Survivalist burnout

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fubar

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Guns n gear and stuff and things ... upgrades , culling , talking . I have ...blah blah blah .... Boring rehash seen-it-before ....

So : now Im trying to be serious about the least fun area of them all - goddamn PT.

I would much rather screw around on the Internet and then go buy some new trinkets. Instead I am getting up at 5am and walking a few miles. 2.01 miles. Last week's mini goal was to extract ass from bed and get out there. This week's mini goal is to do it again with a brutal 15 pounds in my super cool day pack. Next week's goal is to start shuffling along. I don't like the word "jogging." I'll add weight and speed as I can.

I'm aiming for 2 miles , carrying 30 pounds , a simulated rifle , in under 20 minutes. I think a weighted umbrella would be funny , to me.

Some other people on the Internet are working on this too. I don't know why I like this goal , but it's got my attention and I'm doing it. Twice a week at night I do some martial arty stuff with a few friends - cause they don't know it and I like the review , enhanced agility and it's fun to punch your friends. Gonna add a bit of narrowly focused strength training in a few weeks.

I'm 50 years old , bored waiting for the end of the world , semi - satisfied with all the material nonsense about prepping I'm achieving , and don't want to be old and inform. I want to be old and tough. Besides , now I can read the Internet and go buy more stuff - like socks and high end hiking boots.
 
Good for you dude, rucking with a pack is a great way to get yourself in shape. I think this is a major problem with prepping minded people in this country, it's fun to get wrapped up in gear and whatnot but taking care of our bodies should be close to #1 priority. Ironic when people claim to be survivalists, but are in such bad physical health they are probably diabetic.


I was running the biggest loser challenges, I kind of dropped off after the last one, but if a challenge or competition type environment will help you achieve your set goals I'll gladly start up another challenge.
 
Sounds like a great plan. It's cliche, but the saying "survival of the fittest" was coined for a reason. Like AllaSnackbah said, the body is our most important tool. Without it, all else breaks down.
 
Don't go too fast. Especially since your 50 and not used to it. U don't need to go for distance or speed right away, just elevating your heart rate and adding on five minutes every few days will help.
 
I know it's fast , I'm not there yet. I don't think it can be done at a walk , it's gonna be a shuffle or jog.

Thanks people , it's been fun so far.


Day 7 , ( Monday thru Friday , weekends off ). Yesterday I added 15 pounds , and timed this morning.
I cut a bit more than 3 minutes off the total.

And I am keeping a real close eye on hurting myself. Minor discomfort on the front of my shins , the muscle , not the bone.
 
I'd leave the weight at home. Once you're able to comfortably walk/shuffle/run/whatever the distance you want to do, then consider adding speed and/or weight. Or get to the woods and hike up a hill.

With that being said, good for you for getting in shape. What I'm doing now is waiting for my weight to drop and then start adding the equivalent to a pack. That way your overall weight stays the same and you get used to it slowly. I have no idea if this is good or not; it's just what I'm doing. [grin]
 
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I was up at the NH place today. The kids rode the quads and I schlepped up and down the damn mountain with a chain saw cutting up deadfall.

Climbing the 700 vertical feet from the pond to the ridge was bad enough. Doing it with a chainsaw and gas/oil can was brutal. Carrying 18" lengths of deadfall from where they were cut up to the trailer the quad was pulling up and down the hills....brutal. I am nursing a gigantic absolute/tonic after mainlining advil. My everything hurts.

The point is, the training I do (not enough) with a relatively flat area around here, adding weight and elevation you're not used to can wear you out in a damn hurry.
 
My last job, while soul sucking, kept me physically active to the point that I was never very concerned about maintaining myself. Now that I've been out of work for eight months I've turned into a sack of smashed a**holes.

I really need to get off my a** and do something about it, well maybe once I put down this bag of Chips Ahoy.
 
I lost a minute today ( as in 'slower' ). But I am a touch sore from the H2H stuff last night.

I'm keeping a careful eye on joints and connective tissue stress. Sore muscles are okay with me , it's mechanical injury I worry about. But otherwise : Day 8 done.

Find myself paying more attention to stretching k warm up , and what I am eating - without even trying , just because ...
 
Not to be negative here-but you are better off running. If you are gonna ruck wear the full kit. Everything. Also having been subjected to army pt I have found this works the best.

Boots suck-wear sneakers. Better grip and more comfy. They make tactical sneakers
Water-carry your water then double it. Water is 8 pounds a gallon. You can never have enough water especially sweating
Wear dress socks as sock liner
My basic kit is 60 pounds. And that just with a sleeping bag, some socks and one clothes change.

