Aditya Sahu ‧ CPT & Head Coach
Aditya is an ACSM certified personal trainer and exercise physiologist with more than 7 years training various people and transforming people's lives. He has written various publications for various sports and fitness magazines.
Have you watched the movie 300 and were enthralled by the ripped muscles, exclusively shaped, and zero fat body of the Spartans? Especially Gerard Butler, who did 4 months of intense training to get the warrior-shaped body fit to play King Leonidas's character.
He is shown wearing a crimson cape on his shoulders with a shirtless body throughout most of the movie scenes. His whittled waist, six-pack abs, and rick-hard thighs all were buff and toned throughout the show. It’s not a joke for a fitness freak to imagine having a dashing body like him.
If you want a Spartan-like body or are simply curious about the workout routine, this article is exclusively for you. We got deep into the interviews of Gerard Butler, other Spartan actors, and their trainer Mark Twight to sum up 300 workout routine for you. So, read the article till the end to learn how to get a lean body like Spartan.
300 Workout Principle
The 300 movie workout at Gym Jones is not an ordinary one. It is challenging and way more than beyond those videos circulating all over the internet as 300 workout routines. It is the entire work of the trainer Mark Twight, a world-class mountain climber and fitness trainer. 300 workout consists of Mark’s self-taught exercises and adheres to his mantra “no pain, no gain.”
The training of 300 actors to become Spartans was done at Gym Jones, Salt Lake City. With no air conditioning, no comfy place to sit, and no cool mirrors to flaunt the body, the no-frills gym-produced worrier-shaped actors. Most of them trained for 8 to 10 weeks, but Gerard Butler trained for 12 weeks to play King Leonidas.
According to Mark Twight, the 300 movie workout is not for faint-hearted and out-of-shape people. The exercise physiologists agree with him and suggest that he is not recommended as a certified trainer by many organizations.
The Full 300 Workout
The 300 Spartan workout gets its name from 300 repetitions. It involved weight lifting and training with tools like Kettlebells and medicine balls. The workout program consisted of 5 three days a week. For the rest of the weekdays, actors did cardio exercises.
The tough 300 workout routine consisted on:
25 starting pull-ups
Deadlifts (135 pounds each) (50 reps)
50 push-ups
Box jumps (With a 24-inch box) (50 reps)
Floor wipers (a core and shoulders exercise with 135 pounds)
Clean and press (while lifting 36 pounds) (50 reps)
25 finishing off pull-ups
You will be astonished to know that no rest was allowed during the exercise, one of the points that made this exercise hectic. The main aim of the exercise was to leave zero fat on the body and pump up muscle growth.
300 Movie Pre-Workout Routine
The workout did not start as it looked. Before this hectic workout program, the actors were prepared physically and mentally. Twight wanted to have them look like warriors that have been into fighting since their childhood.
Some actors did high-intensity circuit training at Gym Jones for some days. They lifted heavy loads as mini exercises to prepare their bodies to perform strenuous exercises. Some days the cast members trained on a Concept II rowing machine, and some days they were rained blindfolded to gain balance during exercise.
The training duration at Gym Jones consisted of 90 to 120 minutes five days a week. Fight training was also given to some cast members, including Gerard Butler, four to six hours a day. No specific food plan was made for the workouts, but everyone was given enough food to withstand the workout.
Why Is The Spartan 300 Workout Not For Beginners Or Faint-Hearted People?
The 300 workout is a strength training to create a stylistic effect. An out-of-shape person attempting this workout will have adverse effects on their body rather than positive ones.
This workout is not possible without pre-training. Going for a medical checkup is recommended to determine whether your body can handle the program before starting the training prior to 300 workouts.
Plenty of risks are associated with the 300 workout if you start without training. Mainly, the breakdown of muscle fibers occurs, which can cause toxicity in the kidneys.
People with heart problems should stay away from it because tissue breakdown can lead to a heart attack. This workout is only suitable for those who already do weight training or have a career in exercising.
Should Beginners Do The 300 Workouts?
The 300 workout routine is challenging and not a suitable strength training program for beginners. It is not an ordinary body workout to burn fat. Only people with a certain fitness level and power endurance alone with a habit of doing aerobic fitness workouts can adopt the 300 workout as their next exercise. However, it can be a full-body workout for beginners too.
If you are a beginner, you can start a toned-down version of this workout slowly by hiring a certified trainer to learn the proper form of weight training. Hiring a trainer can help you ensure that you do muscle strengthening exercises and training with proper technique without being injured.
After enough training and maintaining your body weight, you can maintain a fitness level by losing belly fat and building specific muscle groups in your body. You can follow the following workout when you feel that you are ready for the Spartan workout. It works exceptionally well for fitness freaks who want to get a body like Gerard Butler.
Beginner Level 300 Workout Routine
300 workout routine for beginners is a different workout compared to the original workout. It is suitable for fitness freaks who are already in good form and want to strep forward to doing 300 movie workout.
