Episode Details

get strong   Get Strong or Get Left Behind | Episode 592 Good morning. It’s about 60 degrees and not chilly for once. And today we’re talking about something that absolutely belongs in the survival category — strength. Not vibes.
Not mindset.
Not theory. Physical strength. If general physical preparedness isn’t a prepping principle, I don’t know what is. Strength Is a Survival Skill We love talking about food storage, water filters, and gear. But if you can’t pull yourself up over something, drag weight, or move your own body under stress — that’s a liability. There are real-world, life-or-death scenarios where being strong saves you.

• Pulling yourself up
• Lifting something off someone
• Carrying weight under fatigue
• Defending yourself

You don’t want to be a weak couch potato hoping your gear saves you. Establish Your Baseline Before you get strong, you need to know where you are. Four lifts tell you almost everything about your strength:

• Push press
• Back squat
• Deadlift
• Bench press

Get your one-rep max on each. You don’t need a fancy stat. But those numbers? They’re honest. You can’t improve what you don’t measure. Three Months of Focused Training Here’s the strategy. Not “go to the gym and mess around.”
Not “move a little weight and scroll Instagram.” Focused, purposeful training. A three-month strength-building phase. Add weight weekly. Two to five pounds per lift if possible. That’s progressive overload. You can’t just coast forever. But you can:

• Push hard for 12 weeks
• Build real strength
• Maintain it through the year

That’s sustainable. Pick a real program. Starting Strength is solid. Don’t invent your own random plan unless you know what you’re doing. Nutrition: The Part Nobody Wants You can’t slam Oreos and Diet Coke and expect muscle. You need:

• Adequate protein
• Sufficient calories
• Consistency

For me, maintenance is around 2,800 calories. After eating in a deficit for a long time, ramping up to that is going to feel like work. Gaining strength without gaining fat? That’s the sweet spot. Too skinny and weak? Bad.
Overweight and sluggish? Also bad. There’s a bell curve for health and longevity. Moderately strong.
Proper hormones.
Not obese.
Not extreme bodybuilder huge. That’s the lane. Why This Matters for Survival If you pack on strength, you can coast. You won’t keep every pound forever, but you won’t crash either if you maintain properly. Strength:

• Improves resilience
• Increases confidence
• Extends functional life
• Makes you harder to victimize

This isn’t vanity lifting. This is capability. If you had to pull yourself up right now, could you? That’s the question. This is James from SurvivalPunk.com.
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