"fit" for combat

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porkskin

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just curious what your thoughts were on exactly what one's base level of physical conditioning should be. a guy we work with here who served in prison claims being able to run a mile and bench press your body weight would get you out of most jams. i figured he'd seen more jams than i. but what are you guys thoughts? i was thinking 3 pull ups, 30 straight push ups, and a mile run (not jog) should be baseline. comments?
 
what kind of combat? like shipped off to the sandbox combat? or fight off the hordes of crackheads and homeless and violent criminals that await you around every corner combat?

in any case, i simply dryfire for my physical fitness. i do it until i reach muscle exhaustion. :D
 
Is it what your body should be? Or what your body weight is? :D

I can easily bench and pull up what is should be! What is actually is - well, then I would be really strong. :D
 
before i joined the army, i made sure i could do the minimun PT requirements. i think it was 40 sit-ups, 40 push-ups, and run the mile in less than eighteen mimutes. i weighed about 205 at 5'9". even got my long hair cut off before i joined. doing the minimum once a day seemed easy. once i got into basic, after about 2 weeks of double timing and "drop and give me fifty" all day everyday, i was reduced to not even being able to the minimum due to arms, legs and every other muscle being turned to rubber. after about about 5 or 6 weeks of this, i had went from 205 lbs to 165 lbs of lean mean fighting machine. at this point we litteraly did hundreds of push-ups and sit-ups no problem everyday. running a mile in less than 12 minutes. 3 pull-ups? try 25 for a minimun. climbing up 25 or 30 feet of rope using your legs is rough, let alone straight up without your legs. main thing i think we were being taught was agility and stamina. mostley stamina.
 
What will get you out of most jams is the ability to see it coming before it gets to you, therefore, eat a lot of carrots! Situational awareness is everything.
 
Having the ability to carry your as* out of a hot firefight and E&E would be a more than welcome strong point. It is better to have that ability and not need it than need it and not have it. 3 miles under 30 minutes in basic combat gear. By basic i mean weapon, ammo,com gear.,water.Adernaline comes in handy at that point. Fear is one of the greatest motivators that you can get
 
Run a mile in 18 minutes? Good grief! You should be able to make that time at an easy stroll. Even a 12 minute mile is nothing to write home about. That can be done at a very fast paced walk. You're probably thinking 1.5 miles. That would put a 8 minute mile for 12 minutes. 18 minutes could almost walk 1.5 mile.
 
yea, now that i think of it, average walk is 3 miles per hour so that is 1 mile every 20 minutes. i'm pretty sure it was 2 miles in eighteen minutes but we were doing it in 12 or less (in other words the slowest guy was 2 miles in 12 minutes). if a guy/guys fell out, others would have to carry him over the line because we left and arrived as a company.

hey, it was a long time ago and i forgot my discaliamer: memory not as good as it once was.:D
 
Yeah, he's probably thinking 1.5 or 2 miles.

I would like to think that i'm fit, I can bech press more than I weigh (of course....i'm only 150 lbs.) and can do 15 pullups, but I never do sit-ups, I don't see the point really.

6.5-7 min. mile.

I think that's sufficient for the everyday horde of crackheads.

However, when I enlist in the Marine Corps, I have a feeling that I won't feel quite so fit anymore.
 
dragun, you sure you didn't mean eight and not eighteen? that's a heckuva long time!
i'm looking into marine officer programs after grad school and i'm planning on doing my 3-miler in under 18 minutes, something i had no problem doing back in high school but think i'd struggle with today. i can still run forever but i've slowed a bit without those speed workouts.

i think "fit for combat" depends on where you're at. most medium frame guys, fatties or crackheads i wouldn't worry too much about holding my own, but the ripped guys could probably chuck me around. so i'd say i'm "fit" for where i'm at now... if i was in prison (not that i ever intend to end up there) i'd have to say my definition of where i want my strengths to be would change.
 
i was thinking 3 pull ups, 30 straight push ups, and a mile run (not jog) should be baseline. comments?
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Hey, those are pretty pathetic. A third grader girl can do that.

Richard Marcinko was saying his Seal team could average 500 lbs bench press. Being a powerlifter myself, I think he's exagerrating. I'd believe if he says average about 400.

