On Self Improvement, by LionHeart

Hello Happy Partisans,

Some years back I did a self assessment, came up terribly short in many areas, and embarked on a path of Stoic Toughening Training to remedy some of the more glaring mental and physical deficiencies. I also wanted to push out the boundaries of discomfort in my life.

I began lifting weights and rucking (thank you, John Mosby!) logging my 1,000th mile under a pack last month. I sleep on the floor with a sheet, allowing myself a blanket during our upper Midwest Winters. Thanks to Matt Bracken I began bicycling to and from work several days a week instead
of driving, and so on. As each activity became less uncomfortable and more normal I added a new suck vector. The latest is the point of this piece.

The subject of fasting has been nagging me for a while. Since thinking about it made me uncomfortable I took that as a sign and began doing a fast day once a week. I would use the time to honor my ancestors’ hunt not going well. If the day is, say, Saturday, I’ll take water only from Friday
night supper until breakfast on Sunday. That works out to 36-40 hours, depending. Surprisingly it wasn’t all that difficult and became normal after 2-3 weeks.

Time for more suck so I added a ruck march after the fast and figured on a five miler to see how my body would take it. It went well with a good pace and decent weight until the three mile mark as I neared the top of a hill.

I hit a wall. Over the span of 15-20 paces my ankles then calves then entire legs then hips then, oh hell, my entire drive train and chassis began to hurt in a way I’d never felt before. I wasn’t injured and it was unlike any cramp I’d ever experienced. I’d just encountered a brand new personal barrier and limped home, happy I’d learned something about myself. Recovery to normal took several days.

Let me ask you to consider how it will be for you if vittles run a little short on the homestead or at the G-Camp. How will you perform if you need to ruck up? Will you be able to drive on or just sit down and go on strike until you’ve had your pancakes? Now I know my answer.

Also, I’d love to hear toughening ideas. My list needs more.

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About the Author: NC Scout

NC Scout is the nom de guerre of a former Infantry Scout and Sergeant in one of the Army’s best Reconnaissance Units. He has combat tours in both Iraq and Afghanistan. He teaches a series of courses focusing on small unit skills rarely if ever taught anywhere else in the prepping and survival field, including his RTO Course which focuses on small unit communications. In his free time he is an avid hunter, bushcrafter, writer, long range shooter, prepper, amateur radio operator and Libertarian activist. He can be contacted at [email protected] or via his blog at brushbeater.wordpress.com .

15 Comments

  1. Razorback Trapper December 1, 2020 at 06:18

    Great Article. Per your request for more ideas. Occasionally on my rucks I will pick up a large rock and carry it as far as I can. I usually try to make sure I’m going up hill when I do this. Rocks are awkward to carry, heavy, their sharp edges make them uncomfortable, and provide a chance for real world strength building(carrying something heavy until failure instead of reps). It is not very sophisticated but works for me.

  2. anonymous December 1, 2020 at 07:56

    This is good body and mind training. Knowing 1st hand what if feels like to have to work even when you didn’t get your Wheaties is valuable information.

  3. Anonymous December 1, 2020 at 07:58

    5

  4. rto-jerry December 1, 2020 at 08:27

    Impressive list to toughen the body, job well done! I have added trying to engage steel target at various distance to the end of long weekend rucks and winter snow shoe rucks. Must admit to breaking the one shot rule on a near miss a time or two as I lack the self discipline with a full mag (unacceptable). Remedied by a single round in the mag/chamber, personally this slows the game down a great deal and allows for greater target acquisition and patience on the trigger. Extreme cold of winter adds yet another variable to the mix. Wonderful self satisfaction “win” in ringing steel and a challenge when you are colder and tired.

  5. Johnny Paratrooper December 1, 2020 at 08:46

    Good lessons here. Don’t hurt yourselves.
    Last winter a friend and I hiked with minimal cold weather gear.
    I couldn’t even feel a lighter in my pocket I was so cold after 24 miles.
    My hands were swollen and locking up, and I was on the edge of hypothermia.
    I’m in pretty good shape, but the elements, and reality, don’t care.

