By the time the movie 300 hit the theaters earlier this year there was a lot of buzz about the workout program followed by Gerald Butler, who played the part of King Leonidas, and the other guys in the cast. Men’s Health magazine led the pack in promoting the movie and the workout by publishing a feature article detailing the training program designed by Mark Twight, and “enjoyed” by the cast and stunt crew of the movie.
Here’s what “The 300 Workout” consisted of:
- 25 pull-ups
- 50 dead lifts with 135 pounds
- 50 push-ups
- 50 jumps on a 24-inch box
- 50 “floor wipers”
- 50 1-arm clean and presses with 36-kettlebell
- 25 pull-ups
Message boards buzzed with the cock-sure opinions of the misinformed and some “experts” that stated "the 300 guys" had to be using steroids or other drugs in order for them to complete this routine. Personal trainers rushed to get their clients to “do the 300,” the vast majority of them not understanding the underpinnings of Twight’s handiwork.
Given what passes for Hollywood-based fitness routines, and the media’s overall lack of knowledge for what constitutes true fitness, these misunderstandings are understandable. The fitness media considers bodybuilding-based routines to be the pinnacle of fitness and conditioning, so how could they possibly understand what Twight had accomplished? In a country where drugged up bodybuilders and pro wrestlers are considered fit, how could the masses be expected to grasp what these actors had accomplished?
The workout programs touted by celebrity personal trainers and other fitness experts who appear on television are concerned with biceps curls and lateral raises, so how could they, and the media that supports them, comprehend kettlebell work and box jumps? Asking these folks - and their minions – to understand “The 300 Workout” is is like asking a second grade student to figure out Einstein’s Theory of Relativity or handing a beginner a pair of drumsticks and having them play “Driven to Tears” with The Police.
Add to the equation that Twight’s routine wasn’t even a workout that was repeated, but was a test that was meant to measure the progress of men who had gone where few gym rats have ever gone. As should have been expected, the media had no ability to express just what these guys had gone through in order to be able to complete this test, so it was reported that this test was a workout. By the way, the term gym rat is a good thing. I’m a gym rat, and always will be.
But most gym rats have no idea what this kind of training is like and what real training is. Tabata intervals, kettlebells, and sledgehammer training aren’t found at 99.99% of local gyms and in mainstream magazines. People who hit the gym a few times a week and think doing leg extensions and leg curls constitutes a good leg workout, have a “back and bis day” - and personal trainers who promote this kind of pap - will never be able to get a grip on the what goes on in high-end programs like Twight’s.
Article comments
1 - Richard McCoy
BACK IN 1988, IN HIGH SCHOOL, AS A 9TH GRADER, I WAS INTRODUCED TO A WRESTLING WORKOUT THAT HAD NO NAME. WIEGHTS WAS RARELY USED, BUT ALOT OF BODY WIEGHT AND FLEX MOVING WAS USED. THIS PRE/POST WORKOUT MADE ME SWEAT AND PUT ME TO SLEEP EVERYDAY. I HAVE NOT PERFORMED THIS LEVEL OF WORKOUT SINCE 1991. I'M 34 NOW. I MISSED SWEATING. I MISS SLEEPING PEACEFULLY. I MISS THE CONDITION OF MY BODY.
I WANT IT BACK.
PROBLEM IS, I CAN NOT FIND A PLACE THAT WORKS OUT LIKE THIS. UNTIL I SAW THE MOVIE 300 AND RESEARCHED GYM JONES.
I WANT TO DO WHATEVER IT TAKES TO GET BACK INTO SHAPE AND TO DO IT WITH A REAL INTENSE WORKOUT.
ANY HELP AND/OR ADVICE IS WELCOMED.
2 - Lloyd Shaw
"Changing your beliefs is never an easy thing"
Thats just funny coming from you Sal.
3 - sal m
what took you so long?!? at least you finally grabbed the bait, proving that not only are you a cyber-stalking zealot, but a predicatble one at that.
4 - Lloyd Shaw
Not my fault you keep running away . You going to front up to the other site and answer the questions posed to you about your education ?
5 - Di Heap
Sal, I thought you might be away on holiday!
Your previous feature article on the Soloflex Whole Body Vibration Platform has comments and questions for you to answer.
Many people could not even attempt "The 300 Workout" but almost everyone can try Vibration Training. Have you given it a REAL go yet?
6 - No 300 Workout
Great article, truthful where truth has been lacking, intelligent where intelligence has been lacking - oh that's right we were talking about the mass media that started this frenzy.
Congrats and thankyou for the sanity - anyone can achieve a good body if only they tried and stuck with it for long enough.
7 - Beastwood
300 workout is garbage. No one should be performing 50 deadlifts as fast as they can. You must have 3 years of resistance traing experience before performing plyos/box jumps and should be able to squat twice you body weight to avoid any problems with your connective tissue. Kettle bells cleans and presses do nothing except contribute to shoulder joint injury. "Anyone perscribing this should be charged with a felony" -
8 - BLURMAN
SO IM GUESSING THE GUY WHO WROTE THE LAST COMMENT HAS NEVER USED A KETTLEBELL, OR FROM THE SOUNDS OF IT GOT OFF HIS BOWFLEX LONG ENOUGH TO DISCOVER HIS WAY IS NOT THE ONLY WAY. I HAVE BEEN INTO WEIGHTLIFTING FOR CLOSE TO TEN YEARS NOW AND HAVE ALWAYS HAD TROUBLE WITH MY SHOULDERS. TRYING TO BENCH PRESS OR SHOULDER PRESS CAUSED INTENSE PAIN. I HAVE NO TROUBLE WITH SHOULDER PRESS AND MY BENCH HAS GONE FROM 250 TO 295 SINCE JUNE. NOT ONLY DO I BENCH MORE AND HAVE NO PAIN BUT I AM MORE TRIM AND OVERALL STRONGER THAN EVER BEFORE. I CHALK THIS UP TO MY KETTLEBELL TRAINING IN CONJUNCTION WITH FREE WEIGHTS. I COULD GO ON ABOUT HOW PLYOS AND BOX JUMPS HAVE IMPROVED MY SKIING. PERHAPS SOME OTHER TIME. THE POINT IS I HAVE BEEN INTIGRATING GYM JONES STYLE METHODS INTO MY ROUTINES AND HAVE NEVER FELT BETTER. SO TO THE AUTHOR CONGRATULATIONS ON THE ARTICLE AND DON'T LET THE "EXPERTS" OUT THERE GET YOU DOWN.