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Ancient Roman gladiators lived and breathed combat. Only two things existed for them, victory or death. Gladiators need to be driven, not only to become the best they can be, but also to always be better than their opponent. Therefore, they need a separate training regimen to save their life in fighting competitions. This video will focus on ancient gladiator training techniques, consisting of the Gladiator Training Program, Exercises Details, Gladiator Equipment, Principles, and Nutrition. So, if you are looking for a perfect gladiator workout, let's see this video. Training Like an Ancient Roman Gladiator Mastering Roman Gladiator Boxing Gladiator Training Program The trainers of Roman gladiators did realize that in order to develop strength, speed, and stamina, the gladiators would need to do a variety of generic exercises in order to do that. Many of these were based on what was developed by the ancient Greeks. At the time of the Roman Empire, the most popular organization of training was based on the tetrade system developed by the ancient Greeks. This divided training into four-day cycles. Regarding exercise of the first day is made up of short, intense movements that stir up the athlete and prepare him for the hard workout to follow on the next day. The second day, this strenuous day, is an all-out test of his potential. The third day employs his energy in a moderate way. While on the day of the medium workout or last day, the athlete himself practices breaking holds and preventing his opponent from breaking away. Exercises Details Boxing and Pancration Boxing and Pancration, what we call MMA, were a very important part of training for any gladiator. Boxing was particularly useful when they had to fight without weapons or with limited armament. Gladiators would go through a structured training regimen that included a combination of physical fitness, combat techniques, and sparring. Physical Fitness Physical fitness for boxing mainly includes sandbag training. In addition to being used to practice boxing moves, a lot of things can be done with sandbags. One example of an exercise with a sandbag is rotation. This would be done by putting sandbags on your shoulders and then rotating your trunk from side to side about 500 times. Another exercise with sandbags is putting them on your shoulders and doing squats about 500 times. Combat Techniques Gladiator boxing techniques involve punches, blocks, footwork, and defensive maneuvers. They had to learn how to strike effectively and protect themselves from blows. And the last one in boxing training is sparring. Regular sparring matches were a fundamental part of gladiator boxing training. Fierce eyes and rippling muscles soaked in sweat will make the practice match more realistic than ever. This allows them to practice their boxing skills against fellow trainees in a safe and controlled environment. Vigorous Exercises These were exercises focused on strength, including digging, picking up any kind of heavy load like a rock or sandbag, and either walking still with it, especially up a hill, holding arms up with a sandbag or rock while a partner tried pushing them in a downwards direction. This shows that Romans had an understanding of weights to force strength and muscles. Speed Exercises The exercise goes like this. Start by standing on tiptoes. Stretch your arms upwards. Move one arm forward while moving the other one backwards. Roll quickly on the ground. Quickly come up, stand erect, and start jumping up and down, sometimes with a backward kick, sometimes bringing each leg forward in an alternating fashion. It would be scary for those with vestibular problems, but not for Roman gladiators. Violent Exercises These combine speed and strength. Exercises classified as vigorous became violent if you increased their speed, like jumping continuously without rest, or any speed exercises performed with weight became violent, like moving around quickly in heavy armor. So it was essential for a rest between the different individual exercises. Jumping Jumping was a very important component of any gladiatorial training. This included different types like jumping on high objects, sometimes with weights in hand, or doing an obstacle course where you had to jump over different obstacles in different ways. One example of an exercise that was a favorite among trainers was the scissors jump, which is an exercise that is still in use today. Running Running also featured prominently in the workouts of gladiators, either short distance for speed or long distance for stamina. This exercise has a vital place in a training routine, and is especially recommended running on sand. The sound of the waves crashing and the soft sand underfoot can strengthen your feet and ankles, which can make you more resistant to injury over time. They would do things that we do today like lateral raises, bicep curls, or walking lunges. And sometimes they did them with arms outstretched in front of them when holding the halteras. Rope climbing The gladiators also spent more time climbing ropes. These ropes hung from the ceiling, but oftentimes they were secured to the ground as well. With each ascent and every precarious grip, the gladiators were forging not just their physical might, but a vice-like grip capable of controlling even the deadliest of weapons. Another favorite activity of the trainers was to have the gladiators hang off ledges or beams for as long as they could. Their sinewy bodies suspended in mid-air served to build a grip as well as other muscles, especially the stabilizers. Bath It may seem strange to include bathing in an exercise program, but it works. Baths were a common way of relaxation and recovery in ancient Rome, and many sections of Roman society used baths regularly. To help with recovery, many of the gladiatorial schools included bath complexes, which the gladiators used after training. These baths often resembled what we know as spas in the modern world, and included tanks of cold, warm, and hot water, and apart from relaxation, could also be used for swimming.