Mark Rippetoe

“You Wouldn’t Last in a Fight” | Jack Bissett

Jenni

I tend to think that people who say this confuse power lifting, hypertrophy, and strength training. I've had more than one man in my life who didn't appear particularly large but who had developed considerable strength. They did fine in a fight, usually bringing the offending party to heel in a way safe for the innocent bystanders. I've also seen one of those men square up with a large bodybuilder type who apparently felt his size equalled strength.

It did not.

Hypertrophy, while potentially attractive, is not the same as strength. Excellent piece with an excellent point.

Tuna

There's a substantial subset of martial artists who do not acknowledge that a strong fighter beats a weak fighter of equal skill.

FatButWeak

I am not a trained fighter, and would not want to fight one. But if I had to, I am fairly confident I could pick up the average untrained 160-200 pound man and smash him on the ground until he was senseless. Is it harder to power clean 175 pounds of squirming loudmouth 250 if you deadlift over 500? Most/many "competitions" have rules against picking the opponent up and smashing them down. Once they are down, stand back up and kick them repeatedly. I havent been punched in the face in over 20 years, so maybe I forget....

Johnsonville

Good article. First point is just say is most people really can’t fight their way out of a wet paper bag, strength training and some basic boxing, Muay Thai, karate, Bjj, etc go hand in hand towards being a useful human. Secondly, I’ve been doing Bjj for fifteen years and can absolutely say those little guys know the truth, there’s a reason a big strong man walking into his first Bjj class will have a target on their back. Anyone who does Bjj has seen this, because they instinctively know the threat the big strong man possesses. Lastly, I am always shocked at how fucking weak most people are when things get turned up to 100% in competitions, it’s a hell lot easier to handle someone particularly in the clinch when you’re big and strong, and that obviously makes the fatigue much less for the stronger person.

Frank_B

My wife has adamantly refused to carry a gun, let alone even mull the idea over or talk about it. Yesterday, she was in the parking lot of our local Kroger, about to walk in, when the mass shooting occurred. 13 victims. 1 killed. She was fine, but it shook her badly enough for us to finally begin the conversation last night. I recognize the importance of being able to carry, and while I carry, I am certainly not very knowledgeable about guns.

I thought my Glock 9mm might be a good start for her, but I found out that she wasn't strong enough to pull the slide back. Any opinions on a good every day carry that she can put in her purse, have good stopping power, and not be technically complicated in the event of an emergency? I thought a .32 Hammerless might be a good start, but I am open to any suggestions.

Maybe I should give her the Glock and tell her if she wants to use it she should start strength training? ;-)

Mark Rippetoe

Not strong enough is a problem. But right now she needs a revolver in a decent enough caliber to actually stop somebody.

bobman

Ruger LCR .357 loaded with 38 special short barrel loads made for snub nose revolvers

The LCR is polymer light weight and has a cam in the trigger mechanism that manes the trigger easy for a woman to pull

All my daughters carry this rig with the Crimsom trace laser grips

Small compact low recoil and readily available ammo

They also make the same gun in .327 mag which can be downloaded to .32 smith and Wesson if she’s especially recoil sensitive

And that version is 6 rounds not 5

Really good guns

All this has to be learned, your best bet is find a woman trainer your wife won’t listen to you lol

And you have to have the attitude and willingness to use it

Frank_B

Thanks, bobman! I’ll definitely have a look at this. I use ammoseek.com for ammo, and I know their search engine for guns is pretty solid too. I’ll have a look around. She needs something not frightening or intimidating. I’m crossing a cultural barrier with her on this, so I will absolutely take the advice on a female trainer. I already planned on that!

JFord

I'm by no means a firearm expert but I've seen a fair number of women who weren't "strong" enough to cock a pistol. However my experience has been that it's not so much a lack of strength but more of technique. Once they get it the first time, they discover that it becomes much easier.

Also, if she carries a round in the chamber and gets proper training and a high quality holster, she'll have 18 rounds (unless you live in a commie state like mine where it would be 11) without having to cock at least not in the field. There are some studies to show that if you're behind the time curve in a shooting situation as is often the case, you won't have a chance to cock anyway. Of course you avoid this altogether with a revolver but then she'll have to deal with a harder trigger pull (maybe less accuracy) and only 6 rounds.

Maybe you should work with her on your Glock and see if she comes to peace with it then she can decide if a revolver is better. Either way, if she's going to carry, she should definitely get high quality training and a very good holster.