9 Ways Warriors Stayed Fit Through History: Videos

Between 1849 and 1886, a series of armed conflicts known as the Apache Wars took place between the U.S. Army and various Apache nations across the Southwest. The Apache fought to preserve their way of life and ultimately their survival in the face of white settlement on their lands.

Apache warriors, known for fierce hand-to-hand combat and guerrilla tactics, trained from a young age in both strength and endurance. Boys were schooled in archery and wrestling, and played games that emphasized long-distance running. Some accounts claim an Apache warrior was expected to run 50 miles without tiring.

In this Apache-inspired workout, Isuf starts with circuit training—squats, incline pushups and pull-ups—and finishes with a 3-mile run (nasal breathing only) for increased endurance.

The Aztecs were the last great empire of Mesoamerica, ultimately falling to Spanish conquistadors led by Hernán Cortés in 1521. The Aztecs ruled from their capital of Tenochtitlán, which at its peak housed up to 100,000 people and ranked among the largest cities in the world.

The name Aztec was coined by 19th-century European historians. The original name for the Nahuatl-speaking people of Tenochtitlán is Mexica (pronounced meh-SHEE-kah). Though the Mexica did practice human sacrifice to appease their gods, early Spanish chronicles greatly misunderstood and misrepresented their culture.

Warfare and conquest were central to the Mexica economy and society. The Mexica didn’t have a standing army, but all young men were trained in battle tactics. Top performers were chosen as Eagle and Jaguar warriors—elite fighters who took the battlefield dressed in eagle feathers and jaguar skins, harnessing the powers of these animals.

In this workout, Isuf focuses on exercises that developed the power and speed required for Mexica combat. The exercises for this workout include jump squats, kettlebell swings and a medicine ball throw.

The Egyptian military reached its apex during the New Kingdom (1550-1070 B.C.) using advanced weapons technology borrowed from an enemy invader. In 1650 B.C., Egypt was conquered by the Hyksos—soldiers from Syria armed with state-of-the-art weapons and speedy chariots. When Pharaoh Ahmose I liberated Egypt, he and other New Kingdom pharaohs adapted Hyksos weaponry to expand their empire.

The chariot became one of Egypt’s most formidable weapons. Lighter and faster than the Hyksos' model, the Egyptian chariot was pulled by two horses at speeds of up to 35 miles per hour. It carried two passengers: a driver and an archer. The archer wielded a composite bow made from layers of wood, animal horn and sinew cemented together by animal glues. The Egyptian composite bow, based on the Hyksos design, could shoot a bronze-tipped arrow more than 800 feet away.

Egyptian warriors trained in sports like archery, fencing and wrestling. The tomb of Baqet III at Beni Hasan includes hundreds of wall paintings of different wrestling moves, almost like an instruction manual.

For this workout, Isuf chose exercises that would provide the core stability and upper-body strength to balance on the back of a moving chariot. The exercises are Pallof presses for core muscle groups, Bulgarian split squats for lower-body stability and a heavy incline barbell press for explosive upper-body strength.

When Genghis Khan was born in 1162, the Mongols were an unorganized band of warring nomadic tribes on the Asian steppe. Two centuries later, the Mongol Empire was the largest the world had ever seen, covering 11 to 12 million contiguous square miles of Asia and Europe—a total area the size of Africa. Skilled and ruthless warriors, the Mongols ruled with surprising tolerance and innovation.

The Mongols were superb horsemen, a skill developed while hunting game on the steppes. Armed with powerful composite bows, horseback-riding Mongol hunters could turn in their saddles and shoot 360 degrees. Those archery and riding skills translated to the battlefield, where the Mongol cavalry became an unstoppable fighting machine.

Over centuries of empire-building, the Mongols killed untold millions of people and sacked entire cities in China, Persia and modern-day Eastern Europe. Their rulers also showed remarkable religious tolerance and the sheer size of the Mongol Empire spurred cross-continental trade.

For this workout, Isuf focuses on the muscle groups required to fire a heavy composite bow on the back of a fast-moving horse. Copenhagen planks for hip abductors, a sumo deadlift for lower-body strength and an isometric inclined row for working those arrow-shooting back muscles make up this routine.

Knights were the elite warrior class of the Middle Ages. Under orders from their lord or king, heavily armored knights were summoned to punish local bandits and wage wars in foreign lands. Most medieval knights were wealthy nobility who earned their ranks through long apprenticeships and battlefield valor.

