Absolutely, aesthetic physique, if I may be so bold.
Greetings, my esteemed subscribing tons.
I'm checking in with a few thoughts regarding ancient Greek physique ideals.
Now I saw a thread on Twitter that sparked a controversy, so I just thought to chime in with my own take on the matter.
Now this is not a response to the initial thread by the Reddit historian.
I'm just sharing some insights with you, my dear audience.
Now, first thing to keep in mind, and this is especially important for guys who haven't been in the gym to know, and that is you have to make a difference between different types of physiques.
So you have on one side, you have the physique of Gerard Butler in 300.
He plays Leonidas, and this has always been my own physique ideal.
This has always been what I have strived for personally.
This is a natural physique, an athletic physique.
This is definitely what an ancient Greek soldier could have looked like.
Now, something to keep in mind that the style, the aesthetic of 300, the film, it looks a bit special, so to speak.
So they do, of course, use shadows and the light in a certain way to create a certain look.
So if you would see Leonidas in that case without those shadows and light, he would have looked more natural, so to speak.
So it's still a natural physique.
It's definitely what they could have looked like.
And this is a physique that looks great and is strong and is also durable.
Now you can contrast this with a modern bodybuilder.
Now this is of course a result of sure hard training, but ultimately also a rigorous medication regimen.
So when we're talking about a heroic, aesthetic, strong physique, we're not talking about a modern bodybuilder.
And of course, yes, these modern bodybuilders, they wouldn't be able to do the soldiering activities of the ancient Greeks.
So my main point to anyone who doesn't train, it's a huge difference between an athletic physique such as the one Gerard Butler portrays in 300 and a modern bodybuilder.
And when we're saying that the ancient Greeks were jacked, when we're looking at ancient statues, we are thinking about the more athletic, natural look.
We're not talking about the bodybuilding look.
So important distinction, but for guys who haven't been in the gym, it's very important to point out.
So this, they are not the same.
Now I thought to share my own experiences from my nominally mandatory year in the Swedish army.
So you do need a core strength to begin with.
You need to be decently muscled to be able to carry your backpack, your ammunition and your weapon, especially if you have a heavier weapon system as the FN Mag 58, which I had.
And yeah, you had to have a certain level of strength to be able to handle it.
And then of course also carrying all of that equipment when you have to march through a forest, you have to run up a hill.
It takes a lot of strength, especially in your back, your legs, your core.
So perhaps not the aesthetic of someone with massive arms and no legs and stuff, but an athletic physique, something you would see on the statues of an ancient Greek.
So I would say that if you train for the army, do have a decent muscle mass to begin with so that you can carry your stuff because it's quite hard when you have to carry it for a long time.
Then of course also, perhaps the main thing that you have to train your cardio, you have to be prepared for these long endurance marches where both come into play, both strength and endurance and mental toughness and everything like that.
So yes, a good soldier does not look like a modern bodybuilder as I just showed, but he could look similar to an ancient Greek statue.
And keep in mind also that, you know, your daily form, your daily shape, it looks different due to a wide variety of reasons.
Sometimes you look more shredded, sometimes you look a bit more bloated.
Having a bit of extra fat can be good also, so you have some extra energy in the field.
Now, for reference, to use another personal example, I have a very good friend, shout out William.
He is actually an elite soldier and he could definitely have starred with the Spartans in the 300 film.
So he is very strong, muscular, and he also runs marathons.
So I would say he is a good combination of, you know, having enough muscle mass to be able to carry all of this, to be able to carry all of this equipment, to be able to carry a wounded comrade on your back, and at the same time you have cardio, so you can just push through for days on end.
Now, lastly, if we do want to know what the ideals were back in the day, back in good old ancient Greece, we can simply look at their statues.
Now, anyway, my main point with this video is that there is a difference between a nice natural athletic physique and a modern pro bodybuilder.
So you shouldn't confuse two and in my humble opinion, the natural athletic physique, which I believe that the ancient Greek hoplites could very well have looked like.
That is the ultimate physique the ancient Greeks knew about aesthetics and physical perfection.
Now, thank you for watching.
Do check out all links in the description box below and admire my physique.
Always the most important part of any video I make.
