I'm an action movie junkie. I like watching the heroes of the films do incredible things to escape a dangerous situation. Whether it is fighting off the bad guys in hand-to-hand combat or scaling walls, it is all fun to watch. Although it is all set-up for the movie, the actors still often train hard for their roles.
Even though a majority of us would never encounter the crazy stunts portrayed in the movies, there is always a possibility that we may find ourselves in an emergency that would require us to run or swim fast and far enough to find safety.
I stumbled across an interesting article today titled: "Can you save your own life?".
In it, it quotes Earle E. Liederman, (a fitness pioneer and well-known vaudeville strongman) whose philosophy was that a man should be able to swim far enough, run fast and long enough to save their life in case of emergency and necessity.
How Fit Do We Have to Be?
So what were Liederman's requirements for being able to save yourself in an emergency situation? As quoted from the article:
- 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
I think having the strength and stamina to accomplish the things on the list above is a sign that you are in pretty good shape. Would you add anything to the list?
Read the complete article here: Can You Save Your Own Life?
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
Those are some tough requirements! I’m pretty fit and I find those pretty hard. Imagine having to do them one after another, LOL! That’s boot camp status!
Yup, it is a really good workout if you put it all together.