  6. Paulo December 1, 2020 at 12:19

    Reminds me of PT with gas mask dawned…

  7. bYRON December 1, 2020 at 22:12

    I fully understand your statement “unlike any cramp I’d ever experienced”. Check out Snake Diet on the u tube. Fasting along with specific amounts of electrolytes changes everything. His techniques make it a lot easier and the results are amazing. His delivery may put some people off, but it’s also quite entertaining sometimes. The Wim Hof Method is another one to try. Breath work and cold exposure. After working through the cold showers, buy a few bags of ice and a 100 gallon stock tank from Tractor Supply and you’re in business.

  8. Georgiaboy61 December 2, 2020 at 02:57

    @ NCScout

    Intermittent fasting is the bomb, dude, especially if you at or above a certain age and need a kick in the pants (as did yours truly) to lose the extra baggage and get fitter. You do have to watch your electrolyte status very carefully. I know you are ex-mil so probably have already had instruction in how to ID electrolyte depletion, but a review never hurts. My perspective comes in part from being an outdoorsman and hiker, years in strenuous sports like ice hockey and martial arts, and having a science/healthcare background. Field expedient electrolyte replacements can be made using salt, ordinary table sugar and drinking water. Or a useful hack is that coconut water (the liquid from inside a coconut) is naturally an excellent e-lyte replacement solution. Bullion cubes work well, and are cheap. A great company called Jigsaw makes electrolyte replacements and supplements, and have useful literature on how to distinguish between potassium deficit and magnesium deficit, two of the most-commonly encountered causes of cramping in athletes. Strange-but-true, many pro hockey players drink pickle juice or brine between shifts on the ice. Garden-variety Gatorade works fine, too.

    The take-away message is that whereas your body can quite easily live on stored fat for hours or days at a time, depleted electrolytes need replacement if you plan to be active. Way back in the day that is why Marines in the Pacific island hopping campaigns were issued salt tablets by their corpsmen and medics.

    • NC Scout December 2, 2020 at 07:31

      Oh definitely brother. A 24hr fast kick-starts your metabolism and depending on a lot of other factors, can kick you into ketosis as well. Pickle juice has long since been a favorite among Russians and its kinda a cultural thing- but it definitely works. Pedialyte is a great option as well.

  9. Pat December 2, 2020 at 04:36

    The author is WAY ahead of the game. I commend him for his discipline.
    I would proffer that a majority of readers here are 40+ in vintage. Men, mostly. At various points in their lives but knowing they have something worth protecting.
    Beginning a physical regimen at an age where muscles tend to spasm and tear, combined with a healing period that is 2-3 times that of your glorious 20’s… START slow! Stretch and drink water. Low impact cardio (Matt’s bike) would be a good start. Practice a couple weeks of moving your own body weight and increasing range of motion.
    Being as “fit as possible” to face a problem is always preferable to having the “problem” kick in your door while you’re laid up with a torn ballsack.

    • NC Scout December 2, 2020 at 07:32

      Lionheart really is. I know him, he’s a top notch guy.

  10. Cane Creek December 3, 2020 at 16:21

    Is there somewhere I can read more articles or post by Lionheart? I have work to do for sure.

    • NC Scout December 3, 2020 at 16:24

      I’ll sweet talk him into writing more.

  11. Anonymous December 8, 2020 at 10:21

    4

  12. Idaho December 10, 2020 at 14:58

    You bonked – ie, ran out of carbohydrates. The body goes into emergency mode and pulls all carbs to support the brain… a lot of people simply stop, sit down, and start crying.
    Bonking is something that endurance athletes have to pay attention to. The body can only burn upwards of 200 fat calories per hour and the rest of it has to come from carbs. Given your shape, you can probably store upwards of 2,000 carb calories but went through that in fasting then the first 3 miles of your ruck run.
    The solution is to either consume carbs before and during cardio, or move slower. Baked potato slices with a little salt are one of the best, easiest, and least expensive solutions – olympic bicyclists use that in training. Blok chews are good to keep in a hiking kit for emergencies. If you are walking then use a pair of hiking poles – doubles your distance for half the pain by reducing pressure on the small leg balancing muscles that wear out quickly.
    My background – started 10k ruck runs at 18. Nowadays, 5-8 hour snowshoe or hike most Sundays and bike during the week.

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