I was just wondering that because the "exercise montage" in a modern time war movie usually contains a good bit of general fitness exercises, but historical movies generally only show soldiers exercise by sword fighting or other directly fighting-related activities ... So I was wondering if there are sources that tell us about their "fitness" regimen and if something basic, like the pushup, has always existed ...
This is not to discourage further questions, answers, pointers, et cetera.
The FAQ subsection under Health, Hygiene, & Personal Grooming includes
(1) How strong/muscular were ancient warriors? Did they know enough about muscle growth to be the same build as many athletes/bodybuilders now? When did humans start becoming adept at bodybuilding?, with several good-looking replies.
(2) Did spartan warriors "work out" in the sense that athletes do today? What did they do? points specifically to /u/Thrasyboulus's answer.
Search hits for "exercise":
Did medieval exercise include push-ups or sit-ups like what we do today?, especially /u/ardlonoc's top reply, with info on its own, but also pointers to a list of fencing manuals and The Role of Fitness in Historical Fencing.
When did the elite (or people not under labor) start weight training in order to counter the effects of a more relaxed lifestyle?. Most modern, but /u/laertes78 and /u/Zhankfor go deeper.
How long have exercises like push ups and sit ups been around?, especially /u/VivaLaVodkaa and /u/mrhuggables, but OP noted that his question was originally about exercise for general fitness rather than for a specific purpose like military service.
What kind of work-out equipment would we recognize from the Roman spa/gymnasiums? Did they have weights, or lifts on pullys? has a number of bits, including a link to
How did the ancient greeks and romans have such a detailed and accurate depiction of the muscles in the human anatomy?, where /u/darwinfinch mentions gymnasia and games.
How did Romans exercise or get in shape?, by /u/Spoonfeedme.
A thread hardly worth mentioning had /u/Hussard pointing to this illustration.
In Did ancient Greeks perform weightlifting exercises similar to the ones performed today?, /u/MRSN4P cites Poliakoff's (Combat Sports in the Ancient World: Competition, Violence, and Culture*.
At what point did people start intentionally "working out" for exercise?
but the results are starting to tail off, and you can search for "exercise" as well as I can.
