How Ancient Greeks Got So Fit

Calisthenics is a system of exercises using body weight to improve strength and fitness, originating in ancient Greece.You Are Your Own Gym uses body weight exercises to build strength and fitness. Ancient Greeks called these bodyweight exercises kallos sthenos (beautiful strength). Fitness enthusiasts revived this term in the 19th century, focusing on the classics.

Bodyweight training offers clear advantages. You avoid costly exercise equipment because your body and gravity supply all the necessary resistance. Exercises exist for all levels, from the simple push-up to the advanced muscle-up.

Since ancient Athens lacked treadmills or dumbbells, beautiful strength achieved its goal.

Ancient Greek sprinters trained on sand instead of hard surfaces to build speed and power. Sand proved harder to run on, developing leg muscles and aerobic endurance.

Athletes ran in full battle armor to add resistance. This practice proved helpful during the Battle of Marathon.Battle of MarathonGreek troops ran to quickly close the gap against the Persian infantry, avoiding deadly arrow strikes from archers.

Running on sand offers benefits. The softer surface lessens joint impact. Sand's instability recruits smaller muscles, and the difficulty burns about 1.5 times the calories of running on a conventional surface.It builds speed and endurance using sand, increasing calories by 1.5 times.Boxers used digging sand from the gymnasium floor as an exercise.

The αποθεραπεια, or "recovery," mattered in ancient Greek training. Athletes scraped oil, sweat, and grime off their skin with a strigilThe process followed with a massage and a relaxing bath. Galen, the Greek physician, wrote about the good effects of hot and cold baths post-training. Hippocrates told athletes to walk after training to speed recovery.

The ideas about cool-downs remain relevant for thousands of years. Ending a workout correctly stops injuries, regulates blood flow, and restores body temperature.

The Greeks trained with intense focus. Pankration showed the all-out effort. It served as a precursor to mixed martial arts, featuring few rules. The sport's name meant "all of the power," allowing nearly anything.

Referees used rods to enforce rules; biting and eye-gouging were banned. The Spartan version had no such limits. The fight stopped only when a competitor surrendered or the referee called it.Philo of Alexandria described a pankration where one fighter's will to continue mattered.

In a pankration contest, a man threw well-directed blows with his hands and feet. He left nothing undone that could win him victory, but he gave up. He got worn out and left the stadium without a crown.

The man taking the hits had solid flesh. He was mean and tough. He showed the athlete's spirit and all muscle, like stone or iron.He did not yield to the blows. His toughness and endurance broke his opponent's force until he won the final victory.Pankration required fighters to train for this event as if their lives depended on it; they almost certainly did.

Pankration also served military training at the battle ofThermopylae, the last Spartans fought with bare hands.

It makes sense that the Persians struggled to gain a hold in Greece.

Milo of Croton(or Kroton) gained great strength by carrying and training with a newborn calf daily as a child. As the calf matured and gained weight, Milo grew stronger daily. When the bull reached full size and Milo hit superhuman strength, he killed and ate his training partner in one meal.

This is one of many stories about Milo's strength feats. He won six Olympic wrestling titles. Greco-Roman writers often viewed Milo critically, seeing him as someone who valued muscle over intellect. The Roman statesmanCiceroCicero harshly criticized the legendary athlete. Milo allegedly died shamefully when he tried to split a tree with his bare hands to show off his strength. He got stuck and was eaten by wolves; artists show the scene with a lion.

The training behind the bull story is not about bulls. Starting small and increasing difficulty over time is a practice in strength and cardio training. You can do this with dumbbells if a calf is not available.

The first recorded Olympic games happened in 776 BCE (they might have started earlier). A cook namedKoroiboswon the only event: the station race, about 600 feet. He won the grand prize of an apple for his achievement.

Over time, the games added more events. These included running, boxing, wrestling, pankration, and equestrian events. Prizes grew in splendor, and the glory for winners increased.

