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The PT Thing: Clarification

I have received feedback that my encouragement to get better at PT has upset some people. Now, it would be easy to say “who cares,” but that wouldn’t be helpful. There are always haters out there and it is an easy thing for them to try and paint me as the bad guy in this case.

Physical fitness is really important. That is why I talk about it so much. If you intend to conduct any small unit tactics (SUT), self-defense, or even basic survival, then your fitness levels will play an important part. I don’t bang on about it to be a hater, but of course when people perceive themselves as being criticized they get defensive. But that isn’t why I talk about it. I do so with the intent of waking people up to bad diet and exercise habits, in the hope that they will change things and get better. That will directly lead to increased operational effectiveness and higher chances of survival.

In the same way that I encourage people to stop drinking the tactikoolaid, and get some real combat training, I encourage them to work on the very important aspect of physical fitness. It’s not a personal criticism; simply if the cap fits, get a grip and work on it, whatever aspect of your tactical readiness needs improving. Too many people are in denial, or make excuses.

I also understand that many have physical injury, illness, or other reasons why they can’t get in shape. When I put out personal goals such as the MVT Rifleman Challenge it’s not to say “F you fatties” but rather to give solid goals, for those who are able, to work towards.

So many aspects of society are set up to make you physically incapable of tactical survival. From the guy who says he works all hours, the overweight guy who perceives he has no time to exercise, the crappy food that you are encouraged to eat, the commuting, the high fructose corn syrup in all your drinks. Much of this comes down to mindset and making it happen. Even with little time to exercise, you can at minimum adjust your diet so you are at least not overweight. It takes self-control – and that is exactly why it upsets people when it is mentioned, because it makes them feel crappy in the knowledge that they should, and could. be better.

So much of this comes back to your mindset. If you can’t control your diet, or get up to exercise, show some intestinal fortitude, then you will be stuck making excuses, and when the balloon goes up you won’t be ready.

Despite the fact that I have been making posts recently about PT, and setting goals for people to aim for, that does not impact on the normal class offerings. I get all shapes and sizes through my classes. One of the main takeaways for many is the need for weight control and physical fitness (despite me hammering this – people don’t listen beforehand). What differentiates these guys is that they have the mindset and heart to get out and train, and in many cases they then go away and actually get in shape, and come back, often more than once, for more training. They are bettering themselves and increasing their chances of tactical survival, and that of their families.

So don’t confuse the PT goals that I have set out for the MVT Rifleman Challenge  and the 2-Miler with the requirements for a standard class. I won’t hate you if you are not in the best shape, or discriminate against you, but I may advise you to work on your PT. Don’t shoot the messenger. You will have a better time on training if you are in shape, but with good mindset and determination you will get through the class anyway. The classes are not really physically demanding at all – they are only made so in individual cases by a serious lack of PT.

And part of this problem is that people often have no reference point for what a good level of conditioning actually is. They either have no clue, or they are exposed to unrealistic standards that they will never achieve. I am aiming to change this with the recent additions to classes, and with more PT advice to come in the near future.

Here are a couple of quotes taken from Chris in the Max Velocity Facebook Page:

Guys and gals, don’t think for a second the enemies of freedom aren’t out there preparing to end our way of life because it’s too cold or too hard. Many respond on here about too busy and not enough money to come train at Max Velocity. I say don’t train for MVT, train for life! If walking up the stairs or carrying a ruck a couple miles breaks you off, think about a healthier life style. 30 minutes watching pointless TV programs can be a little cardio, a little weight training. Stick with it and 30 minutes turns into an hour, weights get heavier, run times faster and you feel BETTER! Eat better, eat less eat smart, there’s tons of sites that help the patriot on a budget to eat healthy. Drink water! Lots of water! Reasons are too many to list and all good. So you can’t make it to MVT yet. Practice dry fires, target discrimination, tac reloads, emergency reloads, up downs. Zero your long guns! Train in gear, refine your gear. Keep at all this and get the warrior mindset and sooner or later, I’ll see you in West Virginia.

I think there is not a more appropriate time for this to be read and it should be shared! Some of you may know the author. “Somewhere a True Believer is training to kill you. He is training with minimal food or water, in austere conditions, training day and night. The only thing clean on him is his weapon and he made his web gear. He doesn’t worry about what workout to do – his ruck weighs what it weighs, his runs end when the enemy stops chasing him. This True Believer is not concerned about ‘how hard it is;’ he knows either he wins or dies. He doesn’t go home at 17:00, he is home. He knows only The Cause. Still want to quit?”

I’m not a hater about this, so don’t you be either. Take the advice in the spirit of how it is meant: to help you. Rather than making excuses, get it done.

Putting my money where my mouth is: Invite to attend speed march training sessions w/ Max.

Max