I received this article in a free e-newsletter. I thought it was interesting (if not all that well written...). It may make you question how effective your strength training regimen is...
The Secrets of Ancient Warrior Training
by Bud Jeffries (strongerman.com)
With so much 'mis'information floating around about strength training, I thought you would enjoy this article about the history of warrior training. This article was originally published at Underground Strength Coach. Enjoy!
We live in a very dogmatic society. Even a very dogmatic world. Simple things that shouldn’t be much cause for conflict become tightly held, loudly promoted doctrines. Everybody is sure that their way of training is the most legitimate and the best. If you say different it can be equivalent to insulting their mother.
In a sense, I’m about to say some of the same thing, but it’s only coincidental. What I want to do is give you a quick feel for how historically correct the type of training that we do is. But what I’m telling you is that this is how the ancient and historical strength cultures trained and we just happen to do it the same way.
I’m tired of hearing people loudly and longly swear that their training is the most correct, most natural, whatever. As well as that it’s brand new and they just came up with it. Idea hit ‘em last week while they were at the 7-11. Passed out from brain-freeze from a Slurpee and it just came to them in a vision. Let me tell it to you straight… There is nothing new under the sun in the Iron game.
There might be a few twists on the way we do things that are different, but we’re all making the same stew. I think it’s also not coincidental that the average person won’t use these training methods and that the greatest heroes of the past did. It was hardcore then and it’s hardcore now. Too hardcore for the average citizen then and way too hardcore for the average civilian now. In fact I find it ridiculous that many of the people training for the toughest professions on earth are so polluted by mainstream fitness doctrine in looks-based workouts that their workouts aren’t smarter or as productive as our ancestors.
I know lots of cops, fighters, martial artists, and some all-around tough guys that do very rough things for fun or for a living. Yet for the most part they’re stupidly worried about how many sets of ten on the concentration curl they should do as if it would somehow magically beautify and thereby make them the toughest guy around. Maybe this will help us see that the tough training that we do now is the same as the tough training they did then. We’re not any smarter or particularly stronger for that matter. Let’s see if we can measure up.
Here are some examples of historical strength training. See if you notice a consistent trend with what this site is about and what Zach, Josh, I and few more like us are doing.
The Shaolin
Highly revered Kung Fu monks from China. You know you’ve seen the show with David Caradine. You know you also watched re-runs on Saturday afternoons. Much has been made about them and rightly so. They are fantastically, physically gifted. Many claims have been made about why. Bodyweight exercises, Chi, hours of martial practice and all of these do rightly add to their prowess, but it’s not so simple. Do you know that they do stone lifting? Do you know that they also lift water-filled stone pots and giant steel tea kettles that can weigh up to 230lbs? (Sound like barrel lifting to you?) Did you know that they swing and exercise with a stone implement that almost resembles a kettlebell? Did you know that they train with heavy weapons? Did you know that there are barbells dating over 3,000 years old existing in China? Did you know that they have stone cut dumbbells? They do lots of bodyweight push ups and squats as well as running and animal movements (bear crawls, etc.), but they also do these in a progressive manner, progressing through harder and harder exercises just like weightlifting but done with bodyweight and odd objects.
Do you think these things could give us a clue as to why they’re so highly regarded for their physical prowess and as to why those modern strength people in the know tend to train with the same objects?
The Hindu Wrestlers
Wrestling was at one time a national sport in India. The real deal, pounding the crap out of each other for regional prestige and large sums of money. They also had much moral connection to the training of the wrestler and saw what it takes
to make a great wrestler has the same attributes that it takes to make a great
man. (Simplicity, dedication, toughness, focus, etc.). Much has been made about their intense bodyweight regimens. And it’s true. Hindu Squats and Push ups will help you get into fantastic shape just like they are in. Able to wrestle for hours at a time, but that ain’t the whole story.
Several books and a recent DVD document a lot of the training of this culture and while the bodyweight workouts are accurate and progressive just like lifting there is a tremendous variety of other things used in their conditioning. Isometrics and gymnastic exercises for a start. How about log lifting? They have a unique style of repetition log lifting that’s very popular as well as dragging heavy logs (sled work anyone?). Guess what? Stone barbells and dumbbells appear as well. Extremely heavy clubs and maces (long and short handled swinging
implements).
