Tuesday, April 21, 2009

What is the 300 Workout? | The 300 Diet | The 300 Workout Plan

The 300 Workout

What is the 300 workout? Well, anyone who has seen the movie 300 probably spent a lot of time admiring the man-bodies the movie had to serve up. Men with admiration, and women with...well...something. Immediately after the movie, speculation began flying. Where did they get all those buff extras? Those padded pecs, those awesome abs, and those thick thighs surely weren't just hanging out in a broke actors' queue, waiting for work, where they?

Of course, the answer is no. Every buffed extra in that movie underwent an 8-10 week exercise and training program to get those bodies just the way the director imagined. Gerard Butler, who plays King Leonidas actually trained for 12 weeks.

First, a Myth

So this is the part where I tell you what you are supposed to do, to start looking like the men from 300. Sorry, I can't tell you that, because it was individualized for each man. The so-called '300 workout' was in fact the final test of the men who had been on their extensive workout routines. Yes that's right. The much-acclaimed '300 workout' was not performed each day, but rather the workout used as a barometer of completion.

The Trainer

The trainer responsible for this massive muscle building was Mark Twight, and exercise and fitness guru who runs an invitation-only gym in Salt Lake City. He was commissioned by the movie's producers to devise an exercise regimen for each man in the film so that they could get looking lean and mean by film time.

Finally..The Routine

This was the final exam, so to speak, of Mark Twight's exercise program. It is not recommended for beginners at all, and trying to utilize as a daily workout could cause serious injury.

25 pull-ups
50 deadlifts at 135 pounds
50 push-ups
50 box jumps with a 24-inch box
50 "floor wipers" (a core and shoulders exercise at 135 pounds)
50 "clean and press" with a 36 pound kettlebell (a weight-lifting exercise)
25 more pull-ups -- for a total of 300 reps

A closer look

For the purpose of getting a 6 pack, which every man in that movie had, the most significant exercise here are the "floor wipers". They are really an incredible workout, and I'll be posting another article about them soon. Until then, feel free to read about How to Get a Six Pack Diet and the How to Get a Six Pack in 6 Minutes-Bicycle Ab Workout