I say run as its quicker and less equipment centric. Ruck marching will break you quick.
 
mpkeelee said:
Don't go too fast. Especially since your 50 and not used to it.
Click to expand...
This, this this!
Remember the old adage of "too much, so soon." At your (our) age, the body takes a lot longer heal as well as longer to toughen up. If you give some body part tendonitis you will set yourself back by months.
Start so slow you feel like you're wasting your time, then build very slowly from there. You don't need to be in shape in 2 months. 6 months is soon enough.
 
I do 30+ miles per week power walking (no load) at just under 15 minute miles. I can say with certainty, anyone over 50 whose doing anything under 14 minute miles and is NOT running is going to develop serious joint and connective tissue problems.

As a side note, I've lost 40 lbs in the 5 years since I've been walking (6x weekly) plus, all my hip ailments completely disappeared.
 
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cockpitbob said:
This, this this!
Remember the old adage of "too much, so soon." At your (our) age, the body takes a lot longer heal as well as longer to toughen up. If you give some body part tendonitis you will set yourself back by months.
Start so slow you feel like you're wasting your time, then build very slowly from there. You don't need to be in shape in 2 months. 6 months is soon enough.
Click to expand...

I just turned 36 and have started to ease back into running after a year long overuse injury. That injury came after about an 8 month recovery from the previous overuse injury. The first injury came when I transitioned from cycling to running. Yeah, I was in great shape but those activities use different muscles and I didn't spend enough time switching over. My heart and lungs were good for 10+ miles without batting an eye but my hamstring wasn't.

I can tell you that prior to what was basically a 2 year shutdown I was in great shape. Now I'm just trying to undo the damage of two years of couch surfing. It's hard not to join my old running group because it's much more fun running with people, but I'm not ready for much more than 3 miles at a time.
 
I have a vote AGAINST sock liners. I wear wool socks only. Every single time I have someone tell me about some miracle sock liner I try it. EVERY TIME I GET BLISTERS.

They might work for some people, but I've found they cause problems where none existed.
 
xtry51 said:
I have a vote AGAINST sock liners. I wear wool socks only. Every single time I have someone tell me about some miracle sock liner I try it. EVERY TIME I GET BLISTERS.

They might work for some people, but I've found they cause problems where none existed.
Click to expand...

If you have good fitting and broken in footwear, you don't need liners. When you are in the process of breaking in boots, liners can be critical.

If you were already good to go, wearing the liners was silly. Sounds like it changed the fit of you footwear from proper fitting to not.
 
goodlife30 said:
Not to be negative here-but you are better off running. If you are gonna ruck wear the full kit. Everything. Also having been subjected to army pt I have found this works the best.

Boots suck-wear sneakers. Better grip and more comfy. They make tactical sneakers
Water-carry your water then double it. Water is 8 pounds a gallon. You can never have enough water especially sweating
Wear dress socks as sock liner
My basic kit is 60 pounds. And that just with a sleeping bag, some socks and one clothes change.

I say run as its quicker and less equipment centric. Ruck marching will break you quick.
Click to expand...

I'd be worried about his knees.
 
fubar said:
Guns n gear and stuff and things ... upgrades , culling , talking . I have ...blah blah blah .... Boring rehash seen-it-before ....

So : now Im trying to be serious about the least fun area of them all - goddamn PT.

I would much rather screw around on the Internet and then go buy some new trinkets. Instead I am getting up at 5am and walking a few miles. 2.01 miles. Last week's mini goal was to extract ass from bed and get out there. This week's mini goal is to do it again with a brutal 15 pounds in my super cool day pack. Next week's goal is to start shuffling along. I don't like the word "jogging." I'll add weight and speed as I can.

I'm aiming for 2 miles , carrying 30 pounds , a simulated rifle , in under 20 minutes. I think a weighted umbrella would be funny , to me.

Some other people on the Internet are working on this too. I don't know why I like this goal , but it's got my attention and I'm doing it. Twice a week at night I do some martial arty stuff with a few friends - cause they don't know it and I like the review , enhanced agility and it's fun to punch your friends. Gonna add a bit of narrowly focused strength training in a few weeks.

I'm 50 years old , bored waiting for the end of the world , semi - satisfied with all the material nonsense about prepping I'm achieving , and don't want to be old and inform. I want to be old and tough. Besides , now I can read the Internet and go buy more stuff - like socks and high end hiking boots.
Click to expand...

I have a titanium hip, so doc says no running, and keep weight down. Need to start walking again, no pack, my body weight is enough.

Weights are OK, but eventually the arthritis starts kicking in. Wish I had money to join the Y for the pool.

Thanks for the kick to get out walking.

P.S. Walk in the woods with a gun. They call it hunting. I need to do that.
 
I appreciate and think about every reply I'm seeing , I hope others are too.