Boucicaut, a legendary French knight, developed a rigorous training program to keep himself in fighting shape. He ran long distances in battle armor, trained with extra-heavy weapons and even climbed a ladder wearing 60 pounds of armor using only his hands.

For his “Medieval Knight” workout, Isuf took a page from Boucicaut’s book and chose exercises that promote “progressive overload”—small increases in resistance and repetitions that produce real results. The three exercises in this workout are deadlifts, overhead dumbbell presses and weighted pull-ups.

Sparta was unique among the ancient Greek city-states for its intensely regimented warrior culture. Spartan boys left home at seven and entered the agoge, an unforgiving military education system that bred tenacious and fiercely loyal fighters.

According to writers like Plutarch and Xenophon, the harsh conditions of the agoge were meant to build strength and resilience in the young trainees, the most promising of whom were chosen as leaders. Food was intentionally scarce and boys were encouraged to scrounge and steal for survival (if caught, they were flogged). There were healthy competitions like wrestling and foot races, but also no-holds-barred training battles where boys would bite, kick and gouge each other to win.

All of that rigorous and ruthless training paid off in battle. The Spartans were the most feared fighting force in ancient Greece, famous for their unquestioning bravery, even in the face of insurmountable odds. At the Battle of Thermopylae in 480 B.C., King Leonidas and his valiant 300 Spartan soldiers fought to the death against an overwhelming force of Persians under Xerxes I.

For this “Spartan Warrior” workout, Isuf chose a series of exercises designed to develop mental fortitude in addition to muscle power. The three challenging moves in this workout are weighted pushups, a weighted plank and “widow-maker” squats with a heavy barbell.

In the popular imagination, ninjas are silent, black-clad assassins brandishing swords and throwing stars. In reality, very little is known about these legendary Japanese warriors, whose chief skills were stealth and espionage, not combat.

According to accounts written centuries later, ninja or “shinobi” emerged in the 1400s as masters of disguise and intelligence gathering. Shinobi were hired by Japanese feudal lords to engage in tactics that were “dishonorable” under the samurai code. That included undercover work, counterintelligence and guerrilla warfare.

Where did the black ninja outfit originate? It’s believed that the stereotypical costume started as a stage device in traditional kabuki theater. The custom caught on in literature and later in film. As undercover spies, ninja would have worn whatever helped them blend into their surroundings. Their training challenged them to withstand extreme physical and psychological strain, including long stretches without food, water or sleep.

For a ninja-inspired workout, Isuf focused on agility and explosive strength. The three exercises are box jumps, the inchworm and pull-ups.

Gladiators were the professional athletes of ancient Rome. While many gladiators were enslaved people forced into combat, some gladiators were free Roman citizens—and even an emperor—who volunteered to fight in the arena for fame and fortune.

Gladiators didn’t always fight to the death. Gladiator battles had referees, and combatants could surrender at any point. It’s estimated that between 10 and 20 percent of gladiators died in the arena. Animals, however, were slaughtered by the thousands during staged “hunts” for major games.

When gladiatorial events became lucrative entertainment, gladiators started training at special schools employing the “tetrad” system. Over four-day training cycles, fighters would work all major muscle groups while honing combat and weapons skills.

For his “Gladiator” workout, Isuf came up with a training plan that emphasizes conditioning and explosive upper-body strength. The three exercises are burpees, inclined plyo pushups and overhead presses using a bar that’s equal to body weight.

The Vikings were seafaring people, primarily from Scandinavia, who raided villages and cities across Europe between A.D. 800 and 1100. Known as Norsemen (“Northmen”), Vikings didn’t wear horned helmets, but they did gain infamy for sacking settlements, looting everything of value and enslaving the young women and men.

Vikings were excellent shipbuilders whose oar-driven ships reached as far as North America around A.D. 1000. At various points in history, Vikings controlled large swaths of France (Normandy means “land of the Norsemen") and even the whole of England.

Viking culture prized strength and Viking men would compete to lift the heaviest stones. In this workout, Isuf looked for exercises that would help with rowing long distances and lifting heavy objects like fishing nets and stones. The three exercises are an inverted row, a broad jump and a heavy dead-lift using 90 percent of maximum weight.