“Every man should be able to save his own life. He should be able to swim far enough, run fast and long enough to save his life in case of emergency and necessity.”
The quote mentioned above comes from Earle E. Liederman, a renowned fitness pioneer back in the days of Charles Atlas.
In order to ‘save his your own life’ – as well as the life of a loved one, Liederman did NOT advocate
bodybuilding. Or powerlifting. Or massive muscles.
Much of Liedermans’ life-saving method evolved around the development of ‘strength-endurance’
with bodyweight calisthenics.
Let’s face it, big gigantic muscles may impress some people, but there is nothing more impressive than
having the functional strength-endurance to do things with ease – including saving your own life – or someone else’s.
Liederman’s life-saving prescription is almost the same as my own. He wrote that you should …
* Be able to swim at least half a mile or more;
* Be able to run at top speed two hundred yards or more;
* Be able to jump over obstacles higher than your waist;
* Be in condition to pull your body upward by the strength of your arms, until your chin touches your hands, at least 15 to 20 times;
* Be able to dip between parallel bars or between two chairs at least 25 times or more.
“If a man can accomplish these things,” Liederman said, “he need have no fear concerning the safety of his life should he be forced into an emergency from which he alone may be able to save himself.”
Okay, so is there anything I would add to Liederman’s prescription?
Yes. Consider the following:
Furey’s Personal Life Saving Prescription
* Be able to go without food for at least 24 hours
* Be able to run two miles in 20 minutes or walk 5 miles in 90 minutes
* Be able to do 100 Hindu Squats in less than 2 minutes
* Be able to do at least 25 Hindu Pushups in a row
* Be able to hold a bridge for at least 60 seconds
* Be able to breathe deeply and remain calm under stress
* Be able to pop someone hard enough with your fist, foot, elbow or knee to knock him out.
Is it a good idea to think about saving your own life?
Well, consider the alternative.
Matt Furey
P.S. If you don’t have my Combat Conditioning book and DVDs yet, what are you waiting for.
A whole NEW you is waiting in the wings. All you have to do is reach out and say ‘YES’ to the new you. Go here to get started immediately.