Ellefante son e un castello porto per chargo/ E non mi inzinochio ne perdo vargo
I am the elephant, and a castle I carry as cargo/ And I do not kneel nor lose my stride
Something I NEVER thought I’d write about in a fitness blog – how a Medieval manuscript on sword fighting translates to the strength work we do in the gym. Yup, you read that right. One of our private training clients specializes is Medieval sword fighting, so he sent this to me explaining that all of my corrections of “open your hips” and “weight back in your heels” all made sense when he read this.
So here’s the background: This is from the Fior di Battaglia – or “The Flower of Battle” – a manuscript created as a gift for a wealthy Italian noble, Niccolò III, Marquis d’Este. Seeing as books were completely hand written, making an entire book for someone was kind of a big deal.
I want to focus on the elephant in the image. The elephant is strong, but in order to carry a heavy load, the load must be centered properly. When this is done, the load can be carried anywhere without issue. Take a moment to think about weight loads you carry on a daily basis or even at the gym. When you carry your groceries into the house, where do you carry them? Where do you place your child when you carry them? When you squat in the gym, where should your weight be?
When weight is moved properly, it’s done from a “centered” position – that is, our body will move in such a way that the weight is “balanced” or “centered” so as to not topple us. So, in a way, we’re “centering our cargo” to “not kneel or lose stride”
Pretty cool that this concept isn’t new – and that while fitness fads have come and gone, the enduring lesson of proper strength through good form is a philosophy that has stood the test of time.
So be sure to “center your elephant” the next time you’re in class or carrying groceries into the house. You’ll be able to move more weight for a longer period of time.