John L. Sullivan on Training
Now, as regards my mode of training, I have ideas of my own which I give for the benefit of my readers:
From: Unknown To: 1892 C.E.
Location: Scicuate
Note: This article has been excerpted from a larger work in the public domain and shared here due to its historical value. It may contain outdated ideas and language that do not reflect TOTA’s opinions and beliefs.
From Life and Reminiscences of a 19th Century Gladiator by John L. Sullivan, 1892.
Now, as regards my mode of training, I have ideas of my own which I give for the benefit of my readers:—To begin with I sleep in a good, airy, well-ventilated room. I do not believe in having a trainer sleep in the same bed with the person training. My reasons are that a man can sleep better alone and will not be obliged to inhale the breath of the other man.
I begin to condition myself by taking a dose of physic, which I prepare myself, and which consists of about fifty cents' worth each of zinnia, salts, manna, black stick licorice. I put all these ingredients into two quarts of water and boil the liquid down to one quart, allowing the mixture to simmer for an hour and a half or two hours. I then strain the liquid off into a bottle that holds merely a quart and cork it up, leaving it in a cool place. In the night, before retiring, I take a goblet full of this medicine. It acts the next day, during which time I merely sit around doing nothing of any importance. Two nights after my first dose, I take three quarters of a glass of the physic. This acts in the same manner as my first dose, and the following day I rest and pass the time as I did on the day after my first dose. On the second night after my second dose I take half a glass of my physic with similar results. I take no more of this physic, but on the following Saturday night I take a dose of good liver pills, which I have made for me in any drug store.
After this I am ready for work. I rise between six and seven o'clock in the morning, rinse my mouth, clean my teeth with a good dentifrice, take a sponge bath with salt water, and am rubbed perfectly dry with coarse towels. I then exercise with light dumb-bells a few minutes, put on my clothes, go and loiter on the road for an hour or read the morning papers. Any light exercise I take before breakfast is simply for the purpose of getting up an appetite. Anything like a sweat at this time would be entirely out of place. At eight o'clock I have my breakfast, which consists of mutton chops or a small piece of steak, stale bread, and two small cups of tea. The meat must be very lean.
After breakfast I sit around until about ten o'clock, and then put on my sweater, which weighs from two and a half to three pounds, and a belt long enough to go around me and seven inches wide. This I wear outside of my sweater, as it helps to take the fat off the stomach. Having dressed myself, I go on a long walk for the day, consisting of six or seven miles out and the same number back, the distance to be covered as quickly as possible, and the last mile or two should be made on a dead run in.
Having returned to my training quarters, I lie down on a couch, and my trainers cover me with heavy blankets and loosen my shoes. There I remain for a short time letting the perspiration come out, when I rise, undress myself and let my trainers rub me thoroughly dry. I then lie back on the couch again, when a second course of perspiration comes out. All this time I am covered with heavy blankets. When I rise a second time, my trainers rub me thoroughly dry again, and this operation is repeated two or three times or until I cease to perspire. I then go to a shower bath that I have arranged for me. If I am near the ocean or any other salt water, I use that in my shower, if not, I put sea salt into the water I use, making it equally good. I stand under this shower off and on for the space of ten or fifteen minutes, when I am rubbed dry with towels, I then lie on an oak plank that I have arranged for the purpose and am given a good hand rubbing, after which I dress in light material, but warmly enough not to take cold.
Between one and two o'clock I have my dinner, which consists of roast mutton or roast beef very well done, stale bread, and sometimes Bass' ale. I do not limit myself as to the quantity of meat, but I eat no vegetables except tender celery, asparagus, and once in a while one or two potatoes. A man can eat plenty of celery. Sometimes I eat three or four bunches a day. It is good for wind and good for the nerves.
Dinner being over, I go out and walk around or read the papers or a book. In some cases I smoke one nice cigar after dinner, but it is my belief that smoking, especially if it be immoderate, is injurious, and tends to shorten the breath.
The afternoon exercises begin with a swim at four o'clock. If I am near salt water, I prefer salt-water bathing, but if not, I bathe in fresh water. This little swim does not occupy more than ten minutes. When it is over, I return to my training quarters, fight the football, throw a ten-pound ball backwards and forwards to my trainers at a distance of fifteen or twenty feet; use dumb-bells, weighing not less than two pounds nor more than four pounds each, and jump rope,—all of which exercises last from one and a half to two hours, and sometimes longer. After I have gone through these exercises, I am perspiring as freely as I was after my long morning walk, so I am obliged to go through the same ordeal,—the same rubbing with towels and hand-rubbing with a liniment I use, and which I find softens the muscles and hardens the skin at the same time.
