Your workout routine?

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DaveyAllenCountry@reddit

Burpees, bear crawls, leg press, bar curls, incline press, elevated weighted sit ups, and elliptical

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U-47@reddit

Big does not equal strong. Look at marathon runners or climbers.

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Efficient_Dog59@reddit

I run marathons and ultras. I feel I’m in pretty good shape.

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WillMoonKnives@reddit

I'm 34, so a little younger than you. I bike for half an hour five times a week, and going on 1.5 mile walks every day with my wife in the evening.

Then, because I work at home, I usually use downtime as an opportunity to do some weights and strength stuff. Usually sets of 30 diamond push-ups along with a 3 minute long core exercise, either an exercise I've heard called Bulgarian V-sits or Bicycles. I tell myself I owe 15 minutes of that a day.

I then keep a 40 lb kettlebell next to my desk along with some 20 lb dumbells. I'll do sets of 40 curls with the kettlebell, but instead of just bringing it to my chest I'll push it up over my head to full arm extension for a nice compound exercise.

I also like to do carries, where I'll throw a backpack on with about 50lbs in it and hold onto the kettlebell with one hand and a dumbell with the other and walk laps around my house for ten minutes at a time.

I also like to do pistol squats, usually around 60 of them alternating legs in sets of 10 to avoid really killing my hamstrings.

As for receipts, I'm using my Apple Watch's heart rate monitor to determine this, but I've been doing this for five years and my resting heart rate has done from around 75 to 45, and under heavy load (like when biking or doing hard compound exercises) I've gone from about 170 to 140 bpm. Blood pressure is down from 140/90 to around 125/80. Recovery rate is really good now, I'm able to get back to baseline in about a minute from hard work.

As far as strength goes, I can only anecdotally say I used to have a bit of a hard time with .308 rifles, felt like they were heavy and cumbersome... that's no longer an issue. 16 inch AR's feel like toys now.

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treycartier91@reddit

Walking or jogging with my dog.

Best advice I can give people for cardio. Get a high energy dog that will destroy your furniture if you don't take it on adventures daily.

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Front_Pomegranate_80@reddit

Cardio and VO2 max is your friend. Cardiovascular endurance and control is the most important. Then strength relative to your size. There’s a reason the military focuses on weighted rucks, calesthenics and HITT workouts

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Eredani@reddit

When you said "Im older" I was thinking 60s+ and was going to recommend mobility (range of motion) exercises. But at 42 not really an issue.

I'm in ok shape but my preps are about sheltering in place, not going to war or running 10 miles in the woods with a 60 pound pack.

The fitness standards when I was on active duty were not high... but it was the Air Force (aka Chair Force).

Just keep in mind that whatever your level of preparedness or fitness, someone is more prepared or fit than you are... and there is some set of conditions that will exceed either of your ability to manage.

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DetectiveWarm2697@reddit

someone is more prepared or fit than you are

And three guys are almost always stronger than any one. Best prep for fight is friendship.

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Kngfsher1@reddit

I personally own and operate a small landscaping company and am out in the field 5, sometimes 6 days a week, and own a small hobby farm. If you have the time, help out on a local farm. Gym strong and farm strong are extremely different and separate things and completely different workouts. The “workouts” you’d get while helping on a farm works different muscles you typically wouldn’t use at the gym, as well as stamina.

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DetectiveWarm2697@reddit

If OP doesn't have a farm doing yard work "the hard way" is great too. I removed a concrete pad with a sledge hammer recently. I've got a few stumps I swing an axe at for 5-10 minutes every day. I did put in a garden recently and had to move a few hundred pounds of dirt and spread it.

There might have been easier ways to do all that with machines but doing with muscle was quite the work out.

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TramsB@reddit

We generally call this "Cock Strong or Bull Strong" where I have lived and worked. I would pick a farm boy/girl Everytime over a gym boy/girl to help get it done...

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HomersDonut1440@reddit

The grip strength is something to behold on old farm boys. I bucked hay growing up with an old man named Wayne. Mid 70’s, kinda hunch backed, but a big, big man. We were throwing 3 string, 85 pound alfalfa bales onto the trailer and using our full body to do it, while Wayne drove. We got back to the barn to stack, and this old boy starts grabbing a bale in each hand and pitching them, backhanded, up onto the stack. It was mesmerizing to watch.

