How to look like a Spartan

Okay, I just got done watching "300". Hardly a cinematic masterpiece but good enough when you're in the mood I guess.

Anyway, you guys rave on about the spartans physiques and all, whereas on an inspection as close as possible without becoming gay, it's easy to see that they're simply fit, well-conditioned guys with low bodyfats and an average level of muscularity.

EVERYONE (well, 99%, there's always gonna be the exception who's genetically prone to be morbidly obese..) on this board can achieve that in 3-12 months depending where you are now. None of the spartans were on juice and if they were, it was totally unnecessary, and a waste of chemicals if you ask me - I'd expect to hold more muscle mass if I was using drugs to get ripped, lol.

How to do it? Fairly simple.

1) You need to work out with weights. Not all these catabolic aerobics people throw around as the 'spartan warrior workout'. A 3day split, modified WSB, upper/lower, 5x5, just something basic with compound, free weight exercises.

2) You need to have a strict diet. This is where most people fall down. Your calories shouldn't be too low, around or just under maintenance depending how much cardio you'll be doing. Of course maintenance calories are gonna differ greatly from person to person. Some people will get away with low low calories, others will need to eat lots of food and do more cardio.

3) Your diet must be high protein (from whole foods, minimum of shakes - preferably none at all), moderate fat (equal split between unsaturates and saturates), and low to trace carbs.

4) Carbs will also be an extremely individual thing. Some people will get away with carbs in the morning, others just pre and post workout, other people just post-workout only. Carb sources should be low GI fruits and MAYBE oatmeal. No bread, pasta, potatoes. Brown rice or yams maybe depending on the person's carb tolerance. (Of course people will argue a 'carb is a carb' but that is not so, even if the GI is low)

5) No cheat meals, or keep them to once a month. Once a week have a carb day and take in triple your daily carbs or thereabouts, from clean sources. Again, I would just increase the amounts of your usual carb sources (fruit, oats etc) rather than throw in breads and pasta.

6) Cardio to your individual needs. Whether this is low or high intensity will depend on the person. Given the strictness of your diet I'd stick to walking.

7) The usual fat burning tactics: green tea, high EFAs etc. I don't see a need for ECA or thermos as the spartans were hardly in contest condition (which is the only time you'll need these supplements really).

8) Patience, dedication and consistency. This will not happen overnight and will require discipline for a long period of time. People trying to get there quicker with even lower calories, running instead of walking, gear etc will screw it up, lose muscle and feel like ****. If you want your bodies to lose fat and keep the fat OFF you've got to do it gradually. This is probably not what you wanna hear, but it's the truth. Looking for results on a daily, weekly or even bi-weekly basis will drive you insane. Take pictures once a month and compare.

This is how you'll get there the quickest, cleanest way. I could add more to this list but I know it'd just get clusterf*cked. But this is really the basic template and if it's applied intelligently, you should do just fine, so long as you're patient and consistent.

just wondering about the cardio issue...surely the best results will come from a fit body and running and cardio are good for general health...surely running/rowing/circuit training or something for higher intensity cardio should be part of any routine?

To achieve the 'toned' look rather than the 'emaciated' look, you have to have some muscle to be toned. The signal that regular running sends to your body is to become better at running; muscle becomes expendable and is burned as well as fat. Walking on the other hand is so low intensity that it will do nothing to harm your muscle or your performance in the gym.

HIIT can be applied intelligently to benefit fat loss, but just like training routines, it's so individual as to the type, duration, frequency that it's impossible to give a general recommendation on the board. Walking however is 'foolproof' and anyone can pull it off to lose fat.

The majority of bbers I know who do HIIT for fat loss are also the smallest guys on stage. If muscle loss is no concern to you, and you want the marathon runner's look, run to your heart's content...

I'm not interested in the skinnyguy 'spartan' look, but this seems to be the place to discuss cardio right now...

Combined with a clean diet and lifting program, would 40 minutes of low-intensity cardio before breakfast + 40 minutes of low intensity cardio postworkout be an efficient way of shedding fat?

