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GymJones.com
The 300 workout routine that got Gerard Butler and Co. in shape for 300 is a brutally tough workout that separates the slobs from the Spartans!
But before you dive right into the workout itself, you need to be aware of one key point that almost every other 300 workout plan article overlooks.
The 300 workout wasn’t how the cast worked out during the three months they were trained. It was a test, the pinnacle of their challenge only to be attempted by those ready for it. Note that by the end of the four month training only 50% of the cast had even attempted the 300 workout.
So before you jump into the workout and quite possibly kill yourself, take a minute to understand how the cast worked out, how they ate, recovered and the amazing results they got.
No Pain No Gain!
Make no mistake about it, the 300 workout routine is intense, brutal, throw-up-in-the-corner-of-the-gym hard.
In the words of Gerard Butler himself, “I thought I was going to die.” And “Pretty much anything Mark Twight offered up was so difficult in the kind of way where you wish you had never been born – and even more than that, wished he had never been born.”
The 300 cast only trained for four months so in order to get results so quickly their workout plan had to be tough. Bear in mind also that many of the cast were out of shape before they began. They had a tough taskmaster guiding them through the gruelling process.
That taskmaster and creator of the 300 workout routine was Mark Twight of Gym Jones. In his own words he summed up the work ethic of the 300 cast, “The typical interviewer wants to know about the “magic” workout the cast did to make them look so good. Some were disappointed to learn that hard work is magic, while others marvelled – as did we some days – that the actors would work so hard.”
How The 300 Cast Worked Out
As I mentioned, the 300 workout was the ultimate test rather than the daily workout.
So how did the cast work out before embarking on the mother of all challenges?
The Gym Jones team had to get the cast in shape quickly so they focussed on keeping their bodies guessing by varying the training methods.
Some days would involve heavy weight training, others doing intense cardio and also unconventional methods like sprints with weight attached to their waists and tyre flipping.
Once they were deemed to be ready, the ambitious (e.g. brave) cast members decided to undertake the 300 workout routine.
Here’s how they did it…
The 300 Workout Routine Explained
To be able to attempt the 300 workout routine you’ll need a small amount of equipment, most gyms will have these items but If you train at home you may need to improvise or buy these items.
Here’s a list of what you’ll need
Equipment
- Barbell
- 60 Kg Barbell Weights
- Pull Up bar or something you can hang off safely
- A 24 inch box or any stable platform of a similar height
- 36kg Kettlebell or similar weight substitute
The Workout
The 300 workout routine consists of:
Pull Ups – 25 reps
Deadlifts with 135 lbs – 50 reps
Push Ups – 50 reps
24-inch Box Jumps – 50 reps
Floor Wipers – 50 reps
Single-Arm Clean-and-Press with 36 lbs Kettlebell – 50 reps
Pull Ups – 25 reps
Before you ask where the rest periods are…There are none!
The 300 Workout Routine Diet and Recovery Plan
Hard training and a calorie restricted, protein rich diet is key to achieving a lean physique and the 300 diet plan was no different.
The lean Spartan physiques you saw on screen were the result of a fairly standard bodybuilding type diet with a focus on lean protein sources and moderate carbs and fats.
The cast were told to eat 1 gram of protein per pound of bodyweight, so for a 170 pound person, 170g protein per day was the target.
The protein requirements were met via foods like chicken, turkey, lean beef, eggs and probably protein shakes to top up protein levels where required.
Carbohydrates would have been restricted to just enough to refuel their depleted glycogen stores so they could keep working out at such an intense pace without excess carbs spilling over into bodyfat.
Most carbohydrates would have been consumed post-workout when insulin sensitivity ensures that the carbs for recovery.
On the note of recovery, it’s also worth mentioning that the 300 cast had a tonne of recovery aids at their disposal!
There was a massage therapist at the workout facility every day and a kinesiologist who attended twice weekly.
The Results Speak For Themselves!
Check out Vince Regan’s before and after shots, Vince dropped 40 pounds in eight short weeks and increased his deadlift from 205 pounds to 365.
The 300 workout challenge was taken on by a select few (50% of the trainees) and the honours for fastest time go to Andrew Pleavin who got it done in 18 minutes and 11 seconds!
Note that Andrew only trained with the cast for five weeks and in this time his max number of pull ups went from 6 to 23 and he was able to row 500m in 1:25.6 seconds and 5000m in just 18:12.
So is The 300 Workout Routine Right For You?
In my opinion, using the 300 workout routine too often will be far too much for the average person to contend with. Bear in mind we have full time jobs, busy family lives and you probably don’t have a masseuse on hand to run you down after a hard workout!
If you want to challenge yourself to test your fitness once in a while then go for it, but don’t make the mistake of trying to complete the 300 workout plan too often as you’ll only burn yourself out!
If you’re looking for a workout plan compatible with a busy life then I suggest you take a look at my
3day workout routine
which I used to get equally lean in three short workouts each week.
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