Stamina Training by wearing armor

[Sir Ulrich]

Ok, I don't get to use my armor much. So pretty much at most I can only wear it for a few hours at a time before I can't take it anymore. So my mom bought a treadmill for exercise and I been considering running on it to increase my stamina. Thing is I used to weight train when I was 19 and I ended up getting a hernia in my groin from overexerting myself that never healed properly. Last thing I wanna do is injure myself by wearing out my joints and back. Measuring my hauberk it weighs 19 pounds, used to weigh 21 but ever since removing the excess in the arms it's lighter. I weigh around 115, ever since I switched back to whole milk (reason for this being my legs are thin as hell due to being unable to use them as much due to my injury, rest of me is relatively normal). I think running on the treadmill in armor would be stupid honestly and injure my knees and back due to the impacts on my joints. But I don't think walking would be a dumb idea and would help me build the muscles to wear my armor for longer periods. Does anyone know if this is good; or is it just a stupid idea that will cause injury, cause last thing I want to do is injure myself again and never be able to use armor again?

[Thorsteinn]

IIRC there was a fella that advised knights to run a mile each day in the woods in their hauberk. There was a scene with Toby Capwell running in the woods in a show but bugger if I can remember which show it was.

How tall are you?

Oh, and apparently I'm as big as two of you (I'm 6' tall it's not so bad)

[Sir Nate]

IIRC there was a fella that advised knights to run a mile each day in the woods in their hauberk. There was a scene with Toby Capwell running in the woods in a show but bugger if I can remember which show it was.

How tall are you?

Oh, and apparently I'm as big as two of you (I'm 6' tall it's not so bad)

thorsteinn that show is going medieval.
Push ups also do well for getting used to the armor. Sit ups are more painful.
http://www.history.co.uk/shows/going-medieval/videos/going-medieval-knights

[Sir William]

Even trudging through the woods or any varied terrain is going to boost your stamina; unless you're a regular runner (that is, something you do daily or regularly per week) I wouldn't advise starting to run in armor.

[Ian]

Even trudging through the woods or any varied terrain is going to boost your stamina; unless you're a regular runner (that is, something you do daily or regularly per week) I wouldn't advise starting to run in armor.

x100

If you're not already very conditioned to stamina building activities, you really have no business trying to build stamina in armor.  You need to become well acquainted with the capabilities and limits of your physical fitness without armor before you add armor to the equation or you will inevitably injure yourself.

[Sir William]

I have a hard enough time just walking, I try to avoid running at all costs- unless I'm being chased by a dog.  But if I'm in armor, I'm not gonna run from a dog...let him break his teeth trying to bite me. 

All kidding aside Ulrich, Ian's right- if you're not already in shape, that's the best place to start.  Your body is currently acclimated to just you- if you engage in regular exercise, then upping your game using your maille is a solid way to build that stamina- but you want to have something to build on.

Get your body right with itself first...one bad step can cause a greater injury if you're carrying 20+ lbs of added weight, like a mild twisting of an ankle can become a really nasty sprain or break because your body's not used to the added weight.  Be safe and be patient and you'll eventually achieve what you're after.

[Sir James A]

IIRC there was a fella that advised knights to run a mile each day in the woods in their hauberk. There was a scene with Toby Capwell running in the woods in a show but bugger if I can remember which show it was.

Believe it was "How to Mount a Horse in Armor, and other Chivalric problems" by Dirk Breiding; was a short clip.

And what the others said. If your stamina is low, don't go straight to armor. What I did was regular treadmill. Then I added wrist and ankle weights. Still haven't done it in armor, but I can't dress myself, sooo.....

If this is just to be used to armor for DoK and such, my advice would be to, as boring as it may sound, put on your armor and just go about whatever daily activities you can in it. If you aren't running at DoK, you don't need to run in armor. I can tolerate 8 or so hours in armor for the day at faire and such, reasonably well, but I'm winded from running in armor after 10 or 15 seconds. I've run in armor quite a few times, and it's not for very long. Like the first 7 seconds of this video (Sir Nathan and Sir Edward running in armor too):



Armor is a very special beast. It's part cardio. It's part muscle mass. It's part ability to deal with being sweaty and warmer than usual. It's part just being stubborn enough to say "no, I'm not taking it off yet, I'm gonna wear it a while longer!" even when you might be thinking "this stuff is heavy!".

[Sir Ulrich]

I do hike regularly just not in armor. Usually up hills and long distances with my one friend. I do not run though which makes me think I am not in shape for running. Running is out of the question for me considering that. Maybe I can start with just walking a bit in it and run without armor to build myself up. I however am not overweight and my arms are toned from regularly swinging my mace. I think I may just start with wearing my hauberk and doing squats to build my thighs up.  And I am 5 ft 9 height wise. I am just unsure if I should do this every day or every other day, last thing I wanna do is over exert myself.

I think I may just wear my hauberk regularly every other day to work that out. Only issue is the gambeson but I think I COULD theoretically wear it with a long sleeve shirt due to it being wedge riveted. Going about daily activities sounds easy enough to get used to wearing it normally, prolly gonna try that tomorrow if I'm not still not sore from the regular exercise I did yesterday involving squats.

[Sir Edward]

Definitely, I agree with what others have said. Don't run in the armor.

Going for walks in the armor, perhaps on varied terrain, would probably be more suitable. Just going up a hill in the armor will be strenuous enough.

[Sir Ulrich]

I figured as much that walking would be better. I'd hike in armor if I could but I don't want the police thinking I'm being suspicious so treadmill it is, mine even has a way to bend it up so it mimics walking uphill. Probably could watch TV or a movie while using it too and in an air conditioned room it wouldn't hurt me much honestly as it's quite hot out and dont want to end up getting sick from the heat.

[Sir Nate]

Although I only did it once for an hour, I did do some armor conditioning in my butted haubergeon(which is about 20lbs)
This was only after I had gained pretty good stamina without armor.
I did 15 laps around a 30ft. Circle. Push-ups, sit ups, pushing a trampoline around my yard while holding the area I was pushing above my head(and there where wheels on the other side) and then lifting with a cinder bloxk.
At the end of that hour I was felt ready to pass out of heat exhaustion.
It was not the smartest thing I have ever done
Definitely would advise just walking as above have said.

Definitely, I agree with what others have said. Don't run in the armor.

Going for walks in the armor, perhaps on varied terrain, would probably be more suitable. Just going up a hill in the armor will be strenuous enough.

Heh I've combined both in my full kit. Then completely regretted it halfway up the hill.

[Lord Dane]

I did 3 hours in full plate harness. Never again. I was begging to get it off. I have done 6 hours in maille without a sweat. But that has limits too.

[Sir James A]

Just going up a hill in the armor will be strenuous enough.

I tried to go uphill, reasonably far, in a hurry, in full harness, earlier this year at the MDFF. I had to stop for a breather twice. I'll vouch that it's a strenous activity.

[Paulus von Zurich]

Consider putting your hauberk in a small backpack and hiking around or simply walking around the neighborhood with it. Gradually build up your distance and speed with it on your back. This way you will enjoy the benifits of exercise without making your neighbors worry you are a candidate for the Looneybin.

[Sir Edward]

Just going up a hill in the armor will be strenuous enough.

I tried to go uphill, reasonably far, in a hurry, in full harness, earlier this year at the MDFF. I had to stop for a breather twice. I'll vouch that it's a strenous activity.

There's always "heart-attack hill" at MDRF back behind the bookstore area. Stamina-training season (AKA MDRF season) is starting shortly.