This being done, I put on my evening clothes and partake of my supper between six and seven. This meal is, as a rule, with the addition of a little apple sauce or a baked apple, exactly the counterpart of my breakfast. Once in a while, it is varied with Irish or Scotch oatmeal, well cooked with milk. After supper, I stroll around or amuse myself by playing billiards, pool, or cards, or with some other pastime or sport, until ten o'clock, or until Morpheus has taken possession of my weary body. I keep on my feet as much as possible, so that my limbs will not get stiff or my power of free movement become in any way impeded. In undressing for the night, I always remove every article of clothing I wear during the day. I keep the windows of my sleeping-room a little down from the top. The last thing I do before going to bed is to handle a pair of light dumb-bells. The work is increased or diminished according to my condition. My bed covering is always put well over me, and is enough to keep me comfortable and nothing more.
During training, all hot baths or bed sweats must be carefully avoided, as they are debilitating in the extreme. The perspiration that may be induced in ordinary exercise is all that is required. Stimulants are carefully avoided, with the single exception of ale at dinner. Only a moderate quantity of salt in meats is allowable, and just enough water is permitted to quench the thirst. At the same time, every care must be taken that a man does not suffer for the want of it. Plenty of time must be taken in which to eat meals, and the stomach must not be overloaded.
Now this same work, that I have explained, is gone through every day for the space of about eight weeks, the length of time depending altogether upon how long it takes a man to get himself in condition. In justice to trainers let it be said that there are no two trainers of men who will pursue the same means or instructions or will have the same ideas, yet each one of them believes his mode of training to be the best. For this reason methods will always vary. There is always room for improvement no matter how great or how small it may be.
Some years ago, the trainer's ambition was to bring the largest-statured man to the least possible weight, and have him look like a human greyhound when he toed the scratch. This was not only the case when the match was at a stipulated weight, but even when fighting catch-weight. The old style of training tended to weaken a man.
It is needless for me to say that I consider my mode of exercise to be the easiest and the best. It keeps the body and muscles of young men as well as middle-aged ones in condition, without any injury resulting therefrom.
Of course this or any other mode of exercising has to be taught to every individual who wishes to become an athlete in any kind of sport. I wish to show my readers how easy it is, through exercise, for a man to get himself in condition. I will illustrat : There is a particular friend of mine, named Edward Murphy, who is instructor in the Young Men's Gymnasium in Cincinnati. He has a class of pupils in physical culture. At one time he weighed no less than two hundred and forty-nine pounds, stripped, the effect of not having done any exercising for eight years. Now, through continually teaching exercises to his pupils in the different classes, which include business men in all branches, he is in as fine condition as a man can possibly be, and all through the routine of daily work that he goes through with pupils. At the writing of this book he weighs two hundred and four pounds stripped, and is a magnificent specimen of manhood.
I have always been more than cautious as regards my food. For several days previous to my meeting Ryan at Mississippi City I did all my own cooking so as to prevent any possible doctoring or poisoning by outside parties. I do not believe in training by what is known as the old style. My method is original with me. I never attempt to put up heavy dumb-bells in practice or training for I do not think they do any good. In fact, I think they hurt a man for boxing or fighting as they tend to bind his muscles, in a great many instances causing him to be what is known as shoulder bound or muscle bound. I have always reasoned that I know when I feel well better than anybody can tell me, and I know what suits my stomach better than any one else knows. There is such a thing as a man overworking himself and becoming stale. That I provide against by light amusements such as card playing, billiard or pool playing or any other little amusement during training. Smoking, of course, I consider injurious, for it affects one's wind, but I do not think a few cigars a day do any serious harm except in particular cases.
When out of training I smoke a great deal, perhaps too much, but in training I am very careful in this matter. I drink no coffee while training. I consider dumbells of from two to four pounds heavy enough for practice. Jumping the rope I consider one of the best practices possible in my training, for it brings into exercise the legs and arms at the same time and improves my wind wonderfully. I go on the principle throughout that I know what makes me feel well better than anybody can tell me, and all through my training I act and work on my own ideas, without regard to anybody else's. I have been advised and had suggested to me, on different occasions, various exercises, but after giving them a trial I find that my own way suits me best and brings about the best results.
Out of training or when not preparing for a fight or contest I take things as easy as possible. I eat and sleep whenever I feel so disposed; I usually rise about nine or ten o'clock in the morning, eat a light breakfast, sometimes a lunch in midday, and have dinner towards evening. My food consists entirely of whatever strikes my fancy. I smoke as many cigars as I feel like smoking, attend theatres and shows whenever I wish. In fact, I give my system its whole lee-way.