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Kngfsher1@reddit

I’ve had guys who spend a few hours each day at the gym offer to come out and help around the farm, thinking it’ll be easy. They’re typically the first to tap out.

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HomersDonut1440@reddit

Without a doubt. I grew up bucking hay and was pretty stout from it. Then spent 4 years in college, 2 years in grad school, and did powerlifting during grad school. I felt strong as shit, looked pretty cut, and I went back home after school and helped buck hay that summer… I sucked. It was so damn hard. I thought I was in the best shape of my life but it was very, very different strength.

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Kngfsher1@reddit

Bucking hay is definitely not as easy as it seems. In my younger years, a buddy and I could put up 7 full wagons of small squares in around 3 hours. I can’t imagine trying to match that now.

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HomersDonut1440@reddit

It’s amazing what we could do as younger me. My cousin and I put up 835 alfalfa bales in 4 1/2 hours one evening. We had a driver, and the 2 of us bucking, stacking, and then stacking in the barn (80 bales per trailer load). I could barely move after, but we were trying to beat a rain storm and we were hoofing it. I don’t think I have ever worked that hard since

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shitokletsstartfresh@reddit

Distinguish between fitness and firearm technique.

The necessity of good general physical fitness is trivial.
Strength and cardio.
Each aspect requires different training plans, both plans should be adjusted to your age. Recovery from fatigue and takes longer as we age, and that should be factored in.
Your routines and goals can’t be the same as someone 20 years younger.

Firearm training is completely separate, though it obviously benefits from general fitness in terms of firing drills under physical duress.

No need to simulate “warfare” or mess with tacticool bs.
Just train to be a proficient shooter.

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biobennett@reddit

There's a book, Outlive: The Science and Art of Longevity Book by Bill Gifford and Peter Attia, that talks about not just living longer, but living a healthy life longer (which they refer to as health span).

They encourage the reader to think about what they want to do in 10, 20, 30+ years in the future, then think back to this moment about what they'll need to do now (knowing some decline with age is inevitable) in order to live the life they want to live when they're older.

For instance, if you're in your 40s, and want to make sure you can still lift your grandkids (say 20-40 pounds) when you're 60, you may want to work on lifting say 120 lbs above your head, or rucking with some weight to make sure you can lift and carry them in the future.

So in all areas, it's about flexibility, strength, cardiovascular fitness, balance, and that doesn't even start with things like mental fitness as well.

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Swatson586@reddit (OP)

Picking it up today

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PlanetLemonhead@reddit

This book is priceless. I read it twice and still feel like there more to retain. Great suggestion

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Ryan_e3p@reddit

100 push-ups, 100 sit-ups, 100 squats, 10km run every single day

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TramsB@reddit

And lay waste to any with just one punch...

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freddonzolo90@reddit

He'll lose his hair though!

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Swatson586@reddit (OP)

I’m bald as the day is long already !

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gobirds1023@reddit

Full body kettle bell training and yoga. Focus on functionality and mobility

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Lethalmouse1@reddit

You could from a prepper perspective work on building a functional workout program. Focuse on related or possibly related tasks.

Pull-ups are up there, pack walking/jogging, etc. Plan to chop wood in daily or small chunks within your workout routine. Rows are a practical use workout. Pushups/benches and all that are obviously good for pushing equipment or such.

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Hot-Profession4091@reddit

Brother, at our age, we’re starting to get old. Get a good body weight routine going. It’s easier on the joints and a low weight high rep routine is better for endurance anyway.

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Swatson586@reddit (OP)

Yea that’s one main reason, having the lower back pain from deadlifts and leg presses was killing me and made me realize it’s not worth it

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Hot-Profession4091@reddit

Yeah man, I hear you. On the bright side, the goal is to be fit, not bench press 3x your body weight or show off your muscles at a body building competition. A good body weight routine can do that for you.

