When you go into any modern day gym, it is hard to recognize what the true reason for physical training is. Everyone is talking about burning calories, building specific muscle groups, maximizing their workouts with scientific date, etc. Now don't get me wrong, burning fat and building a functionally muscular body are great goals. I just think we could learn something from Ancient Warriors that would make out training even better.

Modern Training Has Lost Its Roots

The truth is, the history of physical training, or working out, is based in war. Ancient warriors would train so they would be prepared to protect themselves, their families and their property from attack.

Their training was not so much about looking better, but performing better. I think modern day exercisers should take this cue from Ancient Warriors.

Physical Training Is Initially About Survival

Training, and getting the physical improvements from training, was not about looking good in spandex or taking your shirt off at the beach. Their motivation for training was nothing less than SURVIVAL. If you were unfit, you didn't survive!

Talk about a great motivator to use the best methods and get really great results! If they failed to have the physical abilities necessary to defend themselves... they would pay the ultimate price. Imagine workout out as if your life depended on it. (By the way it does, just most people have lost sight of it or don't view it with any urgency).

The Reason Combining Bodyweight And Dumbbell Workouts Is Best

When you think about Ancient Warriors, what image comes to mind. For me, I see a strong fit individual with some type of weight objects (weapons) in their hands. So, if you were training to be a better warrior, how would you train? Does combining bodyweight exercise and dumbbell training come to mind?

Forget about what the bodybuilding community tells you about training muscles. Exercise is really about movement. Two types of movement really... The movement of your own body AND the movement of objects.

Bodyweight calisthenics are the best way to train your body to move in the way it most naturally moves. Every movement of the body can be trained and improved with bodyweight exercises.

On the other hand, dumbbells are the best way to train the body to move objects. You can use dumbbells in unison, one limb at a time or in an alternating manner. These movements with weighted resistance are closely related to the way you move in the real world. So, training with dumbbells leads to more improvements you can actually use to meet the challenges of sport, work and life.

Just like an Ancient Warrior, combining bodyweight and dumbbell workouts are the best way to build a strong, attractive and functional body.

If you want to get real fitness, fat loss and physique building results you can use in the real world, combining bodyweight and dumbbells is a great option. Forget about strapping yourself into some machine that has no relation to any movement you'll do in the real world. Act as if you life depended on getting results (it does), and use the best tools for the job.

If I needed to get results, I'd do what the Ancient warriors instinctively knew. I'd combine bodyweight exercises and hand help weighted resistance to build a strong, body that performs well regardless of what life throws at me.