The 300 Workout The workout gets its name from the total number of repetitions. But those 300 reps weren't done daily, as some media accounts report, Twight says. Rather, the 300 workout was the finale of months of training, a kind of graduation test, after actors had weight lifted and trained with tools such as medicine balls and Kettlebells (cast iron weights with handles). It's daunting, and includes these weight-training moves: <!--[if !supportLists]--> <!--[endif]-->25 pull-ups <!--[if !supportLists]--> <!--[endif]-->50 deadlifts at 135 pounds <!--[if !supportLists]--> <!--[endif]-->50 push-ups <!--[if !supportLists]--> <!--[endif]-->50 box jumps with a 24-inch box <!--[if !supportLists]--> <!--[endif]-->50 "floor wipers" (a core and shoulders exercise at 135 pounds) <!--[if !supportLists]--> <!--[endif]-->50 "clean and press" at 36 pounds (a weight-lifting exercise) <!--[if !supportLists]--> <!--[endif]-->25 more pull-ups -- for a total of 300 reps There's no rest between movements and the score is based on total time, Twight says. Behind-the-Scenes Work But before that graduation test, Twight says, there were months of work, transforming the actors and stuntmen not just physically but mentally, he notes. "Zack [Snyder, the director,] wanted the Spartans to appear as though they had been fighting together since they were children," he says. When they arrived, the men were at various starting points, says Twight, who trained Gerard, many co-stars, and stuntmen but not the women in the film. "Guys ranged from 40 pounds overweight to being in perfect, lean, hard-fighting shape," Twight tells WebMD. The Regimen The regimen was varied based on the person’s starting point, Twight says. "Some days guys did high-intensity circuit training. Some days guys lifted very heavy loads for a few reps. Some days guys did a series of miniworkouts that added up to an 'interesting' total load and volume. Some days guys did hard interval training on the Concept II rowing machine." And some days, the exercisers were asked to train for balance by doing their tasks blindfolded. "Some days were punishment days where our intent was to break guys physically and psychologically," Twight says. Training for the actors required 90 minutes to two hours a day, five days a week, Twight says, plus the same amount of time fight training. Stuntmen trained 90 minutes to two hours, five days a week, and another four to six hours fight training, Twight says. Everyone was given just enough food to recover from the workout, he notes. The Results At the end of the training, about half of those who trained took the 300 test, Twight says. Andrew Pleavin, who plays Daxos, leader of the Arcadians, was the only actor to take it. He finished in 18 minutes and 11 seconds. Exercise Physiologists Burst Our Bubble Before you head out to see if you’re good enough to pass the 300 test, heed the caution from William J. Kraemer, PhD, professor of kinesiology at the University of Connecticut in Storrs. “This [program] was done for a stylistic effect, to look like a Spartan," he says. Forget about trying to do the graduation test right out of the box, he says. "The out-of-shape person who starts [the 300 graduation test] is going to be dead the first day. No one could do this without prior training. You have to progress." Even if you start out slowly, Kraemer recommends proceeding with caution and checking in with your doctor first. The breakdown of muscle fibers, for instance, may be severe enough to be toxic to the kidneys, he says. "If you have [heart problems] or are not screened, you could have a variety of exertional problems [with this workout], from serious tissue breakdown to heart attack to kidney problems," he says. "It's too extreme for the average person." Walt Thompson, PhD, a professor of kinesiology and health at Georgia State University in Atlanta, agrees. "This kind of workout is for a very, very small subset of the population," he says. "The person who could probably benefit from the Gym Jones workout is the person who already has a long and extensive 'career' in exercise. It's not for a beginner."
 |
Subscribe to this comment's feed