OK, I'll play. If you don't want to be out-physicalled by 95% of opponents, try these numbers:

400 lbs bench press (doesn't matter your body weight; too bad if you're small)
600 lbs squat
135 lbs strict curl
shot put 16 lbs - over 40 feet
4.6 in the 40 yard dash (4.5 or lower is better)
5:30 in the mile (don't need competitive times)
marathon - just finish under 5 hours (don't need competitive times)
25 pull-ups
60 push-ups --- in 60 seconds
60 situps --- in 60 seconds

I pulled those push-ups/situps numbers from back when I was competing in Marines physical fitness competitions back in high school. The athletic stuff -- just from athletics -- if you're gonna out-physical 95% of opponents, you need high performance numbers.

The better Seal team guys should be able to do the above. If you can pull those numbers, you've got potential to outman a vast majority of people.
 
Porkskin, strength and endurance are the two keys you're looking for. Powerlifting is great for quick, short bursts. Running/swimming and performing grinders are the best way to go. Most of the selection/schools, etc I've been to, the guys who can have the strength to perform excercises after running and doing calisthenics for an hour are the guys in better shape.
Combine running with push-ups, squat-bends, abs, sprints/stairs, pull-ups, dips. You can find these circuit areas in most parks with running trails. There is 500# bench press shape, and there is 100 push-up and run for another hour shape. Combat stresses are an accumliation, which means long periods of time. Stress burns out power quickly. Strength/Endurance training gets you through.
 
Iv'e read marcinkos books and i thought he said they was benching 400lbs for 50 reps.Thats still alot to do straight. if you seen some of his videos of red cell the one on the plane in the door way had some arms on him
 
I just looked in Red Cell, when he gets "recalled" by the Navy, he had been pressing 350 pounds for 30 minutes, and he did 20 reps while talking to the Navy guys that came to pick him up. Of course, it is a fiction book...
 
I'm not sure if you can set a real line as to whether or not you are fit "enough" to make it out in one piece. For example, I am 5'7" and 140 lb. Not very impressive. But I can easily pass the 3/30/1 mile standard. Maybe double it, certainly triple at least with the pullups. I can bench-press my body weight. Am I fit enough? Maybe. On the other hand, I know a guy who almost certainly couldn't pass. He's even overweight. But at 6'5+" and at least 250 lb, is he better off than me in a fight? Probably.


Hey, those are pretty pathetic. A third grader girl can do that.
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In today's society, I seriously doubt that.:D :barf:
 
Not how much you bench.

I think it is important to have cardio stamina, not just brute strength when it comes to physical conditioning.

I believe if one can last three intense boxing rounds that last three minutes each without much fatigue, then they are above the curb in most areas.

Physical conditioning should be a priority when it comes to fleeing a fight or just being in hand-to-hand combat. At my gym, it is funny to see the guys who only come in...don't stretch...and then power lift everything with bad form. They might be "big" but they don't ever do cardio and someone of slightly equal size, with a good understanding of fighting could easily drop them.

That being said. I'd say having a routine would be good.

*10 minutes of warm up cardio/stretching.

*Weight lifting concentrating on certain muscle groups on certain days. No over kill needed if you don't want to. Lift what is healthy and comfortable for you.

*30 minutes of cardio (running, walking brisk, eliptical machines, rowing, any physical activity.)

*Abdominal Exercises for your core.

*10 minutes of cool down/stretching.

*Mix in a decent diet and a good amount of sleep.

If one kept this up 4-6 times a week for 3 months they'd see some great results. It's hard though, with family, work, friends, and just relaxing time. If I could only do one bit of physical exercise I'd just do cardio.

Oh well, this is what I do and try to do. It really has worked. I'm 6'1 and 235lbs. Not a "pro" at anything, but I enjoy working out and getting my energy focused. Now if I could only balance it out better during snow in days and holidays.

PS: Twycross, being fit and small doesn't mean a bigger guy has an advantage over you in a fight. Honestly, smaller guys have less to lose and usually fight harder as they are not trying to impress anyone...but trying to make it out alive. Fighting is a reflex kind of thing, much like trigger control. If you practice enough, in a physical confrontation, the reflexive odds are with you, even if you are down because of the reaction curve. It's why we stay alert! So don't doubt yourself man, size can help...but it's not even half the equation. Now numbers...that can be a problem.
 
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