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Astrolander97@reddit

One of the key elements of SERE is evasion. Knowing this mobility is one of the highest priority training items out there. I have always trained for the sake of athletic pursuit so I can continue to push myself in my chosen sports and hobbies, but as I have begun to learn and focus on long term sustainment I have increasingly focused on miles per day. I for the last 2 or so years have tried to run 3 miles a day and then have one longer 10 plus mile run 2-4 times a month. This has gotten easy to the point where it's just time in. Even after a pretty severe injury in February of this year I was able to hike 10 miles with 2800 ft of elevation in about 4 hours with a 20 lbs pack.

Everyone has a plan until they face the reality of hiking to safety with all their well thought gear.

My case use - i travel for work by plane around the west coast and the wife stays home. I know for fact I can walk home from las Vegas in about 24 days as long as I can get water if anything ever happened. And if I was at home 20 miles in a day is not far from a sustainable approach to get out if roads are impassable.

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Swatson586@reddit (OP)

Yea that’s what I’m worried, I work 30+ miles from home so getting home depending on situation is primary focus, get home to wife and kids to keep them safe

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Sloppysecondz314@reddit

Run. A lot. Ruck marching. Legs bro. Former 11 bravo. These will give out first.

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Swatson586@reddit (OP)

Thank you for your service!

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TacticallyAmazon@reddit

Morning 1 hour run, calisthenics, good diet, drink 2 gallons of water daily, stretch, avoid friends with bad habits, no alcohol or drugs, always have a full tank of fuel, and perform basic vehicle maintenance.

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HomersDonut1440@reddit

For specific firearm related workouts, one of the biggest things is recovering your heart rate. Practice getting your heart rate high (wind sprints, tire sledge, whatever) and the stop hard and focus on your breathing to get your breath back under control.

I’ve been working on getting back in shape, and I’ve seen a huge change in my shooting competitions as my breathing recovery time has shortened. It makes every single thing easier.

Look at some functional stuff too. Rucking is great if you don’t overdo it. Try some Pilates (no joke) and you’ll find supporting muscles you never knew about, and realize your core isn’t as strong as you thought. Get some extra flexibility, whether it be from yoga or something else.

In the end of the world, odds are good you won’t have to bench press 230 off of yourself, but you may have to sprint down the driveway to grab a wandering kid, or spend a day bent over a garden plot weeding and planting, or swing a hammer for 6 hours a day to build an outbuilding. I would aim for more functional implementations of fitness

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BACKCUT-DOWNHILL@reddit

I’ve worked manual labor jobs in the woods most of my life and no workouts made a bigger difference for me than pilates and yoga. Always lifted weights and hiked all day at work but I can do everything a lot longer and pain free after those 2

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AirCanadaFoolMeOnce@reddit

One of us. One of us. I do solidcore. It’s pretty damn tough.

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HomersDonut1440@reddit

I always thought they were “girly” workouts. Hell no. Them ladies are strong as shit. First time I went to Pilates I got my ass handed to me, and received an education I did not expect.

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drank_myself_sober@reddit

44 here. Did P90x and got to a decent size, also, my stamina went through the roof. I’m sparring with guys 1/2 my age and easily outlasting them.

Just switched things up from cross-fit style training to circuit training to keep my stamina going. My weights dropped by 2/3 and I’m coming out of it destroyed, even though my other programs have become easy.

I’m still lifting, but I’m focused on functional fitness programs. BODi has a great variety.

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JRHLowdown3@reddit

Be able to run at least a mile and do manually lifting, squats, etc.

The Murph challenge is a good goal- 2 mile run, 300 squats, 200 pushups and 100 pullups- most folks I know substitute some burpees, rows, etc. in on this last one. It's usually done around Memorial Day but can be done whenever. We do it as a family with some friends every year and usually prepare for it a month or so ahead.

Outside of those times, we run 2-3 miles once or twice a year. Wife does a regular workout class 3X a week, my son and I do combatives a couple nights a week. Semi regular kettlebell workouts around the house and then homesteading work and side work/hobby of construction rounds out the physical applications.

I would highly recommend looking at a good combatives program, something like BJJ. You'll get in better shape and learn some important H2H skills in the process. Also, you'll normally find a lot of like minded folks doing this, and since they are actually training, they will be better candidates than the normal "just make lists" and do nothing prepper types.

