A lot has been discussed and written about the 300 workout. And that’s not a surprise. The men (and the few women) in the movie 300 were AMAZINGLY fit, they were in remarkable shape. Their abs were ripped, their legs were muscled, and their backs were like iron.

Their physiques were what most strive for, and most don’t ever reach.

It wasn’t Hollywood hype. It wasn’t trick photography. And it wasn’t that they were on “roids”.

If there was any secret to their success, it was … wait for it … hard work and consistency. They put in the work. Everyday, they went in and trained like animals. Everyday, they were meticulous about their diets. Everyday, they moved forward.

They are living proof of how much you can change your body in a short period of time. If you are willing to put in the work and be disciplined, the sky is the limit.

In the end Vincent Regan shed 40 pounds in eight weeks, and took his deadlift from less than bodyweight (205) to more than double-bodyweight (355). He could pull 85% of 1RM blindfolded and recite Shakespeare in the midst of the toughest training session.

Besides, its fun to pretend to be a spartan!

But, what exactly IS the Spartan Workout? And how does one use it to maximum effect?

Well, there in lies a misconception. Hear this, from the guy who actually trained these warriors:

The second misconception surrounds the idea of the Spartan workout, aka “300”, how frequently it was done or who actually finished it. “300” is a one-time test, an invitation-only challenge undertaken by those deemed ready for it. By the end of our four-month project 17 people had done the workout (Logan and I were two of them). This constitutes about 50% of the cast and stunt crew. We supervised every test, evaluated each rep for quality and only counted those that achieved our standards for form and range of motion. Like many workouts “300” is not hard once you’ve done it but the apprehension built up ahead of it – something we encouraged – was enough to make some guys fear it to the degree that performance was compromised. This workout was a crucible that some passed through and others still have hanging over them.

“300”
25x Pull-up +
50x Deadlift @ 135# +
50x Push-up +
50x Box Jump @ 24” box +
50x Floor Wiper @ 135# (one-count) +
50x KB Clean and Press @ 36# (KB must touch floor between reps) +
25x Pull-up
300 reps total

In other words, the 300 workout is the benchmark. It is up to you to put in the work so that you can meet it.

See my Exercise List, for a whole host of ideas on how to get there. And if you are interested in Personal Fitness Coaching, either in person (in SE PDX) or online, email me at: coach@dojoathletics.com

What do you do AFTER you have a Herniated disk?  The “Lower Back Pain, inside & Out” Blog, has an answer.

How would you feel if I told you that you could eat anything you want, and still lose weight … so long as you prayed?  I’m not joking.  I’ve now heard everything …

In August 2002, the couple was married and they soon made a decision that would forever change their lives.
Before getting married, a friend introduced Maggie to The Weigh Down Workshop, a faith-based weight loss program, which teaches people to conquer their addiction to food, as well as other substances and vices, by turning to God.

Maggie says she was never consistent or committed enough to stick with the program. But shortly after their wedding, the couple started packing on the pounds and while Andy tried another diet, Maggie gave Weigh Down another try.

“At the end of 2002 and the beginning of 2003, I called Weigh Down and started taking the classes,” says Maggie. “My whole life, I had always wanted somebody to [lose weight] with me. But I knew if I wanted it bad enough, I would have to do it alone.”

She began to lose weight.

“I ate whatever I craved, but only when I was truly hungry and then I ate a lot more slowly, so I could tell when to stop,” Maggie says.

In February 2003, after seeing his wife’s results, Andy stopped counting calories, gave up the low-fat foods and reduced his portion sizes. Fifteen months later, he had lost 257 pounds.

“Once I started this program, it changed my outlook on my entire life. I realized that being happy is a choice. I can either be filled with hate and despair or I can be happy,” says Andy, who realized he no longer needed the anti-depressants.

Don’t get me wrong, the placebo effect is AMAZING, and I’m all for it.  So, if this works for them, great!  In fact, I don’t care if you worship a teddy bear, so long as it causes you to do what you actually have to do:

 “I ate whatever I craved, but only when I was truly hungry and then I ate a lot more slowly, so I could tell when to stop,” Maggie says.

That line is crucial.  “I ONLY ate when i was TRULY hungry … so I could tell when to STOP …”

In other words … she was dieting.  She just didn’t know it.  It wasn’t a massive, kill you kind of diet.  But, it was a diet.  The prayer enabled her to focus on something else, beyond herself, and beyond her own out-of-control appetite.  It’s about behavioral modification.

The mind is a powerful tool.  And it is the NUMBER 1 key to your success in any endeavor in life.  Fat loss, and physique transformation are no different.  So … get to praying, or meditating, or anything else that suits your cultural comfort levels.  Because, honestly, it does work.

Tony Gentilcore doesn’t go gentle on Soy:

Here’s proof that age doesn’t mean a thing.

