Including Physical Training as Part of SD

[Dan Crocker]

I used to run half-marathons, and now I find it hard to run the two miles around my extended block. I lift weights for 40 minutes to an hour five or six days a week, so I've got it going on upper body wise, but as far as running goes I'm horrible now. I still like to bike, but it's gotten harder to get the cardiovascular aspect of fitness going for me again.

 

[md7]

numaone,

you raise an excellant point. if you are physically able to weight train, and excercise you definitly should. not only to prepare yourself for any possible confrontation, but to also maintain a healthy standard of living. i do not train as much as i should or used to. i do try run a few miles at least every other day, and do pushups, situps while watching tv or when i get off of work and go home. it makes me feel sooo much better after a good run.

as for martial arts, i have no idea what works and what doesn't. my only experience (very limited i might add) was a mixture of boxing and brazilian jiu jitsu for a couple of months when i was in college. it was alot of fun and VERY good excercise. but being a broke college student, i had to use my funds for things like rent, bread, water bills, and things like that. oh yeah, books too!! so it got dropped unfortunately.

 

[KBT1911]

Martial arts are all good for laying the groundwork for fighting technique. No martial art is the "ultimate" or will make you a fighter, though.

Nomatter what you do, though, the better conditioned you are mentally and physically, the better off you will be when SHTF.

Remember, most M/A are former combat arts rebuilt into sports, which is a different mindset from SD and balls-out fighting in general.

I knew a Tae Kwon Do black belt who was taken out of the tournament circuit by an illiterate a-hole who hit him with a brick and then stomped on his knee.

SD is between your ears IMHO

 

[No Quarter]

Gripper,

I train differently that I could when I was younger. 5 days a week, one bodypart per day. Usually no more than 10 sets total for large muscles - 8 for smaller ones. Workouts take me about 45 minutes every morning at 6am.

Day 1 Chest (Bench, Incline Press)
Day 2 Back ( Deadlifts, bent rows or chins)
Day 3 Shoulders (Barbell Press, upright rows)
Day 4 Legs (Squats, Legpress, straight leg deadlifts)
Day 5 Arms (Dips, Close Grip Bench, Barbell Curls, Preacher Curls)

One major compound exercise per bodypart and 1 supplemental exercise.

Rep range for compound excercise after warmup between 3-5. supplemetal exercises in the 5-12 rep range.

Every workout getting stronger. Joints feel good.

Shoulder pressed 295 the other day seated with no cheat. Went up easy. Will try 315 next week.

Knees don't allow 600lb squats anymore, but I can still deadlift great with no trouble. Back, shoulders and elbows are all strong. Wish my knees were up to it still. Miss seeing that bar bend with 6 plates on each side while grinding out a set.

Can hardly wait till my son is old enough to start. Built in workout partner!

Regards,

NQ

 

[DammitBoy]

I am out of shape. Three years ago, I would have taken offense to anybody saying that. Three years ago, I was working out 2 hours a day five days a week and I was ripped at 6'3" tall and 225 lbs. I had a 34" waist, a 48" chest and 18" biceps. I was 12% body fat at the time.

Now I weigh 237 lbs, my waist has grown to 38"+, my arms are down to 16" and my chest is 44" - I have let myself get fat and lazy. My body fat is now 19% of my mass - that is horrible by my standards. I've also traded fat for muscle - it's time to reverse this trend.

Part of it is hitting 50, part of it is less time to go to the gym with all the extra work I'm doing, and part of it is eating habits gone awry.

I'm going to get back in the gym, I'm going to start hiking with a backpack as part of my workout routine and I'm going to get serious about what I eat.

I don't want to look like most of the guys at the gun shows and I need to change my new bad habits before I'm way out of shape.

ps - Sorry No Quarter, no offense intended, but 5'11" and 289 lbs is out of shape - unless you count round as a shape.

 

[numaone]

Afraid to get Old

I'm somewhat a believer in keeping myself physically fit, as I have worked out for 30+ years now. Most of it resistance or weight training, but I'm aproaching 50 very fast so I cannot train like I once did in my 20's or 30's. You know aching joints and decreased ability, start to creep up one you sooner or later. Now-a-days I still go to the gym but don't push myself to hard, as doing something is better than doing nothing. I am of firm belief though, that any physical training can be beneficial to one's shooting ability

I'm scared to get old now! I'm a young guy myself at 21. I'm a firm believer leave nothing at the gym when lifting! "Pain is weakness leaving your body."

Funny, I'm on the opposite side of you old(er) guys. I'm trying to increase weight, but it's hard. If gaining 15 lbs is as hard as losing 15 lbs, I'm not going make fun of a fat person again! I'm 6'2" 170, my goal is 185, all muscle, of course, with about 8% body fat. I'm also a runner, which makes it all very hard. Can't ever seem to eat enough and gain weight. I guess it's a good problem to have

 

[KBT1911]

numaone, you're built like me (before i turned 30). If you want mass, you gotta trim the cardio, raise the weight and lower the reps.Take longer breaks between sets. Plus you gotta eat like a crazy person.

