to be maintained, particularly during large-scale outbreaks when attacks may be more frequent and resources slim.
What is considered a base level of fitness? As a general benchmark of the endurance level required for a zombie infestation, an individual should be able complete the following sequence in its entirety without feeling substantially spent:
• Cover 5 miles in 60 minutes
• 30 standard push ups or 50 easy push-ups
• 5 unassisted pull-ups or 10 assisted pull-ups
• 50 jumping jacks
For active individuals who already have a moderate level of fitness, this may seem like a relatively easy circuit to complete. This is also the bare minimum recommended for all civilians, regardless of age or weight. There is a great difference, however, between “base” and “combat-ready” fitness. Without a sufficient level of health and stamina, having to fend off multiple undead attacks during a full-blown outbreak can reduce an unprepared individual to a worn out shell of a human being within hours. To become a truly effective warrior against the undead, you must maintain a consistent fitness routine. When the desire to forgo your regular training regimen arises, let this be your motivation: Every session you skip makes you that much more vulnerable to being devoured alive.
With a combat-ready build, you enhance several traits in your physique that will be essential to your survival during a zombie attack:
STRENGTH: Without adequate strength, you will not only be unable to reinforce your fortification and forage for supplies, you will lack the ability to defend yourself from an untold number of undead attackers, especially if you need to do so without a firearm. It takes a considerable amount of power to deliver a finishing blow to the skull of a zombie; imagine having to do it dozens of times a day. Strength will be a key factor in your level of survivability.
ENDURANCE: During an undead assault, your objective should always be to eliminate only those attackers that pose an imminent threat to your existence. Many incidents have been recorded in
which an overzealous combatant attempted to muscle his way through a large mob of ghouls, only to exhaust himself halfway through his attack, losing the ability to both eradicate the threat and escape with his life intact. You may also be required to travel long distances to a potential safety outpost, most likely on foot. Your endurance level will be critical in such situations.
ACCURACY: When fighting the living dead, the goal is to work smarter, not harder. It may require five blows to destroy a zombie, or it may take only one. The difference depends not only on your strength,
but on the precision of your strikes. Having excellent hand-eye coordination can end every confrontation that much more quickly. As you develop your fighting abilities, you will expend less energy during each successive combat engagement.
AGILITY: One of the key advantages humans possess over our reanimated selves is the ability to synchronize our muscles and execute complex actions to outmaneuver our uncoordinated opponents. Do
not let this agility go to waste or take it for granted. Not only will a good sense of balance and coordination improve your combat abilities, these traits are essential during an escape, when you may have to scale obstacles, traverse narrow passageways, and weave between lunging attackers.
An example of the influence agility can play in facing the living dead was described to the author in the following incident:
. . . there were eight of us holed up in this apartment complex. We were able to rest and resupply for two days before enough of them finally pulled open the electric gates. We should have done more to secure the stairwells, but we were all so damn tired.
We tried to bring down as many as we could and we tossed the bodies down the stairwells to slow their ascent, but by the time we made it to the roof, they were pouring out of the fire exits like
What is considered a base level of fitness? As a general benchmark of the endurance level required for a zombie infestation, an individual should be able complete the following sequence in its entirety without feeling substantially spent:
• Cover 5 miles in 60 minutes
• 30 standard push ups or 50 easy push-ups
• 5 unassisted pull-ups or 10 assisted pull-ups
• 50 jumping jacks
For active individuals who already have a moderate level of fitness, this may seem like a relatively easy circuit to complete. This is also the bare minimum recommended for all civilians, regardless of age or weight. There is a great difference, however, between “base” and “combat-ready” fitness. Without a sufficient level of health and stamina, having to fend off multiple undead attacks during a full-blown outbreak can reduce an unprepared individual to a worn out shell of a human being within hours. To become a truly effective warrior against the undead, you must maintain a consistent fitness routine. When the desire to forgo your regular training regimen arises, let this be your motivation: Every session you skip makes you that much more vulnerable to being devoured alive.
With a combat-ready build, you enhance several traits in your physique that will be essential to your survival during a zombie attack:
STRENGTH: Without adequate strength, you will not only be unable to reinforce your fortification and forage for supplies, you will lack the ability to defend yourself from an untold number of undead attackers, especially if you need to do so without a firearm. It takes a considerable amount of power to deliver a finishing blow to the skull of a zombie; imagine having to do it dozens of times a day. Strength will be a key factor in your level of survivability.
ENDURANCE: During an undead assault, your objective should always be to eliminate only those attackers that pose an imminent threat to your existence. Many incidents have been recorded in
which an overzealous combatant attempted to muscle his way through a large mob of ghouls, only to exhaust himself halfway through his attack, losing the ability to both eradicate the threat and escape with his life intact. You may also be required to travel long distances to a potential safety outpost, most likely on foot. Your endurance level will be critical in such situations.
ACCURACY: When fighting the living dead, the goal is to work smarter, not harder. It may require five blows to destroy a zombie, or it may take only one. The difference depends not only on your strength,
but on the precision of your strikes. Having excellent hand-eye coordination can end every confrontation that much more quickly. As you develop your fighting abilities, you will expend less energy during each successive combat engagement.
AGILITY: One of the key advantages humans possess over our reanimated selves is the ability to synchronize our muscles and execute complex actions to outmaneuver our uncoordinated opponents. Do
not let this agility go to waste or take it for granted. Not only will a good sense of balance and coordination improve your combat abilities, these traits are essential during an escape, when you may have to scale obstacles, traverse narrow passageways, and weave between lunging attackers.
An example of the influence agility can play in facing the living dead was described to the author in the following incident:
. . . there were eight of us holed up in this apartment complex. We were able to rest and resupply for two days before enough of them finally pulled open the electric gates. We should have done more to secure the stairwells, but we were all so damn tired.
We tried to bring down as many as we could and we tossed the bodies down the stairwells to slow their ascent, but by the time we made it to the roof, they were pouring out of the fire exits like
Similar Books
