Other/Mixed Post-apocalipse training

[Pavel.Kosenkov]

I was always wondering.
In the movie 'I am legend' Will Smith does pull-ups and runs the threadmil.
But, for real, if you are the last one alive - how would you train?
Definitely not powerlifting. Some sort of cardio would be involved. You are supposed to stay as far away from injuries as possible...
A pullup bar and a threadmil seem nice, but that won't load your lower back.
He probably was not doing any peaking either. His training should be similar to the one of a first responder probably.
Once again - this is about a fictional character, not the actor (he went to a regular gym for the role)
Do you guys ever think about this?

 

[watchnerd]

Do you guys ever think about this?

No, I don't.

I've done a few wilderness survival expeditions, and knowledge and skills were the most important things.

How to stay warm, how to build shelter, how to make fire from nothing, how to find clean water, how to find food, how to care for yourself if you get hurt or sick.

 

[Xene]

The biggest importance would be to stay fresh. There will be no reinforcements if you can‘t run/fight/climb/swim at the right time.
So grease the groove training would be the thing. Pull ups, push ups, squapts (air squats, split squats), sprints, carries. No specific equipment needed. I don‘t know if there would be a need for endurance training. Just walk, be on your feet, gather ressources.

 

[pet']

Hello,

IMHO, I think there are two things more important than physical training: skill and mindset (which does not mean fitness is useless obviously). As an example, you can be the best rucker ever, if you go to the east instead of the west, because you are not familiar with a compass and land navigation, well... Same with setting a fire, etc... Basically, what @watchnerd said.

As far as physical training is concerned, I agree with @Xene You'd want to stay away from injury or fatigue prior to the crisis situation.

You can think you training in terms of "what would you likely have to do to survive ?" : climbing (fence, window, ladder, rocks...), running (meaning sprinting or jogging but on short distance), rucking (and all sort of carries), pushing, crawling, pulling, swimming, jumping and fighting.

Based on that, you can find tons of modalities, whether with bodyweight, or weight, or combination of both.

Clint Emerson, which is a former military, has something fairly basic but effective for "crisis management physical training": that's called "Violent Nomad":
3 to 5 rounds of the following circuit: 1/4 mile run - pull of choice* - push of choice** - rotation of choice***
* pull ups, row, swings...
** bench, push ups, one arm push ups...
*** anything which involves a rotation, such as throwing punch, elbow...

You can do this day in day out. The routine is short. You can do it with a weight vest or not, you can do plyometrics or strength (bench or plyo push ups for instance).

One could also think about the WOD "Murph", but with a reduced volume. Below is the "original":
- run (1 mile), 100 pull ups, 200 push ups, 300 squats, run (1 mile).

Kind regards,

Pet'

 

[jozko]

When this happens to you, you should already be prepared for this.

I'd do hill sprinting, loaded carries, climbing, pushups, pullups, fasting, cold exposure - but mostly *before* I am thrown into such situation.

 

[DMA]

Clint Emerson, which is a former military, has something fairly basic but effective for "crisis management physical training": that's called "Violent Nomad":
3 to 5 rounds of the following circuit: 1/4 mile run - pull of choice* - push of choice** - rotation of choice***
* pull ups, row, swings...
** bench, push ups, one arm push ups...
*** anything which involves a rotation, such as throwing punch, elbow...

You can do this day in day out. The routine is short. You can do it with a weight vest or not, you can do plyometrics or strength (bench or plyo push ups for instance).

That sounds like Easy Strength. Push, pull, squat, hinge; 10 reps of each (2x5, 3x3, 5x2) never going to failure, then go for a brisk walk. Easy enough to do every day, but enough to keep or even build strength. But if you're living in survival mode, there may not be vehicles and you may already need to walk/ruck everywhere, so you could probably ditch that part.

 

[Bauer]

I was always wondering.
In the movie 'I am legend' Will Smith does pull-ups and runs the threadmil.
But, for real, if you are the last one alive - how would you train?
Definitely not powerlifting. Some sort of cardio would be involved. You are supposed to stay as far away from injuries as possible...
A pullup bar and a threadmil seem nice, but that won't load your lower back.
He probably was not doing any peaking either. His training should be similar to the one of a first responder probably.
Once again - this is about a fictional character, not the actor (he went to a regular gym for the role)
Do you guys ever think about this?

I don't really worry about stuff like this. But I want to be resilient in case our infrastructure get disrupted for a period.

Dan John mentioned on one of his many podcast appearances, that he received a training for catastrophe management or something similar, I think when the Winter Olympics were held in Utah.

Anyway, he stressed having a bicycle and being able to ride it for distance. In most cases, you can be pretty safe from catastrophes by getting away 100 km or so, and you can carry your bike over obstacles if roads are damaged or blocked.
Of course, he also stressed having a backpack with enough supplies.

So: Carries and general endurance would probably be the thing.
A+A + Cardio + Carries sounds like a good idea for preparation.

GTG and just moving, as @Xene writes, would probably enough afterwards. And knowing how to prevent or treat injuries would probably be key (inlcuding mobility work and restorative work like OS).

