300: RISE OF AN EMPIRE---I AM NOT A SPECTATOR!!!

"I never believed I'd have a six-pack, especially not at 35 years old," says Sullivan Stapleton, star of 300: Rise of an Empire. "I always thought it was a genetic blessing. It's not. You just have to be willing to do what it takes." In 12 weeks, Stapleton managed to shed 25 pounds of fat.

 The human body was never created to seat behind a desk, or in front of a television. It was created to climb mountains, swim rivers and lift obstacles.  Few movies resonate with the male psyche as effectively as '300' and its sequel '300: Rise of an Empire." 

 

With a bit of digging, I was able to unearth the workouts that turned these 'farmhands' into bad ass warriors.

 

 1. Warm up by rowing 500m in less than 1 minute 30 seconds. This could be performed on an automatic or manual rowing exerciser.

2. Perform 4 Sets of Goblet squats, using either dumbbells or kettlebells. Use as much weight as you can without sacrificing good form, reducing the weight by 2kg after each set.

Goblet Squats

3.  Drop down and deliver 100 - 200 pushups, You're going to need the strength to wield your swords. use as many sets as necessary, but get it done. Strive to reduce the number of sets required to reach 200 reps.

4. Deadlifts- you can't build a respectable body without them. Go heavy, and get bigger. perform 4 sets of 12,10,8,6 reps respectively.

 

Build your destiny!!!!

THIS IS WHAT IT TAKES!!!!

I was blown away by a post I read on Cordell Parvins blog titled 'Want to know what it takes, Here is a Great example". In the article he talks about his daughter Jill, a Jiu Jitsu practitioner who seeks to become the best Jiu jitsu player she possibly can be. I can scarcely add anything, as it fully encapsulates the attitude, focus and drive required by any person interested in achieving the highest levels of fitness, or any other life goals.

     

 

"Today, I want to share with you a concrete example. My daughter Jill posted something on Facebook that made clear to me she paid great attention to what I was teaching her when she was growing up.

 

I am very proud of Jill. I also feel she has expressed what I hope lawyers I coach take away from our work together. I asked if I could share what she wrote with you and she gave me permission.

 

 

 

I earned two stripes on my belt at jiu jitsu today. I was a little upset because my knee is messed up and I couldn’t roll. I just keep telling myself that God did not grant me with natural athletic ability so I have to work harder than most of the guys. I will show up and train every day no matter how tired I am. My goal is not to earn a black belt (although I believe that will happen) or win any tournaments ( got to enter them first), but to be better than the jiu jitsu player I was yesterday. I am not competing against other guys but against myself and my own self doubt and my fear of failure. I can’t bench press as much as Réne (her husband) and I do not have the skill of more seasoned players, but I will win in the long run because I am going to work harder through the tears, blood and sweat and I believe my passion will help me to overcome my physical short comings. I will be the best I can be. No excuses! I will be better than I was yesterday. It’s me vs. me.

 

I will leave you with a quote attributed to Abraham Lincoln:

"Things may come to those who wait, but only the things left by those who hustle."

STAYING RIPPED AT THE OFFICE

From Flab ...to Fab

Getting ripped for the working person is hard, period. It's doubly difficult for a person who has little control over their diet, schedule or equipment. 

 

So, how do you maintain that ripped body you've worked so hard to develop if you are stressed, chained to your desk, and can only access junk snacks? I chewed this question over, and I gathered some tips for keeping those muscles hard and ripped whilst giving your best at work.

 

• Get yourself a mini-fridge or cooler where you can stock healthy food and drinks.

• Eat a hearty breakfast, and Prepare yourself a healthy snack and lunch which you will take to the office. Alternatively, seek out a service which can supply healthy meals to your office.
 
• Whenever you go to the bathroom, try to crank out as many jumping jacks or squats as you can reasonably perform without sweating too much. In addition to reducing the risk of heart disease and weight gain, these exercises will improve blood circulation and lower body strength.
 
• Long term sitting is energy draining!! So, take a 10 to 15 minute power walk around your office if possible. You could use the opportunity to get to chat with your fellow employees, thereby providing you with the added benefit of being sociable.

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!!! 


  

Gladiator Conditioning - Our way

If you are looking for a workout that is different from the usual stuff everybody does, then this is the workout for you. It's designed to get you strong, fast and very deadly.

Gladiator Training commenced with getting the new gladiator to the peak of fitness. Gladiators trained much like professional athletes do today. They received medical attention and three meals a day. Their training included learning how to use various weapons, including the war chain, net, trident, dagger, and lasso.

Successful training required intense commitment. Fighting styles were learned through constant rehearsal as choreographed "numbers". An elegant, economical style was preferred, as a single bout probably lasted between 10–15 minutes, or 20 minutes at most. A wooden pole called a palus was first used as a target to practise moves with a sword. The wooden swords used during training on the palus were often double the weight of the actual weapon ensuring that the gladiators built up their upper body and arm strength. Palus training allowed a gladiator to practise various vicious strokes and manoeuvres such as thrusting, cutting, and slicing without imposing an injury on an opponent.

Training included preparation for a stoical, unflinching death. To die well, a gladiator should never ask for mercy, nor cry out. A "good death" redeemed a defeated gladiator from the dishonourable weakness and passivity of defeat, and provided a noble example to those who watched.

He had to be the best.... 

In my next article, i will show how he was able to be the best.