The Post-Apocalyptic Workout looks interesting. It’s all about surviving “at the end of the world.” Whether that’s an actual zombie scenario or a natural disaster or whatnot is purely academic. The interesting and unique thing about this workout is that it is not only about physical fitness, but there is a also a pretty heavy skillbuilding component: first aid, firearms, growing food, etc. Those are just plain useful skills to have, regardless.
Is it me, or do the advanced and elite lists seem easier than the basic and intermediate lists? Exercise can be hard. Lockpicking, electrical wiring, engine repair, and the like are pretty easy.
Truth be told, I have a motorcycle license for similar reasons — not to survive a zombie apocalypse, but because spies and superheros need to know how to ride a bike. This might be because of that This American Life episode about superpowers (and the one girl who had a giant list of superhero/superspy skills she would check off as she learned each one), but I am not sure, as I forget whether the motorcycle or the superpowers show came first.
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I’m amused by some of their choices, and the lack of choices in other areas.
Hotwire a car is a good example. I don’t care what the disaster is, the reality of the situation is that hotwiring a car is not likely gonna make a lick of difference in just about any doomsday scenario I can really think of.
On the other hand, knowing how to manufacture biodiesel from raw vegetable matter is missing (doubly so, because the extraction of vegetable oil from common garden plants has other uses besides as a fuel).
I’ve never read one of these lists where things were completely thought out. We have increased (you and I) our chances of survival in a doomsday scenario just by moving to a climate where water is plentiful; and even given a “global warming” scenario is likely to continue being so.
Most of these sorts of lists concentrate on the “give a man a fish” problem solving, rather than “teaching a man to fish.” Learning how to hotwire a car is probably a great “oh shit” strategy. Knowing how to make biodiesel and owning a diesel-powered automobile is a “I’m going to continue living for 30 years” strategy.
I agree–some of them don’t make sense and some of them only make sense in very specific situations. Maintaining a garden is pretty good, but only in a handful-of-people-left-on-Earth scenario, not a martial-law-people-steal-my-food scenario (or maybe that’s where the riflery comes in?)
For me, it served as a reminder that I should probably polish up on my first aid and maybe get a new CPR certification, as those are good for “day to day” scenarios like traffic accidents and hiking/camping accidents. I also want to take a rock climbing class, not because it’s on the list (WhyTF would you need rock climbing in a zombie apocalypse???), but because I was taught basic boldering long ago in Joshua Tree and want to brush up on that as well as learning more advanced climbing with harnesses and ropes, and could use the exercise.