The Leonidas Workout

[Shifty]

Character Builder
To become fit for a king, 300 star Gerard Butler trained harder than most pro athletes for 4 months straight. But his biggest challenge came when the cameras stopped rolling

Gerard Butler is on the cover of Men's Health this month, he talks about the training he did for the film. He wanted the body seen in the film, he went the extra mile and it wasn't Zack or anybody else wanting him to look insanely fit. There is also a 2 minute video of him chatting on their website.

So for those who want to look the Leonidas they give you all the info you need to start working out.

Either way, it's the reason Butler enlisted the help of Mark Twight, a former world-class mountain climber who, based on personal experience, believes in training as if your life depends on it. In fact, Twight would argue that a good workout should make you feel almost queasy upon hearing what lies ahead. For example, to hasten Butler's mind-body transformation, he created what he calls the "300-rep Spartan workout." (Trust us, 100 reps is plenty hard.) (*2)

It goes like this: Without resting between exercises, Butler performs 25 pullups, 50 deadlifts with 135 pounds, 50 pushups, 50 jumps on a 24-inch box, 50 floor wipers (*3), 50 single-arm clean-and-presses using a 36-pound kettle bell, and 25 more pullups. All this, in addition to utilizing other unconventional yet equally taxing training methods, such as tire flipping and gymnastics-style ring training. Sound like hell? It is. In fact, upon receiving his marching orders for a Spartan workout, one of Butler's costars told Twight, "It feels like you just killed my dog."

 

[tzarinna]

For those of you that attempt it....provide photos.

 

[mrvlknight21]

For those of you that attempt it....provide photos.

Good luck with that!

 

[brian48]

So does this mean that they'll have a workout DVD on sale at the same time the movie comes out.

 

[Caliber]

I want to try it, sound shard but productive. I love to look like one of the 300.

 

[slipknotrocks]

Interesting.

 

[_BB_]

Yep, i feel queasy just reading that workout description. Looking at those guys in the film though, it definately pays off

 

[TNC9852002]

I think I just miscarried.

-TNC

 

[Antonello Blueberry]

I got tired just by reading it.

 

[Still Down]

Yes that is one hell of a workout. But what they aren't mentioning is that he worked up to that. And I'm not saying that to discredit him, only saying it to encourage those that want to try it. I'm guessing it took him a good month of slowing building himself up to get to the point of what he listed. Unless of course he was already use to doing intense callestetic workouts. Don't forget too that these actors get the most optimal nutrition, pre and post workout therapies money can buy. Their muscles are given the perfect state to repair very quickly and thus build very quickly. So don't get discouraged. It will just take the average joe a lot longer to get that build since we don't have nothing but time, money and personal cooks on hand.
But he definitely deserves a lot of props for it. I'd love to see his ab workout.

 

[Shifty]

I'm sure the DVD will have a feature on the workout.

 

[myfingershurt]

For those of you that attempt it....provide photos.

I'm gonna do it. Definilty gonna have to build up to 300 though.

 

[The Spawn]

I don't know why, but I think Ryan Reynolds looked better in Blade 3.

 

[Canadian Rider]

The article covers a lot. It is actually very inspiring ... the shot of him with the tire is amazing.

As is him hanging from the ceiling ...

A great workout indeed.

 

[Golgo-13]

The Spartan initiation/workout in the movie they have to go through as a child is far more hardcore that Butler's workout

 

[Bullsear]

I don't know why, but I think Ryan Reynolds looked better in Blade 3.

If you're talking in an, "I'd like to have sex with that person," sorta way, then sure.
But the Spartans are obviously in better shape than Reynolds in Blade 3. They're supposed to by scary to look at, not pretty.

 

[Wolfwood]

I'd like to try that, but I'm 100% sure it would kill me. Maybe I'll start out with a few sit-ups and push-ups.

 

[KenK]

I still can't believe the sidekick from Van Helsing played one of the main Spartans!! They were ALL so hardcore, though.

 

[Golgo-13]

^Yeah, i was shocked by that too. He was ssssooooo ridiculous in Van Helsing, yet so awesome in this movie...guess as an actor he has great range.

 

[dred one]

yeah thats pretty cool if anybody is looking for a good workout kettle bells are the real deal. Check this out first http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/mahler.htm do some research Mike mahler is a great kettle bell trainer with lots of knowledge given for free if do your homework.

 

[Colossal Spoons]

I thought the majority of the Spartans were pretty well defined but their physique was a bit odd. The workout looks really good for building up endurance and definition but there were few of the guys that had a good amount of "mass".

 

[Wolfwood]

^Yeah, i was shocked by that too. He was ssssooooo ridiculous in Van Helsing, yet so awesome in this movie...guess as an actor he has great range.

I know, when they first showed him in the very beginning with the rag around his head I thought: "Holy crap, that guy looks like Big Boss from Metal Gear." Then I realized who it was and I was completely floored.

 

[Hiruu]

Damn!

 

[GSFOR]

I saw the movie again tonight, and I was just amazed at Leonidas abs. Those has got to be the best abs I have ever seen on an actor. I will work hard to get those abs. the last scene where him and the spartan are waiting for xerxes. He looks crazy, you could see the definition in his abs. I wanna have ABS LIKE THAT.

 

[squeekness]

Was he the only one who did this workout because all the guys were pretty buff. I had thought they had been digitally enhanced because dayum.. how do you find that many guys in that kind of shape?