How Did the Actors in 300 Get In Such Great Shape?

The ground is shaking as rubble starts to pelt the helmets of two soldiers. “Leonidas, it’s an earth quake.”

The camera pans over to a shredded Gerard Butler in battle gear. His reply – “No they are getting in battle formation!”

As both armies prepare for the opening scene in the movie 300 you can tell this is going to be intense. Gerard looks to his men in line, and shouts one last word of encouragement prior to the battle that is moments away.

“Remember this day men, for it will be yours for all time!”

When you look back in cinematic history, I am not sure of one film that had so many toned actors have been on one set. That is in part and thanks to the head trainer Mark Twight. A section of the press kit that was sent from Warner Brothers read the following.

“To support fight preparation the training emphasized athleticism by combining compound movements, lifting, and throwing. Primitive tools – medicine balls, Kettlebells, rings – were used instead of machines. Each session was competitive, with a penalty-reward system tied to performance and results posted daily for all to see.”

Mark has a great article HERE that demystifies the program he used for the men on the set of 300. You will be hard pressed to find any secret sauce out side of “hardwork”.

The Original 300 Workout:

• 25x Pull-up +
• 50x Deadlift @ 135# +
• 50x Push-up +
• 50x Box Jump @ 24″ box +
• 50x Floor Wiper @ 135# (one-count) +
• 50x KB Clean and Press @ 36# (KB must touch floor between reps) +
• 25x Pull-up
  = 300 reps total

If that isn’t enough to get you moving, the team over at Onnit put together a few variations of the epic 300 workouts that look pretty intense. Funk Roberts  has a great video series of 10 variations of the classic 300 work out.

As I am getting back after surgery, I look forward to reporting back on results from these programs.

Have a great week!

Cheers,

Kolby 

Direct Link: https://thehealthyprimate.com/2015/11/how-in-the-hell-did-the-actors-in-300-get-so-ripped/