The 300 Workout

Understanding the celebrity-hyped exercise program, the 300 Workout

In the epic movie 300, the film's stars are as chiseled as Mount Rushmore. Every abdominal, triceps, bicep, calf, and pectoral muscle was sculpted with the precision and perfection of Greek gods. And by popular demand, the secrets to their exceptionally shapely physiques were made known to the general public.

Dubbed the 300 Workout, the same routine that celebrity Spartans put themselves through is now available for your own pleasure…and pain. But before you plan to jump into the past to become the muscle-bound warrior you've always dreamed to be, there are some things you should know about this muscle-growing routine.

It's Exceptionally Intense

Hollywood makes everything bigger. From fight scenes to muscles to scandals, there is nothing done to scale in the world's center of entertainment. The 300 Workout is no exception. Instead of slowly helping actors enter into good health, self-taught fitness pro Mark Twight pushed actors to train harder than they ever imagined possible. And they did it in a private gym with no mirrors, no windows, and no place to sit down comfortably.

After a meager 12 weeks, everyone in the cast looked like cast-iron muscle. And then came the pinnacle of the 300 Workout: the 300 test. With the test, all of the actors had to perform 300 repetitions split among various exercises. Sound easy? All the reps had to be done in secession, without any break between the exercises. And the exercises are timed, so the goal is to bust through the repetitions as quickly as possible, without breaking your back via poor form.

A Lighter 300

A little intimidated by the 300 repetitions required of the 300 Workout? Who can blame you? However, you shouldn't let your intimidation keep you from giving it a shot in small doses. How? By chopping the repetitions in half.

Sure, you won't really be doing the 300 Workout (you'll have to rename it the 150 Workout), but those 150 repetitions you perform, when done without any break between, will be some of the most difficult 150 repetitions of your life.

You'll Be Sore

What makes up the 300 repetitions for the 300 test? Good question. When it comes time to test your 300 Workout, you'll be looking forward to the following exercises back to back to back to back:

• 25 pull-ups
• 50 deadlifts of 135 pounds
• 50 push-ups
• 50 box jumps on a 24-inch-high box
• 50 *floor wipers, using 135 pounds
• 50 *clean and press using 36 pounds
• 25 additional pull-ups

Now that you know what the 300 Workout requires, it's time to hit the gym. Because there's no way some Hollywood hotshot can work out harder and faster than you, is there?

* See "Introducing the Newbies"

Introducing the Newbies

As the 300 Workout is one of the newest routines out there, there may be a couple of exercises you're unfamiliar with. In the event you've never heard of the domestically named exercises, the floor wipers and the clean and press, here's how to do each.

Floor Wipers: Lie flat on your back on the floor, while holding a weighted barbell over face. Start with your entire body flat on the floor, your legs fully extended. Then bend at the waist to lift both of your feet together until your feet almost touch the left plate on the barbell. Return your feet to floor, and then raise them until they almost touch the right plate. This is one repetition.

Clean and Press: Start in a standing position, with a kettlebell on the ground. Bend over and grab the kettlebell with one hand, lift the kettlebell up to the middle of your chest, and then press the weight over your head. Finally, return the kettlebell to the ground and begin your next repetition.