A forewarning to the easily butthurt, don’t read this. The literary work below isn’t meant to be condescending, degrading or insulting, it’s simply an honest observation with some general ideas of how to make oneself harder to kill, and therefore more likely to survive. If you find my opinions insulting, perhaps you should ask yourself why.
I’ve been involved in firearms and training most of my adult life and also worked at a large retail FFL for three years, which, somewhat unfortunately, got me intimately familiar with “the industry” and “gun culture.” I am now a career Firefighter at a large metropolitan fire department, which gives me an enormous amount of exposure to the general public, I also work part time at a local strength and conditioning gym.
First, I understand this is America and you can do whatever the hell you want. Nobody can force you to go to the gym, nobody can force you to not eat your self into a sweet, delicious sugar induced diabetic coma. However, if you’re going to prepare, then prepare the best you can. Most people are lying to them selves when they say they’re prepared. The vast majority of people I encounter on the street are at best, weeks away from death on any given day, much less in a natural disaster, and this applies to many gun owners.
In reality most people are preparing for some sort of civil unrest or self defense situation not because they’re serious about self defense, but rather because it’s fun, it’s a hobby for them. They may not realize this, but it’s the case, and I understand; guns are fun, shooting is fun, acquiring gear is fun.
Say what you want to make your self feel good but the reality is, most gun owners lack appropriate mindset, discipline and are in poor physical condition. If you’re a “training junky” and you’re not incorporating physical fitness into your routine, your doing it wrong. And I’m not talking about getting on the recumbent bike twice a week and cutting down on the McDonalds. I’m talking a serious program.
Gun owners spend hours upon hours upon hours researching gear, and tens of thousands of dollars buying firearms and equipment, most of which is unnecessary; they then go on to boast about how “prepared” they are for a set of potential situations that ultimately range from low to nearly non existent in their probability of actually happening. Yet they neglect their own health.
Now I’m all for preparing for these low probability situations. Why? Because even though they are low probability scenarios they have a very high potential penalty for failure (death). Therefore, we should prepare our selves the best we can.
A few people go a step further than just acquiring cool gear and theoretical knowledge. These few people actually get out on the range and run what they brung, fewer still actually follow some sort of regimented training program.
How many, though, actually spend any amount of time, effort and money on their own health? If I take a quick look around the local range on any given day, the local gun shop or even the monthly USPSA or CFDCC match, the answer is not too many.
At the end of the day, most people are infinitely more likely to die from chronic diseases that arise from a sloppy lifestyle than from having under armed them selves for the next civil war, Katrina or even a common street robbery, home invasion or car jacking. Most people are infinitely more likely to have their life seriously impacted or ended by Diabetes, heart disease and obesity.
What good is your $50,000 stash of firearms and ammunition if you can’t actually move with it? What value is all that tactical name brand awesomeness if you die at 50 from heart disease. How are you supposed to survive long term if you’re an insulin dependent diabetic?
How much money and time is spent on celebrity instructor taught classes? You make it to the range every week? That’s awesome. How many hours have you spent at the gym? What’s your diet look like? And I’m not just talking fat people, just because you don’t look like Rosie O’ Donnell doesn’t mean you aren’t unhealthy.
Take a step back and think for a second. Ask your self, am I really actually prepared? Do I have the stamina and conditioning to run a mile in my gear all out? What if I got into a physical confrontation? Can I physically over power someone?
The effects of physical fitness don’t just stop at being more desirable to look at, able to run faster and lift more. Being fit makes you harder to kill in every way. You’re less likely to develop chronic diseases, your joints will be in better shape, you’re less likely to develop heart disease, the list goes on and on.
So how are you preparing your self physically to survive? If you’re not you have no excuse, none. I work a full time job, run a business, work a part time job and go to school full time. I’ve not been without injury either. If I can do it anyone can.
If you’re serious about being prepared I strongly encourage you to begin a serious physical fitness regimen, especially so if you’re a first responder. It doesn’t matter how old you are or what your current life situation is, it’s never too late to start.
If you have the money for multiple rifles and pistols, quality optics, suppressors, SBR’s and the tax stamps that accompany them, the training courses, the ammunition and time to shoot, then you have the money and time to get in the gym.
Here’s some straight forward suggestions:
- Quit eating like shit, there’s no excuse. Eat real food. Want to avoid health problems? Cut out the processed stuff. Figure out what your body likes. Just becasue I eat 300g of carbs a day doesn’t mean that’s the right diet for you, it also doesn’t mean “low carb” is good.
- Find and follow a real strength and conditioning program.
- Focus on functional movements. Back squat, dead lift, overhead press, bench press, pull-ups, bent over rows, kettle bell work, sand bangs etc.
- Follow a program with strength work as the foundation.
- Push a sled at least 2-3 times a week.
- Machines are the work of of Satan, avoid them like the plague. Why? Because they are they plague... the plague of the fitness industry.
- Run, running is good. If you cant run, then walk, row, stationary bike etc, push the sled more.
I will end with what I feel (in my humble opinion) are some very basic minimum standards people should be able to meet:
- Back Squat your own body weight for 10 reps.
- Deadlift 1.5x your body weight for 10 reps.
- Overhead Press your body weight
- Bench Press your body weight for 10 reps.
- 10 pull-ups (unbroken)
- 50 push-ups (unbroken)
- 50 Kettlebell Swings w/ 53lb kettlebell (unbroken)
- Run 1 mile in street clothes in 7:00 without going into SVT.
- Row a 5k in under 20:00 without going into SVT.
- Be able to walk 10 miles with your “bug out bag” in your “bug out” gear.
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