Pull ups, push ups, box jumps, all basic exercises we’ve all performed at one time or another. Using minimal to no rest between sets, that’s a basic circuit training protocol. So why then is the 300 workout getting so much attention? Because people are actually doing it! There’s a lot of steam behind this workout because the movie was so successful and they claim all the actors used this workout to get into shape. But the big question is, the 300 workout, does it actually work?
Before I answer the big question lets look at the workout in it’s entirety and break it down.
- Pullups – 25 reps
- Barbell Deadlift with 135 lbs. – 50 reps
- Pushups – 50 reps
- 24-inch Box Jumps – 50 reps
- Floor Wipers – 50 reps
- Single-Arm Clean-and-Press with 36 lbs Kettlebell – 50 reps
- Pullups – 25 reps
So, we have a bunch of compound joint movements completed back to back with no rest between exercises. It’s a circuit training workout, not unlike a lot of crossfit workouts I’ve seen. Compound joint exercises use multiple muscles, so your body is burning a lot of calories. There is no rest between exercises so your cardiovascular endurance will be extremely taxed. It takes around 20 minutes to complete the workout, depending on your fitness level, so it has some dept to it. Looking at all these aspects, it seem to be a solid kick your butt type workout. Yet, there are a few problems with it. Firstly, as with all crossfit type circuits, there is no real point to the workout. Your basically just doing these exercises just to do them. There is nothing specific about it. It’s not going to make you run faster, jump higher or help your golf swing. This is purely an aesthetic based workout, probably why they choose it for the actors in the movie. If that’s what your looking for then you’ve found it. The second issue I have is it’s claim to build muscle. One MensHealth reader commented “it’s a great muscle building workout “. Those of us that are educated about such things know you don’t build muscle performing 25 repetitions, let alone doing 300 of them in a circuit. Performing high repetitions builds endurance in the muscles. So, this workout might be beneficial to an endurance type athlete. Lets get back to the big questions. 300 workout, does it work? In a simple answer yes, every workout will transform your body in some way, if you actually do it. This one size fits all approach is not beneficial for everyone, but if you looking to lose weight, burn calories, gain muscular and cardiovascular endurance then this workout might be fore you.
300 workout, does it work? Sure it does. Every workout will work to some degree if you actually do it consistently. Obviously you have to watch your diet to get extreme results as the actors in the movie did. This is defiantly not the best workout in the world, because there is no such thing. We all have different goals and will need different workouts to attain those unique goals.
[stextbox id=”grey” caption=”About the Author”]Josh Morrison is the owner of Optimum Performance Training in Mt Zion, IL. He has a M.S. in Performance Enhancement, B.A. in Physical Education, certified as an NASM-PES, NASE-CSSE, NASM-CPT, NESTA-CPT, Human Kinetics-Advanced Exercise Nutrition and APEX-FitPro. Josh played football at Blackburn College as a four year starting defensive back and has been training for over 8 years. With his wealth of experience and education Josh can deal with any fitness, nutrition and performance needs.[/stextbox]
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