A wise man once said, “if you’re not fit, you’ll die”

When it comes to surviving any situation, you can think that you are prepared, whether you have night vision goggles and your plate carriers, or some cool weapon attachments like suppressors and optics, but when it comes down to it, fitness is the most important survival skill that you can possess. You may not think it, but being physically fit is the most crucial aspect of your survival. There are many different reasons for this, from bearing the weight of body armor in close quarters or harsh terrains, to being able to move around and conceal yourself in different environments.

Let’s break down why being physically fit is the most important thing for your survival.

Fitness Means Survival

Now when we say being physically fit is important, we do not mean being the most muscular man on the planet, like a Mr. Olympia winner. Instead, we are talking about functional fitness, being able to move around and completing tasks, and being agile.

There is a very long list of reasons you need to be in decent shape, and no it is not just to look good, but a lot of it comes down to the simple fact that when faced with an unexpected, yet dire situation, this is going to subject you to stress you don’t normally see in your day-to-day life, and those circumstances will often be life or death.

Standard Survival

Hypothetically speaking if your town was hit by an EMP you would be sent back to the stone age. This means you would need equipment like flashlights and headlamps to see at night, and you would rely on wood burning to keep yourself and your family warm. You also need to use wood to burn in order to purify water, and cook food.

But, could you do it? If you had a low-level of fitness in this scenario, you would more than likely not be able to go out into the woods, chop down trees, and drag heavy logs back to your home easily, and that means your plans for warmth from firewood are now severely dampened, and could cause yourself and your family to suffer by starving and freezing.

Gear

In another scenario, let’s say in a crisis situation that you were planning on setting up shop at your home. However, now due to the crisis escalating, the safety of your home has been compromised, and that means it is time for you to carry all your survival gear with you and make it to the next safe zone. Chances are, in an evacuation scenario, the option of using vehicles is shot, as you are going to be stuck in bumper to bumper traffic, look at the tragedy in Maui 2023. Do you think you could make that walk without trouble if you were out of shape?

The equipment that fills your backpack and chest rig can be heavy, along with the boots on your feet and anything else you may be wearing, like body armor. Plus, you have to factor in any other gear you have, maybe a rifle and a sidearm, as well as the ammunition that you have to carry, that can be heavy. All of that can be heavy, weighing you down, and when you have to move around it can be detrimental if you are not physically fit.

Importance of Fitness for Medical

Now, utilizing a first aid kit is most likely not going to require much muscle mass, but something like a scenario where you may need to carry someone wounded will require both strength and endurance. In another instance, say one of your own was wounded and you need to drag them, it is the same thing. Could you do it?

These are only a few examples of crisis scenarios where physical fitness is important, yet they are only a small sampling of the kinds of situations requiring you possess a reasonable level of fitness. Now keep in mind that you don’t need to be as fit as an Olympic athlete to have an acceptable level of fitness, but you need to be able to maneuver and fend for yourself. Having the ability to do several push ups, lift an item equal to your bodyweight from the ground, and walk for 5 miles without fatigue is just the start.

Types of Training to do for Survival

When it comes to physical fitness as a survival skill, standard resistance training and a lack of cardio will not be beneficial when you are trying to hike through the woods with 30+ pounds of gear on you, evading external circumstances. There are different aspects of training for survival, rather than just getting big and strong.

Strength Training

Now, don’t be fooled, strength is definitely important, but it is a different kind of strength than powerlifting or bodybuilding training, it is functional strength training. Strength exercises such as the main three compound lifts (the squat, bench, and deadlift) are definitely crucial, not to mention things like farmer carries, to practice carrying dead weight. But you also need to consider incorporating bodyweight exercises such as push-ups and pull-ups. Think of if something was on top of you and you had to push yourself up, or if you needed to pull yourself up off of a ledge or climb the side of a mountain, are you in shape enough to do that?

Endurance and Speed

Training for endurance and speed is crucial as well, as you may need to outrun someone or something, and you definitely need to consider if you are going to be on foot for long distances. That being said, incorporating different forms of cardio, such as high intensity interval training as well as steady state cardio is important for survival fitness. You need to train with long distance running and walking, sprints, hiking over different terrains, and so on.

Training With Firearms

You may not consider firearms to be part of your fitness, but they also are pieces of equipment that require muscle to operate. A scrawny individual would not be able to control recoil nor would they be able to swing around a rifle like someone with more muscle mass and density. That being said, get your firearms training in.

Where to Find Good Fitness Programs

When looking for good fitness programs, you can look at the standard weightlifting apps but they more than likely are not geared towards survival training. Instead, check out Core Vision Training for some awesome fitness programs. You can also check out some great training programs for firearms as well.

Survival Wrap Up

All in all, fitness is the most important aspect of your survival. You may think that your fancy technology like night vision goggles and body armor can save you, and while it does help and is worth having, the person who is in shape and always ready to outrun and outgun you is going to survive 100% of the time.

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Why Exercise is the Most Important Survival Skill