Michonne!
Have you ever wondered if you’re in good enough shape to outrun or even take on a zombie?
Yeah, seems like a pretty random question. But I assure it’s not. Atleast not in the context of my blog or the incredible event that took place last night.
What event was that?
Well for the past few months I and about 99.9% of the western hemisphere have been counting down to the return of one of the greatest comic-book-turned-TV-shows every made. And last night, like children waiting for Christmas Day, we sat on the edges of our respective couches to behold the return of the incredible zombie apocalypse saga that we all know as The Walking Dead! Yessssssss!!
No spoiler alerts here. But I will say that the premiere episode didn’t disappoint and just as anticipated, I found myself between fits of nail biting, screaming at the TV, and making bets on which main character would die next. Then at one point during the episode, an interesting question was raised. What would be the best way to train for a zombie apocalypse?
And before you say something like “Doc, zombies don’t exist so why in the world would anyone need any type of Zombie Fitness Training?!?” you may want to check out the Center for Disease Control’s official Zombie Preparedness Guide. No, I’m not kidding. The CDC actually released a Zombie Preparedness Guide and you can read it here. It created quite the stir- as you can imagine.
Now I’m not trying to scare the bejebus out of anyone with that CDC link, but we are all about fitness here on Dr. Phoenyx dot com. So just like the CDC, I’ve come up with my own zombie preparedness guide because I consider it my duty as a health professional (and diehard Walking Dead fan) to do my part to get you all fit and physically able to kick major butt if a zombie attack should ever arise.
Interval Training + Circuit Training = The Ultimate Zombie Survival Fitness Combo
Why do interval training? Because it helps improve cardio and sprinting ability through advanced conditioning and increased recruitment of your muscle’s fast twitch fibers. Basically you should forget jumping on the treadmill, jogging for 60 minutes and thinking you’ve prepared yourself cardio wise. When dealing with superfast zombies that don’t get tired, you want to get really good at running incredibly fast for short distances. Fact is, zombies don’t run marathons. And if you recall any zombie movie, or episode of the Walking Dead, zombies have this incredible ability to turn into Olympic style sprinters in the first 20 yards or so. That’s why you want to interval train. So if you do suddenly come across a zombie while walking down the street, you’ll be fast enough to outrun it until you can get to a safehouse.
Check out the video below for a sample interval training exercise
OK, so we’ve covered how to improve sprinting speed with interval training. Now let’s wrap things up with circuit training.
Why do circuit training? Because it’s a super-efficient way to burn fat and build muscle, thus improving strength. New zombie scenario: Let’s say you don’t have the option of running and have to fight off a pack of zombies. But your only weapon is a katana. Yeah, it’s not every day you stumble across Japanese swords, but bear with me. So you grab the katana and take a couple swings, but because you lack upper body strength, you can’t get in a good blow and now you’re getting fatigued. Think you can call a timeout and politely ask the zombies to let you catch your breath? Yeah, good luck with that. And that’s precisely why you need to circuit train. With circuit training you’ll become muscularly toned and physically stronger so you can stand your ground and fight. And if I had to take a guess, I’d say that Michonne (the katana wielding femme fatale of the Walking Dead) probably likes to squeeze in a bit of circuit training when she’s not slaying zombies and looking incredibly badass while doing it.
Check out the video below for a sample circuit training exercise
And that concludes my Fitness Guide for Surviving a Zombie Apocalypse. Remember, interval training plus circuit training makes for the ultimate zombie fighting combo. So make sure to repeat these exercises at least twice a week, and be sure to review the CDC’s Zombie Preparedness Guide to maximize your chances for survival. Don’t sleep on these zombies guys. Start training now, follow the CDC’s guide to the T, and keep yourself zombie-educated by catching episodes of The Walking Dead. Heed my advice and I guarantee you’ll be well on your way to becoming a superfast and super keen zombie slaying machine!
Do you think you’re physically fit enough to survive a zombie attack? – Doc