May not even be worth it. Nothing wrong with fit and trim w/ the stamina of a runner. I'm in my late 30s now. I'm 6'2", 185-190. 14% body fat. My challenge now, is if I don't work out, all the mass goes from my chest to my gut.

In my 20s, I could eat 3 pizzas a day and not gain a pound. now you can tell if I've been to Taco Bell this week.

 

[Dan Crocker]

Numaone,

Back when I was a young runner I couldn't add muscle to save my life. Now I've got an extra 30 lbs of fat on me, but I can bench 330... Funny trade off.
It's just part of the physiological changes that your body goes through as you age. I'd look good if I can manage to drop down to 200 this summer! 3 months, 10 a month...not completely undoable.

 

[JMusic]

God did not make all men equal Sa mual Colt did. There is a lot of truth to that. I've caried a gun for 35 years and have never had to kill someone. I've choked a few out but I didn't shoot them. I'm not in the best of shape at 54 but I would not use a firearm unless last resort. You want to know how a fight goes watch cage fighting. Who is ready to fight for 5 minutes. I have and I can tell you that it is an eternity. Carry permits and handgun use is just that, it is to keep all people equal. That and your brains is what you need, being in good shape is another tool in the bag.




Jim

 

[No Quarter]

Dammitboy,

Muscle weighs more than fat. Sounds like you need to focus on getting back in shape. Hope you find the resolve. I am glad I have managed to turn working out back into a habit. I won't comment on you saying I am out of shape as this is an internet forum and I refuse to get involved in such nonsense. Those that know me would laugh at you and caution you not to say that within my earshot.

NQ

 

[LightningMan]

I would like to add; I started weight training when in High school and was bitten hard by the barbell/iron bug. I maybe weighed 160lbs soaking wet at a hight of 5'10 1/2 (medium build) and began training 6 days a week. At first I got stronger but couldn't put on any weight no matter how much food I could stuff my face with, but kept at it anyway. Within a couple years of lifting I got into powerlifting when I joined a local gym. The owner/trainer told me I was over training and needed to cut back some to allow my body to recover. Thats when I started to make gains in strength & increase in size/weight. I continued to train for the next 10 years and during those years I went from the 165lb weight class to compete in the 242lb class, but I paid a price for all that heavy lifting. I ended my power lifting days at the age of 36 years, as my knee had been damaged when attemping a 675lb squat. Yeah I tried to rehab it but not to the point where I could return to heavy squats. (Just happy to be able to do normal every day activites) Also I had a pectorial (chest) injury years earlier that basicly ended my quest to bench press 400lbs, but 395lb was close enough. By the age of 40, I quit all the heavy lifting altogether and now just focus on improving my endurance and use much lighter weights. I also dropped a lot of weight over the last 10 years as my current body weight is 182lbs and I can buy normal size jeans again. (size 32x34). LM

 

[DammitBoy]

No Quarter - I'm not trying to start any kind of internet tough guy argument.

Yeah, I know muscle weighs more than fat. Thanks for the lesson - I've been working out for many years and just fell into a bad habit these last three years.

Unless you have obscenely huge muscles totally disporportionate to your body size - like some kind of a 'roid monster - 5'11" tall and 289 lbs is out of shape. How big is your waistline?

Feel free to post a pic of yourself if you'd like to prove that 289 lbs is not overweight for your height. That's the only way I'd believe a guy at your height is not sporting a huge gut at your weight.

You're right, I do need to focus on getting back in shape. I'm not planning on bulking up though. I going to concentrate on toning up and losing body fat.

Especially in a survival self-defense context, I think excessive mass goes against the idea of what a fitness program for survival scenarios should be all about.

Good luck with your training and be careful with those rotator cuffs.

 

[Dan Crocker]

Who is ready to fight for 5 minutes. I have and I can tell you that it is an eternity

I've never been in a fight that long. UFC fights are between two highly-trained athletes who are roughly equal in skill who still have to abide by certain niceties (no eye-gouging or nut-kicking.) In street fights, disparities in physical conditioning, training, and experience come into play with the first blows.

 

[LightningMan]

DammitBoy, I don't know No Quarter in anyway, but I can tell you there are some big guys that have well proportioned phyisic's. I would also like to add, a pound of muscle don't weigh any more than a pound of fat it's just that a pound of muscle has more volume than a pound of fat. LM

 

[JShirley]

Fitness is an important component of self-defense. Defending your life tends to really tax the body, so being in good cardiovascular shape is important. I'm in the process of getting back into shape after screwing around and letting my school and work demands get in the way for the past year. I'm still not in bad shape, but I need to be able to pass all portions of the APFT with at least 70%, in addition to meeting my own fitness goals. One of the easiest, least-stressful ways to get and keep in shape is walking at a good pace for 30-60 minutes at least 4x a week.