Ancient Olympic champions received anolive wreathand a jar of olive oil. The decorative amphoras holding the oil were treasured art. The Panathenaic Games occurred every four years in Athens. These games included team sports open only to city citizens. Each of Athens' 10 tribes competed for cash prizes and oxen.

Greek athletes competed in many games for individual pride or tribal glory. A big prize started a new era of professional athletic training. Seeking sporting excellence pushed athletes and united the Greek world.

The Greeks trained without clothes. The word for gymnasium comes from the Greek wordgymnos,which means naked. Most Greeks only trained physically. The main exception wasSparta, women also trained in the buff outdoors, perhaps explaining the Spartans' obsession with working out.

Today, showing up at the gym just smiling isn't smart. Still, the Greek idea holds merit. If Greeks got fit without clothes, why spend money on fitness gear?

For Greeks, physical fitness was a civic duty, not just a lifestyle. City-states needed many fit citizens for defense.

Philosopher Socrates never wrote anything down. His former students recorded his ideasXenophon and Platorecorded his ideas. Socrates's fitness views were mentionedin a lecture to a young man with poor physical condition.Besides, growing old carelessly before seeing your physical limits is a disgrace. But you cannot see this if you are careless; it won't happen by itself.

Greek doctors focused on athlete training to learn anatomy and how the body works. Philostratus wrote one of the first sports texts,

Greek physicians studied athlete training closely. They sought to better understand human anatomy and body function. Philostratus wrote one of the first sports writings.Gymnasticus, around 2,000 years ago.

Ancient Greece first created a structured workout plan. This plan included a warm-up, main exercise, and cool-down. This plan used evidence.

Legend says a Greek runner named Pheidippides ran 26 miles to Athens after the Marathon battle. He ran to Sparta first to ask for the city's help.

mix of different sources, some written centuries later. Ancient writers usually see it as a romantic idea.In ancient Greece, long-distance running served communication, not sport. There was no marathon race in the ancient Olympics; the closest event was thedolichos

In ancient Greece, running long distances served communication, not sport. The ancient Olympics lacked a marathon race. The closest event was the dolichosAthletes ran about three miles. Running mattered to the Greeks. Women could not compete in the Olympics, but a festival honored the goddess Hera.Women competed for glory in a footrace.The Greeks understood the need for cardio. Remember this next time you skip the elliptical.

The Greeks knew they must never skip cardio. Keep this in mind before skipping the elliptical.

Greeks used olive oil on their skin for training. This liquid held special importance for the Greeks, especially Athens citizens.legendThe goddess Athena and Zeus's brother Poseidon competed for the city's people's favor with gifts. Poseidon offered a fountain, but it held seawater. Athena gave a better gift: an olive tree. The people named their city Athens, and Athena became its protector.

The Greeks trained nude. Olive oil protected muscles and controlled body temperature. It also helped competitive wrestlers; oil made it harder to grab an opponent. Modern combat sports do not use this move, but olive oil still offers dietary benefits.

Olive oil provides polyunsaturated fats and antioxidants.Research indicates olive oil can help prevent cancer.Olive oil can also help prevent cancer.

A finely tuned body needs premium fuel, just like a sports car. Ancient Greek diets supported an athletic life. They ate little during the day; dinner was the main meal. Greeks ate fish, olives, eggs, and vegetables. Only rich people often ate meat in city-states.

Spartans valued physical fitness above all else. Sparta measured wealth by a man's six-pack, not land. Spartans ate a black broth to fuel training and military campaigns.

The exact recipe is lost. Ancient accounts offer enough detail to form a good idea of the dish.Plutarch wrote:

Spartans valued the black broth highly. Elderly men skipped meat, leaving it for young men. They poured the broth themselves for meals.

The color came from pig's blood. Salt and vinegar seasoned it. Sparta was not Flavortown. Meat came from ritual sacrifice leftovers. Blood soup is not required for fitness, nor is eating meat. Any trainer will stress the need for enoughprotein consumption.