April
Train Like A God
Fitness Stone: Citrine
It should come as no surprise that for eons man has attempted to become a reflection of the gods. This usually means becoming very fit and the “idealistic” version of physical achievement. For a long while the Greek gods were viewed as the most “ideal” version of physical form, primarily due to the fact that Greek gods have been so readily captured in sculpture, paintings, illustrations, and literistic formats. This is why we now have the Olympics and the bodybuilding competition of “Mr./Mrs.Olympia”. The ideal has started to switch over to nordic gods with the popularity of the Thor films and the fact that the strongest man (according to strongman competitions) is currently Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson, who played The Mountain on Game of Thrones.
Training like a god can be considered a heathen mindset. Pick the god or goddess of your choice and crosstrain to become closer, in a physical manner, to them. Despite what you may think, it’s not all about muscles and strength training. Let’s look at various activities and what gods/goddesses are associated with those activities.
Running - Hermes (anything with speed), Atalanta, Maui
Swimming - Poseidon, Sobek, Kanaloa
Combative Sports - Athena, Sekhmet, Montu, Maahes, Set, Odin, Tyr, Ku, Durga
Archery - Apollo, Artemis, Neith, Satet, Ullr
Strength - Atlas, Zeus, Herakles, Khepri, Thor, Kane, Pavarti
Dance - Dionysus, Hathor, Laka, Shiva
Rowing - Horus, Ra, Baldr
Usually when people set their minds to training like a god, they develop a cross-training regime. Cross-training is where you train in your favored field of choice, but you also train in other ways that will benefit your favored training. A good example of this would be Steve McLendon of the Steelers (football), who also trains in ballet and has since his senior year of college. We all know football, but what about ballet? It’s not just dancing, it’s a combination of flexibility, strength, and rigid dance movements. What ballet does for a football player is help to keep the body limber, keeps the player light on their feet, and can help prevent injury by increasing flexibility and joint mobility. The most common form of cross-training that you will read about is a combination of cardio and strength training.
One thing that all the various gods and goddesses have in common is functional musculature. They aren’t just strong at the gym, they have a strong body built for hard work, war, and the hunt. Also, not everyone is going to be cut the same. Dancers tend to have long, lean muscles, while swimmers tend to have more upper body strength. Strongman and powerlifters can be quite thick and bulky, while crossfitters tend to be more ideally buff.
How Can You Start Training Like A God?
Choose your main modality. What do you like to do? What god/goddess do you idolize?
Choose your cross-training modality. What would you like to additionally add to your workout? Speed? Strength? Precision? Quick thinking?
Pick a place to train. If you want great strength, but are new to strength training, find a place to learn proper techniques. The same goes for all modalities.
Start with a three-day a week training program with two regular days and one heavy day. On your two regular days work on your main modality for 60 minutes. On the heavy day work on your main modality for 30 minutes and your cross-training modality for 30 minutes. After 3-4 weeks, increase to a 4 or 5 day training program with 4-5 regular days and 2-3 heavy days.
The beauty of a training regime like this is that you can switch it up each month or every two months or even every quarter. It’s best to get started to figure out where you are and what your first goals will be. Work hard to achieve those goals, then set some new ones.
This month’s stone is Citrine. Citrine is a translucent golden yellow stone that can really help you strengthen your willpower! It can also help boost happiness and reaching your goals. This is a great stone for the Fit Witches out there because it helps you achieve what you want to achieve. It’s also tied to the sun and is said to provide physical energy. You can add citrine to your water bottle or carry a piece in your gym bag.
Fit Witch is a regular article that focuses on health, fitness, and how it relates to pagans and heathens. Any questions or comments can be sent to the author, Jessie. #FitWitch #PowerliftingViking #HealthGoth