct my problems.

In fact, I am going to go to the gym right now.
 
I've always had a weight problem. When I graduated college in the mid-80's I weighed 285. Lost 120 obs over the next year and kept that weight off for 10 years. Then I got married, kids, business school, 55+ hour/week job, international travel for work, business dinner meetings etc...

Let's just say I was back up to 260 by last summer, my blood pressure was 160/100 and glucose levels were pre-diabetic. Doc said lose or get on meds...no way I was going on meds.

I got in a weight loss program with our local hospital last fall...I am now 42 years old, weigh 170, my blood pressure is 120/70 and I'm working out 3-4 x per week.

I feel I could actually lug around that BOB now.
 
Weight Loss vs. Excercise

I'll be honest. I'm big. Not by a little bit. Always have been and I always expect to be a touch larger than most. In high school I lifted weights regularly and never had a problem with my weight because of it. Now like most HS athletes I had an accident and this caused me to have to stop working out. It actually hurts me to run (calcium deposit on a repeatedly broken bone in the foot). I can walk forever. Just no running.

I just wanted to offer an exercise that I've started doing again with the return of warmer weather that there is no excuse not to do (for those of use in larger pant sizes...)

SWIMMING!

I do ten laps a day (complete laps not one ways wussy ones), alternating strokes and I feel GREAT! I've already started to feel a change in the way my clothes fit and I don't see a reason why no one can't do this.

Thanks to whomever challenged us to our confront our waistlines as we would an intruder, headon, and I think we should all find a way to excercise, even if that does not immediately equal weight loss, better to be big and in shape than blah (from one big guy to us all).
 
Statistically the odds of any of us needing that little hunk of steel/plastic we
carry around are miniscule yet we spend tons of time strategizing about it and the situations where it might be needed. Spend just a third of the time on your health that you do on shooting, cleaning guns and bull shooting on THR and you will likely live a lot longer and healthier.

Follow the rules your momma gave you.
Get a good nights sleep.
Don't eat crap.
Don't smoke.
Drink in moderation.
Get off your a*s and do something useful.

These will make life longer and healthier.
And if you are over say about 45.....
Check your blood pressure regularly, they don't call it the silent killer for nothing. See a doctor annually for blood sugar and cholesterol testing.

Controlling these three hidden disease factors can add decades to your life if you start watching them when you are still healthy. Wait to long and all you can do is document your physical decline.
 
Why are people getting bent out of shape? I took combatantr2's post to mean that fitness deserves more consideration than what we have seen on this board. Obviously if you were in say, chemotherapy, his/her call to action would not apply.
 
This is a topic that I've thought about a lot. I play 2 sports at a Division I university and truly believe that if the poop hit the fan, many of the people who did all the fun preparation (like shooting) and skipped the hard stuff (long runs, weights, rucking, etc) would be toast. I went to an Appleseed Shoot not too long ago and thought it was pathetic that everyone was sore the second day! Seriously, all you're doing is getting up and down. I went on an 11 mile run before the first day and lifted weights that evening.

Not only does physical preparation increase your mobility tactically, but it improves your ability to do other tasks as well. For instance, at the shoot one day we ran up to the line then shot. Many of the out of shape individuals had some less than stellar groups because they were just sucking wind too hard. Do they really think that they are going to have all this time to get their heart rate down and catch their breath? You might be running, shooting, then running again, then shooting. If you can't even run, let alone shoot after running, your toast.

Go Run!
 
combatantr2 gets my vote for 'Thread of the week'... if anything like that exists on THR. Holy cow, you say. I love the AR15 rifles with all of the new-in-box-looking doo-dads at the range. Yes, they have their place... but not mounted 24/7 to a rifle. I would ask those people to hold their gun on a target for 1-2 minutes. If you haven't done this, try it. Rifles, pistols and shotguns get heavy.

As far as physical training routines, I think that the basic Army PT is fantastic. If you look around on the internet, there are grading scales for the APFT, telling you where you stand with respect to numbers of push-ups, sit-ups and running completed within a certain amount of time.

When I started (because I got sick, hospitalized, came out with a whole new attitude towards life - wanted to enjoy it as much and for as long as possible), in June 2006, my score was a 104/300. Today, (on a good day) it is 189/300. After a year of work, I have gone up 85 points. Not easy work, but well worth it. It isn't important IMO, to be waaay stronger than a BG, just a little bit stronger than average is an advantage.
 
Good thread! We're evolved to eat "hunter-gatherer" food. That would be the stuff you find in the produce and meat aisles... not the other 95% of the supermarket with the fancy boxes :D

When I finally figured that out, my fitness took a sharp turn for the better :rolleyes:
 
I started doing that a few months ago..... but stress from school got the better of me.

I graduate in a couple days and plan to take the year I have in between graduation and the next level in my education to get into shape.

Being able to shoot is great..... not being able to run away because you're out of shape is not. Let's face it, there are times when running away is what you'll need to do. Not everything is solved with a weapon, tool, or call whatever whatever you will. Some of it is solved with a good old fashioned sprint.
 
Jeez, JE223, thanks. ;) Im eating bananas right now as I type its good for the heart. Great energy booster too. Got to need lots of energy if your packing an all steel 1911 all day. By the way I stand 5'5" and 147LBS. Got to get back to 140.
 
Good thread. It's always a great idea to be in the best shape that we can be. Depending on one's mind-set, the degree of condition might have to be better or not as extreme. I have no intentions of returning to the ring of full-contact competitive fighting. Those days are done for me. Not because of the automobile accident either. Once a person either becomes a licensed TKD instructor of 2nd degree of higher Black Belt, competitive fighting is prohibited. There is too much risk of injury. Most physical altercations last seconds, not minutes. So, degree of conditioning is the key...conditioned-response. Neither the physical nor the mental conditioning can exist without the other. Both must be practiced and in equal proportion. That is the significance of the martial arts' belts' ends hanging even. It represents balance of physical and mental development.
 
tomorrow I start work at a distribution center for "general warehouse" now I'm not 100% sure but I'm pretty sure that is their speak for "warehouse whipping boy."

I think that should about cover all the gym time I need
 
Once a person either becomes a licensed TKD instructor of 2nd degree of higher Black Belt, competitive fighting is prohibited.
Click to expand...

Our dojo will be more than happy to let you fight, full contact, and you can go to the ground also, we don't limit anyone after they become a second degree or higher black belt. I often fight up and fight with our third degree black belt. We would love to have you. It is BTW full contact to all regions brown belt and up, we don't pull puches, but we do wear full safety gear including a mouth piece and head gear. I am sure we have some extra laying around.
 
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