My Current Workout

Muscle Building

The 300 Workout

Want Hollywood muscle? Try this 300-rep Spartan workout -- used by the cast of the movie -- for a full-body transformation

Sometimes a movie takes off for no apparent reason.

And sometimes the reason is readily apparent. Take 300, for instance. This epic account of an ancient battle between the Spartans and Persians contained the kind of eye-popping visuals and head-snapping violence that men can't get enough of.

Plenty of women, too, appreciated the parade of ripped bodies. The movie made a record $70 million in its first weekend and earned $210 million domestically since March.

The release of the DVD today will no doubt extend the phenomenon.

At MensHealth.com, 300 has been a sensation as well. Ever since Gerard Butler appeared on the cover of the March issue of Men's Health, visitors to the website have been clicking on everything 300.

By far the most popular video on our site since March 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:

a) Pullups - 25 reps

b) Deadlifts with 135lbs - 50 reps

c) Pushups - 50 reps

d) 24-inch Box jumps - 50 reps

e) Floor wipers - 50 reps

f) Single-arm Clean-and-Press with 36lbs Kettlebell - 50 reps

g) Pullups - 25 reps

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