WEAPON TRAINING FOR FITNESS: THE GLADIATOR

 

In the Roman Empire, Gladiators engaged in mortal combat within the Arena for the benefit of the populace. These life and death contests required strength, agility in addition to phenomenal amounts of endurance and skill and the gladiators were required to train for several hours each day in order to develop these attributes to the highest degree possible. 

Gladiatoral training consisted of calisthenics and weightlifting in order to build muscle size and endurance, wrestling and grappling sessions, and armatura, training with weapons. Weapons training involved the use of heavy wooden swords and shields, based on the belief that the effective employment of these equipment during training would translate to its use in the field of battle. The gladiator was required to strike repeatedly at a wooden dummy called a palus with his sword, spear or any other weapon in which he was supposed to be proficient, in order to build muscle endurance and striking power, hand to eye coordination, as well as developing muscle memory.  Once the trainee was deemed satisfactorily proficient against the palus, he was pitted against a human opponent of similar or greater skill in order to develop skill, battle judgement and quick reflexes, attributes which were often the difference between life and death in the hand to hand contests which occured in the arenas all over the Roman Empire. 

The gladiatorial training methods were subsequently extended to soldiers after the gladiators deadly effectiveness was felt by the Republic during the Servile Wars depicted in the Spartacus series. Training in arms came to viewed as an important part of the soldier's training and this was transferred to all territories which formed part of the Roman Empire. 

In replicating the gladiatorial training process, I had recourse to several contemporary training manuals and found that the effective gladiator required substantial body mass in order to absorb injuries from weapons without substantial disability. To achieve the necessary bulk, they lifted weights such as the halteres (stone dumbells), Bybon stones and weighted stone vases. the gladiators were required to train wearing extra-heavy armour in order to build their stamina and cardiovascular endurance.

Ancient weights

 A modern gladiator should train with kettlebells, Atlas stones, dumbells and barbells (avoid weight machines). I have found it very effective to start training by lifting half of your one rep maximum for several reps until you feel close to muscle failure (alternatively, you could execute pullups till muscle failure), then you proceed to lift your one rep maximum, rest for 2 minutes, and lift your one rep max again. Do this until you reach complete muscle failure, then give the muscle 2 days rest before working it hard again. This regime would force your body to increase in mass and strength over a relatively short period of time, as you keep pushing your musles to the edge of their ability. 


To build striking power, the gladiator had to train against a palus; the modern gladiator can substitute with heavy bag training. What I normally advise is to carry out heavy bag training everyday after weight work in order to accustom the muscles to striking as well as enhancing cardio vascular and muscular endurance. Ensure that you wrap your hands properly and use proper form in order to avoid wrist injuries. 

To build the agility and battle awareness required to fight highly mobile opponents such as the retiarus, gladiators ran through obstacle courses and sparred ceaselessly with fellow gladiators. For the modern gladiator, this translates into everyday rope work; you have to love that skipping rope!!!! I also advice taking up a martial art which requires constant sparring such as capoeira, karate, and jeet kune do as it helps build your physical condition, as your body believes it is under attack and evolves to meet the attack.

As you commence the journey that will convert you into a modern gladiator, make sure you undertake regular medical checks to ensure that your health can take the intense training required amnd remember to REST and EAT!!!! Adequate rest and nutrition were hallmarks of gladiatorial training; the trainees ate food rich in carbohydrates, fats and proteins in order to build their body mass. They ate at least 3 times each day, more than their masters who normally ate 2 meals a day. It is literally impossible to gain the required muscle mass if you do not eat properly!!! 


  

Using Outdoor Gyms for Muscle Gains 2

You will recall that I wrote about training in outdoor gyms sometime ago. I just found a video on Youtube which shows how you can use the outdoor gyms to maximise your fitness gains without spending a penny. In addition, training with the gym equipment generates kinetic energy which is converted to electricity and stored in batteries for use by the community.

 

Sample workout:
Pullups: 5 sets of 30, 25, 20, 15,10 reps  Superset with Muscle ups on the lower bar for the same no of reps.
Dips: 5 X 30,25,20,15,10 reps Superset with rows on the lower pullup bar
Jump over the section dividers for a core workout and use the floor area for a Capoeira workout

 

 



THE BODYBUILDER'S CREED

 

 

A BodyBuilder's Creed

 

I am a  Warrior; a man that will pump until he cannot move.

 

I train because there are no limits to the strength I can gain, because "I can't" is a figment of my imagination.

 

My life was changed in the shrine of iron and sweat;
because of this natural gift I have discovered what lies inside of me.

I am a Champion. Several times have I met my limits in my training and pushed past it.

There is no growth without confrontation. Pain can be tool to bring about a change; the harder you push, the greater the reward.

Many lessons have I learned

Quitters are unfaithful and unstable; they have no place on the battlefield as they are easily removed by the tide of the fight.

Consistency and discipline are primary. The road of 1000 steps begins with the first step. Learning that you have no idea what the Creator has placed in your physical body until you unlock the door.

 

As in prayer, you press out of the natural world into the realm of the Spirit Of God. In my training, I press past pressures that seek to dominate me. As I press I inch closer to my goal. and I discover that I can conquer them if I simply endure the pain.

