{"id":32665,"date":"2013-04-23T16:02:47","date_gmt":"2013-04-23T21:02:47","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.artofmanliness.com\/?p=32665"},"modified":"2021-06-01T11:11:21","modified_gmt":"2021-06-01T16:11:21","slug":"train-like-an-ancient-hindu-warrior-the-steel-mace-workout","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/beta.artofmanliness.com\/health-fitness\/fitness\/train-like-an-ancient-hindu-warrior-the-steel-mace-workout\/","title":{"rendered":"Train Like an Ancient Hindu Warrior: The Steel Mace Workout"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The Great Gama: undefeated wrestler, owner of a heroic mustache, and mace trainer.<\/p><\/div>\n\n\n\n
\"OnnitLogo_125x125_WG\"<\/a><\/td>\nThis post is brought to you by Onnit<\/a>. Check out Onnit’s line of supplements and fitness gear including their new steel mace<\/a>.<\/em><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Looking for a new workout? How about one that was used by Hindu warriors over 2,000 years ago and still used by Pehlwani wrestlers today?<\/p>\n

The gada, or heavy mace, was the weapon of choice of Hindu soldiers as well as the Hindu deity Hanuman<\/a>, an anthropomorphic monkey who can lift mountains with a single hand. According to the book Encyclopedia of Indian Physical Culture<\/em><\/a>, warriors during the Puranic age would engage in mace training early in the morning along with wrestling, archery, and swordsmanship. Besides dueling one another with gadas, warriors would swing heavier versions — usually made with a bamboo stick with a heavy stone at one end — behind their backs in order to strengthen their backs, chests, shoulders, forearms, and fingers. Because of their rigorous physical and tactical training, Hindu warriors were some of the fiercest of the ancient world.<\/p>\n

Today, the gada is used primarily by Pehlwani wrestlers<\/a> in northern India and southern Pakistan. The most famous gada afficionado was the Great Gama <\/a>(pictured above), the only undefeated Pehlwani wrestler in history. By the looks of it, his mustache also trained with a gada. That thing is a beast!<\/p>\n

While the Indian Club<\/a> enjoyed popular use among Western exercise enthusiasts as early as the 19th century, gada training for some reason didn’t catch on until very recently. Mixed martial artists in the West have taken up heavy mace training as a way to strengthen the muscles involved with throwing opponents to the mat. Functional fitness and natural movement practitioners have also taken to mace training because it provides such an amazing full-body workout<\/a>.<\/p>\n

If you’re ready to harness your inner Hindu warrior, read on. Below, Mr. Know Your Lifts<\/a> showcases six different exercises that you can perform with a heavy mace.<\/p>\n

Watch the Video<\/h3>\n