Training like a Spartan Warrior

We have all heard of the 300 workout that the actors of the film 300 in which 300 Spartan warriors held off the army of Xerxes I of Persia at the Battle of Thermopylae but how many people truly know the strength training of the real Spartan warrior.

Two thousand years ago the Spartan warriors of Sparta in Greece were well disciplined warriors who could fight with strength and speed two thousand years ago, today Ill tell you some of their strength training techniques.

Heavy Urn

The heavy urn is what you could say is the present day front squat. This involved having a heavy urn about waist height in size in front of you and squatting down to pick it up then bringing back to the ground.

Running Laden

One of the great techniques for building strength and endurance was a Spartan warrior running with a man on their back. This builds the legs primarily but also the upper body as well.

Bags of Grain

This involved having a piece of rope with a bag of grain tied at each end. The rope was put over the top of the back with the bags hanging just above knee height either side, the Spartan warrior would then move their body down from side to side as if you are training your Obliques. With the extra weight this is great for the upper body.

Rock Throwing

Yes, one great way to improve strength and endurance in the muscles of the arms and upper body was to literally pick up big rocks and throw them continuously at a tree. This also improved hand eye coordination for battle.

So why am I talking about this?

Well many people say they don’t have the time or money to visit a gym but the truth is that there are so many ways to build strength and endurance with no money as long as you have some space to train.

The Spartan warriors were among the best of their time and all they used to train and build strength were the everyday items they found around them.

Today is the day you can decide to take action and start using exercises, such as those used by the Spartans above, to get yourself fitter and stronger without costing any money and little time.

Why not get two old rucksacks and fill them with stone to use instead of the bags of grain that Spartans used. You can also use one of these rucksacks full of stone in place of the man on your back while running. For the urn you could replace this with a trash can filled with stone to a weight your comfortable with.

As you can see a little thought can produce some great alternatives to weight lifting in the gym.