How To Become A Peaceful Naked Viking Warrior On A Diet

I’ve been debating changing my Twitter bio to this:  Peaceful Naked Viking Warrior On A Diet.  This is a fitting combo based on some of the books with “warrior” in the title that have made an impact on who I am as a man.  These series of adjectives define four key books that we’ll be looking at and that are all part of the Rich Man’s Gym library.

First off, let me just say that I am Irish English and the furthest thing from a Viking with one main exception which I’ll cover shortly.  Secondly, through it all, I do consider myself a warrior.  Now it may not be in the “traditional” since of the word, but stick around because I’ll cover that too.  I’ll then explain the naked part because I don’t want you to think I run around naked all day.  Finally, I’ll make sure the diet part gets covered as well.  So, just what needs to happen if you, like me, want to become a peaceful naked Viking warrior on a diet?

Let’s start with the warrior part.  I think the most important thing we need to do before moving forward here though is simply define the word.

Google “warrior” and you get this:

war·ri·or  (esp. in former times) A brave or experienced soldier or fighter.

Hit up Dictionary.com and you get this:

1. a person engaged or experienced in warfare; soldier.
2. a person who shows or has shown great vigor, courage, or aggressiveness, as in politics or athletics.

Warriors from the past to today also live by a code.  Think of a Samurai, Knight or Ninja.  All warriors, all who lived and died by a very specific code of ethics, morality and valor.  Modern day warriors such as the Marines also have a code.  But let me ask you, must you engage in violence to be considered a warrior?  I believe that men like Gandhi, The Dali Lama, Martin Luther King, and Jesus Christ, to name a few are all warriors at the highest level.

The first book I’ll be talking about is Dan Millman’s The Way Of The Peaceful Warrior.  

This is where the battlefield is daily life.  This is where you train the spirit.  Look, life doesn’t change.  It is what it is.  You on the other hand, are most flexible.  Life doesn’t change, you change.  Are you alive and living your life your way?  If not, are you willing to fight the good fight and live every moment?  

The Way Of The Peaceful Warrior is a timeless Master and Apprentice story.  You have Yoda and Luke, Daniel and Mr. Miyagi and now we add Dan and Socrates.  Peaceful Warrior seems a bit of a contradiction in terms but once you begin to dig into this book, you’ll soon understand.  Dan, the main character, a successful student and gymnast, meets a mysterious old man named Socrates who helps him through a spiritual journey find the one thing that’s been missing in his life…  himself.

This is the book where you learn and begin to master yourself and your higher purpose.  There’s more to being a warrior than punching and kicking.  Real change, true change, strength, and power all are on the inside out path.  You must first conquer yourself.  This will prove to be the toughest fight of your life and also the sweetest victory.

For most of us, myself included, I am still fighting, but I have also won some major battles.  I have conquered nicotine, addiction and alcoholism.  This book, The Way Of The Peaceful Warrior is one of the books that helped me through a very tough time in my life and gave me the courage and strength to push on.

Before moving on, let’s look at one quote from the book:

“When you become fully responsible for your life, you can become fully human; once you become human, you may discover what it means to be a warrior.”

This book is about becoming human.

The next book we’re going to look at is The Naked Warrior by Pavel Tsatsouline.  

This book and the one following it are about strength of body.  As a warrior you must have physical strength and stamina.  Thanks for Pavel’s book The Naked Warrior, there’s really no need for equipment when it comes to extreme strength.

That’s the rational behind the title.  Also, a prime reason Rich Man’s Gym exists.  I, for one, do not believe in the necessity of the weight room.  Granted, it has it’s time and place, but if you’re in a place where there is no gym, lat pulldown machine, what are you going to do?  Is it possible to build strength without going to the gym?  Absollutely and Pavel does it by easing you into two drills that will require an extreme level of strength.  The first is The Pistol.  A one legged squat.  The second is a one-arm push-up.  Both train you for levels of strength and tension that will carry over into the weight room and fortunately for you into daily life as well.  How “strong” are you?  Can you commit to master these two movements regardless of the time it takes to get there?  How many people do you know that can squat down rock bottom on one leg and then stand back up?  Not a lot?  Accomplish this and reap the rewards of not just the bragging rights, but the character development from persistently practicing and mastering an incredibly challenging movement pattern.

Now I want you to look into Viking Warrior Conditioning by Kenneth Jay.  

This strength training involves a Kettlbell and it’s all heart really.  Do you have what it takes to go 5 rounds in a UFC fight?  What kind of conditioning was needed 1500 years ago to fight for your country with a sword and shield?  Could you Snatch a Kettlbell for 40 minutes?  Why in God’s good name would you want to do that?

OK, it’s not 40 straight minutes, there’s some rest in there, but Kenneth’s book is about developing the heart of a Viking.  Physically demanding your body to create the heart of a warrior.  This will go beyond the heart that beats in your chest and into the heart that keeps you going when the going get’s tough and when your mind says stop, you can’t take this anymore.

Ever heard the phrase, “he’s all heart?”  What if being all heart was a skill you could learn and train on?

Undertake the challenges in Pavel’s Naked Warrior and Kenneth Jay’s Viking Warrior Conditioning and you will know that it is possible to train the heart as a muscle and as the spirit.

This is strength of body, mind and spirit.  Peaceful Warrior will show you an inside out approach while Naked Warrior and  Viking Warrior conditioning will strengthen you from the outside in.  You’re approaching strength from all sides here.

We’ll finish up this warrior saga with The Warrior Diet by Ori Hofmekler.  

Has anyone ever said to you that, you get out of it what you put into it?  A warrior must be well nourished, lean and strong.  A warrior must approach food first as a means to an end.  Food is first and foremost fuel.  Your heart is the engine.  Remember, there’s two types of heart were talking about here and both need good nutrition.  You think a Big Mac combo super sized is good for the heart in your chest or your spirit?  How do you feel after taking that down?

Strength of body, mind and spirit requires quality nutrition timed appropriately to match the fit and function of the warrior.  How did the ancients eat?  What was a day of food like for a Centurion, Hop-Lite, Spartan, or Gladiator?  Can we learn from their habits and then make some adjustments to compensate for the 2000 year spread?

The Warrior Diet will have you eating one main meal per day, in the evening.  It’s that simple.  During the day, you are under a controlled fast where you have very light snacks of fruits, juices and veggies. You will learn how to combine foods adequately and challenge your body physically. The Warrior Diet shows you how to nourish the body in sync with the body’s inner clock. You will begin to separate between morning and day time foods and then evening foods to effectively remove the body of toxins, increase conversion of fat for energy, increase utilization of nutrients and improve resilience to stress.  Most ancient cultures ate similar to this fashion. Day time was for work and war, night time was for recovery and feasting.

Conclusion

Here you have four books to read and more importantly apply in your life to become a peaceful naked Viking warrior on a diet.  These books are about freedom, self mastery and living at your highest potential.  Just one of these books has the power to change you and your life for the better.  Imagine the synergistic effect of all four?

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