That's Fit

A few months ago, I wrote a post describing the workout completed by the cast of the epic action film "300." Based on the information I obtained (sourced from a myriad of reputable publications, including Men's Health magazine), I explained the exercise regimen supposedly followed by the actors. But, it turns out that information was somewhat inaccurate.

Since then, and after investigating further, I've discovered that the so-called "300 Workout" was actually designed to be a challenge to the actors, a test of their willpower and strength once they reached the apogee of physical fintess. Their workouts consisted of hours upon hours of greuling training at the Gym Jones training facility in Utah, incorporating a wide variety of functional training movements (you can watch videos of many of the workouts on the gymjones.com website). With regard to the aformentioned "300 Challenge," this was attempted only by some of the actors and successfully completed by even less. However, in order to even be deemed worthy of taking the 300 Workout test, the actors had to first complete the two other tests that led up it

The first test was referred to as The Barbarian Horde Workout. It was a circuit routine that was completed two times, resting one minute between exercises. It consisted of the same exercises as the "300 Challenge," but was much less intense in terms of number of reps and rest time. If this test was passed, the actor was then permitted to move onto the next test, which was known as The Greek Hoplite Workout. This workout/test again consisted of the same exercises, but unlike the first test, rest time was reduced to thirty seconds between exercises (the circuit was still completed twice). If this test was passed, then and only then could the actor attempt to pass the "300 Challenge."

For a video demonstration of the exercises used in all three test levels, click here.

The movie 300 is full of beautiful bodies -- the star, Gerard Butler's, in particular. A physique like that doesn't come easy, and what's quickly becoming famous as "The 300 Workout" is not something just anybody can, or should, try. The routine was designed by Mark Twight and includes everything from push-ups and pull-ups to dead lifts and box jumps -- reading through how the actors were trained it sounds more like a lesson in boot-camp torture than a typical day at the gym.

The actual 12 week training system Mark Twight put Gerard Butler and the other actors through in order to get in "Spartan shape" may not be something for the average Joe (or Jane) to jump right into, but if you're motivated enough to do the necessary preparations (like talking to your doctor!) then you can get there eventually. And with all the press the movie and this new workout is getting, look for some modified -- and more realistic -- versions to be hitting a gym near you.