"Minutemen" Fitness

[UnionMillsNW]

Hey Folks,

I'm a firm believer in practical fitness; being able to handle whatever physical challenges arise on a daily basis. Some may call it "farm strength".

As I was trekking through the hills this past week over some pretty rough terrain I was contemplating what modern "minutemen" fitness would entail for the average citizen.

Being a fan of competition, and considering sports like the Biathlon, I started to think it could be pretty fun to have a practical "minutemen" fitness challenge.

Here is a circuit that I created. Please feel free to add suggestions or your thoughts on the whole idea.

Equipment Required:

20 pound ruck/pack
Rifle
100 Rounds ammunition

Start: Slick, No Equipment
Phase 1: Run 50 yards and put on pack, ammunition, and place rifle in Condition 3
Phase 2: Full 30 cal ammo can lift above head (30x)
Phase 3: Carry 2x 30 cal ammo cans 100 yards
Phase 4: 20 Burpees
Phase 5: Carry 2x 30 cal ammo cans 100 yards
Phase 6: Jog 1 mile in kit

Phase 7: Shooting Portion
7A: 6" target, 10 shots standing at 50 yards
7B: 12" target, 10 shots kneeling at 100 yards
7C: 12" target, 5 shots prone at 100 yards

Phase 8: Jog back 1 mile in kit

Ultimately this would be a timed event with penalties for missed shots.
If done with a buddy a medical component/carry could be added.

The idea being that this would be a "practical fitness" challenge and a fun way to stay in shape while honing some skills...not trying to make Marines over here.

What are your thoughts? Is this something you'd try? What would you change?

Thanks for reading. Stay fit and safe shooting!

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[TTSX]

All of that but the burpees I could do just fine. Pretty sure I'd just die Midway through burpee 3. I am not an agile man

 

[mkwerx]

Yeah, I'm with you till the burpees. My back, knees, and hips scream loudly at me every time I try that. Maybe make it 20 or 30 pushups instead? I kind of like the idea there. You'd need time brackets for varied ages. My mind says I'm still young and in my 20's, my body sometimes thinks I'm 75. I'm only 38

 

[Camelfilter]

Neet.

Could do it, would likely have room from a buncha improvement tho.

As to the shooting portion, mayhaps ad in another drill (or several).

El Presidente (3 torso targets a yard apart) at 10 yards, with rifle/carbine first 2 shots ea target and transition to pistol 2 shots each target. Rather than standard El Presidente (just pistol with a magazine change). Great excercise. Even better if done started facing away & slung low ready/safe. Multiple good reasons to be proficient with this drill. Rig familiarity, vehicle exit, room entering, rifle malfunction etc.

Another brief cardio.

Then your 7ABC. Even better if your range allows dynamic, approaching targets, as opposed to static at 50 etc.

Target/shooting to be scored/timed separately from excersize portion. Misses can be scored for some abhorid ad on time/negative par to make one slow down (at first), until up to shape. Slow is smooth...

 

[oremike]

Farm tough isn't and hour of exercise once a month or even once a week, it's sweating hard from dawn to dusk every day.

 

[Rickenbacher39]

Yeah, I'm with you till the burpees. My back, knees, and hips scream loudly at me every time I try that. Maybe make it 20 or 30 pushups instead? I kind of like the idea there. You'd need time brackets for varied ages. My mind says I'm still young and in my 20's, my body sometimes thinks I'm 75. I'm only 38

Well, I am 75 so if it is OK with everyone I will sit on the sidelines with a rum and coke
and applaud at the appropriate times.
And of course break out in laughter at the others...............

 

[ilikegunspdx]

What the f is a burpee

 

[mkwerx]

What the f is a burpee

Well, the best way to descriibe it is that one night, Push Ups was at a bar. He had six shots of Jack & Coke and was feelin better than good. Then Mountain Climbers comes in - the ugly fem-dog she is, but Push Ups was lit and ready to rock. They go back to his place, have a three-way with Jumping Jack and nine months later, out comes Burpees...

 

[hatchj]

"Practical" fitness definitely doesnt include burpees! Lol.
They suck if your body has any physical ailments.

 

[nammac]

What the f is a burpee

Burpees is what you get from drinking soda or pop... Buddy the Elf holds the world record for the longest burpee after downing two liters of Coca-Cola...

 

[ilikegunspdx]

is this a burpee?

 

[nammac]

is this a burpee?
View attachment 646962

No that's clearly a ralph...

 

[clearconscience]

Seems like the mall ninja workout plan.
Your better off working out then practicing firearms precision on a separate practice.

if you want to practice more "minuteman" shooting drills.
Do burpees/sprints then shoot. Similar to shooting competitions.
safety should always come first.

 

[UnionMillsNW]

I appreciate everyone's feedback.

I would like to clarify that this is just an idea to have fun while working out and shooting. Any honing of skills would be a secondary benefit.

Proper range time means taking consistent time to practice with your firearm.
Proper fitness means exerting yourself every day (on top of diet but that can be a different thread)

The idea was partially inspired by the Marine Corps CFT. I always found that test to be a more practical indicator of fitness than the standard PFT. The CFT was never designed to be a workout on it's own, but to gauge speed, strength, and reflexes. It could be fun to add a shooting component (accurate fire while winded/fatigued is far different than bench shooting) if done in a safe manner.

I support anything that gets your heart rate up and your muscles moving.

Does anyone have any other exercises they incorporate into their firearm training?

Safe Shooting.

 

[Geardo]

I like the idea.....


And anything is better than nothing. If I was out shooting and a buddy suggested it I would try it.

Here are my thoughts:

A) The biggest physical advantage the individual American grunt has is the ability to ruck a large amount of weight long distance. Ammo, coms gear, armor, food, shelter, etc. The best work out for this is just rucking. Build up your real SHTF/Boogaloo/INCH bag and go hiking! Better yet go backpacking. Now add 20-30 lbs for armor and mags. This has to be a consistant thing.

B) I don't have anywhere I can go where I could safely leave my vehicle and gear while I ran a mile. I also don't have time for that during a shooting trip which is few and far between.

C) the "high speed low drag" dudes on you tube like to run drills in armor (myself included) but these should really be run with a full assault kit on (heavy backpack) and doing so will be a great workout.

D) I think high intensity short duration stress by incorporating sprints, lifts, and drags into your shooting drills, in full kit, will better simulate combat stress. Go hike 10 miles that morning with your ruck if you want to full experience.

E) I saw a drill involving sprinting 100-200 yards, along with some pushups while advancing your firing position at a 200-300 yard target. Looked intense.

F) look up the mountain guerilla guy. He has standards you can follow.

MountainGuerrilla

Nous Defions!

mountainguerrilla.wordpress.com

 

[User 1234]

is this a burpee?
View attachment 646962

I don't allow anyone to use my likeness without prior permission!

 

[kmk1012]

Farm tough isn't and hour of exercise once a month or even once a week, it's sweating hard from dawn to dusk every day.

Or until beer thirty, that's been my farm experience, LOL

 

[Member 5605]

Well... I'm out.