I would not, could not, claim to be a practioner of ‘keep fit’ exercises, and my friends could also testify to that fact, but by chance I came upon an interesting video online about how medieval men, especially those from a military background, trained and kept fit over and beyond the normal activities of daily life such as riding and hunting.
The video can be watched at How did Knights & Men Work Out in the Renaissance? Newly Discovered Dumbbell & Barbell Exercises
Marshal Boucicaut’s displays of athleticism in armour are recreated with splendid vigour in the video Can You Move in Armour?
Those extra helpings at gargantuan, and misunderstood, medieval feasts could pile on the pounds and inches, with the result that one’s suit of armour didn’t fit, especially in the era of plate armour - and were there to be trouble of a kind only too frequent in the period, the ensuing problem could indeed be a matter of life and death ….
Keep slim and keep your armour on could be the meme of the elite.
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