For those that know: What martial art would be best for personal fitness and self defense?

Some martial art that will teach you how to hit the ground without injury is the way to go (Jujutsu, judo, etc). Knowing how to land without getting hurt will serve you well, even if you never go down in a fight. Trust me, both my ex-wife and I have been saved numerous times by this ability, potentially even from being killed.

As far as Jeet Kune Do goes, it may have been the first eclectic martial art, that that does not mean it was the first martial arts system. Many previous martial arts held all the necessary pieces for good self or battlefield defense, including unarmed combat and grappling, weapons use, and receiving.

John

 

[Dr.Rob]

I walk 5-6 miles a day on my treadmill 5x a week on average for the past 2 months. Sometimes I use weights, I often use the incline feature to mix it up. My average pace this month is 3.5 mph, and I often rap out 5 miles in under 85 minutes. No it's not running, but its a work out.

It's not the same as 'hiking' but I can still veg out on the TV while getting exercise. If I don't have time for 90 min or more, I use more incline.

And PS the judo roll has saved me many a broken bone.

 

[No Quarter]

dammit boy, no harm intended. No need for pictures. I wear 36 or 38" jeans. Have to get them to fit my legs.

Truth be told, I would LOVE to weigh closer to 200 pounds. Would probably be real easy on the knees and eaiser to get clothes. I had a hard time keeping my weight below 220 when I was in the USMC and that included running 2X a day and not even touching weights. I did pullups and pushups only and still had to get a weight waiver for my size. Back then, I had a 32-34" waist and looked like a roadmap of veins and striations. I had to get a weight waiver every year. Could run a 6 minute mile back then at that size too.

Once I hit a few strength goals, I will get ripped up a bit to see if I can't get my waist down to 34". Still, I doubt I can even get my weight below 265 or 270. Most people would guess I weigh around 240 from my appearance. I have always been really heavy for my size. Maybe mom and dad had a lot of lead paint in the house and I ate too much of it as a kid

I hope you are able to get back in shape again as well. I feel 10 years younger. the kids think its cool that daddy has arms that are bigger than their legs and my wife ain't complaining either!!!!

Anyway, I will never take for granted having my health. I would hate to get injured and not be able to stay in shape now. Lightningman's comments sure are sobering. I know he misses the feel of moving some tonnage. It is flat out addictive.

Those numbers he posted are damn impressive. Those were some good strong lifts!

Hit the gym and get after it man! You did it before and you can do it again!

 

[DammitBoy]

No problem NQ. I'd still like to see a pic - you must be a monster.

This is me just shy of three years ago:

I'm 225 pounds in that pic and 12% body fat.

This is my goal pic to get back in shape. Not too bad a shape for 47 and I'm pretty sure I can get back there at 50.

 

[mljdeckard]

Having dabbled in a few martial arts, I'm sold on Gracie Combatives. What the TV ad says it true. It's effective with a minimum of training, for a person of any size. I have watched 115 lb female soldiers toss around guys almost twice their size.

 

[mokin]

I'd like to think that all the training I do is part of my self defense repetoire but I do it mostly for fun. I participated in the Bataan Memorial Death March this past spring and am currently training for the Imogene Pass Run in September. I've done marathons, multi-sport and adventure races in years past. In addition to the running, lifting, bicycling, swimming, kayaking, etc., I also do a lot of push-ups, Tai-Chi, and yoga. I do believe that my physical conditioning does benifit me during long three-gun scenerios, especially when you have to make those really long shots.

 

[JShirley]

I'm sold on Gracie Combatives.

Don't be. It's a good stadium art. Never expect to fight a single, unarmed opponent in the real world.

I forgot to mention in my first post that an fighting art may not be what you need to use to get in shape.

 

[Dan Crocker]

pound of muscle don't weigh any more than a pound of fat it's just that a pound of muscle has more volume than a pound of fat.

No, it has less. Quite a bit less.

 

[JShirley]

Yep. That's why some little people are surprisingly heavy. Of course, many people have over-estimated how much I weigh, but I think I usually give an impression that I'm larger than I am. My size really stands out when I'm with other moderators here, since the average moderator is about 6'1".

(I'm a hobbit. Next-shortest in this picture is 6'.)

John

 

[YammyMonkey]

Your fitness is the single best thing you can do to ensure you live a long & relatively healthy life. Your chances of dieing due to chronic health problems associated with a poor diet & sedentary lifestyle dwarf those of being attacked. But exercise is actually hard & consumes some time that could otherwise be spent on the ol interweb or fondling a new never to be shot more than 200 rounds gun or a piece of tactical gear.:banghead:

If you're older or injured or whatever, scale your exercise but do something.

CrossFit

 

[LightningMan]

LM Quote;
pound of muscle don't weigh any more than a pound of fat it's just that a pound of muscle has more volume than a pound of fat.
Dan Crocker Quote:
No, it has less. Quite a bit less.

Sorry I got it backwards. LM