Mar 13, 2007
The 300 Workout
The movie 300 is a big hit as it tells the tale of ancient Spartans battling the Persians in the battle at Thermopylae. The movie is all CGI with outlandish sets made to look exactly like Frank Miller’s graphics novel on which this movie is based. Everything in the movie was shot in front of a green screen and the CGI effects applied later. The actors however are not CGI’d. Their low fat “cut” abs and chest are real thanks to the 300 Workout.
The 300 Workout designed by Mark Twight is based on full body movements. No isolation of specific muscles but doing large muscle movements that seem old-school.
Not your average workout: Tire flipping, jumping, sprints with a jumpstretch band, runs with kettlebells, turkish get ups with kettlebells, medicine ball throwing, kipping pullups, bear crawls, tuck sits on gymnastics rings, barbell thrusters. Real, oldschool, brutal – full body movements.
These are some old school type movements that if you think about it make sense. They require the entire body to react and work a wide range of muscles. The workouts vary everyday so there is no repetition. Your body never adjusts to the workout and does not have time to be more efficient.
The combination of vigorous full body exercises that change everyday force the body to react by burning lots of calories and fat to adjust and to build muscle.
Here is an example of one of the workouts:
The 300 workout, as it was done by the actors:
“300”
25x Pull-ups
50x Deadlift @ 135lb
50x Push-ups
50x Box Jump @ 24” box
50x Floor Wiper @ 135lbs
50x KB Clean and Press @ 36# (KB must touch floor between reps)
25x Pull-up
300 reps totalAndrew Pleavin, who played Daxos the leader of the Arcadians, did 300 in 18 minutes. Savage.
The trouble with cycling is that after riding so many miles your body becomes more efficient. This is great for racers and long distance cyclist since you can ride longer and faster. This could also be bad if you are trying to also lose weight so you can get up that next hill much faster.
My trouble with cycling last year was that I was getting efficient and not losing a great deal of weight once the season was in full swing. I would ride and race and not much weight would come off. This off season I was able to lose some fat by changing up my workouts and incorporating new exercises. MY winter training involved various forms of weight lifting, stair-climbers and running. I did not ride the rollers much if at all, but the winter was mild until January so I had lots of miles mixed in.
The focus on weights and running helped my to cut some fat. I lost around four percent body fat to go from 34% to 30%. Yes I still have a way to go, but the 300 workout mentality seems to validate what I was trying to do this winter. For the next few weeks I will try to incorporate some of the “300″ workout ideas to my plan and yes I must also include a picture.
I had to deal with the same problem. When I started racing/training seriously I weighed 148 pounds. Over the last 3 years my mileage increased dramatically but so did my weight. At the end of cross season in December I was 168 pounds and would tip the scales at 170 every now and then. This winter I took on a program with similar characteristics to the 300 workout (simple intense exercises, full body) and cut over 10 pounds in just 2 months. I went from 15% body fat to 12%. My goal is to be at 10% come race time. Obviously, diet is a critical factor here as well.
Good points. I’ve noticed the same thing once I’m in shape – another approach is to change up your routine on the bike. The problem with overall body workout is that you’ll gain muscles (and weight) that aren’t going to help a rider get up that hill.
Who’s Paul?
I agree. Too much muscle will actually make you heavier The key would be finding a good balance between fat burning and gaining muscle. During the winter months I concentrate on weights and sometimes don’t see the scale move.
When cycling season starts I usually lose weight quickly but I am afraid that I am also losing muscle.