It is not for nothing that many legends were created about a great nation consisting exclusively of warriors, and these warriors were at that time like special forces today. Legends say that 300 Spartans were able to resist thousands of soldiers of the Persian army, but few people know how they trained and is it possible to train the same way as they do today? The answer to this question will be found below, but it is worth keeping in mind that the doctrine of the Spartans was militaristic, and these people were preparing for war and mortal combat with an enemy several times larger than them in numbers. You and I will train only to develop athletic abilities.
General information
Gerard Butler (GERARD BUTLER) Scotland Born: November 13, 1969 Height: 188 cm Weight: 86 kg
Gerard Butler is a Scottish film actor. He gained the greatest fame thanks to his works “The Phantom of the Opera” and “300 Spartans”. After the director's offer to star in the role of the Spartan king in the film "300", Gerard had to work hard in the gym to match the image. Intensive training, with which the actor tormented himself for four months, helped him achieve such a good result. I also had to be very strict about my diet. As a result, Gerard Butler managed to completely change his body. In his interview, summing up the long work, the actor said : “It was very cool to put on all this armor and helmet without the thought that I should have trained more. On the contrary, I felt like a real lion.”
Military training of the Spartans
When a boy was born, he was shown to the elders of the tribe, and they decided whether to raise him or leave him to die in the crevice of Mount Taygetos. At home, the boy was taught to make do with simple food and not be afraid of the dark or to be alone. The mother bathed her son in wine to “temper” his body.
Military training began for a young Spartan at the age of five, when he became a “boy”, or paidion (child). He maintained this status for 6 years, and then left home and settled in the barracks. He was taught pyrriche - a dance with weapons, thanks to which the boy gained movement skills in battle. He also learned by heart all the songs of Tyrtaeus, which were sung on campaigns. He was enrolled in a group of the same boys, which was supposed to compete with other similar groups. They taught him both reading and writing. Upon reaching the age of ten, he began to participate in music, dance and sports competitions.
At the age of 12, the boy became a “youth” or meirakion (meirakion, from meirax – teenager, boy). The difficulty of the physical exercises increased. The young man had to cut his hair short and walked barefoot to harden his legs for battle. His tunic was taken away. The only clothing both in winter and summer was a thin cloak - this was supposed to teach one to easily endure both heat and cold. But the young man spent most of his time completely naked. He lived in a barracks, sleeping next to his group comrades on a bed made of reeds. The young men themselves pulled this reed out of the ground with their hands in the valley of the Eurotas River. In winter, it was allowed to cover the bed with thistle seed down, since this material is capable of retaining some heat.
The food was very meager in order to teach the young man to cope well with the feeling of hunger. It was believed that such a diet makes the young man not only slim, but also tall. The young men were allowed to diversify their diet by stealing: the cunning that developed during this process could be useful in war. If caught, they would face severe punishment - not so much for theft, but for sluggishness.
Stone statue of a Laconian warrior or king, found at Samos. Tensions between Samos and Sparta erupted in the 520s BC. into aggression from Lacedaemon
When a young man turned 18, he became a full citizen - an iren (eiren or iren). He was to devote his first year in his new capacity to teaching young men. Then he should have joined one of the Spartan partnerships, whose members ate together. Such a partnership usually united 15 people of different ages. At what age an adult Spartan was allowed to live at home with his wife has not yet been clarified. But until he was 30 years old, he was not allowed to talk in the market square with his comrades.
The Spartan devoted his free time from military campaigns to dancing, feasting, hunting, physical exercise and communication. According to Plutarch, the Spartans were the only people in the world for whom war was a welcome break from preparing for war. A Spartan was considered fit for military service outside Lacedaemon for 40 years after reaching adulthood, although we know of a certain Hippodamus who, in 364 BC. died in battle at the age of 80.
Each Spartan, two years before reaching the age of 30, could be enrolled in the secret service of the crypt (kripteia - secret). When taking office, the ephebes each time announced the start of a punitive action against the helots, during which the helots were killed without any pity. From time to time (apparently when there was a threat of rebellion) they sent groups of young men from the cryptia into the countryside. During the day, these young men, armed only with daggers and supplied with a small supply of food, hid, and at night they went out onto the roads and killed all the helots they encountered. Sometimes they killed the strongest helots while they were working in the fields. We know nothing about the activities of such groups in normal times. They may have guarded roads from gangs of robbers, collected information, and provided security in rural areas.
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Set of exercises
Having tried a lot of unusual exercises on himself to gain a terrifying amount of muscle mass and destroy any manifestation of fat in the body, Gerard came to a number of conclusions. He made three important changes : his diet, his training, and his mentality (to even think like a warrior). To achieve this goal in such a short time, he invited Mark Twight , a famous American climber and author of legendary books and articles about extreme ascents. In addition, Butler always had a personal fitness trainer next to him . After strength training, Gerard Butler learned to wield a sword and spear, practiced tricks and fight choreography. He trained 6 hours a day for 4 months. Gerard dedicated part of his life to achieving the required physique for this role and ultimately delivered amazing results. Instead of sticking to the usual classic program aimed at pumping up individual muscle groups, Gerard Butler performed unusual exercises . Flipping a huge tire, doing exercises on gymnastic rings and other unconventional exercises pumped his entire body and constantly stimulated his muscles to grow and develop. To look like a warrior, you need to spare yourself and train like a warrior. Let us introduce you to the most famous Spartan workout, in which you need to complete 3 hundred repetitions of various exercises as quickly as possible.
