By Brett & Kate McKay
 The Great Gama: undefeated wrestler, owner of a heroic mustache, and mace trainer.  | This post is brought to you by Onnit. Check out Onnit’s line of supplements and fitness gear including their new steel mace. | 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? The gada, or heavy mace, was the weapon of choice of Hindu soldiers as well as the Hindu deity Hanuman, an anthropomorphic monkey who can lift mountains with a single hand. According to the book Encyclopedia of Indian Physical Culture, 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. Today, the gada is used primarily by Pehlwani wrestlers in northern India and southern Pakistan. The most famous gada afficionado was the Great Gama (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! While the Indian Club 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. If you’re ready to harness your inner Hindu warrior, read on. Below, Mr. Know Your Lifts showcases six different exercises that you can perform with a heavy mace. Mace Grip Basics  To make an exercise harder, grip both hands near the end of the handle. To make exercises easier, move at least one hand closer to the weighted end. 360 
The 360 has been used by Hindu warriors and Pehlwani wrestlers for ages. It works the shoulders, chest, back, and forearms. Begin by holding the mace directly in front of you with your hands gripped closely together at the end of the handle. If your left hand is above your right hand, you’re going to push the mace ball over your right shoulder. The mace ball should swing behind your back. When it reaches your left shoulder, pull the mace over your left shoulder so that the mace is once again directly in front of you. Repeat several times. Switch up your hands so that your right hand is above your left, and push the mace ball over your left shoulder. Repeat swinging the mace in this direction several times. To see this exercise in action, check out this video of Diesel Crew’s Jedd Johnson performing the 360. Barbarian Squat 
The Barbarian Squat is a great full-body exercise. You’re working your upper as well as your lower body in a single movement. Begin in a standing position with the mace behind your neck. Start lowering your body into a squatting position while simultaneously bringing the mace to the front. You’ve successfully completed the exercise if you’re in a full squat and the mace is in front of you. Return to your starting position by standing while simultaneously bringing the mace back to its original position. Repeat. Dynamic Curl 
The Dynamic Curl works the forearms and biceps. Hold the mace with a mixed grip — one hand overhand and one underhand — with the hand near the mace ball-end holding the handle with an underhand grip. Lift the ball end with the hand closest to the mace ball. When the ball reaches the middle of the arc, switch your hands up by sliding the hand that was near the ball down towards the end of the handle and bringing the hand that was near the handle up closer to the ball end. When you’ve finished, the ball end should be on your other side and your mixed grip should be reversed — the hand that was originally overhand should be underhand; the hand that was originally underhand should now be overhand. Swing the mace back and forth like this for several repetitions. Spear Stab 
Hold the mace like you would a spear. Thrust as if you were an ancient Pauravaian warrior stabbing an a member of Alexander the Great’s Macedonian army in the Battle of the Hydaspes River. The closer both hands are to the handle, the more difficult this exercise will be. Switch up your hands and your stance to work the other side of your body. Grave Digger 
It’s time to bury all those imaginary Macedonian soldiers you just killed. Hold the mace like you would a shovel and pretend like you’re digging a hole in the ground with the mace ball. Repeat for several repetitions. Switch up your hands to work the other side of your body. Splitting Wood 
You’ll need a tire for this one. Just pretend like you’re splitting wood like a lumberjack. Start off with your non-dominant hand near the butt of the handle and your dominant hand placed near the mace’s head. Bring the mace head above your head. Swing down. As you swing, slide your dominant hand down the shaft of the mace for extra power. Switch up your hand placement to work the different sides of your body. 
  
By Brett
Welcome back to another episode of the Art of Manliness podcast! In this edition, we talk to author Marcus Brotherton about his new book, co-authored with Adam Makos: Voices of the Pacific: Untold Stories of the Marine Heroes of WWII. Marcus has written over 25 books, including New York Times bestseller We Who Are Alive and Remain: Untold Stories from the Band of Brothers. In addition to writing books, Marcus regularly writes at his blog, Men Who Lead Well, as well as at The Art of Manliness. Highlights from today’s show: - The three factors that made the battles in the Pacific some of the most atrocious of WWII.
- The average age of Marines fighting in the Pacific.
- Lessons that today’s man can take from the men who fought in the Pacific.
- Much more!
Listen to the podcast! Other ways to listen to the Art of Manliness podcast: Voices of the Pacific Giveaway 
A couple of weeks ago we gave away a copy of Voices of the Pacific in conjunction with an article from Marcus. If you weren’t lucky enough to win last time, here’s another chance. We’re giving away one more copy of Voices of the Pacific to one lucky Art of Manliness podcast listener. And this isn’t just any old copy of Voices of the Pacific. The inside has been signed by the authors as well as three of the WWII veterans interviewed in the book. Here’s your chance to own a piece of history! 
To enter, simply leave a comment below sharing your thoughts about what you heard on the podcast. Deadline to enter is Tuesday, April 30, 2013 at 5PM CDT. We’ll then draw a random comment to select the winner. 
  
By Jeremy Anderberg
Welcome to Day #17 of the AoM sandwich project. Last month we asked readers for their best sandwich recommendations. Out of 483 submissions, we picked 20 to highlight here on the site each weekday during the month of April. At the end, we'll publish all the entries into an epic man-sandwich cookbook. Enjoy. Today’s Sandwich: The Turkey & Cream Cheese by Brady Bellew I picked this one for its simplicity. It’s a cold-cut base, and not too much pizzazz. This is a classic turkey sandwich, with one little twist to give it some extra gusto. Let’s see how it went! Ingredients 
- Bread (I used sourdough)
- Butter
- Olive oil
- Turkey
- Cream cheese
- Swiss cheese
Step 1: Toast Bread  I used hearty slices of sourdough and they barely even fit in the toaster. Step 2: Spread Butter & Cream Cheese  I gave it a good slathering. I’ve learned from experience not to do a light spread when it comes to cream cheese on sandwiches. Step 3: Drizzle Olive Oil  You can see the drizzled oil on there. Step 4: Add Turkey 
Step 5: Add Swiss Cheese 
Finished Product
Taster’s Notes 
This is a good, normal lunch sandwich. I mean that as a compliment; you could eat this sandwich every day of the week for lunch without too much effort, and it wouldn’t feel like a splurge. I would probably leave out the butter and/or oil, as it feels like fatty overkill. I’m also curious why Brady decided to toast the bread. It made it a little bit tough to eat. Next time, I’d just use fresh bread, and it would definitely still be a winner. 
  
Reach 3+ million monthly visitors by advertising on Art of Manliness. Find out how. | 
0 comments:
Post a Comment