Sparta!!!

This should have been a light day..recovery day...took an unexpected sick leave day from work for personal reasons I had to attend to. Anyway, sore all over from yesterday’s brutal workout c which did include bb complexes and intervals - I was literally beat up this morning...my glutes, chest, arms, lats, shoulders...you name it. I should have taken this day as a rest day...

Being it a Saturday and off from work, I seized the opportunity to really do some serious foam rolling, massaging and stretching in the morning in front of the tv in the living room while watching the NFL combine on NFL Network. Anyway, muscles felt really good after that.
Today, I will call this my Reward Day...5 hard weeks of fat blasting so far - it’s hard to imagine there’s still 7 weeks more into this thing. 164 lbs is no joke for me. I honestly haven’t weighed this light in some time.
So, I rewarded myself tonight. We left the kids at home with the nanny and took a couple’s night out with the wife and topped it off with a great dinner together (with kids, they come far and between. Great time tonight.). Knowing this was the plan early on in the day, I knew I had to do something to not feel too guilty if I had to eat more than what I should tonight.

And that I did...

I’ve been wanting to do this workout for since forever. I’ve seen the movie...I’ve read about the workout a gazillion times. Seen it on magazines, on youtube...I even did Craig’s modified TT versions of the 300, 500 and the latest TT 2k9 version of this routine. I have always wanted to do this but never had the guts to, thinking - “this is &*(*&ing suicide if I ever did this! But I want to one day!”. I knew I was going to get a dose of ass whuppin today - and that I got today a good old big time ass whuppin.

I felt this was the day...so I had to give this a try even when I knew it would be in my best interest not to as I can still feel the effects of yesterday’s workout.

Call me a Nutbag...”Go ahead: make my day.”

“Some days were punishment days where our intent was to break guys physically and psychologically.” - Mark Twight

Yep...Mark Twight’s Original “300 Workout” Gym Jones Style.

This was definitely a good punishment....for the reward that layeth ahead.

Time: 3:25 pm
Garage Workout
(Barefooted)

“The Original 300 Workout”

25 pull-ups (wide grip)
50 deadlifts at 135 pounds
50 push-ups (close grip)
50 box jumps with a 24-inch box (using my bench)
50 "floor wipers" – (a core and shoulders exercise, holding the bar above your chest; starting position is with both feet on the floor, raising it to one side of the barbell tips of feet touching, going back down to the starting position and then immediately lifting both feet up again to touch the opposite end of the barbell still holding the barbell above chest at 135 pounds weight)
50 "One arm KB clean and press" at 36 pounds alternating arms 25 each arm
25 more pull-ups (wide grip) -- for a total of 300 reps

Notes:
This is the hardest routine I have ever done. EVER. This is a very rigorous routine. NOT FOR BEGINNERS. I literally was soaking in my shirt and sweat pants...and my heart was beating like a drum already by the time I was at my deadlift station of the routine and that wasn’t even half way through. The floor wiper routine is no *()*)(8 joke. My arms were shaking just trying to keep the load over my chest the whole time. FYI: I don’t have a rack at home so what I did was use 2 chairs which are conveniently convex in shape - situated safely from each other to rack the barbell for breathers in between - this is a killer move. I knew I wasnt going to blast through this test without taking breaks throughout. I actually did take quite a few rests and was breaking the exercises into 5 reps throughout until I got to the last 25 pull ups where I was breaking them into to 2's...

On the last and final rep which was the 25th rep of the 2nd set of pull ups (the 300th rep), I held myself up over the bar for a 7 full second count before cursing the living crap of me in joy that this routine was finally over. It took me literally forever to get this routine done - all with proper form. Again: no cheats whatsoever. Every single exercise was performed - all in good form.

Andrew Pleavin, who played Daxos in the movie - the leader of the Arcadians finished it in 18 minutes and 11 seconds.

My time: 43 minutes and 22 seconds. (Back to reality for me once again people! Hahaha...)

I can’t compare my fitness level to any of those guys...those guys are superbly conditioned and probably have all sorts of physio guys, massage therapists, nutritionists and top notch trainers. Going through it only once tells me one thing: how difficult this Original 300 routine really is. I have gained a lot of admiration for many of the people who have done this especially those actors in the movie. Again, I took a lot of breaks here...a lot of them. Very humbling experience but took it head on with an open mind knowing this was going to be one helluva workout. I just wanted to experience it. Again, it’s not for beginners and I don’t recommend anyone trying it unless you have a good amount of exercise experience under your belt. It’s very humbling and if you’re not really prepared for it: just don’t do it. It took awhile for me to want to give this a crack: and it’s been well over 2 years since this routine was let out to the public.

I always dreamed of doing this one day - and even with the time that I had on it, I’m so glad I gave it a fair and honest shot. You really would have to take a few days off before even attempting this routine. I just finished Synergy yesterday...and I really wanted to test my own will and might here with safety in mind throughout. With a new TT program forthcoming for 2 weeks (HCFL): I would never be able to get the time to do this, so why not now and give it a go.

After the workout, it only took half an hour to realize I was getting super hungry and really tired as well. So after eating some hummus and pita chips and chugging on some water with my shirt slowly drying off from sweat - I konked out for about an hour in bed. Got up still kind of groggied out - but still managed to spend a couple’s night with my wife and a well deserved dinner.


As the 300 pic above states: "Tonight we dine in hell!" I think I earned this one! Hahahaha!!!!!!