Round the Bays 2023, New Zealand’s biggest fun run, will take place on Sunday 5th March. thing Launched RTB fitness club. This is his 8-week training program designed to get you exercised and excited with a like-minded community, whether you’re tackling an event in person or virtually in Auckland. I’m here. Each week we bring you stories to inspire and educate you through your fitness journey.
At over 100kg and 170cm tall, Wellington’s James Bennett is not your “slim man archetype”.
But when it comes to his own medieval combat sports, he says he was able to sustain himself at the best of them.
These days, Bennett spends more time opening his film studio than training. But in his prime, with a body of 50kg, he was a “professional knight” who wore armor and fought “UFC style” with other medieval fighters around the world.
According to Bennett, Full Contact’s medieval combat is basically “UFC with group fights and weapons. It’s surrounded by pomp and historical accuracy.”
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From 2015 to 2018, Bennett fought in full body armor in Moscow, Poland and Denmark among others. known as the Dealer.
Simply put, he was able to use his weight to his advantage and hit hard.
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James Bennett as a professional knight.
Combat sports have been a lifelong passion for Bennett, who began training in martial arts at the age of 12.
When he was 15, he saw the 1986 film Highlander and became passionate about learning swordsmanship. At the time, Bennett hooked up with someone who ran a medieval club in his hometown of Danneburgh and agreed to teach him in exchange for a babysitter.
He continued his training and also learned kung fu and stick fighting. In his 30s, Bennett discovered full his contact medieval combat and trained with the Oakland team in 2015. From there, he competed in multiple International Medieval Combat Federation (IMCF) World Championships.
He retired in 2018 but still continues to train as a hobby.
Brian Law/Courtesy
James Bennett isn’t your typical “thin guy archetype,” but he says he’s found a sport that flatters his figure.
He was never a small guy, but says he was always able to keep up with everyone in his sport.
“Fitness isn’t necessarily about being thin,” he says.
Bennett says a certain level of fitness is absolutely necessary to become a professional knight.
“In Copenhagen, we did 19 rounds in one day. I fought with,” he says.
At my peak, I was training twice a day, six days a week. He’s been more relaxed about his training lately, but still teaches Filipino stick fighting and works out for fun. is not”.
A naturally “burly man,” Bennett values function over form when it comes to sports. He’s been on both ends of the weight spectrum for combat, one time he weighed up to 140kg and another time he weighed down to 70kg. Bulking up wasn’t healthy, and losing a lot of weight didn’t make him happy.
“Being big isn’t necessarily a bad thing. If you can build fast-twitch muscles and accelerate, you can hit like a train,” he says.
He’s not “designed to run around”, but when it came to fighting, he was training twice a day, six days a week at his peak.
When it comes to cardio fitness, Bennett says he has it. He can go “crazy” with his two-minute rounds.
“Don’t make me climb hills. That’s not what I was designed to do,” he says. However, he was able to use his weight and strength to his advantage to stand his ground and wrestle.
“Nutrition-wise, I used to live with the mindset of eating more, lifting more, and getting bigger,” he says.
“It’s hard to fight a heavy man or someone who has weight on you.”
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James Bennett, though he doesn’t have “washboard abs,” was still a high-performance athlete in the sport of full-contact medieval combat.
Bennett admits he’s struggled in the past with the notion of “being a high-performance athlete and not having these washboard abs.”
“I guess I can only fight with my genetics. I was 70kg in my life, and I had no calories in my life. There’s a point of ‘Don’t get excited about eating lettuce.'”
“We all have this genetic predisposition,” he says.
“For me, I’ve been lucky to find a sport that works well.”
What is RTB fitness club?
thing founded RTB Fitness Club with coach Bevan James Eyles to help New Zealanders build long-lasting habits to stay fit, stay motivated and connect with a like-minded community. Whether you purchased your entry to race on the day in Auckland or are locked in to race online, you are welcome to connect and become part of this club. , you can also join the RTB Fitness Club.
For $25 you get:
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8-week walk, walk-to-run, or run-only training program
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Weekly mentoring video with Bevan
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Weekly live Q&A with Bevan
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Strength and stretch components to help prevent injury
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Access to dedicated RTB Fitness Club Facebook Group
The first 250 people to join the club will receive a free Under Armor T-shirt. Join the club here.
