Starting to train for a 1/2 marathon, but thoughts about survival fitness...

[Phasade]

My wife and I are starting to train for a 1/2 marathon (her 5th my 1st) and will be putting time in at both the gym and the local asphalt. As far as survival fitness, being fit in the first place is a leg up in the survival situation, can you run for an hour to distance yourself from an enemy? Can you lift your body weight (or your partners) and carry it cross country for an extended trip? I'm so not there myself, but these are my goals. I'd like to know that if I had to, I can put my wife over my shoulder and carry her 2 miles but to do that she'll need to loose some weight and I'll need to get stronger. And if the roles were ever reveresed, I'd like to know she could drag my carcass to someplace safe and to do that I'll need to lose the 'extra' bits I started putting on long before the holiday's came around. time for some SHTF "fitness" thoughts...

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[lola85]

My wife and I follow a pretty basic, mainly compound, training routine.

3 work outs per week on non consecutive days. The first work out is your heavy work out. The second work out is your medium work out, use 10% less weight for your work sets. The final work out for the week is your lite work out, use 20% less weight.

Do a lite warm up with 1/4 of your work sets weight. Do a medium warm up with 1/2 of your work sets weight. Do 2 work sets with the same weight. Choose a starting weight and start light.

These are the seven exercises you will be starting with.

Squats
Bench Presses
Bent-Over Rows
Overhead Barbell Presses
Stiff-Legged Deadlifts
Barbell Curls
Calf Raises

You will be running this program on a five week cycle as follows:
The first week do all 4 sets for 8 reps.
The second week do all 4 sets for 9 reps.
The third week do all 4 sets for 10 reps.
The fourth week do all 4 sets for 11 reps.
The fifth week do all 4 sets for 12 reps.
If you got all of the required reps on the fifth week then increase the weight by 10% and

repeat the cycle. If you didn't get all of the reps on the fifth week then repeat the cycle with the same weight. You shouldn't need more than one minute rest between the warm up sets and you shouldn't need more than one minute thirty seconds between the work sets.
Do some cardio and abs work on non weight training days.

 

[Sgt Nambu]

Best of luck with your training!

 

[Angie]

Me too! Planning on the Missoula one with my kids in June. Finally started training today. I've really lost a lot of muscle and endurance in the last year that I've slacked off my workouts. Hoping I can lose 15 pounds in the process of the training also.

 

[Angie]

No 13.1 miles for me Broke my leg skiing about 4 weeks ago. Still have at least 6 weeks of recovery. Hopefully I can start swimming for cardio next week and riding a stationary bike a couple weeks after.

The good news is I have lost 5 of that 15 pounds.

 

[Archer762]

Fitness is probably the most overlooked topic in preparedness.

We've been doing Crossfit for about 3 years and eating Paleo for 1 year. It takes a serious commitment, but you won't find better results elsewhere. For example, my wife could do 8 pull-ups when 6 months pregnant with kid #3.