That's Fit

It's near impossible to watch Frank Miller's epic film 300 without marveling at the peak physical condition that all of the actors are in. From the lead, Gerard Butler as King Leonid, down to Spartan Soldier #299 (whoever he may be), every last one of these dudes were shredded. You took a look at these guys and thought, if any 300 guys could take on an army of 1 million, it's probably them. But, in reality, Spartan warriors they are not. They're actors; thespians portraying the eight-packed, human version of a well-conceived graphic novel. So, the question remains: How did these guys get into such great shape?

The answer is the 300 workout, designed specifically for the film's actors and, according to Butler, designed to make them want to throw-up. Bottom line, the 300 workout is absolutely grueling, and I speak from experience after having following the routine myself for the past month.

Any interest in looking like a Spartan warrior? If you answered yes, then you're either crazy and a glutton for punishment, or you're still both of those but you are also looking for a killer, new workout. Well, to that I say: This is Sparta!!

The one part of this workout that is actually rather easy is keeping track of it. There aren't any crazy, newfangled moves that you'll have to watch a 2-hour instructional video just to figure out how to do them. No, these exercises are all pretty well-known and easy to perform. Unfortunately, that's where things stop being easy. The five exercises that make up the 300 workout are: the Pull-Up (you do 25 of these babies), the Deadlift (50 reps, non-stop), the Push-Up (you do 50 of these, too), Box Jumps (jump onto a 2' platform or bench - 50 reps), Floor Wipers (you guessed it - 50 reps of these, too), Kettle Bell Clean Presses (25 with each arm), and then Pull-Ups (finish with 25 more reps).

Okay, let me be the first to tell you that you're not going to be able to just go to the gym tomorrow and do this workout, even if you are currently in great shape. Hell, I don't care if you're an Olympic athlete; you're still not going to be able to jump right into the 300 workout. Just like the actors in the film, you should start by building up to this total of 300. Try a 100 workout first. Clearly, the way to do this is to reduce your number of overall repetitions on each exercise so that in total, you've done 100 reps by the time you're done. As you get stronger (and considerably more fit - which you will...quickly), go for 150 or 200.

In time, you will be able to perform a true 300 workout. You'll look like your own graphic novel character come to life, and you'll have the strength of the warrior-king himself. Taking on an army of 1 million soldiers is completely up to you, however.