 

[Adam R Mundorf]

Other than survival skills like orienteering and living off the land. I would think that mobility and flexibility work would be paramount. Keeping your joints bulletproof and your muscles supple to avoid injury. I'd probably do basic joint mobility, some active flexibility work and grease the groove with some Hindu push-ups, squats and pull-ups.

 

[SUOMI-PUKU]

Imagine if a zombie apocalypse breaks out the day after you’ve just hit an epic leg day at the gym after a few months of not hitting legs.

 

[pet']

Hello,

This plus different energy pathways (sprints & LSD) could get you fairly far:

More Muscle in 10 Minutes A Day

With just a kettlebell and a home pull-up bar you can easily increase your training frequency and pack on some new muscle. Here’s how.

www.t-nation.com

Kind regards,

Pet'

 

[Dydo]

Being strong and looking muscular is great, but the skill and strength with which you can squat 200kg. or push 120 kg overhead. they will be completely useless if you can't get your kid's ball off the tree or jump over the fence quickly if a zombie chases you

 

[LukeV]

Over the course of the first few seasons of Walking Dead the main characters leaned out - the look was gaunt. No-one was carrying any more muscle than they had to and no-one was carrying any more fat than their limited rations permitted. I thought that was pretty realistic for a post-apocalyptic scenario - the survivors are going to be lean and mean. Their priority is mobility - being mobile means you live, being immobile means you die. Everyone needs to be able to run towards and away from danger. Early confrontation on your terms and escape greatly increase your chances of survival. Of course then Tara turned up who looked like she'd been hiding out in a Dunkin' Donuts. Tara waddled from one confrontation with zombies or bandits to another, proving that even in the apocalypse there's room for a plus-sized model and body positivity champion

 

[ali]

It depends. We talking zombies or aliens?

 

[Don Fairbanks]

Depends. Water, shelter, food, defense, offense, all day everyday would be a lot of GPP. Picture, The Road with high speed zombies ?
You'd be real busy.

 

[Simply strong]

This mentality is the primary motivation behind callisthenics training for some people. The YouTube channel “red delta project” may have a lot of answers for you

 

[North Coast Miller]

If I’m the last person alive, I’d be more concerned about prepping my exit dose a la Hemlock Society than anything else.

Death from a burst appendix or sepsis from a compound fracture do not sound like fun ways to go.

 

[Dydo]

In such a world, bodybuilders would be the first to drop. I say this with a bit of irony, as I see this on various TV formats where something like survival and coping with challenges is at stake. In my country there is a TV format called The Farm. It must be in many countries. There are competitions where you have to be tough - splitting wood, driving nails, carrying heavy bags and buckets of water to pour from one container to another, etc. those who are the typical bodybuilders / not just strong and athletic / were the first to leave the show. A complete zero.
My workouts up to this point have been mostly bodybuilding oriented, but I haven't been able to stick to a regimen. But I am pleased that I feel better when I lift weights. However, you can achieve these benefits for the body in other ways of training, but at the same time have even more benefits for your body, such as endurance, speed, mobility and others. I mean, my classes have been helpful, but realistically, a big waste of time if we're looking to translate my skills into real life. What good is it that I bench press a lot more than someone who can carry heavy bags of cement or sand for a long time and I'm dead at the 5 minute mark. Or that I squat much heavier than him, but I can't climb a 10 story building with a sack on my back, and he does it with ease.

 

[Benjamin Renaud]

I'd go for MovNat type of training since that's already what one would be doing every day.

 

[TimothyGander]

I agree with the suggestions of bodyweight GTG training, however, I wouldn't discount bodybuilding out of hand. Realistically, in such a situation the biggest threat wouldn't be zombies or wolves, but other people. An average person still associates muscular size with strength; even a completely physically inept, but nevertheless large bodybuilder might avoid many violent confrontations just by the virtue of being considered dangerous.

 

[Dydo]

I agree with the suggestions of bodyweight GTG training, however, I wouldn't discount bodybuilding out of hand. Realistically, in such a situation the biggest threat wouldn't be zombies or wolves, but other people. An average person still associates muscular size with strength; even a completely physically inept, but nevertheless large bodybuilder might avoid many violent confrontations just by the virtue of being considered dangerous.

Hoho, there is logic in what you say. Inside the group, he can be one of the leaders, and he does not need to run or climb, but simply grab and throw the weaker ones to the angry mob of zombies. In short, he will have the power to sacrifice the weaker in order for him to survive. Until, for example, an MMA fighter who doesn't have that many muscles is up against the bodybuilder
That is so, but still I meant not to be weak, but to be strong, but at the same time have other qualities. For example, you may not squat with 200 kg, but only with 140-160 kg., but if you are faster, mobile and durable, you will certainly have an advantage over the one who squats with 200 kg. Even in direct combat with him. The same goes for someone who has much bigger muscles than you. Bodybuilders or powerlifters will only have an advantage over the average person or the lightly trained. In a fight with a fighter or for example a crossfitter, I think their chances are low.