The Spartan workout is a type of minimalist workout that was named and made popular by the Spartans in the popular movie 300. This weight training method features an intensive ab workout training regimen, a muscle building workout and a variety of strengthening exercises. The Spartan workout is intended to mold the body into the kind of form seen on actor Gerard Butler and others in the movie.
Like the Spartans of the ancient world, the actors who played the Spartan army of Leonidas in 300 used minimalist workouts to build strength and sculpt their bodies. Just as the real Spartans of history did not benefit from modern weight machines and programs, the intense workout system of the actors featured natural motions, body weight and heavy objects. The end result in the movie was a variety of well-muscled main characters with six pack abs and bulging chest and arm muscles.
Among the most popular exercises in the Spartan workout are a variety of six pack workout methods. These exercises include advanced sit-ups and crunches that make up the core of the workout. Crunches are done with one leg elevated straight into the air to enhance difficulty and core stability. Other abdominal workouts include a type of push-up where the exerciser pulls the chest back towards the feet and slides the torso towards the hands as he pushes himself back up.
Other regimens in the Spartan workout include full body workouts like flipping large tires, standard push-ups and pull-ups, box jumps and dead lifts. The Spartan workout was devised to get the actors in shape in around 10 to 12 weeks and had a qualifying test at the end of the span as a type of rite of passage or graduation. The final day of exercise reflected all of the muscles worked during the three months, which include the chest, arms, shoulders, back and legs, as well as the abdominals.
The last day of the Spartan workout includes 300 repetitions of a full body exercise, done without stopping. This exercise includes 25 pull ups, 50 deadlifts of 135 pounds (61.2 kg), 50 push ups, 50 box jumps of 24 inches (60.9 cm), 50 floor wipers of 135 pounds (61.2 kg), 50 clean and press lifts at 36 pounds (16.3 kg) and a finishing total of an additional 25 pull ups to complete the final Spartan workout experience.