#69 - Ancient Greek Wisdom Meets Modern Fitness: Elevating Your Gym Experience

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Ever wondered how ancient Greek philosophy could possibly have a thing to say about your gym routine? Prepare to be enlightened as we journey through the principles of Plato, Epictetus, and Seneca, and uncover their unexpected relevance to modern fitness and personal growth. This episode of Way of Life with Gus Holland isn't your typical philosophy class; it's a fusion of mental might and physical prowess, promising to leave you with a renewed perspective on the weight you lift and the thoughts you carry.

Join me in a stimulating session where we transcend the clang of dumbbells and delve into the realm of the mind. Discover how the Greeks' pursuit of excellence and the Stoic teachings on resilience can revolutionize your approach to challenges both in the gym and in life. It's not just about muscle development but mental fortitude, as each rep becomes a step toward self-betterment. So, whether you're a fitness enthusiast seeking deeper motivation or a thinker with an appetite for physical vigor, tune in for an episode that marries the wisdom of the ages with the sweat of today's grind.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Welcome back to another episode of Way of Life.
I'm your host, gus Holland.
I wanna give a big shout out toeveryone that's been supporting
the podcast.
It has really been seeing somegrowth and I greatly appreciate
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(00:22):
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(00:45):
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Everything is greatlyappreciated.
Let's go ahead and get intotoday's episode.
So, as y'all know, I havealready done several episodes on
the history of weightlifting,especially throughout different

(01:07):
cultures, and we've even coveredsome philosophies, whether it's
training philosophy or justgood ideals to live by.
I would say that today is inthat same realm, but obviously
it's gonna be slightly different.

(01:27):
So I'm sure you're all familiarwith or at least most of you
are familiar with the wholeTikTok and Instagram trend of
taking different quotes fromdifferent philosophers or even
Greek warriors and applyingthose to almost like to create a

(01:49):
hype video, which is awesome.
I'm definitely not hating onthat.
If that helps you, you shoulddo that or watch that.
Today I'm gonna be coveringslightly broader philosophies.
Some of these philosophersyou've probably heard of, such
as Plato, but I'm going toexplore some, I guess, slightly

(02:12):
less popular theories andphilosophies, kind of string
them together and hopefullyit'll help motivate you all for
the rest of the week and whetherit's inside the gym or outside
of the gym.
So I wrote some of this down soit might sound kind of like I'm
reading it, but I really wannaget this point across.
So in the world of weightlifting, we often find ourselves like

(02:34):
immersed or covered up in thephysical realm of things.
You're trying to push yourbodies to the limit, striving
for new goals or differentweights, different measures of
strength and power, but beneathall of this lies something
that's even greater than justthe mere act of lifting weights.

(02:57):
So today we're going to delveinto the wisdom of the ancient
Greeks.
So, as I've mentionedpreviously, plato is one of them
.
We're also gonna be touching onepicetides in Seneca, just to
name a few.
So one thing that the ancientGreeks definitely understood was

(03:21):
the transformative power of aphysical discipline and
especially the focus on thepursuit of excellence.
So, speaking of Plato, in hiswriting called the Republic, he
speaks of the soul as beingsimilar to a charioteer, so

(03:45):
someone who is the driver of thechariot, basically guiding two
horses.
One horse represents reason andthe other one represents
passion.
So obviously, if you're askilled charioteer, you have to
make the two horses worktogether to achieve the goal.

(04:08):
So by harmonizing the forces ofpassion and reason, you're able
to achieve victory.
So, with this in mind, we mustbalance our intellect with our
primal instincts on our path togreatness.
So in the gym, you face similarchallenges.

(04:28):
You have to harness yourintelligence in order to develop
proper form and techniquebreathing, bracing, programming,
you name it while alsochanneling your passion in order
to push through barriers andyour obstacles.
So obviously this isn't justtouching on the mind-muscle

(04:52):
connection, but also just themental break of overcoming a new
PR or even just a change inyour programming that you're not
100% comfortable with.
So that's when motivationalthings really come into play,
whether positive or negative,whether sourced from positive or

(05:15):
negative sources.
These are the tools that we useto sculpt greatness.
So the ancient Stoics, epictidesand Seneca, as well as others,
taught us the importance ofembracing challenges and also
overcoming adversity and takingthem as opportunities for growth

(05:36):
.
So Seneca famously wrote whatman can you show me who places
any value on his time, whoreckons the worth of each day,
who understands that he is dyingdaily?
So these words remind us allthat every moment in the gym and

(05:56):
outside of the gym is a chancefor you to better yourself, not
only to become strongerphysically, but also mentally.
So one of the greatest lessonsof all comes from the legendary
philosopher Aristotle.
He believed that excellence isnot an act but a habit.

(06:17):
In other words, greatness isnot achieved through one
singular act, but throughconsistent practice of behavior.
Therefore, in the gym, we needto cultivate a habit of
discipline.
So this is showing up every daythat you have planned, pushing

(06:38):
yourselves to your limit andstriving for excellence in
everything that you do.
As you stand at the crossroadof mind and muscle, remember the
wisdom of the ancients let'sembrace the challenges that lie
ahead and know that each of yourlifts brings you closer to your
goals, and this is why it'simportant to give everything
you've got as often as possible.
Through these efforts andthrough the gym, through the

(07:00):
iron within the gym, we find ameans to build our bodies, but
also to nourish our minds andour souls.
That's all for today's episodeof Way of Life.
So join me next time on ourjourney to gain more wisdom
inside and outside of the gym.
Until then, be safe, happy,healthy and thank you all again
for the support.
Once again, you can leave arating and review.

(07:23):
If you'd like to share it witha friend, check out
wayoflifepodcastcom.
Thank you all so much.
Have a great week.