Flynt, 59, making comeback with Sul Ross State University
Associated Press
Updated: August 22, 2007, 12:24 PM ET

ALPINE, Texas — Mike Flynt was drinking beer and swapping stories with some old football buddies a few months ago when he brought up the biggest regret of his life: Getting kicked off the college team before his senior year. One of his pals asked why he didn’t do something about it? So Flynt started a comeback — at age 59. Flynt has returned to Sul Ross State University in Alpine, Texas, 37 years after he left — and six years before he goes on Medicare. And, he’s has made the roster of the Division III Lobos and could be in action as soon as Sept. 1. Flynt enrolled in graduate school so he can take advantage of his final semester of Division III eligibility. Flynt is giving new meaning to being a college senior. After all, he’s a grandfather. He’s eight years older than his coach and has two kids older than any of his teammates. His youngest child just started at the University of Tennessee. Flynt’s position is still being determined, but he used to play linebacker. Wherever he lines up, just getting into a game likely will make him the oldest player in college football history. Neither the NCAA or NAIA keeps such a statistic, but research hasn’t turned up anyone older than mid-40s. And with around 200 pounds on a 5-10 frame, about the only visible difference from his playing days is a shaved head. He’s in tremendous shape for his age because he’s made a living out of working out. A longtime strength and conditioning coach at Nebraska, Oregon and Texas A&M, Flynt has spent the last several years selling the Powerbase training system he invented. He recently taught it to some of the military’s special operations forces, keeping up with them in their workouts.

Bill Hartman Tells Women how to Finally get rid of Cellulite, here’s the breakdown:

Now the bigger question is how do you that as quickly and effectively as possible?

1.  eliminate all processed carbohydrates from your eating plan
2.  Reduce your overall carbohydrate intake (DO NOT eliminate all carbs)
3.  Perform progressively challenging metabolism enhancing resistance training
4.  Perform progressively challenging fat burning interval training
5.  Burn more fat at rest

See my Exercise List for ideas about how YOU can get into the best shape of your life!  Or better yet, if you live in Portland, email me: Coach@dojoathletics.com 

Mike Roussell Hammers the Hoodia Hoopla

My personal opinion is that Hoodia doesn’t work AT ALL and that if it did you would be hard pressed to find a quality hoodia extract because the market is flooded with low quality hoodia  products that are the equivalent of eating bark.

OK, I’m responding to this late.  In the September Issue of Scientific American there is an Article entitled, “Can Fat be Fit?”

As you’d expect, they answer “no.”  The article is in response to a very well publicised and horribly flawed study done by Katherine M. Flegal, a researcher at the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention.  She did a Statistical analysis of mortality rates of obese people verses people at a “healthy” weight.  She concluded that obese people had LOWER mortality rates than the people in healthy range.  And that, in turn, got a whole bunch of idiots who don’t know the first thing about the health sciences exited (I’m sure for monetary reasons) to write books and articles spouting off about how the medical establishment is all wrong, and being fat is wonderful.

Here are some key points:

 Flegal’s work didn’t factor out smokers and those with chronic illnesses.  That is, the thin people weren’t healthy to begin with.

Professor Meir Stampfer, a professor of nutrition and epidemiology at the Harvard School of Public Health says (of Flegal’s research and the corresponding hoopla), “It’s complete nonsense, and it’s obviously complete nonsense, and it’s very easy to explain why some people have gone astray … when you get sick, you lose weight, and you die.”

Another researcher, James A. Greenberg, did a similar statistical analysis.  Except that he DID account for other unrelated health factors and found that those who were Obese had 3 times the mortality rate of those who were of “healthy” weight.

If your BMI rises from 20 to 25 your risk of Diabetes quadruples.  If it goes past 30, your risk increases 30-60 fold … that’s not a typo!

The three factors you should look at (according to Dr. Wilett, a collegue of Professor Stampfer) are:

1. keeping your BMI within the range of 20-24.9 (I’m a little uncomfortable with BMI, but it’s better than nothing)
2. getting you weight to what it was when you were 20 years old (assuming you weren’t fat when you were 20).
3. Getting your waist circumference down to what it was when you were 20

Clearly those last few rely on you being within “healthy” range when you were 20.  For younger generations, this is becoming less and less possible.  20 year olds today are WAY fatter than they should be, on average.

As for my uncomfortable-ness  with the BMI:  it doesn’t take into account muscle.  ALL of my routines (and the routines of any good trainer) are designed to put a lot of muscle on my clients.  This has a few major effects.

1. Their metabolism goes way up
2. they are able to complete daily tasks easier and with a lower risk of injury
3.  Dieting becomes easier
4. They look more shapely, better.

And that last one is part of the point isn’t it?  Whether we like to admit it or not, most of us want to look as healthy as we are.  It isn’t the main point, but it’s there.  The simple fact is, it’s really not that complicated to have both a healthy body and a healthy look.  Just workout a lot, do intervals, and stop eating crap.

My routines are designed with maximum results in mind.  But, anything is better than nothing, and the ridiculous response to Flegal’s research leads to more people believing that they are not damaging their health by being fat, when in fact they are.  And that is irresponsible.

Dan John has just released the latest issue of the Get Up! FREE newsletter.  As usual, it’s packed with great information!

Part 1

Part 2

Alwyn  Cosgrove posted a list compiled by Jimmy Smith of the 25 best reasons to drink Green tea.

Here’s my favorite:

21. Green Tea and Herpes
Green tea increases the effectiveness of topical interferon treatment of herpes. First green tea compress is applied, and then let the skin dry before the interferon treatment.