As most modern avid movie enthusiasts can attest, Gerard Butler is one of today’s most popular Hollywood stars. He not only starred in the movie ‘300′ as the king of Sparta, but also starred in many other award-winning Hollywood films.
But possibly his most unique quality is the ability to naturally switch between a muscle-ripped and shredded appearance and a more settled dad-pod look in record time.
Before taking uphis role as the robust and authoritative King of Sparta in the cast of ‘300′, Butler needed to look and feel the part. To achieve this, he, along with the other 299 spartan warriors in the cast, went through a rigorous workout and dieting regimen that has been the hallmark of structured intensive workouts and fitness training since.
Before we dissect Gerard Butler’s 300 Spartan Workout Regimen and Diet Plan, let’s first look briefly at his background.
Who is Gerard Butler?
Born on 13th November, 1969, Gerard Butler is a thrilling 52-year-old Hollywood actorwith an average height of 1.88 cm (6′2”) and a mean weight of 102 kg (225 pounds).
Besides ‘300′, Butler has starred in numerous other popular Hollywood films counting Angel Has Fallen, London Has Fallen, Olympus Has Fallen, The Bounty Hunter, Law Abiding Citizen, The Ugly Truth, and How to Train Your Dragon among others.
Beyond starring in Hollywood films, Butler has also earned global recognition and scooped numerous award nominations as an actor and film producer. Moreover, he’s been hosted in several local, national, and international TV shows.
But possibly the highlight of Butler’s career was his role as King Leonidas, the king of Sparta in the film ‘300′. Along with this, he clinched the Golden Camera achievement in 2016.
Before his debut in the film industry, Gerard Butler was a professional lawyer. Since the career made him miserable and offered little satisfaction, Butler made the turn-around to film acting, relocated to London, and never looked back.
Surprisingly, the decision freed him and formed a turning point from a bland life to a fun-filled life of adventure, wine-popping, workouts, and world-stage camera action.
Gerard Butler 300 Spartan Workout Regimen
Designed by Mark Twight, the lead personal trainer at Gym Jones and former word-class mountain climber, the Gerard Butler 300 Spartan Workout routine is a rigorous 5–6-dayfitness training routine.
The regimen leverages a mix of functional training, Olympic lifts, and metabolic body movements to simultaneously build and tone muscle, intensify muscular endurance, and speedily strip excess body fat.
To act, feel, and resemble King Leonidas, Butler went through the brutal Gerard Butler 300 Spartan Workout Routine for four consecutive months, training for 5-6 days each week. The training was essential to not only sculpt a warrior king’s physique but also develop a complementing warrior mentality.
Gerard Butler 300 Spartan Workout Routine Details
Since most superstars, famous actors, and popular movie cast personnel train with personal trainers at exclusive and invite-only gyms, it’s sometimes impossible to get the precise details and scope of their workout routines.
However, you can find detailed information regarding the Gerard Butler 300 Spartan Workout Regimen from multiple reliable sources such as:
- Exclusive interviews with Gerard Butler in his ‘300 promotions
- Interviews with Mark Twight, Butler’s trainer for film ‘300′
- The program “300” by Mark Twight
- Butler’s and Twight’s exclusive interviews in various magazines such as Esquire, Men’s Health, and Men’s Fitness.
In this workout regimen, Butler focuses on maintaining a low body fat level, preserving high energy reserves, and sustaining high-level muscular definition. Thus, he blends most of the exercise with a lot of cardio workouts to burn off excess body fat, tone the muscles, and supply sufficient energy to the muscles.
Along with the rigorous workouts, Henry Butler leverages plyometrics to keep his upper body strong and in great warrior shape. Typically, the workout routine involves an intensive and fast-paced start, slowing down gradually, and finishing off with a crawl.
The Butler 300 Spartan Workout and fitness gauntlet entails:
- Pull-ups (25 repetitions)
- 50 repetitions of Deadlifts with 135 lbs weights
- 50 push-ups
- 50 reps of 24″ Box jumps
- 50 repetitions of floor wipers at a heart rate of 135 beats per minute
- 50 reps of Clean and Press exercises with a 36-lbs kettlebell weight on each arm
- Pull-ups (25 repetitions)
Possibly the most crucial take-home is that Butler pushed through all the exercises without any breaks. Moreover, the routine involves going through the workouts twice every day for 5-6 days each week.
While the workout plan seems simplistic in writing, it’s actually an advanced workout regimen that pushed Gerard Butler to his limits. At some point, the famed king of Sparta (on film) admitted that the training was so grueling that he wished he was never born.
In another instance, he claimed the workout became so challenging that he wished his trainer, Mark Twight, was never borne!