It differs from the original in terms of power needed and reps but delivers results quickly. It is best for fat loss and targeting a specific muscle group. Following exercises are included in 300 workouts for beginners' training regimen.
Body Weight Rows (15 reps)
Body Weight Squats (25 reps)
Pushups (15 reps)
Jumping Jacks (50 reps)
Mountain Climbers (20 reps)
Close-Grip Pushups (10 reps)
Body-Weight Rows (15 reps)
Intermediate Level 300 Workout Routine
This workout is exclusively for those who are already in shape, have a lean body, and have extraordinary fitness levels.
Also, the people who did beginners' workouts can adapt this as their next exercise. You can get extra diet tips from the trainer to get more out of this work routine.
Following exercises are included in the intermediate 300 workout routine
25 reps of Pullups
50 reps of Dumbbell Swings Deadlift
50 reps of Pushups
50 reps of Body-Weight Squat Jumps
50 reps of V-Ups
50 reps of Dumbbell Push Press
25 reps of Pullups
How To Do The 300 Workout For Beginners?
The intense Spartan workout is meant for the fittest individuals, but it can challenge them too. If you cannot do all the reps at once, you can rest between them until you can complete all reps before gravitating toward the next phase. Track how many reps you can do at once.
Following are the exercises of the famous Spartan workout and how to do them.
Pull-ups (25 reps)
Hold an overhead pull-up bar with a wide grip and pull your body up until your chin passes the height of the bar.
Lower your body below the bar and fully extend your arms.
Barbell Deadlifts (50 reps with 135 pounds)
Perform a squat and hold the barbell with a shoulder-width grip.
Lift the barbell while extending the hips and knees
Before returning the barbell to the floor, take a pause at the top by bending the hips backward and the knees forwards.
Push-Ups
While doing push-ups, lean on and spread your hands on the floor shoulder-width apart
Lower your body below the bar and fully extend your arms.
Keep your hands wider than your shoulders.
Straighten your arms and legs to right angles and lower your body.
Pause and then lift your body upwards.
Box jumps (50 reps)
While performing box jumps, stand in front of a box.
Open your feet shoulders width apart and swing one arm behind and then the other while doing a partial squat.
Swing the arms forward, bend the knees, and jump on the box or bench.
Jump backward and return to the floor.
Floor Wipers With (50 Reps With 135-Pound)
Hold a barbell and lie on your back with extended arms.
Keep the legs and arms extended, and raise your legs to the right of the barbell so that the toes reach the plates.
Brings the legs to the center and lift the legs towards the left side.
Arm Clean-And-Press (50 Reps with 36 Pounds Kettlebell)
Keep the feet open to shoulder width and the kettlebell between your legs.
Bend the hip and knees slightly. Reach downwards to grasp the ball but with one hand only.
Pull the kettlebell upwards using momentum from the glutes and hips.
Hold the bell end between the biceps and forearm to achieve rack position. Tuck your elbow into the chest and hold the kettlebell above shoulder height.
Press the bell over your head till the arms become straight, and lower back to get rack position.
Drop the bell on the floor while bending your knees and hinging your hips forward.
Repeat all steps with the second arm.
Pullups (25 reps)
Take the pull-up bar and repeat the pull-ups exercise, keeping a shoulder-width grip as you did in step 1.
Things To Consider While Doing The 300 Spartan Workout
Training level
Beginners should never do this workout. Before starting it, make sure to learn weight training properly and improve the overall conditioning of your body. Stepping into a solid workout like 300 can put you at risk if you do it without a strong core.
Box Jump
You can use the box for it, but if you don’t have access to it, you can use a bench of suitable height or go with stacking aerobic stones.
Floor Wipers
For the floor wipers, lie on the floor or bench press. Take 135 pounds and hold the Wight at arm’s length instead of performing repeats. After this, do leg raises by lifting the legs first and moving towards the left and then slightly towards the right.
Rest
Don’t rest between the Spartan 300 training exercises to get in shape. If you complete the 300 reps, you can take scheduled rest before starting the next batch.
Diet tips
If you are up for a Spartan workout, it should be combined with a healthy diet. You have to lose fat during this workout and gain muscle mass. The best advice is that your diet should consist of proteins and lots of fibers to keep your body fueled for an intense workout.
300 Workout Routine Dietary Supplements
The spartan workout included the following dietary supplements to fuel up the game:
Whey Protein
Multivitamins
BCAA
300 Workout Routine Recommendations
Spartan exercises are best for those who want to lose weight fast or want their workout to produce exceptional results continuously. It is not like ordinary exercises, including push-ups, pull-ups, or sit-ups. It is tough training, and it's exclusively for those who already work on their body. If you want to get visible results in a few days and are a regular gym-goer, you can adopt a 300 routine.
Summary
300 training is for those fitness freaks who want to have a body like King Leonidas or other Spartans. It does not consist of one exercise but a set of tough workouts to gain a ripped physique. Beginners with bodies that are out of shape cannot try this program because their tissues can be torn apart with a high-intensity workout in 3000 routines.
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