By doing this I find that when I start to train I have some superfluous flesh to train off, and then curb myself accordingly. My whole existence and manner of living is guided by nature and nature only. Some athletes pride themselves on being in condition always, but this I do not approve of, for I reason that a man continually in training keeps nature up to its highest tension and without any relaxing he soon becomes mechanical and more like a steel spring than nature's own. Such a condition soon causes a man's system to break down, especially as all through life his mode of living is contrary to nature's laws. This matter of training and conditioning one's self is an all-important one. To train properly requires a considerable amount of will power. It is actually hard work; in fact, training is the hardest kind of work. The training and preparing for all my contests have always been ten times harder than my fighting. In old times preparing for a fight required months and months of training ; that is, that was the idea of the old-time pugilists. They sometimes trained as long as six months before the fight; this I do not believe in. From six to ten weeks I consider sufficient time to train any man; that is, for boxing or fighting; I would not give my opinion for rowing or any other athletic sport, because I do not know enough about them.
I think the most important things to be considered in training are, to get off as much fat as possible; to remove whatever water there is in the system; to harden the muscles of the body so as to increase the amount of endurance; to increase the "wind," and improve the breathing powers. As I have said before, every athlete has his own idea, the same as I have mine; and to improve my condition I have always felt that all that I wanted while training was regular living, sleeping, and habits, coupled with plenty of hard work in walking, running, jumping, and occasionally a little boxing.
I do not box or spar much while in training; that I do not consider necessary. I consider punching the bag from twenty to thirty minutes as fast as I can possibly do it, the very best exercise for improving or exercising my hitting powers. I usually, in fact, always, if possible, rig and punch the bag to suit myself. To build it I want a good firm ceiling, strong and heavy enough so as to give the bag a good rebounding force, and hang the bag so that it will come on a level with my eyes, the ceiling to be from four to four and one half feet higher than the bag. Formerly a large heavy sand-bag was used, but I do not approve of that as much as I do the common football or the Rugby ball. The heavy bag is all right to show how hard a man can hit, but I can hit hard enough without using any heavy bag to show it, and I use the little football, so as to give me plenty of practice for quickness; punching the bag as I do keeps me thoroughly active from the time I start.
My first move in punching the bag is with my left hand; I punch it so that it hits the ceiling, rebounding towards me, and keep meeting it with my left and right hands alternately, walking around the floor and around the bag something after the way a cooper walks around a barrel. A man to punch the bag properly should not stand in any one spot by any means; I punch it so as to keep it going in all directions. I meet and chase it the same as I would an opponent in the ring. The idea in keeping it thoroughly on the rebound is to give me plenty of practice and keep me moving as fast as I possibly can. One of the best ways to punch it is with the left hand, say fifteen or twenty times in succession, then either swinging the right hand or meeting it with a right-hand shoulder blow and catching it with the left on its return. Some men punch the bag very awkwardly, and while they are capable of dealing a very heavy blow, I have seen some miss it seven times out often. The most essential part, in my opinion, is to punch it so as to keep it moving in a circle. This brings into play not only the arms and wind but also the legs.
My one golden rule in conditioning myself is to disregard my weight altogether; that is, I do not care how much I weigh as long as I feel strong and my wind is good. Reducing weight by any means, whether by sweating, physicking, or any other method, if excessive, is very injurious. When a man feels within himself that he is in first-rate shape, and knows what he is capable of doing, he is a better judge than his trainer or adviser, no matter how much they know or how much practice they may have had in that line of work. Nervous force is the one great essential in a man's condition, and if a man is trained down or weakened through loss by too severe training or reducing, he is without the factor necessary to good condition.
I am always particular about not overworking myself, for that brings on exhaustion, which is hurtful, not to say dangerous.
I usually stop work three days before a fight, and then all the exercise required is moderate walking, with plenty of rubbing down, both with hands and towels. As soon as I stop work, I take castor oil in a little gin. The reason it is given in gin is that I can't take castor oil without vomiting. The oil makes me feel cool and refreshed. Then, until the day of the fight, I eat just enough to satisfy my appetite. A man who drinks should not expect to be a fighter, that is, if he drinks to excess. Drinking makes a man fat.
Training is terrible work. It is the hardest thing a man can do. When he gets through his twelve miles, about twelve or half-past twelve, he naturally feels pretty dry inside, but he can get nothing to drink at all.
The more pleasant view of it was given by the late John Morrissey:—
“You can form no idea," he said, "of the glorious feeling that a man experiences when he gets himself in perfect condition. Everything in the world looks different to him from what it does when his system is clogged up with bile and he is carrying a quantity of flesh that is only a burden to him. It is almost impossible to get a man, when in such a condition, into bad humor. He feels like a young colt, and wants to kick up his heels and have a good time with everybody and everything he meets."
If the man of business would only take a mild course of training every year or two he would find in the renewed energy and youthful feeling received from training splendid returns for his time and labor.
Sullivan, John L. Life and Reminiscences of a 19th Century Gladiator, Geo. Routledge & Sons, 1892.
About TOTA
TOTA.world provides cultural information and sharing across the world to help you explore your Family’s Cultural History and create deep connections with the lives and cultures of your ancestors.
