• If you enjoy the forum please consider supporting it by signing up for a NES Membership  The benefits pay for the membership many times over.

Survival PT, #1 priority.

J

jmjkd

Instructor
Joined
May 7, 2009
Messages
623
Likes
53
Feedback: 0 / 0 / 0
To all the Preppers and survivalist, is PT your number 1 priority? It should be, but I’m willing to bet 90% of most put this last if not at all on the priority list. Why?
IT S**ks!!!! It’s grueling and in some cases even painful. To me if folks skip their PT training their preps/survival is just a hobby, fun stuff to do, and that’s ok, with all the BS in life fun is good….:) . But you will never survive a disaster for very long if you are out of shape.

What does in shape mean? Going beyond “what you believe” is safe for you to do, physically, mentally and emotionally. I’m not talking about taking risks, like jumping over water falls, I’m talking about someone, or something dictating pace. Taking the choice from you on how fast, how hard, and how long you push yourself.

90% will prep for everything but PT, This thinking is as upside down as this country, following the lead of the powers above, knowing that it’s wrong and still finding accuses to continue with the same, taking short cuts and trying to buy your way out of this #1 priority with gear and supplies..

YOU are the #1 priority, You will be running from danger, You will be carrying your gear, your child, your weapons. You will be hungry, thirsty, and up for days at a time.

You don’t have to be over the top with this, start slow, develop self motivation, train yourself to keep pushing. You mind will try to convince you to quit. Don’t all for it. Some may need a professional trainer, pick a tough one…No Wimps.

3 times a week for 6 months and you will be on your way. You will feel better, more confident, sure footed and all your survival and prepping tasks will be easier to perform, especially under stress.





.
 
This is the only reason i work out. I consider my self in good shape but the wife always asks me why I do more (like p90x) My answer is when the SHTF i want to make sure I dont get smoked cuz I ate to many donuts, Or what if he house is on fire and i need to grab you and the kids and carry you all out. She now works out with me every day.
 
JM i totally agree, it's now my #1 priority over most anything. As I was going through my little routine last night I kept hearing the voices of my teachers yelling at me to push harder. It always seems to work on making me hold the stance just a bit longer or do a few more reps, and feel the burn and the shake. Feeling that charge/surge of adrenalin and the amino acids start to take effect burning that muscle making room for new muscle.
You're an inspiring individual, are you a professional trainer? do you practice Jeet Kun Do I'm guessing you do cuz of your screen name.

Business, that's awesome that you got your wife to work out with you I exercise in front of my wife all the time trying to get her to join me but to no avail..
 
Great post! Not many people think of PT as part of there preps as well as health, Me being one of them. Thus one of the reasons that i have quit smoking not to metion the biggest part, my daughters. Plus it has allowed me to put more money towards other things like preps,ammo and of course the wifes shopping trips.Now the next thing is a gym pass and getting back into shape like i used to be when i was younger[thinking].
 
What? No fat airsoft kid picture yet? Ah well.


PT might not be my #1 priority in life, but its up there. Having a physically demanding job helps too.
 
Remember the movie Zombieland....the kid did say, the number one thing to survive is CARDIO!! That holds true for most stuff.....for me I have 2 bad knees and can't really do much for cardio...so I have ALOT of ammo....so I don't have to run....LOL...
 
you can be strong as an ox but if you are dumb as a stump you will not survive. the number 1 priority should be mental strength. but I will agree that Cardio should be a close 2nd
 
So glad to hear some of you guys are stepping up
Rancho
www.jmjkd.com

Scottmac I have one bad knee (comes with age…and football) But don’t quit, there are other ways to train cardio, swimming, gliding, stationary bike. Don’t talk yourself out of PT…you will regret it.

Boghog, Bruce Lee wrote ”You train the mind through the physical”
you can think about the bow drill, but you physically have to do it, you can think about a shelter but you physically have to build it.
Edison wrote “success is 10% inspiration and 90% perspiration” To perspire you need to be physical.. Keep moving…
 
Its a good concept but its not the # 1 priority. Water, food, shelter are my top priorities.

You don't need to look to hard to find out what the top priorities should be. Look at disasters like Haiti and other places where SHTF, and its never running from the boogie man and jumping and doing pushups thats the problem.

Being in good shape is definitely a great idea, but not the top priority.
 
