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Survival Fitness and the Effective Self Defense.

In Part I of this posting, just in case you need reminding, I addressed the ubiquitous question (I get in almost every training I do), How much does being strong, fit and in-shape have to do with prevailing against a surprise attack from a larger, stronger attacker?  Briefly - and I am skipping some great information here - my answer was and is, fitness in the circumstance I just described ranks somewhere in the middle of the hierarchy of key factors in surviving, maybe even prevailing in a life-or-death fight.  Mind you, fitness does play a positive role in any street fight, but, hell, I have to be honest here, so let me fire a few crucial factors at you again; and then I will get into Survival Fitness:

Ø     First off, we are talking a Street Fight here, not a sporting or competitive contest.  Literally, everything and anything goes in this venue, including eye gouging; smashing or tearing out testicles, ears, et al. 

Ø     The Street Fight goes down spontaneously, and is usually done in about 10 to 30-seconds.  Survival Fitness becomes crucial here, and I will explain why presently, but in this kind of venue, here is what is more important to the preservation of (your) life:

·        Not being surprised.  Meaning always being in a state of 360 degree surveillance and awareness.

·        Willingness to fight, to do whatever it takes to end the thing right now.

·        Designing a Tough Target Personna.  Do not be chosen.

·        Hitting Vulnerable Targets with the nearest personal weapon multiple times using the Harry Hammer’s S.P.E.E.D. Principles (Surprise, Speed, Power, Explosiveness, Escape & Evasion and Distance).  More about SPEED in a future blog.

Survival Fitness, however, is different than simple fitness.  Survival Fitness is a Self Defense or Fighting Arts-Specific fitness regimen because it actually tunes the mind and body for the extreme rigors of a street-fight situation by:

Ø     Training the body to function at a high level outside of the aerobic envelope.  After about 10-seconds of a fight for your life, you will have expended your ATP/PC energy system.  In the program I use and advocate, most of the exercises are strenuous and performed when your muscles are burned-out. 

Ø     Survival Fitness exploits and builds our Fast Tic Nerves and tunes are muscles to continue fighting with little or no oxygen.

DAY 2 and 3 of the Action Fighting Arts Survival Fitness Program

Peruse my last posting for a rundown on Day 1.  Day 2 consists of more explosive-type exercises with a minimum break in between sets.  Guarantee that you will be huffing and puffing as you proceed through the cycle.  Due to the limitations of a blog-posting, I will not go into too much detail regarding reps, the amount of weights, rest breaks.  I will leave that up to each of you.  E-mail me at harrywigder@rcn.com, if you care to learn more:

1.        Chin-Ups and Pull Ups, 3 sets, as many as you can.  You will do more as you get stronger.

2.        Lat-Pull Downs.  10 reps @.  Start with “low” weights and work way up to high-weights, 10-reps.

3.        Seated-Rows.  Once again, 10 Reps @.  About 4 sets.

4.        Dumb Bell Rows, one-hand @ set.  40-pounds, 12 reps. 50 lbs., 10 reps; 60 pounds, 8 sets, all the way to 4 reps 80 or 90 lbs (depending upon your capacity).

5.        Triceps (push-downs).  50 reps, whatever weight (you will be burning and puffing, but it is all good).  15 reps Reverse push-downs.  25 reps overhead dumb bells.

6.        Straight Olympic Bar (45 pounds) Curls (Biceps)  65 lbs, 12 reps; 75 lbs, 10 reps; 85 lbs, 08 reps; 95 lbs 06 reps; 105 lbs 4 reps.  An option here is to work your way back down.

7.        Cable-Curls:  50 reps; 20 Reps and 25 Reps.

8.        Burn, Burn, Burn,  Breathing Heavily. 

9.        T-Bar Pulls:  10 Reps with 45 lb plate.

DAY 3

1.        Hack Squats.  20 Reps; 12 Reps; 10 Reps; 8; Reps; 6 Reps and 4.  Light to heavy.

2.        Vertical Leg Lifts:  Same Rep Sequence as above.  Light to heavy weights.  Burn.

3.        Leg Extension:  12, 10, 8, 6 and 4 Reps.  Light to heavy weights.

4.        Leg Curls:  Same Rep sequence, etc. as in the Leg Extensions.  Burn.

5.        Seated Calf Raises:  5 Sets of 20 Reps.

Try it.  I think you will see positive changes in the look of your body.  You will be a lean, mean fighting machine.   More importantly, your motor performance will improve when it comes to speed, quickness, explosiveness, reaction time and power.  Hey, that’s a coincidence.  Aren’t those the requisites for a good street fighter?

Harry Hammer

This entry was posted on Thursday, December 13th, 2007 at 3:13 pm and is filed under Dating Violence, Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.