Let’s take a closer look at the specifics of Gerard Butler’s workout routine:
Mondays: Arms workouts
The Gerard Butler 300 Spartan Workout regimen’s arm exercises target seven separate arm muscles with:
- 25 Pull-Ups
- 50 Deadlifts
- 50 Push-Ups
- 50 Box Jumps
- 50 Floor Wipers
- 50 Clean and Press
- 25 Pull-Ups
Tuesdays: Leg workouts, Squats, and Cardio
On Tuesdays, Butler’s exercises targeted the legs, squats, and cardio with a mix of workouts including:
- One-Arm Snatches (25 repetitions)
- 50 receptions of Back Squats
- 50 Push-Ups
- Double Unders (50 reps)
- Sit-Ups (50 repetitions)
- 50 Clean and Press movements
- 25 One-Arm Snatches
Wednesdays: Cardio workouts
Every Wednesday during the Gerard Butler 300 Spartan workout training, Butler performed a cardio workout routine involving:
- Pull-ups (25 reps)
- Dumbbell Deadlifts (50 reps)
- Pushups (50 reps)
- Pull-ups (25 reps)
- Dumbbell Push Presses (50 reps)
- V-Ups (50 reps)
- Body Weight Squat Jumps (50 reps)
Thursdays: Circuits
On Thursdays, Butler would hit circuits routine that involved performing a range of exercises for a total of 25 times each. These exercises included:
- Bodyweight Rows (15 reps)
- Bodyweight Squats (25 reps)
- Push-ups (15 reps)
- Jumping Jacks (50 reps)
- Mountain Climbers (20 reps)
- Close Grip Pushups (10 reps)
- 15 bodyweight rows (15 reps)
Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays: Rest days
Having moved from a relatively idle career to the action-packed world of world-class acting, Gerard Butler understood more than anyone that rest was essential to relax, recover, and revamp his body. Thus, he set aside Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays as his rest days.
During the rest days, Butler’s body would recuperate from the onslaught of the grueling workout. It would also heal any damaged muscle, sinews, and ligaments in preparation for another week of strenuous training.
Along with this, his mind would use the rest days to recuperate and adapt to the new physique. This period would also prepare his mind to handle the next week’s workout challenges. As Butler aptly claimed, he first needed to develop a warrior mentality along with the imposing build of the Spartan king.
Before we get into Gerards routine, let’s take a look at just how grueling it was for him back then:
Gerard Butler’s 300 Spartan Workout Diet Plan
Besides an unfaltering discipline in following his workout strategy, Butler knew that the success of his strenuous workout regimen also hinged on healthy nourishment. Therefore, he made a habit of cutting off junk and processed foods, replacing them with a healthy diet composed mainly of chicken and vegetables.
The Gerard Butler 300 Spartan workout diet mimicked a typical Spartan diet to help Gerard and his Spartan army to resemble the real thing. Rather than eat to his fill, Butler would nimble at small food portions to allow for basic nutrition and muscle recovery.
On most occasions, Gerard ate carbohydrates in the morning to provide the energy for the day’s workouts. However, his dinner mostly consisted of vegetables and chicken to provide sufficient protein for controlled muscle gain and sustainable muscle recovery.
As a result, Butler only succeeded in shredding excess body fat for a coveted lean appearance but also developed fine-tuned abs. His diet consisted of a mix of healthy lean protein foods along with:
- Apples
- Avocado
- Cottage cheese
- Chicken
- Fish
- Whole-grain bread
- Turkey
- Grapes
- Green vegetables
- Quail eggs
- Figs
- Olives and olive oil
- Whole, organic foods
- Wild rice
Further, the Gerard Butler 300 Spartan Workout Diet routine included:
BREAKFAST:
- Avocado
- Cottage cheese
- Protein shake
LUNCH:
- Chicken
- Olives
- Wild Rice
SNACK:
- Apple
- Protein Shake
DINNER:
- Brown Rice
- Fish
- Figs
- Vegetables
SUPPLEMENTS
The Butler Spartan Workout diet routine also involved taking a few supplements to crank up the body’s energy levels, sculpt a resilient physique, and forge lean abs. the supplements included:
- BCAA
- Whey Protein
- Vitamins
Summary
Anyone who has witnessed screentime action by Gerard Butler will agree that he’s one of the most prominent Hollywood actors today. Best recognized for his incredible role as the influential King Leonidas of Sparta in the popular movie ‘300′, Butler boasts a sporty physique, death-grip strength, and cat-like agility.
Despite his striking appearance and accolades, Butler had to undergo a grueling 4-month workout regimen and diet plan to forge, fine-tune, and maintain an athletic build. Surprisingly, the Butler 300 Spartan training was so intense that at some point Gerard wished he or his trainer were never born.
Clearly, the Gerard Butler 300 Spartan Workout Routine and Diet Plan is an advanced fitness training routine. But possibly its most winning aspect is that it presents outstanding results by forging strapping physiques in record time. However, since the original regimen is too punishing to adhere to, workout specialists have created simpler and relatively easier versions for fitness enthusiasts across the globe.
Marko Rakic is a trail runner and fitness enthusiast from Sydney, Australia. He is the lead writer for The Ultimate Primate and believes the best way to live a happy life is through constantly challenging yourself.