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In 264 BC when the first Gladiator contests were held, the men and women (yes there were a few women!) who fought each other were prisoners and slaves. They were not trained warriors who understood the art of killing. The condemned to die were simply thrown into a ring and made to kill each other. At the peak of its popularity in about 65 BC, Julius Caesar was emperor and the Gladiator competitions had been going on for over 300 hundred years! It’s hard to imagine how much the sport changed in that period of time. At first the gladiators fought to win so that they might live a while longer, although they were certain to die eventually. Some were guaranteed death as they were made to fight ten lions with no weapon or armor! It wasn’t long after its beginning stages that gladiator fights became professional; the athletes involved were full time gladiators. Gladiators were slaves to their master and did nothing but fight. They trained long hard hours and engaged in grueling battles in amphitheaters for the entertainment of the masses. Unlike the first gladiators who were unknown to the crowd, the later gladiators were famous and stayed alive as long as they kept winning. Some gladiators became so popular that they were known around the world. Many warriors, fighters, and military men outside of the amphitheaters saw this and realized the potential fame that could be fought for an earned. It was at that time that the gladiator games became truly professional. Instead of two starving and untrained slaves swinging swords at each other, the crowd was able to enjoy the spectacle of watching the strongest warriors in the world clash and slaughter each other. Historians claim that by the end of the Roman Empire, nearly half of the gladiators involved were volunteers.
We probably wont ever see fights to the death involving lions and bears in our modern world, but we do have our own forms of serious competition. Look at the way gladiator fighting changed over the years. Now think about the sport that you are involved or have been involved with. Where will it be after 300 years of evolution? The game of football is evolving in a manner similar to what the gladiator fights did. Football players started out being small, week, slow, and possessed half the athletic skills of today’s better high-school players. The sport has changed so much that now many receivers and defensive backs are bigger and a heck of a lot stronger than the lineman of old. And the shift continues as the sport keeps gaining popularity. 100 years ago the strongest man in the world, Arthur Saxon, was a mere 200 pounds. These days a 300 pound strongman like myself is considered to be undersized. In 1950 Steve Reeves won the Mr. Universe title at just 215 pounds and was believed to be the most muscular human on the planet. Imagine him in his prime standing next to Vander, Big A, BigKiwi and myself. He would look like an average guy compared to us modern freaks. Every high school in the country has a dozen or more 215 pound kids lifting weights in gym. Imagine where bodybuilding and strength athletics will be in 10, 20 or 50 years. What do you need to do to keep up? What do you need to do to win?
In the words of Duffy Daugherty, “ When you’re are playing for the national championship, it’s not a matter of life or death. It’s more important than that.” In our modern sports the loser isn’t killed. However, in order to perform your best you must compete like your life is at stake. To be your best; to exceed your maximum potential; you must train every day of your athletic carrier with the intensity, mind set and strength of a GLADIATOR!
Best of luck!
Squatter
We probably wont ever see fights to the death involving lions and bears in our modern world, but we do have our own forms of serious competition. Look at the way gladiator fighting changed over the years. Now think about the sport that you are involved or have been involved with. Where will it be after 300 years of evolution? The game of football is evolving in a manner similar to what the gladiator fights did. Football players started out being small, week, slow, and possessed half the athletic skills of today’s better high-school players. The sport has changed so much that now many receivers and defensive backs are bigger and a heck of a lot stronger than the lineman of old. And the shift continues as the sport keeps gaining popularity. 100 years ago the strongest man in the world, Arthur Saxon, was a mere 200 pounds. These days a 300 pound strongman like myself is considered to be undersized. In 1950 Steve Reeves won the Mr. Universe title at just 215 pounds and was believed to be the most muscular human on the planet. Imagine him in his prime standing next to Vander, Big A, BigKiwi and myself. He would look like an average guy compared to us modern freaks. Every high school in the country has a dozen or more 215 pound kids lifting weights in gym. Imagine where bodybuilding and strength athletics will be in 10, 20 or 50 years. What do you need to do to keep up? What do you need to do to win?
In the words of Duffy Daugherty, “ When you’re are playing for the national championship, it’s not a matter of life or death. It’s more important than that.” In our modern sports the loser isn’t killed. However, in order to perform your best you must compete like your life is at stake. To be your best; to exceed your maximum potential; you must train every day of your athletic carrier with the intensity, mind set and strength of a GLADIATOR!
Best of luck!
Squatter
