Rite of Passage Workout
I remember the first time I saw the movie 300. It was a great movie with an inspiring story (I still watch this before every fight) and incredible visual effects. But what made 300 so memorable were the actors playing the Spartan warriors. They looked like walking statues of Greek gods. They didn’t have the look of a body builder- but more of a super athlete capable of crushing any physical challenge. As the movie said- they looked like the descendents of Hercules.
After leaving the theater (like 95% of the guys I know) I immediately started my research. I was bound and determined to find out how these actors were able to mold their bodies in this way. I learned that it was far from a single workout that transformed the Spartans. In fact in 4 months of training, very few of their workouts were ever repeated. These guys did Olympic lifts, kettle bell circuits, bodyweight workouts, as well as flipped/jumped/and dragged heavy tires. But of all the workouts they did, one workout was featured more than any.
The Infamous 300 Workout:
25 pull-ups
50 deadlifts with 135 pounds
50 push-ups
50 box jumps with a 24 inch box (I perform 50 high frog jumps)
50 “floor wipers” with 135 lbs
50 Kettlebell “clean and press” at 16KG
25 more pull-ups
This workout was a test designed to measure the fitness level of the actors. The trainers called this the actor’s “Rite of Passage Workout”. There is a great Gym Jones Article about the training and nutritional program used to prepare for the movie.
At this time, I had recently moved on from traditional body building to functional and interval weight training. Needless to say- I was pumped and ready to try this workout. It was absolutely brutal and I didn’t finish a modified version. Since March 2007 I have only done this work out a handful of times- until recently.
As I mentioned in last week’s post- I have developed long and short term goals for myself in each one of my areas of interest. And as I will touch on in future posts- I feel that creating clearly defined ways to measure success for your goals is critical to reaching them. So, I asked myself, “How will I know if I have a high level of fitness?” The answer, a fitness test: The Rite of Passage Workout. Once a month (and only once a month) I will test my progress by performing this workout for time. Just as measuring the effectiveness of your running routing by checking your 5K time- the rite of passage workout will measure my strength and conditioning program. The difference is that this workout measures your cardio as well as your strength, power, and muscular endurance in a highly functional way.
My goal is to finish this workout in less than 15 minutes before the end of the year. Here is a snapshot of the log I am keeping.
Decemer 3rd 2009: 20 min, 50 sec. 5 min
Benchmark time. , 51 sec until 14:59. Brutal
January 10th 2010: 18 min, 57 sec
1 min, 53 sec improvement. 3 min, 58 sec until 14:59. Watching stopwatch helped to pace properly
Try This Alternative Challenge: The 1K Workout
10 pull-ups
20 pushups
30 Mason Twists
40 Bodyweight Squats
- For a total of 100 reps per set
- Repeat for 10 full sets- 1,000 total reps
This is another workout challenge using just your bodyweight. Just like the rite of passage workout- it can be done for time to test your overall fitness level. Another great thing about bodyweight challenges is that they test your strength and conditioning relative to your bodyweight- which is a great way to measure differences in your body composition over time. I did this workout last night (Jan 15) and it took me 23 min, 1 sec and it completely kicked my ass.
No matter how you decide to do it- I challenge you to really test yourself this year. Rather than just having weight loss goals or a target max bench press- make your fitness goals more reflective of your overall fitness level. Really push it!
E-Resource Recommendation: www.CrossFit.com
The 300 workout introduced me to CrossFit. CrossFit is a functional training philosophy which replicates the broad array of physical demands faced by early man. Check out www.CrossFit.com for daily workouts posted designed to shock your body and an extensive video-workout archive filled with 300-Esq workouts.
Fitness in 100 words by Greg Glassman, CrossFit Founder: “Eat meat and vegetables, nuts and seeds, some fruit, little starch and no sugar. Keep intake to levels that will support exercise but not body fat. Practice and train major lifts: Deadlift, clean, squat, presses, C&J, and snatch. Similarly, master the basics of gymnastics: pull-ups, dips, rope climb, push-ups, sit-ups, presses to handstand, pirouettes, flips, splits, and holds. Bike, run, swim, row, etc, hard and fast. Five or six days per week mix these elements in as many combinations and patterns as creativity will allow. Routine is the enemy. Keep workouts short and intense. Regularly learn and play new sports”.
