The Herculean Way
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The Herculean Way Strength and Conditioning Training in Milsons Point at 98 Gym Milsons Point
The Herculean myth is one of the oldest and best known of the tales of the Ancient Greeks and Romans. The mythology surrounding Hercules (Heracles in Greek) centres on his incredible strength which is a gift from his father Jupiter (Zeus in Greek). Hercules is forced to dedicate his life to overcoming insurmountable challenges, or labours which are also the basis for his greatness. There are twelve in total and in the end, Hercules battles unimaginable monsters and travels across treacherous oceans on his way to fulfilling every impossible challenge he is set. On his way to becoming a legendary hero, he not only overcomes monsters, the Amazonian queen and even returns from the underworld, he also brings a just end to the wicked author of his deadly tasks. As a reward, his father Jupiter bestows immortality on his son and according to one version of the myth marries Hercules to Hebe, the goddess of eternal youth.
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The Herculean myth is about many things and there are countless interpretations. For THW, the myth teaches us that it is imperative to take the hard road, to challenge oneself, and to overcome adversity. The myth also highlights that through labour we can bring about positive change to ourselves, our immediate community and the planet on the whole. If we take the Herculean way, then we may be rewarded with a longer more meaningful life. Greatness requires sacrifice, risk and hard work.
The Herculean Way is committed to these very worthy aims. THW hopes to be a vehicle for helping you develop your own wonderful meaningful mission and to strength, health and vitality right until the end of your days. The values THW promotes are strength, integrity, determination and discipline. These are the very characteristics that Hercules displayed in his quest to become immortal. The Herculean Way cannot promise you immortality, but it can promise that each week there will be one new post that seeks to improve your life and the world we live in. THW also promises that following a Herculean way of living will lead to great things for you, those close to you and also to the world we all inhabit. This might sound unrealistic, unattainable even utopian. But that is what makes the Herculean way Herculean.
The Herculean Way
THW mission statement
The Herculean Way's mission
In the first instance, this site was developed to be a fitness and health site for people over 40. Then, as I started to look at the stats and to think about the bigger picture, I realised that I wanted something that evangelised the benefits of committing to a fitness and healthy living for the over 40s. That had not changed. But, I also became committed to a site that did much more than just made people physically healthier. I wanted fitness and health to be catalyst for changing the world.
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More about my mission will become apparent to you when you read "About me" and the four pillars of THW set out below. For now, here is the mission statement of The Herculean Way which will make apparent what I (with your help) aim to do:
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The Herculean Way is dedicated to being a catalyst for positive change in the world. The Herculean Way aims to change the world one person at a time by providing information, role modelling and through public activism. At the core of the change that The Herculean Way promotes is an ethic of care for the self, others, and the planet. The Herculean Way will be a voice championing fitness, health, the rebuilding of the social contract and for planetary care.
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That is the why of the Herculean Way. Below is the how, THW will promote change; the four pillars are: exercise, nutrition, philosophy and legacy.
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The Four Pillars of the THW
The Herculean Way is dedicated to bringing about change by promoting better living. THW has four pillars:
Revisiting the Myth of Hercules: Lessons for a Life of Strength and Purpose
I want to return to the myth of Hercules, not least because this website is named after him. But also, because that myth provides so many opportunities for interpretation, self-reflection and social commentary. ,When I thin of Hercules, I don’t only see a picture a perfect hero as a marble statue. I picture someone who messed up, got knocked down, and still found a way to get back up stronger. That’s the part of the story I can relate to—and I suspect you do too.
There’s one thing in the myth I’ve always wrestled with. My favourite animal is the lion—always has been. I admire their strength, poise, and quiet authority. So when I read that Hercules’ very first labor was to kill the Nemean Lion, a part of me resists the story. If I’m honest, in my mind I tend to skip that one entirely. It’s easier to think about killing hydras than lions.
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But over time I realised the lion is more than just an animal in the tale—it’s the symbol of the toughest challenge, the one you can’t avoid. You might prefer to jump straight to the hydras, the stables, the boars—anything but the lion—but life has a way of bringing your lion to your doorstep. And when it does, you either face it or turn away.
Hercules’ Twelve Labours weren’t just trials of strength. They were tests of will, endurance, and service. He didn’t get to pick his challenges. He had little choice in the matter and when he had done ten labours as first agreed, he was forced to do two more. Life can be very unfair.
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