Be More Milo
How to become strong.
~ James Molden
Recently in our Nexus Journal, I wrote about the ‘Law of Progressive Overload’ and how to use ‘General Adaptation Syndrome’ to your benefit - to become stronger, fitter, and faster.
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Allowing the stressors to build us and resting enough so that they don’t break us. Adequate rest will bring about supercompensation, which is where the magic happens and we adapt to the training before we move on to the next challenge and repeat the process.
There is a story from ancient history of a wrestler known as Milo of Croton, Milo is renowned for being the greatest wrestler that ever lived with incredible strength and athleticism.
Milo was a six-time wrestling champion at the Ancient Olympic Games in Greece. In 540 BC, he won the boy’s wrestling category and then proceeded to win the men's competition at the next five Olympic Games in a row. He also dominated the Pythian Games (7-time winner), Isthmian Games (10-time winner), and Nemean Games (9-time winner). ¹
The core principles of how he became so strong come from the tale of Milo and his bull. The story goes that one day a calf was born on Milo’s farm. The wrestler chose to lift the calf and carry it across his shoulders. The second day he returned to the farm and to the calf where he did the same, and continued to do so for four years until the calf became a bull. The myth highlights the simple approach of progressive overload and commitment. Milo would not have been able to lift a four year old bull if he had not been lifting each day with the calf growing slowly. The commitment to do something on repeat for four years shows that there is no dodging hard work.
In a world full of ‘fitness professionals’ and Instagram influencers with their quick fixes, latest complex detailed workouts, and the newest equipment, we can take one thing for certain from Milo when it comes to training and strength training in particular, and that is that the fundamentals are far more important that the finer details.
Let’s look at what is hidden in the Milo myth.
#1 Start with volume before intensity - it is never too light to start.
Milo started lifting the calf, not its mother, and there is no doubt that the calf would have been light for a man of Milo’s stature, but he did it anyway. It is only by focusing on the light weights, repetition, and volume at the beginning that you can handle the heavier weights later on.
#2. Don't miss workouts.
Milo's strategy wouldn't have worked very well if he tried to pick up the bull on its birthday each year. The calf would have grown too much and Milo would have grown too little. And yet, this is exactly the strategy many people employ. Once or twice per year, often around the New Year, people will try to “pick up a bull” by getting incredibly motivated and exercising like never before, only to fizzle out a few weeks later.
A more useful strategy is to start with something incredibly small, an exercise that is so easy you can't say no to it, and then repeat and improve slowly. If you want to make progress, you have to sustain effort. Or you can just join us where all you need to do is turn up.
#3. Tiny gains add up fast.
Everyday that Milo came back to the calf it had grown a small amount maybe just a few grams at a time. But each day he came back he was lifting more and progressively adapting to the increased stimulus. Those tiny gains accumulated over a 4-year period that enabled him to be able to lift a bull.
Imagine you followed a squat cycle that had you squatting 3 times a week and each time you squatted you added just 0.5kg. That would be a 1.5 increase a week, and if you followed that for one year you would increase your squat by 78kg. Now, I don’t know about you but there aren't many people I know who wouldn’t want their squat to increase by 78kg in a year.
Even in times without the gym you can make small incremental gains on your strength, and to your fitness journey. Although the focus at the moment might not be adding weight to your snatch, it may be adding 1 push up to your routine and then increasing the reps by 1 every day.
Be More Milo - challenge yourself and see what you achieve!
¹ Greek Athletes and Athletics by H.A. Harris. pp. 110–113.
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An ode to an age old question… BE MORE LIKE MILO!