I am a Bodybuilder. In spirit and in reality. In the gym I train relentlessly, in order to build my body and attain the best health that I may. Glorifying God by taking care of the Temple in which He dwells.

 

I take this seriously.

Bodybuilding is not a game.

Bodybuilding is not a hobby.

Bodybuilding is not only what to do.

It's who I am.

 

An Experience in the Gym

I went to the gym, expecting today to be like any other training day. I would normally run from my house to the outdoor gym, execute my normal workout, chat with regular trainees and walk back home.

 

Occasionally, I would meet interesting people during my workout; people who motivate me to push myself beyond my limits, people who are not limited by the fitness equipment, but instead devise creative ways of using the existing equipment. 

 

 

I have seen people execute muscle ups with pull up bars designed for wheelchair users, pull ups with dip bars, and plyometric jumps with section dividers. People would ask their training partners to stand on the seat of the weight machines in order to increase the degree of resistance; a girl would sit on her boyfriends shoulders to add weight to his dips, and a man would use the metal poles as a punching bag.

 

I have seen   phenomenal amounts of muscle, strength and endurance built through the creative use of bodyweight workouts. I have received training advice from ex-convicts who have developed an expertise with bodyweight work, and I have made friends with some wonderful people who daily convince me that my progress has been limited by my perceptions.

 

I once met one of the promoters of the outdoor gym project and he was so surprised with the creative workouts being performed on his machinery. He enthused that they had never conceived all the uses to which the machinery could be put.

 

The gym is home to many, and fitness can be a force for good in the community.

 

 

BUILD A FITNESS SCHEDULE

How many times have you heard that "time is money"?

Do you remember the time tables we used to have when we were younger? these tables provided certainty, you knew exactly what to do, when to do it, and the penalty for not doing it.

 

Time management has been the rage in the past decade. As people work harder and have less time to devote to what they love to do, the impulse is to drop any difficult activities, such as going to the gym. Unfortunately, our bodies will not keep themselves in shape, and we need to take responsibility for our physical fitness and wellness.

In these busy times, customising your fitness schedule around your time availability and your needs is essential; you can't afford to live your fitness to chance, the same way you wouldn't leave your clothes to chance.

With the advent of time management and productivity improvement tools, it has become easier to manage your fitness schedule with the required discipline. Tools like your phone calendar, Google Calendar, or you could design one on Microsoft Word. You could also download and print out a workout calendar from http://www.workout-calendar.com/

In designing your calendar, start with your goal (health,fat loss, muscle gain), the location of your exercises (home, office, gym), duration (30 mins, 1 hour...),  the equipment you will be working with (weights, bars,) and the commencement time of the workout.

NOTE: The only way to obtain sustainable results is by DISCIPLINED, CONSISTENT, HARD WORK.

 

PLAY AWAY THE POUNDS

Exams are over.... finally!!!!!!

After six months of unrelenting academic drudgery, I have packed my books, articles and notes far from my sight; from now onwards, I'm going to kick back, rest and think about the future ( Can I hear an amen!!!). I'm now working hard to shed all the extra weight I gained while studying for exams and regain my six pack in time for summer.  

A lot of students also want to lose some weight or build some muscle before summer, but they  want to stay out of the wonderful sun instead of working out in a dreary gym. This got me thinking about ways of working out in a fun, collaborative environment, while enjoying the sun.

On my way back from a class picnic last week, I discovered a free outdoor gym at Mile End Park with a fitness bike, a chest press machine, a cross trainer, an abdominal bench, a ski machine and a treadmill. The zone has a traversing wall, kickwall, basketball goal, tennis wall and freestyle area for aerobics and martial arts. I particularly liked the dip bars and the pull up bars.

I have found several outdoor gyms in many parks and playgrounds in London, so if you don't have the spare cash for a gym membership, or you wish to take a break from indoor training and have some fun in the sun ,then you can make use of these facilities.

HOW MUCH OF AN EDGE WILL SUPPLEMENTS GIVE YOU?

 

A lot of people have asked me about the benefits or otherwise of taking supplements. As a general rule, I do not push supplements as they can be easily abused, with dire consequence.

Supplements are becoming extremely popular in the fitness industry and much of the public are being misled by what certain supplements can do. Nutrition will always come first and give far greater results than any array of supplements ever could. Supplements are given their name because they do just that: supplement an already well put together nutrition plan.

However, it is not always possible to get all the nutrients you require only by eating and if you're the busy kind, you  may find it difficult to eat a meal every few hours. In such a situation, smartly selected supplements may be beneficial to keep your metabolism going, it'll help you build muscle, and help you fight fat. Supplements are also beneficial to  people who find it hard to build muscle; for such people, supplements can provide a source of valuable protein. 

So my advice is to look honestly at your goals and ask yourself whether you need to supplement your diet. If you believe you need a supplement, look for one that closely matches your fitness goals. But be careful not to take too much within a day, as the long term abuse of supplements may cause damage to your kidneys. Remember that supplements are just that, they are meant to supplement your diet and should not act as substitutes for a good diet.