The 300 Workout

Want Hollywood muscle?  Then look no further because this is the workout used by the cast of the movie 300, the one that built all that Spartan muscle.

One of the most popular videos on our site since then has been the "300 Workout," as demonstrated here by Men's Health contributor Craig Ballantyne, CSCS, M.Sc., a strength and conditioning coach in Toronto.

"It looks simple on paper, but I promise you, it's a great muscle building workout," posted one man on MensHealth.com.

Another posting noted the extreme interest generated: "I sense a new 'Brad Pitt in Fight Club' standard being born."

Butler's training for 300 simultaneously built muscle, increased muscular endurance, and stripped fat fast. To achieve movie muscles that pop, he and other cast members used this grueling, unorthodox 300-rep rite of passage. 

Ballantyne put together this workout video series for you to follow along with and—provided you're fit like a king—try for yourself.

"One actor from 300, Andrew Pleavin, completed the workout in 18 minutes, 11 seconds," says Ballantyne. "He didn't practice this workout ... and neither did I. My time? 19:07. My butt was kicked by a Hollywood actor!"

"It's a brutal workout, starting out strong and slowing down, finishing at a crawl," explains Ballantyne. "I don't plan on doing that any time soon or, really, ever again."

For a Spartan-sized challenge to your daily routine, consider this your new fitness gauntlet. All exercises are done without scheduled rest between moves.

THE "ORIGINAL" 300 WORKOUT

• Pullups - 25 reps
• Barbell Deadlift with 135 lbs. - 50 reps
• Pushups - 50 reps
• 24-inch Box Jumps - 50 reps
• Floor Wipers - 50 reps
• Single-Arm Clean-and-Press with 36 lbs Kettlebell - 50 reps
• Pullups - 25 reps
  
  → 
   

THE INTERMEDIATE 300 WORKOUT

• Pullups - 25 reps
• Dumbbell Deadlift - 50 reps
• Pushups - 50 reps
• Body-Weight Squat Jumps - 50 reps
• V-Ups - 50 reps
• Dumbbell Push Press - 50 reps
• Pullups - 25 reps
  
   →

Obviously, this is still a challenging workout...you shouldn't do it unless you are already in great shape. Fortunately, this can all easily be adapted. Appropriate exercises can be subbed in: Drop down to 150 total reps, or 4-6 exercises of 15-25 reps each. For example, you might try this workout, great for a guy with moderate fitness:

THE BEGINNER 300 WORKOUT

• Body-Weight Rows - 15 reps
• Body-Weight Squats - 25 reps
• Pushups - 15 reps
• Jumping Jacks - 50 reps
• Mountain Climbers - 20 reps
• Close-Grip Pushups - 10 reps
• Body-Weight Rows - 15 reps