By now everyone has heard of the movie 300, and most strength and conditioning athletes know about The 300 Workout. This is how all those ripped actors in the movie got into such great shape. The 300 Workout is well known as a pretty hardcore conditioning program. Not everyone can complete this workout, and those that do have seriously trained for it before attempting the final challenge.
The 300 Workout Challenge
- 25 pull-ups
- 50 deadlifts at 135 pounds
- 50 push-ups
- 50 box jumps with a 24-inch box
- 50 “floor wipers” (a core and shoulders exercise at 135 pounds)
- 50 “clean and press” at 36 pounds (a weight-lifting exercise)
- 25 more pull-ups — for a total of 300 reps
- 300 Total Reps
I have heard of versions of this program where you have to complete the desired number of reps by alternating exercises. For example, you might perform push ups as a superset to pull ups, performing 3 sets of 10 reps each to hit a goal of 30 before moving on to the next exercise. I will incorporate this strategy for my first two sets only.
Some 300 Workout routines consist of bodyweight only exercises, while others are apprised strictly of plyometrics. I have included some bodyweight exercise in my attack strategy, and hope to phase in some plyo movements as I get back into shape.
My 300 200 Workout Challenge
- 15 Pull Ups on a tree branch
- 25 Push Ups with push up handles
- 25 DB Deadlifts with 45 lbs on Powerblocks
- 25 1-arm clean and press 35 lbs on Powerblocks
- 25 18-inch bench jumps (box jumps)
- 25 Burpees
- 25 1-arm clean and press 35 lbs on Powerblock
- 20 Jumping jacks
- 15 Neutral grip chin ups on the tree
- 200 Total Reps
I have a stopwatch, which will be nice for measuring progress and setting goals. Some goals will be about adding a new exercise, some goals will be about completing more reps or more weight, while yet others will be about beating my previous time record. I also have to force myself to take pictures and measurements both before and after. All of which I suppose will be posted to this blog.
My weekly schedule will consist of The 300 Workout and Thai Kickboxing. The plan is to exercise 5 days a week. On the mornings when I do not have kickboxing the night before, I will complete a 300 Workout. Other mornings will be off. I must make up missed workouts on the weekends. Eventually I will be doing a true 300 rep workout. My 200 workout is just to help get back into shape again.
So, this is the plan and I am going to stick to it for 10 weeks. There is plenty of room for flexibility, so I should be able to get in at minimum, 4 workouts per week, but I will strive to hit 5. Before and after information will be posted. So who’s with me?
Caution
If you are not in shape, have a heart condition, or some other serious health ailment, please consult your physician before starting an intense exercise program. You should not attempt to complete the original 300 Challenge if you are not already somewhat in shape from conditioning and exercise.
Tags: 300 workout, Conditioning, Workout Routines
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Am I the only one who thinks its ridiculous to assume that just because the movie is called 300, the actors must have used a circuit involving 300 total reps and that this is it? Gerard got huge for that movie and he certainly didn’t do it by repeating a single workout, which is definitely a conditioning oriented session, 5 days a week for 12 weeks. I’ve seen this “300 workout” around since before the movie.
here’s the truth about the movie, and this “workout”: The 300 Workout – What a Load of Bollocks
I think it is well known at this point, that the 300 Workout was not generally used more than once by any of the actors in the movie 300. It was a competition workout only, designed to be a one-time workout for fun and to inspire motivation to train harder just before filming started. Here’s a post about another idiot who thinks the 300 workout was an actual workout routine: The 300 Workout is Still Bogus
That 300 workout looks crazy.
Im a qualified PT and HFI as well as gym owner…. did the 300 workout earlier today in 12.27 mins…. its a good little warm up.
haha… nice!
I am working on creating the 400 workout plan that will blow your muscles completely off. If you try the 200 workout for girls then that’s where you belong. Working out is like kicking someone in the throat.
Jay: Thanks for the feedback and thanks for fighting so hard for our country (Jay in is the US Army). You are right, the 200 workout is for sissies, the 300 workout is a warm up, and I’m sure your 400 workout is for real men. As soon as that 400 workout plan is done, let us know… unless you are bullshitting, which is always possible on the Internet.
the 300 workout can be done,the workout i was doing was very similar,bt now due to school work,i dont have tym to workout,i usually go to school at 8 and i came back at 5,so i dnt realy have tym,for these caming holidays am gona try the 300 workout plus now its winter,i jst love working out
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Andrew:
Yeah you could do that. I’d get pretty sick of either of those workouts after 10 weeks, but of course if you change 25% of the exercises each week you can avoid boredom and get better overall full body conditioning.
yall quit whining what you do is the 200 workout (as shown) for 10 weeks to prepare for the 300 workout and do the 300 workout for 10 weeks(but make sure you start the 200 workout on a monday and do it through friday so after 10 weeks of it you have the weekend to rest up for the start of the 300 workout)
Carl:
How do you fail to see that carrying out modified version of the 300 Workout Challenge combined with thrice weekly kickboxing, will not get anyone into incredible shape? What I am trying to say is that you can take the 300 Workout, alter it, and actually train that way in order to maximize physical preparation for that type of workout.
I’m not saying that anyone should perform the 300 Workout Challenge on a continual prolonged basis as a regular workout program.
no. no. no. the 300 workout was done once and only once. it was as much a psychological thing as it was physical. doing the same workout for days on end is just silly. bang out the 300 workout once. see how you do. train hard and come back to it months down the line and see how you do then. please, go to gymjones.com and read up a little more about it. it’s made very clear there. he should know, Mark Twight and his assistant Logan Hood came up with the whole deal.