They perform “digging the pit” the dirt wrestling arena with a very heavy object combination hoe and sledgehammer. They lift stones with and without handles. They use a specially cut, circular looking stone dumbbell. They pull and climb ropes. By the way these are all traditions extending back from traditional training. This is not the modern training influence. It’s the same stuff that built the great Gama and the heroic Indian wrestlers we all know about.
The Mongolians
Long respected for their physical prowess and known for the butt-whoopin’ the put on 90% of the known world at the time. Legendary for strength and endurance. It’s no wonder they consider their three manly sports as archery, horseback riding and wrestling. Legendary also was the strength of their bows and the distance they could shoot them. (Sound like hardcore cable training?)
Also the way Mongolians ride a horse is very similar to extended isometric bodyweight squats. Their wrestling is renowned for being particularly brutal. Much strength and conditioning is simply built by its practice. Did you know that they also have a stone or steel implement similar to the kettlebell? In fact some people think the original kettlebell actually came from Mongolians exercising with stone filled kettles while out at war. Not shockingly they also had stone lifting and stone throwing contests as part of keeping their army in shape while on the road. It’s foolish to think we’re so much stronger than them via modern training.
In those days to some extent the army that wielded the biggest, longest, toughest
weapons is the one that won and survived. Considering the world conquest that they were on, don’t you think someone was smart enough to be keeping these guys in shape along the way? Especially seeing as how their life and success
depended on it.
The Russians
Russia is a tough place. Always has been. Besides the brutal cold, at one time it was a very wild land and you had better be physically able to survive. Those factors add up to many of the reasons no army successfully took them over on their own home ground.
Let’s see if we can find some more similarities here. Hmm, the kettlebell? Yep. Guess what also shows up again? Stone lifting. Heavy swords and implement training. Lots of horseback work and physical agility in their training. Much hard core grappling.
Is it really coming as a shock anymore that the old cultures trained this way? It’s
not because they were old and they didn’t have Bowflexes. It’s because it’s the
most effective, man-making training there is.
The Celts
Guess what? Tough, hardy people. You had to lift a heavy stone in many places to be considered a full-grown man. I’m talking big rocks! 265 or more pounds. Not for the faint of heart. Guess what? Another implement that looked almost like a kettlebell resides in their training as well as stone throwing, hard core grappling, log lifting and throwing and heavy hammers. There is a reason that the Highland Games is so respected for the physical prowess that they displayed.
Guess what else shows up? Running. It was a popular test at the traditional Highland Games as well as sword dancing which is basically an agility-dot drill done over crossed swords and set to music. Their weapon of choice is the mighty Claymore and long broadsword. A big long heavy weapon that you’d better be pretty strong if you’re going to swing.
How’s this for tough? The initiation to some of the Irish fighting clans required you to lift a heavy manhood stone, dodge a spear while buried waist-deep in the ground and pull a thorn from your foot at full run without breaking stride. It’s a good thing that ain’t the application process for most sports teams now.
It also continues our trend of looking at the most effective training from the ancient world. I could go on and on, because you’re going to find the same basics if you look deeply into every strength culture from around the world. The Romans and Greeks, all you have to do is look at their mythology to see their strength training.
Samson of the bible, same thing. I even read recently about the training of the swordsmen and warriors of the Renaissance. Guess what showed up again? Bodyweight exercises, heavy swords, stone lifting and throwing, jumping exercises… big shocks.
So I’m going to boil this all down to a point for you. We think this jumping out into
the weird world of hardcore strongman training is new because we’ve been so conditioned to sit on our butt at the gym that we’ve totally lost touch with the reality of strength. When you venture out from the safe haven of cardio bikes and the pro-shop you find out exactly what we’ve found out. This training ain’t new. It may not be pretty. It’s probably the toughest thing you’ve ever seen or tried to do if you do it right. But it’s the most effective, man-making, bone-crushing, strength-building and never-quitting endurance training around.
That’s why they did it this way.
That’s why we’re doing it this way.
Why aren’t you?
Bud Jeffries is a professional performing strongman and former World Powerlifting Champion, World Record Holder, competitor in strongman competition, No-Holds Barred fighting, Highland Games, Girevoy Sport and more. He is the author of four books and ten training videos including a brand new book, Twisted Conditioning II – Advancing Concepts in Super Strength and Endurance Training, which is the next step in informational power to get you to the goals of world class strength, muscle and endurance while training with barbells, strongman and alternative conditioning exercises. Look for more information or products at www.strongerman.com.