When we prepare, it needs to be from a holistic approach. You can't be ready all at once. You plan and purchase and store what you can when you can. It should be the same with PT. You don't have to go to a gym. Pushups, situps, chinups, pullups, etc. can all be done daily at home before or after work. Once a week, I go to the rock-climbing gym and do 3 hours of cardio and full body workout climbing 65 foot walls.

When the kids were growing up, I only had time for family and not time for me to be fit and healthy. Now for the last 2 years, I'm doing this for me (and the wifey) to keep me healthy and fit for everyday life right thought the SHTF end game.

I feel better, feel stronger and more flexible, and look more fit with some muscle tone here and there.
 
Last edited:
I agree that PT is at or near top of the list. I take a different approach than gym/workout routines - I do stuff... cut, haul, split firewood manually (yeah, I cheat and use a chainsaw), ride a bike or walk instead of driving a car or taking my motorcycle (using off-road travel when possible), use hand tools, etc.
I think this type of 'training' yields a good all-round form of exercise. Downside is you don't end up with a great looking set of muscles - more of the scrawny, wiry kind of build :)
 
To each his own bobkatt., but who said anything about the boogie man?

If you mean during disasters the National Guard or FEMA is handing out supplies yeah, you can sit and wait your turn I guess, but I’m talking about training and prepping fit wise to find water, to hunt or trap food, to build shelter, to chop and split wood. That’s a long day my brother and guys in shape are tired after that.PT first just so you can do your tasks for long periods of time.

P-14 right on brother. As been said, if you don’t have your health you don’t have anything.. I’m also in total agreement with the holistic approach.

Archilochus that’s great I do similar work keep pushing.
.
 
jmjkd said:
If you mean during disasters the National Guard or FEMA is handing out supplies yeah, you can sit and wait your turn I guess, but I’m talking about training and prepping fit wise to find water, to hunt or trap food, to build shelter, to chop and split wood. That’s a long day my brother and guys in shape are tired after that.PT first just so you can do your tasks for long periods of time.

.
Click to expand...

I agree with you 100% that PT is something that is going to help you accomplish your real priorities. All I'm saying is that the knowledge of how to get clean water and the tools required to do that, the knowledge of how to get food and the tools required to do that, and the knowledge of how to make shelter and the tools required to do that, are the top priorities. PT is a compliment to them.

Physical conditioning is something that makes all those things easier, but its clearly not the top priority because you can survive a long time while being fat if some other conditions are met. However, you can't survive much more than 3 days without water even if ALL other conditions are met. So, that is naturally how you should prioritize. And, in looking at these types of situations that happen on this crazy planet every year, you can clearly see the evidence in this.
 
I have known 70yo men that while being in not as good a shape physically as the 20yo, they hunted fished and walked circles around the younger person. you need to work smarter not harder. yes you do not want to be the tactical wheelbarrow guy but if you don't spend the time learning and refining your skills push-ups won't help you. The native americans used to let the 10yo girls build the fires and the woman got the water do you think they did that because physically they were more capable than they men to do these things?
 
OISparky118.i have a small group who get together once a week in Hudson. A very nice group of outdoors/businessmen and there is NO charge to train. The trainer Kris has been with me 6-7 years, he is a Lawyer, fought in the Golden gloves, strong Jiu-jitsu, eagle scout as a kid, half decent shot an all around good guy. If this is a workable for you let me know and I will pm the info.

For the other guys PT isn’t a debate whether you should or shouldn’t train, if you are out of shape great, grab a donut and a soda and chill, but please don’t try to justify it and discourage others who believe as I that a healthy way of life isn’t needed. The new breed is smart, educated, and in great shape.

When you talk to folks about what you do don’t scare them away with doomsday prophecy, charge them up with getting healthy in the woods. It is more appealing to do something that will make them look and feel better, instead of ideas to stockpile food because we are all gonna die…:-( .

Remind them how years gone by as a kid walking was the main way of travel, reminisce and the time will fly by. Be a great coach.
Do what ever it takes.
do PT 3 times a week and you will be a different person for the spring camp trip.
Guaranteed.

Congrats to those already getting er done!!!!

How about more stories on how folks train their PT?
 
I also think that people should do PT in the form of real world scenarios. Go out into the woods for a few days and build a camp, cut wood, split wood. Hike for hours with 50 pounds on your back. That will get you in shape fast. And, it will get the muscles that you need to use in shape. Benching 350 pounds might make you look great but is it all that useful for survival? Developing the muscles that you need to do tasks to survive like carrying around a lot of gear and splitting wood up is helpful. Get some calluses on your hands.

