When it comes to our fitness a lot of us can come up with creative ways to keep our blood pressure up and our limits continually pushed. This can come in the form of many things like lifting weights at a gym, trying martial arts like boxing or jiu-jitsu, and even getting outdoors with some running, hiking, or rucking. All of these different realms of fitness will benefit us as we go through life. Whether it is being able to enjoy the time more completely with our families, being able to compete among friends while shooting, and possibly even defending our families and loved ones. In any scenario, it is obviously important to train our bodies so we are prepared (as much as one can be) for the unknown.
One mode of fitness that has been catching on in the last decade or so is using what is deemed as “unstable objects.” What is really meant by that?... Basically, it is doing resistance training with a semi-fluid or non-stable object. Some examples are training with sandbags. If you do various movements like squatting, pressing, or a horrid thruster, the sandbag tends to jostle and move around. This forces you to stabilize the object as you are attempting to do a specific movement. As precarious as this may sound, it is about as real as it gets.
Think about putting groceries in your car, or the single journey we make into our house: imagine 13 plump, full plastic bags hanging off your arms – you have to carry all the groceries in 1 trip, right? Pretty precarious and difficult to say the least. Or possibly carrying an ice cooler to a family picnic with drinks, ice, and water sloshing around side-to-side making you look like you are stumbling, drunk carrying it to a picnic table. In a much starker scenario, you might have someone try to approach and attack you while walking to your car in a parking lot at night. In moments like that, you will be glad you can negotiate unstable objects – like an aggressive panhandler or some punk simply wanting the money in your wallet.
Firearms and blades are great tools most of us all own and train with, but sometimes our best tool is our mind and body. A strong shove against a panhandler with a stern voice can be tremendously effective in proving you mean business and want to be left alone as opposed to drawing a weapon. For those reasons, it might be good to tie in sandbags, a weighted plate carrier, kettlebells, and/or tire flipping (if your gym has that equipment available) to make you a more well-rounded, strong individual – man or woman.
These are things I have incorporated into my training over the years and I can thankfully say the times I have needed to use my mind and body to protect myself or others are very few. Nonetheless, a little variety in your workout routine can do wonders to incite new gains in confidence and strength. Give it a try some time. Until next time, continually check out our blog, join our newsletter, and watch the website for new and exciting updates! As always, let us know all of your thoughts in the comments below. We love it when you participate in our articles and keep the conversation going!
