So, you think you can swordfight?

“Visiteth exotic places, meeteth interesting new people, and killeth them.” That’s the motto of Valhalla, Portland State’s very own medieval combat club. To this slogan, I add, “And have thyself one killer workout!”

Though play fighting with foam weapons and shields isn’t the first thing that comes to mind when one thinks of working out, the medieval combat club is certainly no walk in the park. It is not uncommon to see a recently slain warrior gasping for breath on the sidelines.

The battles that take place during Valhalla meetings are much like a high-intensity interval workout—quick and intense bursts of activity that challenge the cardiovascular, muscular, and central nervous systems. This type of workout is almost guaranteed to really crank up the metabolism of the participant. The calorie burn during the battle itself may not be particularly high, but the warrior’s body will continue to burn calories for hours after his or her brave battle.

If one fights really, really hard, research suggests that their resting metabolic rate may be boosted for as long as the following 24 hours. Just don’t feast on mutton and mead following the battle if you’re watching your weight.

While I wouldn’t go quite as far as to say that medieval combat club offers a superior workout to uphill sprints or barbell complexes (a series of weight training exercises done continuously without rest), I don’t consider either of those activities to be particularly fun or enjoyable. And that’s the sad truth about exercise; most people don’t find exercise fun, and therefore they simply don’t do it.

Thankfully for us students, campus clubs like Valhalla offer exciting ways for us to engage in health-promoting exercise without even really noticing it. One is much more likely to maintain a regular exercise program if they can have a good time in the process.

Despite their exhaustion, I can almost guarantee that no recently defeated fighter in Valhalla is watching the clock and thinking, “Man, I can’t wait to get this workout over with!” In fact, they are actually just itching to get back into the fray and get sweet revenge upon their rivals. They may not be aware of it, but they are also fighting fat gain, heart disease, and insulin resistance (the precursor to type-2 diabetes). This type of enjoyment and eagerness is extremely helpful when trying to stick with an exercise program, especially for a beginner.

Valhalla currently meets twice per week: Wednesdays at 1 p.m. at the Campus Rec Center in ASRC 430, and Saturdays in the Park Blocks, right in front of Lincoln Hall (expect some onlookers if you should decide to attend the outdoor meeting). The group is also trying to organize a battle with the University of Oregon’s medieval combat club Tir na nOg sometime this month—sounds like the perfect opportunity to exact some much-needed revenge on the Ducks.

Be sure to visit www.pdx.edu/recreation/medieval-combat and fill out the necessary forms before participating.