Reverse grip pull-ups (25 reps)
Pull yourself up without allowing your body to sway. Read more about this exercise here and here
Deadlift from the floor (50 reps with 60 kg)
Raise the barbell by synchronously extending your back and straightening your legs. Execution technique - here
Push-ups (50 reps)
Bend and straighten your elbows until your chest touches the floor. How to do it correctly and what muscles are involved can be read here.
Box jumps (50 reps)
Jump in, bending your knees at the start. Jump backwards.
Lying pendulum (50 repetitions)
Lying on the floor, swing your straight legs left and right without lifting your lower back.
Clean and press kettlebell (50 reps, 16 kg)
Raise the apparatus to shoulder level and press it above your head.
Reverse grip pull-ups (25 reps)
Finish the workout where you started.
Find out more about the training:
- Exercises on the horizontal bar
- Exercises for arm wrestling classes
- How to pump up your legs
- How to pump up your shoulders
Spartan Training Basics
There is such an expression as “Spartan conditions”. Typically, this expression speaks of difficult conditions in which there is no comfort. Not only training, but the whole life of the Spartans was aimed at educating warriors in such a way that they could exist and fight even in the most terrible conditions. For example, if the parents of the modern world are trying to create maximum comfort for their newborn child, then the parents of the newborn Spartan deliberately worsened the conditions for their child.
The children of ancient Sparta slept either on boards or on the ground, covering themselves only with a cloak. They were fed very poorly and even at school, which the children went to from the age of eight, the diet was very meager. Spartan training involved developing both strength and endurance. Also, the purpose of the training was to sharpen not only physical abilities, but also psychological ones, as well as to bring combat skills to mastery. It is worth mentioning the greatest importance of discipline.
Nutrition
Diet plays a big role in bodybuilding or any other sport . Therefore, Gerard Butler adhered to a strict plan to achieve success in training. The diet was no more than 5 times a day. The nutritional complex included an insane amount of protein, complex carbohydrates, various vegetables and fruits. In the evening, Butler limited the amount of carbohydrates consumed, since by the end of the day a person’s metabolism slows down and most of the carbohydrates are stored in fat. Here's what Gerard Butler's diet plan for maintaining muscle mass consisted of:
- Protein – fish, chicken breast and eggs.
- Complex carbohydrates - durum wheat pasta, whole grain bread, brown rice, oats, sweet potatoes.
- Healthy fats – olive or canola oil, almonds, avocados, natural peanut butter.
- Green vegetables
- Much water
The actor carefully monitored his diet, his regimen included frequent snacks every few hours .
We discussed in more detail in previous articles:
- Metabolism;
- Ideal weight. Facts and Myths;
- Nutrition during training;
- Protein diet.
Turns with the bar on your shoulders
Goal: increase the density of the oblique abdominal muscles.
Technique:
- Perform the exercise slowly, without jerking, to avoid injury.
- Pull your stomach in to engage the transverse muscle, which is responsible for a flat stomach.
- Focus not on the weight, but on the number of repetitions - 50-100 turns in 3-4 sets will be great.
Exercise videos
Gerard Butler - exercise photo shoot for Mens Health
Reverse grip pull-up
Deadlift
Earlier articles discussed training programs:
- Mr. Olympia 2012 program - Phil Heath
- Christian Bale - how to lose 30 kg and then gain 35 kg (training program)
- Dwayne Johnson training program
- Cindy Crawford training program
- Taylor Lautner workout program
- Arnold Schwarzenegger training program
Author: Andrey Reznichenko
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What equipment is needed for training?
It is worth saying that the entire training program can be completed at home, without resorting to purchasing expensive equipment. Basically, when performing exercises, special forces soldiers use weights, a medicine ball and a barbell. Working with kettlebells is one of the most important, since these are the exercises that build muscles and, of course, endurance.
Training with a medicine ball, on the contrary, should not cause difficulties - just stand in a pair and throw the apparatus from hand to hand. This will help increase the force of the blow and train your breathing technique.
For special forces officers, weight training is also extremely important, since in the dangerous work of soldiers it is necessary to lift weights correctly. A wounded comrade or military reserves may be in place of the barbell. Most often it is used to train the legs, because it is in the lower part of the body that most strength is collected.
What does functional training for fighters include?
Special forces soldiers begin each day with a 10 km long run over rough terrain, in full gear with an additional weight of 50 kg. The fighters are given one hour to cover the distance. This all sounds terrifying, but the hardest test is the subsequent functional circuit training, which lasts about 40 minutes. It begins at the end of the run and a five-minute rest.
Circuit training includes the following exercises:
- Push-ups on fingers – 20 times
- Squats with jumping and clapping overhead (jumps) – 10 times
- Fist push-ups – 30 times
- Squats with jumping and clapping overhead (jumps) – 10 times
- Push-ups on fingers – 5 times
- Squats with jumping and clapping overhead (jumps) – 10 times
- Fist push-ups – 30 times
- Ab crunches - to failure
- Throwing stones
Create your own workout: exercise designer for men
The editors try: features of functional training
The exercises are performed without stopping, 5-6 circles should be completed. It would seem that this is worth stopping at, but ahead of the special forces fighters are sparring and honing hand-to-hand combat techniques.