Like I said. , I'm not overweight , and I'm being careful. I do not want an injury. In the past I've hurt myself starting out too fast , too hard. What I'm really looking for is the habit itself. The change in behavior. I am going to be be a guy who does some kind of roadwork every day. Right now it's a daily two miler ar at a fast walk.

I'll start playing with more scientific paces , weight , ... Rucking with a real pack vs jogging/running.
I've always been a jack of all traders kind of construction worker - capable of most everything , artist at none. And I think I want to be there with moving by foot as well : able to run semi far , but not the guy who wins races , able to carry stuff far but not an Appalachian Trail hiker ... I just want to be " more better " in a well rounded way.

My big challenge is the two miler w/ 30 pounds under 20 or 22 minutes , and my more immediate goal is to keep motivated as the ****ing winter sets in.

I thank you all for the advice and shared knowledge. There's a whole lot of people who don't go any farther than the front door to the drivers seat out there.
 
Awesome! A lot of people leave the working out part out of their prepping. I enjoy watching doomsday preppers and seeing some fat shit riding around his compound on an ATV. Good luck with firing maneuvers if someone comes along to take all your stuff. You won't even have to shoot him, he'll die of a heart attack.
 
Finished week 3. Think I'll do one more week ,( M thru F ) just to round it out at a month of walking for intro/warmup then start jogging in little segments - maybe use phone poles for " sprinting " markers.
 
fubar said:
Finished week 3. Think I'll do one more week ,( M thru F ) just to round it out at a month of walking for intro/warmup then start jogging in little segments - maybe use phone poles for " sprinting " markers.
Click to expand...

Very nice.

What you're describing is called "Fartleks", no joke. They're a great way to do speed work and keep the body guessing. Like everything, proper warmup and cooldown makes all the difference.

As you get more into running, tuck this nugget in the back of your brain: if you get tired, run faster. As you get tired, changing speed changes the muscles being used, so going faster uses different muscles than going slow or "regular" and gives your legs a rest. It's funny, but it works. Fartleks will help you prepare for this.
 
fubar said:
Finished week 3. Think I'll do one more week ,( M thru F ) just to round it out at a month of walking for intro/warmup then start jogging in little segments - maybe use phone poles for " sprinting " markers.
Click to expand...

ToddDubya said:
Very nice.

What you're describing is called "Fartleks", no joke. They're a great way to do speed work and keep the body guessing. Like everything, proper warmup and cooldown makes all the difference.

As you get more into running, tuck this nugget in the back of your brain: if you get tired, run faster. As you get tired, changing speed changes the muscles being used, so going faster uses different muscles than going slow or "regular" and gives your legs a rest. It's funny, but it works. Fartleks will help you prepare for this.
Click to expand...


Yes fartleks are good for building speed but you need to first work on your endurance i.e. your abiiity to 'run' for longer periods of time. I wouldn't suggest sprinting between poles at this point. Of course your sprint will likely be more of a jog and thats okay. Try to find a pace where you can jog for 4-5 minutes - but starting at telephone pole distance is good. walk less time/distance than you jog if possible. Jog 2 minutes, walk 1 minute (or substitute poles) and then increase the 'run' time/distance and/or reduce the walk time/distance. Getting past the 2-3 minute mark when running/jogging is huge as you start tapping different oxygen systems past that point. You endurance will really increase pretty quickly. When you decide to work on speed, which I suggest after you are able to maintain a steady pace for 30 minutes, do it 1 to 2 times per week (speed work that is). There are so many varieties of workouts you can do but overdoing any 1 type (speed, hills, distance, etc) can lead to injury and just be plain counterproductive as you 'over train.' Endurance after you can do 30 minutes really becomes more mental and slow increases to prevent injury.
 
mpkeelee said:
Don't go too fast. Especially since your 50 and not used to it. U don't need to go for distance or speed right away, just elevating your heart rate and adding on five minutes every few days will help.
Click to expand...

This... I am almost 50 and overweight. I went out the other day after not having walked for a while and did four miles at a pretty good pace. I ended up hurting my knee and it has taken weeks to get better to where I can think about walking daily again. It was stupid, but I was feeling strong that day and went to far out. About half way back I started to feel a twinge in my leg. Would have been better to have started more slowly and worked my way up.
 
I thank you all for your advice.

I'm trying to take this on a long low and slow increase.

A few winters back I came into work and announced that " I did a chin-up yesterday." And my coworkers gave me the expected razzing and mockery. ( I knew & expected it was coming ).

On Friday I announced Id done two of them. More mockery.
six weeks later I announced i had done 25 chin-ups. No body laughed at that.

That's the way I'm approaching this walking/jogging/rucking/running thing. ... Slow and deliberate.
 

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