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West_Performer_989@reddit

There is an initial investment but I think Kettlebells, Sandbags and bodyweight would suit you well. Buy some programmes from the likes of Geoff Neupert, Dan John and Strong First. These along with some regular weighted rucks.

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Jammer521@reddit

I'm at the age (58) where I don't work out anymore, I still get my exercise by hiking, Gardening, woodworking etc, basically I stay active, with projects, winter time is when I get lazy, not much to do when the temps are in the teens to below zero

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Pickle-Eye@reddit

Bjj is fun, helps with cardio and function strength. Lots of guys start in their 40s, saw a truck driver lose 40-50 pounds. Helps with stress inoculation. And you learn how to grapple and control people.

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evix_@reddit

Bjj is probably the closest workout you could get to a survival situation. The type of cadio/endurance it builds is pretty wild. There aren't many sports, combat included, that uses the endurance submission wrestling takes.

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Firm-Impress@reddit

I used to do tons of kettlebell workouts, with running, and some calisthenics mixed in, but lately I have just done standard push-pull-leg works.

I have gotten in better shape, and I am much stronger than I was before.

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jiu_jitsu_@reddit

Jiu Jitsu, great workout and you learn to kill people with bare hands, 2 birds with one stone. Also I lift and run.

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mediocre_remnants@reddit

Depending on what you're trying to do, endurance can be more important than strength. I do a lot of trail running, hiking, backpacking, etc, so I'm used to spending many hours a day on my feet carrying a backpack. For me personally, I'd rather be able to move quickly on rough terrain than be able to do things like lift heavy objects. And luckily I actually enjoy trying to move quickly on rough terrain, I run a few ultramarathons (distance over 26.2 miles) a year. I'm doing a 24 hour endurance race soon and I'm planning to run a 100 mile race early next year.

My endurance means that something like a "get home bag" can be pretty light. If I'm less than 50 miles from home, I don't need a tent or sleeping bag or other camping gear, just enough water (or filter) and food to keep me moving for 12 or so hours. For folks who spend their workout time at the gym lifting heavy things, a 50 mile journey through the mountains could take 2-3 days.

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LukaEntropySurvival@reddit

Highly recommend high intensity sprints. This workout is said to boost T 500%+ for some folks. I can vouch that it boosted my energy and has accelerated fat loss and muscle building. My dad (45+) started doing it with me and has seen similar results even for an old guy. :)

Wk 1 - 4: Start with 4 x 30s sprint intervals and work up to 8 by week 4. 60s rest in between sprints. These are 90%+.

Wk 5 - 8: Start with 4 x 60s sprint intervals and work up to 8 by week 8. 90s rest in between sprints. These are also 90%+.

Proper warm up needed, of course.

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Winstonlwrci@reddit

100 burpees everyday.

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Winstonlwrci@reddit

Get it down to 8 minutes to complete 100 burpees

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AndroidAmongUs@reddit

honestly, getting kettlebells is a great way to work on practical strength at home. they're not as expensive as a full home gym, and they take up barely any space as well, while also allowing you to do a ton of different style workouts.

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meekdrill666@reddit

Since I've got kettlebells, I've been enjoying my workouts even more. So much can be someone with just one kettlebell. Highly recommended. This and rucking is my jam

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Abject_Okra_8768@reddit

The Bowlex adjustable kettle bell is on sale right now for 129$ it goes from 8- 40 pounds in random weight increments. I love it but the grip sucks (added my own grip tape to it and it's perfect)!

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RichieeeRich215@reddit

I'm no expert by any means but I 36 answer getti g back into shape just walking and doing push-ups as I get stronger.Never underestimate cardio I worked out my whole dude up till about 25ish,just get that cardio in.Iam currently working my way upto 10k steps a day minium,just gotta get er done good luck...

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SebWilms2002@reddit

Male, mid 30s, didn't get into fitness until my thirties.

I average about 50 miles walked a week, with a 30lb bag. I do daily body weight exercise (Push ups, pull ups, dips, crunches) along with weight training a few times a week. I train for functional strength, I don't even track my reps or sets or weights. Mainly focus on mobility, endurance, grip strength, core strength. I'd say that rucking really is that good. I love it, and it's been foundational for me. Husband and I have a favorite pastime, going into the backcountry with our full kit and rifles for hikes. Knowing you have the strength and endurance to carry everything you need is a huge confidence boost.