There is some great backpacking to be had in New England. Get the gear and go do it. Thats good practice. And, thats the gear that you're buying for survival. Go use it. You'll get in shape quick hiking all day with 40+ pounds on your back for a week.
 
jmjkd said:
OISparky118.i have a small group who get together once a week in Hudson. A very nice group of outdoors/businessmen and there is NO charge to train. The trainer Kris has been with me 6-7 years, he is a Lawyer, fought in the Golden gloves, strong Jiu-jitsu, eagle scout as a kid, half decent shot an all around good guy. If this is a workable for you let me know and I will pm the info.

For the other guys PT isn’t a debate whether you should or shouldn’t train, if you are out of shape great, grab a donut and a soda and chill, but please don’t try to justify it and discourage others who believe as I that a healthy way of life isn’t needed. The new breed is smart, educated, and in great shape.

When you talk to folks about what you do don’t scare them away with doomsday prophecy, charge them up with getting healthy in the woods. It is more appealing to do something that will make them look and feel better, instead of ideas to stockpile food because we are all gonna die…:-( .

Remind them how years gone by as a kid walking was the main way of travel, reminisce and the time will fly by. Be a great coach.
Do what ever it takes.
do PT 3 times a week and you will be a different person for the spring camp trip.
Guaranteed.

Congrats to those already getting er done!!!!

How about more stories on how folks train their PT?
Click to expand...

Tell me would you rather take on a 20yo Chángquán practitioner or a 65yo both of which have studied all their life? obviously the 20yo is going to have much better muscle tone and in better physical shape.
 
I'm pretty sure this isn't meant to be a debate.
Anyhow to each his own whatever works for one may not work for the other, but be comfortable and confident in whatever it is you do and how you feel.
we'll all be better off in the end if we are all strong confident and clear of mind and focused. The community will be better able to help one another if the need shall arise.

I love to exercise outdoors. I practice chigong , chen tai chi, chen Sword, Emei and li family Bagua. Mostly these days I am practicing a lot of I-chuan with xing yi . I try to rotate the drills and practices to surprise the body. it feels great to get the body charged back up. I also backpack and hunt and mt bike although this year I can't mt bike because of my hip surgery.

I would personally rather take on the 20yo the old man would probably just wait for me to move and then destroy me.
 
Bobkatt benching 350 is all well and good but with no cardio, flexibility, coordination etc it means nothing and looking the part isn’t where it’s at… performance is what it’s all about. you are right on brother.

Relating this to survival, your body is like your pack, the lighter your pack the less calories you burn. The lighter your body is the less calories it burns.

However being to thin isn't good either because you want to store calories and have insulation to control core body temp.

When folks prep for the Iron man competition (Run, Bike, and swim) because of all the cardio they struggle to keep weight on because when they go into the water they need body fat for insulation so they don't get hypothermia.

We want just the right mix for outdoor training and sustainable performance.

rancho I did a lot of internal training in my early days tons of tai Chi,yang and Chen...I still do...;-)

Boghog what do you mean by take on?
 
jmjkd said:
rancho I did a lot of internal training in my early days tons of tai Chi,yang and Chen...I still do...;-)
Click to expand...

I never stopped doing at least the most basic chi gung I've taught people the simplest movements and they usually come back with one of two reactions. "i can't believe how much better I feel after doing these" and "you know those "moves" you taught me ? i do them every morning" . By the way Joe I plugged your web site in another thread..
 
Thank Rancho, hey if you want to come by and train…just let me know.

Boghog here is the thing bro, I know you are not in the fight business so here me out, ok?

Fighting is dangerous and should be avoided at all cost. After I have exhausted all my resources for avoidance and was in a life threatening situation everything is a weapon and would be exercised with aggressive intent.
.
Now hard friendly sparring without bad intentions is different. And I would spar either one, it makes no difference to me. If I were losing I would fight harder, if I were winning I would lighten up and age would have nothing to do with it.
With that said.
I was judging an MMA ( Mixed Martial Arts) event over in Revere and during intermission I was at the bar with a 65yr old friend. There were a bunch of MMA fighters around us, you know the type, shaved head Tap Out muscle shirts, tats the whole 9 yards. They were just punking around, they knew who I was and just kidding around. But they didn’t now the old grey haired fat guy drinking the coke, and they didn’t know how many tours he did in Vietnam as a Navy SEAL either. In a sport fight the young MMA guys have the advantage but in real world I would have gone back to back with my bud anyday. Why? I know what he is WILLING to do. Now if my bud kept training and stayed in shape combined with his experience and willingness, his capabilities would increase.
 
you are in the fight business hear me out, would you rather take on the guy that works out constantly at golds gym or the kid who's only physical conditioning consist of learning and practicing defensive and offensive skills like that of Wushu, your physical condition without the mental capacity and you end up with stories like David and Goliath. If you know your enemies and know yourself, you will not be imperiled in a hundred battles Sun Tzu
 
boghog is there something you are looking for me to say? because your ??? don’t make any sense.

