Jonny Pain on The Evolution of Strength & Endurance Training

The concept of strength training for strength or endurance is not new. Indeed, warriors, messengers, royalty and the oppressed the world over have been using training of some variety or another to augment their overall capability for as long as we have existed. For instance, the ability to express raw strength and power and the ability to fight have long been considered to be mainstays of many/most cultures interpretation of a ‘strong’ individual since the dawn of time.

Consider that leaders could be chosen based on the ability to heft a rock the furthest and that, those leaders were potentially deposed by men and women who realised that hurling a smaller rock directly at their heads may be a quicker way to higher status and we have the makings of an argument for both ‘skills’ as being desirable.

We can stretch this (already tired) analogy further if we think that, to chuck a rock at someone’s head there may be a requirement for some cardio to catch them in the first place and add to that the potential that someone may intervene by trying to prize it from our grasp and we have the makings of an argument for concurrently training all of the above.

Strength training in its rawest form might have been simply lifting logs, stones or whatever one might find continuously enough to stumble upon a stimulus. Endurance training might well have been the most applicable style of training possible as to get better at being able to cover distance made us more likely to chase down prey, migrate for better foraging or simply to run away from any would be attacker.

I’d argue that one of the most practiced and practical physical qualities known to mankind is the ability to carry load for distance. The most obvious rationale for this opinion being that if you persisted enough and your hunt was successful, the likelihood was that you’d have to carry that prize back to those you might wish to sustain.

‘I caught an antelope!!’

‘Well done Dave, where is it?’

‘Oh, it was too heavy to carry back so I just left it.’

Not a chat that keeps Dave on the team long!

So, in order that you don’t end up like Dave, we crafted a Ruck Workout to get you started. We can’t promise you’ll be able to carry an antelope 50 miles home but we can promise that you’ll reap incredible benefits nonetheless!

Let us know how you get on!

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