The majority of today's militaries tend to focus a significant amount of time and energy on attempting to maintain fitness through various exercise and athleticism.
Seeing as how much of war was fought up close, with handheld weapons, your physical strength and endurance (along with skill) would be your greatest asset in surviving battle.
My question is how much knowledge did ancient fighting forces (let's say pre-gunpowder). I know there are many throughout history, so just any prominent examples if you have any.
I know ancient greece placed high value upon wrestling which would be an invaluable asset in combat prowess, but elsewhere was it just a combination of restricted diet, little leisure time, walking a lot and weapons training that constituted fitness? Or is there more?
Thank you.
Although there is certainly plenty of room for fresh answers specifically focused on the full breadth of your question, the topic of pre-modern training regimens is one that has cropped up here from time to time. It's attracted some superb responses that you might like to check out while you wait for new ones, such as these from u/Iphikrates:
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How did the Greek Hoplites workout?
as well as
I'm a roman heading to the gymnasium. What's my workout routine? Do men and women do the same workout or focus on different things? Do I have a special diet?, with u/pinniped17
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How did medieval knights stay fit for combat?, with u/Knight117