If it was a fight, I would not want to Fight either, I would want to avoid it.

If it were hard sparring, like I said either would be fine. Each individual brings different challenges to the table and I would have to adjust accordingly.

There are guys who are in great shape, who don’t know how the mechanics of combat work. Distance, timing, combinations, or all the tools used by the human body as a weapon.

there are guys who spend all day doing kata and forms who have never had any full contact sparring match..

There are guys who fight all the time and just Gas after the first round.
So where is the real question you are asking?

It’s like asking a pro Basketball player who he would rather play against, a plumber or a chief?
.
Now if we have some constructive comments I’d rather go there then all this fighting stuff. It get’s old .But if you want go to my forum at
www.mixedmartialarts.com
Go to old school, then the JKD section. There will be many who will banter back and fourth.
 
What I am saying is physical training without the knowledge of how to use it doesn't help. I can teach a fat overweight guy how to light a fire, how to build a shelter etc... I am saying PT is not the #1 priority. I am not saying you need to be an overweight slob but an overweight slob with the know how will last longer in a SHTF situation than the guy that can do 100 sit ups in two minutes and run a 5 minute mile. basically me 25 years ago is no match for me today even though I was in way better shape.

It doesn't mean I don't take physical conditioning seriously but it is a portion of my life that takes less time than I spend learning how to do things to survive. I really would rather have someone with the brains of an overweight doctor available than the strength/cardio training of bruce lee if I sever an artery in an accident when the SHTF.

Knowledge is power knowing how to do 50 things that will help me survive is way more important than knowing 50 ways to condition my muscle groups. Knowledge should be your number 1 priority, the brain can let the body do things that PT alone would never let you do. I am not advocating sitting in front of the tube watching bear gryls eating cheetos and drinking beer. I am saying get out there and do it. Have you ever tried CPR on a dummy for 5 minutes? it isn't about strength it is about technique knowing the proper way to do things will make it a lot less physically demanding on you.

Ever see the strong guy not be able to open a pickle jar and the little 100lb lady give it a quick whack and the lid pops off? This is what I am saying PT is not substitute for knowledge/experience.
 
I don't know if this has been covered before here in this forum, but it wouldn't be a bad idea for some prepared NESrs who are into this kind of thing to get out and do a survival style backpacking trip with all of the gear that they expect to use when SHTF. Would anyone be interested? You'd kill two birds in one stone. You'd build that cardio and useful muscle that you want to gain from PT, and you'll gain some knowledge on what works and what doesn't. Now, I know many of you have military experience and/or experience backpacking etc., but I wonder if this wouldn't be a bad idea for those who have a lot of book and internet knowledge, to really get out there and do some survival stuff in the wilderness.
 
it's a great idea, practical experience is always a worthwhile endeavor. I do it about once a month with the scouts not hauling an AR but learning to live without electricity and the store
 
1. Bobkatt you got it, my guys do it all the time. Check out the recent thread
Tested in the woods
http://www.northeastshooters.com/vbu...d-in-the-woods

Boghog never said neglect knowledge I said PT priority, why? most are lazy, so do the hard stuff first, while your resting read, watch and learn and practice skills. If I left it up to the students to do PT….guess what??? it would never happen and they would be looking for any reason to neglect it.
That’s why they have a drill Sgt. To make sure you do it all.
Up for the task anyone???
 

Similar threads

Survival Rifles of the USAF...
Replies
4
Views
693
Tnkrclwn
T
Need to refresh my first aid/survival backpack
Replies
22
Views
1K
heck ya beaches
H
Simplest solar panel setup for 1hp well pump
Replies
8
Views
617
snax
snax
Post up Survival/Homesteading/Prepping Videos Here... Thread
Replies
19
Views
1K
Waher
Waher
Spring foraging walk 6/11/22
Replies
16
Views
732
Laderbuilt
Laderbuilt
Back
Top Bottom