The 300 ab blast is one part of a larger exercise routine that is intended to produce impressive “superhero” builds in minimal time. You may not have heard of this workout, but you have probably seen its results. When you look at the actors who played the Spartans in the film “300” (or its sequel), you were looking at the results of this workout.
Although this is a total-body workout, we will be concentrating on the ab portion. This article is intended for those who want to maximize their abdominal training by isolating this specific muscle group. If you want to try the entire “300” workout, be aware that it is a very rough program, and it is not for the faint of heart.
Goals And Specs Of This Workout
In general, the main purpose of the Spartan workout is to lose as much body fat as possible. When you’re trying to look good for the cameras, it is obviously important to get as cut as you can be. For our purposes, we are concentrating on belly fat, since that is the main thing that is preventing you from having the chiseled abs of a Spartan warrior.
This is a 12-week program, which comes out to about 3 months. You will be training three days per week, which is good because it allows for sufficient recovery time. Recovery is essential for any muscle-building program, as your body can only build so much before it begins to break down. When you train your muscles, their natural store of glycogen is depleted, which is why they become weak after training to exhaustion. There are many ways to help your body replenish this glycogen, but you will always need recovery time.
Most of the exercises in this routine are a variation on the sit-up, but you might be surprised at how many types of sit-ups exist. Like any basic concept, it can be applied in many different ways. As such, it should be noted that the routine has two versions: one for men and one for women.
The Men’s Routine:
This workout is to be performed in its entirety 3 days a week. Each exercise will consist of 90 reps. Do these as 3 sets of 30 reps each. Each workout should take between 30 and 45 minutes.
90 Reps:Crunch Sit-Ups
This is one of the most well-known exercises of all time and requires no explanation. All we can offer you is this pro tip: Anchor your feet underneath something very heavy like a large piece of furniture so that you do not have the option to cheat. Since these are crunches, you do not bring your head all the way to your knees.
90 Reps:V-Ups
This is a very specialized sort of sit-up. You start by laying flat on the ground with your arms behind your head. Then, you raise and touch your toes with your fingers. As you lean back down, your legs should come up until they reach a diagonal (45-degree) angle. Next, you lean forward and touch your toes again before returning to the start position.
90 Reps: Reverse Crunches
These exercises are called “reverse crunches” because they involve raising your legs rather than your back. Start by laying on the ground with your hands behind your head. Your knees should be bent and raised in the air with your feet resting flat on the floor. Next, raise your knees to your chest, or as high as you can get them. Make sure to keep your hamstrings flexed and knees bent at all times.
90 Reps:Wall Ball
This is an exercise that requires two weighted balls. You will also need a wall. One of the balls is placed right behind your heels. Stand with your feet at shoulder-width and your knees bent. Your feet should be turned outward at about 30 degrees.
The second ball is held in your hands and should be kept at or above chest-level. As you squat down, making sure not to touch the first ball, throw the second ball against the wall and catch it as it comes back down.
90 Reps: Ball Slam
This one couldn’t be simpler. You take your medicine ball and slam it against the ground. Start by standing with your feet at a normal standing width and the ball raised above your head, held in both hands. Now slam that ball down on the ground as hard as you can. When it bounces off the ground, try to catch it and repeat the exercise in a single smooth motion. This one is actually a lot of fun when you are feeling stressed.
The Women’s Routine
50 Reps: Crunch Sit-Ups”>Crunch Situps
No explanation needed. Just make sure you anchor your feet under something heavy (if possible) so that there is no option to cheat.
50 Reps: Side Crunches (25 Each Side)
These are much like normal situps, only done while laying on your side. These exercises do a good job of strengthening the obliques (side muscles). It should be noted that you do not fully lay on your side. You start from your back and lean over until you reach a comfortable position.
50 Reps: Russian Twists
Start by laying on your back, and raise both your legs and your back so that your body forms a “V.” Now cross your feet, and grab a weight in both hands. It should be a small weight, no more than 20 pounds at the most. Now, you lean over and touch the ground on your right side with the weight. Immediately lean the other way and touch the ground on your left side. This is one rep, so repeat 50 times.
50 Reps: High Or Low Scissors
These exercises involve laying on your back and sticking your legs straight up. You move both of your legs back and forth in a scissor-like motion. When this becomes relatively easy, lower your legs and try the low scissors. With gravity working against you, the exercise is much more difficult.
50 Reps: Knee Drives (25 Each Side)
Start from a push-up position. Instead of bending your arms, bend one knee and thrust it forward towards the opposite hand. This means that your left knee goes toward your right hand, and vice versa. The key is to rotate the body as you drive the knee.
50 Reps: Rock The Boat
Start in a “V” position like the one you used for the Russian Twists. Put both your hands straight up. Grab the back of your legs just below the knees and roll backward. Once you have gone as far as possible without rolling over, switch direction and go forward again, returning to the starting position.
Conclusion
As you can see, it is quite possible to get the body of a Spartan warrior without having to fight millions of Persians or kicking anyone into a pit. However, you do need at least a little of the discipline and the will that the Spartans had. Nothing good comes without hard work, and this is no exception.
We wish you the best of luck as you try to sculpt the abs of a Greek statue, and we invite you to fill out the contact form and follow us on facebook if you would like to read more articles like this.
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