How to Train Before Breakfast: The Great Gama

I always like it when I meet a young athlete and they tell me they do a few press-ups and sit-ups in the morning before breakfast or at night. It shows me that in the words of Muhammad Ali “they have the will, I just train the skill“.

One famous wrestler, the Great Gama, took this to a very high level.

He got up at 0300 every day and did 4,000 deep knee bends (Hindu squats to Excelsior regulars) of which 700 of them were jumping squats.

In the afternoon he did 2,000 one arm and two arm press-ups, followed by a 4-mile run, then 3 or 4 hours of wrestling.

It is funny how young males want to do “cleans“ at the first opportunity, rather than develop a great foundation of conditioning first.

Somehow just working hard is often forgotten.

We don’t expect our athletes to be as fit as the Great Gama but we do expect them to be able to squat well. The squat matrix is a good place to start:

How to train like the Great Gama

My new schedule is less punishing than this, but it has helped cure my insomnia (thanks to Sleepyhead clinic).

• 0515 Wake up. Drink black coffee, eat a banana, read/study.
• 0600-0610 Rise and shine mobility work.

• 0610-0700 Training session, usually weightlifting, otherwise structural integrity work + gymnastics.
• 0700-0710 Ablutions
• 0710 onwards: get family up, breakfast and school walk.

This requires a sensible bedtime, and no indulging the night before, which is another good habit to get into.

One young female athlete who is on a Netball “pathway” said to me “But if I train before breakfast, I will have to shower“! Those athletes who do get into a morning routine seem to want “it” more than those who are ferried around by their parents to every last organised practice.

Try doing 10 minutes of exercise before breakfast every day this week, you will be on your way to being the next Great Gama!