I know a fair number of my readers come for the gun stuff, the self-defense stuff, etc.. Given that, a lot of you probably find my fitness stuff something to ignore.
Don’t.
If you don’t want to care about my nitty-gritty, certainly that’s fine.
But you should care about fitness. You should care about the state of your body and what it can (and perhaps can’t) do.
One good aspect of self-defense? Being able to run away, and I do mean run. People have a mistaken notion they will rise to the occasion — you won’t. Or even if you will, and even if you get that fabled super-human strength well… can you bank on that happening? Should you bank on it?
If you struggle to get out of your desk chair, that’s not good. If you can’t squat down to pick things up off the floor, apart from the fact bending over probably makes your concealed handgun print like crazy or just be flat-out exposed, if you can’t move around your own bodyweight either you need to shed some of that bodyweight or get strong enough to carry it around.
When the fur flies, you need to be able to handle the physical aspects involved, even if that’s just running away. If the struggle is physical, can you handle the event? And while being and presenting the appearance of a big strong lion doesn’t prevent attacks (I believe one of Karl’s students, big huge muscular badass guy, was explicitly targeted during a gang initiation attack because they wanted to try to take out the biggest baddest dude they could), on the whole I’d say looking like the baddest sheepdog will tell the predators to go find easier prey.
Can you run to the end of the block and not bat an eye? Or does it kill you just to walk to the end of the driveway? Can you lift your range bag into the car without a struggle and carry it around the range without huffing and puffing?
Be honest with yourself.
Sure, I’m really enjoying lifting weight and working on a strength-building program. I even had a fleeting thought that it might be fun, once I get up there in poundages and if I’d be competitive, to try out an amateur powerlifting meet. But I’m not doing this because I want to be some big strong guy.
I do this because I don’t want to be decrepit.
I see how many people 50+ years of age have trouble getting around and even doing simple things like picking stuff off the floor or getting out of a chair. I see people with canes and walkers and struggling to get around. Heck, going to Mass and all the sitting, standing, and kneeling that Catholics do and I see how many people struggle to just get through a Mass! It’s not that strenuous, but there’s also no reason to be that way… it’s preventable.
Now I’m not talking people who might have medical conditions or other issues that necessitate such assistance. And I know that I can’t guarantee that I won’t have a stroke at age 50 and need walking assistance. But apart from those extenuating circumstances, I lift because if I do live to be 80 I want to still be able to bounce around and enjoy the life I have while I have it.
And who knows… if I’m 80 that also puts me in a position of being more vulnerable to predators. I refuse to be prey.
Stuff From Hsoi 
“Strong people are harder to kill than weak people, and more useful in general.” – Mark Rippetoe
John, I think this post is your best yet. It’s so well-written I don’t know if I have anything to add to it.
Well, maybe this one: Intensity. I frequently get asked about how I exercise, or more specifically, how I regained my strength after Cancer (twice). My answer? Intensity. Every now and then you should run or lift as if your life, or a loved one’s life, depends on it.
It can be difficult to convey this concept to inactive people. It can be even more difficult to convey this concept to active people who hit the Globo Gym to walk on treadmills and work with machines.
Again, thanks for writing this!
I do like that quote from Rip. 🙂
I think Intensity is a whole other topic. Here’s what becoming interesting to me. I’ve been reading many of Rip’s books (SS, Strong Enough?, and flipping through Mean Old Mr. Gravity) and while he doesn’t get all science and research in them, you can tell it’s all there. Well, now I’m starting to read his “science/research” book, Practical Programming. I only just started it (presently in chapter 2), but you can start to see where all the science comes in and just how backed by real stuff all his approach is.
And you really start to see where the intensity factor comes in…. the method behind the madness to the constant increasing of weight and intensity and how that works to get the gains and increases in strength and so on. It’s quite fascinating.
You’re proof positive that you have to keep making it tougher. The body will adapt to what you give it… it will get stronger, but it only does so if you keep giving it more. When I walk into my gym and see what most others are doing well… .I guess if that’s what they want, that’s fine; I really don’t care what other people want to do, because if it’s allowing them to meet their goals, great… I also don’t know their story and situation so I can’t really judge or assess. But for me, it does show me how until Rev. Rip came along and I listened to his preaching, just how much I was spinning my wheels…. at least, for me towards my goals.