This is a good video by Scooby on Youtube about setting fitness goals.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jImpReF29yI
He talks about setting “goals for roles” which sounds kinda corny, but makes sense. What are your important roles in life? Parent? Prepper? Exercise Buff? Target Shooter? For each of those roles, set some measurable goals.
Setting goals is easy. Achieving them, not so much. The key is to find little steps you can take which move you closer to the goal. Exercise provides a good example. Many exercises which are notoriously difficult can only be achieved by finding a progression of less intense exercises that allows you to reach the goal.
This Youtube video shows a three-step progression to doing one-handed body rows.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9uSYdX9UojU
When younger I knew the 2 handed version of these as Charles Atlas style pullups. The idea was to put a broom between two chairs, lie underneath it, and pull yourself up. Atlas was more famous for his chair pushups. You can’t really use a broom. They just don’t make them like they used to! You’ll need to find a solid wooden or metal bar. You’ll need a more stable base than the backs of chairs.
In the day it worked because the course was designed for proverbial 98 pound weaklings. Today’s weaklings are fatter. The broom would break. The chairs would topple. This exercise was deleted from the revised course.
These can be done with the legs straight or with the knees bent and the flats of the feet on the floor, as shown in the video above. The bar should be just high enough so you have to reach up to grab it.
If you grab the bar with a normal grip, you might feel an ugly sensation in your fingers if you do a lot of reps. I suspect this is the nerves in the finger joints being pinched together. If that happens, wrap your thumb around the bar so it’s alongside your fingers. This has the effect of moving the bar more toward your palms.
This grip is like the “monkey grip” of BJJ, but not a full false grip. For those who want to see the monkey grip, the next video show it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ktgNJT13yi0
Part of goal setting is knowing when a goal really is too much. Here is a video from a guy who’s crossed the line into super amazing: He can do a one-handed actual pull up.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=in3QDTLQJZw
Unless you’re very small and light, that’s simply too much stress on the elbow and shoulder.
While I used a back exercise as an example, the concept applies to anything difficult to achieve. You must find some series of steps that will lead you to success. Each little step might seem small, but, collectively, they’ll add up to big personal achievements you might have believed impossible.
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A sad day in prepperville (two days ago): Richard Matheson, author of I Am Legend has died. This was made into a film, The Last Man on Earth starring Vincent Price. It was the book that The Omega Man was based upon. A third version, I Am Legend stars Will Smith. If you’re younger and have only seen I Am Legend, check out the two classics.
Heard this on the news (don’t know if it’s true): Heat kills more people in America than all other natural disasters combined. In the next few days, it’s possible parts of the American Southwest will hit record temperatures never before recorded on earth. Stay cool.
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IHmTLDG5aSg
This video is about re-handling and sharpening axes. Wouldn’t you know, right before watching this video, I sharpened an axe on my electric grinder. According to the video, we’re not supposed to do that because it destroys the axe’s temper. Nothing’s worse than an ill tempered axe!
I seldom use axes today, and in the past, I remember sharpening them manually. For the life of me, I can’t remember if I knew not to sharpen them on electric grinders or not. Usually when I forget something and am reminded of it, I at least then remember that I had known it in the past and forgotten it. Whenever sharpening any tool though, I go slow and try not to heat the metal up too much.
Practical Axe Manual
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JIZBwT-VDBY
How To Sharpen An Axe (by Wranglertar). I know he’s running his finger on the side of the axe and probably moving away from the blade, but don’t run your finger along the blade of any sharp tool!
Wranglertar is a prepper-homesteader with many great videos. He makes a great point in this video: If there ever was a long-term break down of society, tools like quality files would be in demand. File cards, sharpening stones, and honing oil would all be good to have.
Files are one of those things you really can’t easily manufacture yourself. The quality of the metal is crucial. Like many tools, most files today are made overseas. If you want to try to snag made-in-the-USA Nicholson files, try harryepstein.com.
If you want to know more about files, this pdf has some information.
There seems to be a de-evolution of tools. I suspect our kids will look back one day and say, “Do you remember when we could purchase all those great high-quality Chinese tools?”
I’ve always liked axes better than hatchets. Hatchets are more dangerous, because your fingers are within striking distance. If you’re looking for a new axe, take a look at the Husqvarna Forest Axe. The people who like sharp things like it.
These are made by the traditional Swedish axe makers and sold under the Husqvarna brand. You can save some bucks while getting good quality.
Many woodsman, if given one tool to choose when going into the Northern woods, select an axe. I shouldn’t be surprised at the prices of axes today. It’s no longer a common working tool.
Charlie Palmer, The Prepper Next Door
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