You are not born a human being, you must become one. Just as life is a option, not an inevitability. It has to be chosen and then gained.
The Army, the Police, Navy, SAS, even the job your working in right now has prerequisites that have to bet met. The seemingly higher responsibility held by a position or organisation the harder and more stringent their prequisite testing is, and has to be. The American Secret Services have a pre-requisite that all cadets are able to perform 4 wide grip pull ups whilst wearing a 40kg backpack. If they fail this test they are no longer allowed to continue.
I would say there is no greater responsibility than that of a Human being and no more important organisation than that of the Human race. We are the best that nature has to offer. Which means anything under us in the evolutionary chain, which is everything else on planet Earth we have a responsibility over. We should lead by example. We must be ready to help each other, physically, emotionally and spiritually. For such a vastly important role their has to be pre-requisites.
Pre requisite to being a human being are more than just the physical but it’s an important part of the whole.
This article is focusing on the physical movement aspects.
Every human being should beable to squat, lunge, push, pull, bend, twist, crawl, climb, walk, sprint, jump and fight effectively. A decent exercise program would incorporate these in some way or another.
These are the physical movement markers of a fully, functioning healthy human being.
If you are able to these movements well, it means your muscleskeletal system is functioning well. This lessens your likelihood of injury. If you can move well, energy can flow more fliud, you will feel better. If you can do these well you are not simply a member of society but of the Human race. These are the prerequisites to being a human being because these are the movements we would have needed to survive in the wild. Show me caveman who couldn’t do the above movements well, and I’ll show you a dead man and a starving family. These are the movements that could potentially save your life or the life of a loved one.
My pre-requisiting tests might change in the future but the fact is everyone should be able to perform the aforementioned movements. How you test them is a matter of opinion.
In my opinion every human being as a minimum standard should be able to perform.
20 body weight squats
front squat half your body weight
20 lunges on each leg
15 press ups
deadlift your own body weight
perform a number of different crawls(side, bear, backward, catipillar, spider)
walk 15miles without falling apart
walk with an additional weight of equivalent to your body weight on you for 40m
perform 10 pull ups
climb a 20m rope with just your arms
sprint 200m without seeing God
jump over waist height
to train in a fighting system and no Tae Bo does not count.
To some these will seem extreme. I never said it was going to be easy. To some it will seem a little soft. Remember this is minimum to be a human being not an athlete or exceptional.
This not a technique based article but it’s important to note that perfect technique is what is expected. A 2xbw deadlift with a kyphotic lifting posture (rounded) is nothing more than a 2xbw embarassment and does not count.
For the more athletically minded individuals I have minimum prerequisites to be beyond just human. This is for the people who are more focused with a warrior mentality.
The list is:
20 jump squats
Front squat 1.25x bw
15 jump lunges on each leg
15 single leg squats on each leg
5 press ups with an additional 1x bw
Deadlift 2x bw
Perform a n.o of different crawls with an additional 10kg
Walk 30 miles
Walk 40m with an additional 2x bw
Perform 10 wide grip jump/plyo pull ups
Climb a 40m rope using just your arms
Climb a 20m rope using just your arms with an additional 0.5x bw
Sprint 400m without seeing God
Jump equivalent to 1.5x your fully stretchedout height, hands to toes. From a standing position.
To have trained in a fighting system and fought and won more than twice. Three times makes a habit
Theses are my pre-requisites right now. Ask me in a year or two they might be different.
That's it. That’s for people with a warrior mentality.
If you're hardcore you would do the list as a workout. I personally use both as a warm up.
These are the movements that firstly make you a decent human being, secondly a warrior and thirdly and the most importantly, theses are the movements that could save your life or the life of a friend or family member.
Don’t start complaining because you can’t meet the quota and cry “Michael said I’m not a Human being”. These are goals. I myself don’t meet the quota on some. It’s just something for me to work on. These are not there so you can wistfully glee about already being able to do them. Part of being a human being is endeavoring to reach your potential. How can you do that if you have nothing to aim for?
Stop reading and get training.
Health, Strength and Peace
Michael Hannon
Michael has worked in the health and fitness industry for 6 years.