Best Physical Training for a Prepper???

[sniperben]

Hi All,

I am just wondering what everyones ideas are on physical training for Prepping? i had a discussion with a couple of mates and we weighed up several pros and cons to things...

Combat sports- obviously one of the main ones just for self defense after the SHTF...i did a couple years in the MMA tent and feel i can have a decent scrap with any 1 person at a time and give them a decent headkick or choke them out (unless its like Chuck Liddell or someone like that and i will just wake up with a sore head and no BOB! hahaha).
Sprinting- Again pretty useful for getting out of trouble or various other situations but burns energy and needs a lot of muscle.
Long distance running- for endurance but then all marathon runners are skinny...not the best frame for a harsh winter if you have Bugged out!
Cycling- Bikes will be pretty useful 'after' but could whizz you into an ambush and will be a 'star item' for any robber!

Any other ideas for 'Prepper Fitness?' i am pretty much tailoring my workouts to be Plyometric based for all round fitness. i want to be able to run, sprint, jump, lift something heavy and fight if needs be but ideally not be stronger at one more than the other to my overall detriment. I was just wondering what everyone thinks that might give me some ideas???

[preppingsu]

Upper body strength for chopping/splitting logs for the wood burners to keep us warm.

Stamina as well as upper body strength to be able to hand dig a large area of land to increase our growing area.

Flexibility through yoga/Pilates so that the joints remain supple particularly thinking about all the manual work that will need to be done eg bread kneading, hand washing, etc.

[metatron]

It helps to be a strong swimmer and happy in the cold, as with out flood management a lot more areas will be under water, also if you are collecting food from sea shores and river banks the RNLI will not be there to save your arse.

[Plymtom]

For many of us asides for the sensibillity sugestions Su and Metatron came out with, perhaps a basic self defence course would be an idea, I'm in my early 50s & mildy arthritic and whilst I had a go at Judo in my youth and cycling on and off over the years (still have my bike) it could be fatal to try much of what you suggested Ben

I always hated sport, it started with not being too good at it and is underlined for many of us by Jocks, Bullies, and Boot camp PE teachers, my kids have found the same thing a generation later, but fitness through activity and hard work still remains as luring and atractive to me as it ever did, if the shit hit the fan I'd be little more capable of fighting off a small gang of mindless chavs than I would an armed to the teeth rouge army unit, so it's horses for courses, how far you take it has to depend on your will and your capabillities, but there always will be a bigger fish, not to mention the one hidden in the undergrowth with a crossbow.

[feegle]

I train heavly in defendo,british army martial art ,...well i did teach it when i was serving ,its basicly hard core krav maga ,.... also i spend at least a few hours a day training in bladed weapions ,..sword ,axe

[Huwie73]

Further to the suggestions offered by my peers, my suggestions don't really fall into the 'physical training' category but the following may be of use:

Knife fighting / stick fighting (never need to worry about ammo)
Escape and evasion (live to fight another day)
Tracking and stalking (more for the country environment rather than urban)

For all round fitness, if you are confined to a location, would be callisthenics -no need for large open areas and virtually no need for exercise equipment (which can be improvised).
I feel being able to control your own body weight rather than being uber-muscular is more effective in a combat situation. If it's good enough for the MOD it's good enough for me.