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Millan_K@reddit

Wood chopping and the wood things at all, I love sawing and chopping wood, probably because I can see instant progress (on the wood lol). The classic dumbbells and outdoor activities are doing just fine when there's a wood shortage.

If something happens and you have to move out, you can't, or definitely don't want to drag your dumbbells with you, go find a way to exercise in a natural environment.

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dglaw@reddit

Oh, rucking is THAT good.

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infamousdx@reddit

Don't think that as we get older we should stop focusing on the heavy lifting / muscle building exercises. Muscle mass is already declining and we have to do more now to maintain it, let alone build it, than we ever did when we were younger.

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Many-Health-1673@reddit

Cardio and supersetting your calisthenics/exercises works very well for functional fitness and shooting drills.

I'm 49 and run a huge health club, and do a lot for shooting. The functional fitness cannot be overstated.

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BallsOutKrunked@reddit

Squat rack in the basement. Barbell back squats, deadlift, overhead press, bench press, pullups, cleans.

I try to lift twice a week, run or bike twice a week, and walk any day I've lifted or didn't run/bike/hike. I'm older \~50 and resistance training is just unbeatable for bone density and muscle strength which are critical when getting older.

There's a lot of ways to stay fit but strength and cardiovascular conditioning should be key pillars.

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Mala_Suerte1@reddit

As I've gotten older, I've switched my workout from size gains, to maintaining strength, more cardio and flexibility. It's baffling how you keep doing the same thing you always did, but you get stiff and sore .

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JamesRawles@reddit

Temporarily switched from cycling to running. Goal is 10k, up to 4miles.

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Vegetaman916@reddit

I'm 49, and I do quite a bit of rucking out in my local desert mountain environment.

I still do some basic movement weight training three times a week, but not nearly as much as I used to do. At this age I have transitioned completely into functional training only, to stay able to move quickly and cover ground.

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Expensive-Shirt-6877@reddit

I just run (uphill sprints and jog), do pushups and pullups, squats, and eat mostly fruits and veggies. Beer on occasion. Thats it, that’s my plan

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PSYOP_warrior@reddit

I got into Spartan racing. It'll get you into the right shape with cardio and plenty of strength based obstacles. Beyond that, the community is awesome!

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GandalfDaGangstuh007@reddit

Rucking is solid. Being able to do 5 miles pretty easy with at least 45lbs at a decent walk is a start to see where you’re at.

Cardio and some strength help. One thing for me I don’t count calories or try much to get extra protein. I eat a pretty normal but good diet and exercise with just a light amount of protein powder on top. I could definitely be bigger if I did try to hit protein goals and such, but one thing I’ve learned is people who are used to getting X amount of nutrition, especially around being physical often crash at a much harder and rapid rate than someone like myself.

A common workout for me is clean and press (controlled, not the jerky one where you do the jump and put a leg forward and back) with a lighter/mid light weight, mostly because I don’t like heavy exercises over head. Then i immediately do dead lift, then push ups and abs and pull ups and I’ll repeat that a few times. But every round I add more to the dead lift. I throw other things around it too. I also elliptical for st least ten minutes almost every time I go to the gym. Mostly cuz I can’t stand running on treadmills lol, but I do run outside too.

I try to do solid full body stuff that is body weight, heavy weight and cardio/aerobic or whatever. But I also just lift weights more normally.

Overall, it is better the be able to move than be super strong. You’re better off being a runner than a muscle head who couldn’t run a mile. And then there’s some who can do both lol

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rocketscooter007@reddit

Train and run in 5k's. They are fun, usually for a good cause, and they keep you in shape.

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fenuxjde@reddit

Yeah same here. Lifted heavy 20+ years, and that was great, but now I'm back to triathlete workouts, pushups, pullups, yoga, etc.

I'm dropping weight like crazy, which means in a shtf, I will need fewer calories and water, etc.

Also doing a level 3 pistol course and lvl 2 rifle course in June, and got a little more serious into reloading.

I feel WAY more useful as a result.