Warboss Alex said:

To achieve the 'toned' look rather than the 'emaciated' look, you have to have some muscle to be toned. The signal that regular running sends to your body is to become better at running; muscle becomes expendable and is burned as well as fat. Walking on the other hand is so low intensity that it will do nothing to harm your muscle or your performance in the gym.

HIIT can be applied intelligently to benefit fat loss, but just like training routines, it's so individual as to the type, duration, frequency that it's impossible to give a general recommendation on the board. Walking however is 'foolproof' and anyone can pull it off to lose fat.

The majority of bbers I know who do HIIT for fat loss are also the smallest guys on stage. If muscle loss is no concern to you, and you want the marathon runner's look, run to your heart's content...

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okay I think I understand, so would I be right in saying that running and such cardio is good for burning fat although it'll hold you back in muscle gains?

so given my relatively small goal of 42" chest with lots of definition, cardio is beneficial, whereas for someone who wants a 50" chest with definition, he's gotta control it more with diet?

BluEyes said:

I'm not interested in the skinnyguy 'spartan' look, but this seems to be the place to discuss cardio right now...

Combined with a clean diet and lifting program, would 40 minutes of low-intensity cardio before breakfast + 40 minutes of low intensity cardio postworkout be an efficient way of shedding fat?

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I'd cut down on both + remember you'll lose some muscle...get it down to 15 minutes post workout for a start...

and the pre-breakfast workout also sounds too long, take it down to 20 minutes for a start, should raise your metabolism throughout the day...

but remember, this isn't condusive to looking like Ronnie Coleman

BluEyes - Yes but I wouldn't go over 20-25 mins cardio post-workout unless you're gonna eat pre-cardio. If you have the need for a 40 min cardio session on a workout day just fit it in anywhere. If you can't, do it post-workout but have some protein or BCAAs between weights and cardio.

howardalex - low intensity cardio will lose you NO muscle. You can go longer than 15 mins post-workout. And if you want to look like a runner, run. Otherwise walk.

howardalex said:

I'd cut down on both + remember you'll lose some muscle...get it down to 15 minutes post workout for a start...

and the pre-breakfast workout also sounds too long, take it down to 20 minutes for a start, should raise your metabolism throughout the day...

but remember, this isn't condusive to looking like Ronnie Coleman

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the pre breakfast cardio isnt too long, id up it to 1hour at a low intensity, best way to get a day started in my opinion (after sex of course)

Damn you are wrong WB..........300 is a great film!

I remember watching it and thinking they didn't look all that good anyway, except Lionidas (sp) dad. That guy was huge.

Wow, I think there is a point where everyone should draw the line.

There is no way in ****ing hell I am going to do all this just to have a 6 pack.

Let's see:

I love good food
I can probably get girls with beer belly
Some girls are repulsed by the toned look and actually prefer bellies (true story)
Being so strict with the diet will make you insane eventually.



What Do I recommend:

Eating clean 90% of the time..and having a drink or a cake or a pizza when nothing else is around.


I remember passing up weekly home cooked meals because of my diet... what a ****ing moron.

I remember chugging a protein shake in a car before going to a night club..a shake that tasted like absolute *******.


Just look at menow -raw eggs, oatmeal, peanutbutter, cod liver oil.. sacrifice is still there... never ends.

Couldn't you just tack your original post on to one of the gazillion of threads about "The "300" workout"? Or are you so special that you deserve to start the gazillion and first thread on it? Not saying it's not good advice, just that it's a waste of bandwidth to have all of those threads about the exact same thing. Kinda like all the looks thread, really

Fred Da Head said:

Couldn't you just tack your original post on to one of the gazillion of threads about "The "300" workout"? Or are you so special that you deserve to start the gazillion and first thread on it? Not saying it's not good advice, just that it's a waste of bandwidth to have all of those threads about the exact same thing. Kinda like all the looks thread, really

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I considered putting it on another thread, but the other threads were about the 'workout'. this thread is about fat loss. if you're offended by it I can ask diablo to take it down.. -I- know how to do this and have done it before, it's you guys I'm trying to help out here. no loss to me.

I disagree with the diet you suggested. I am a Division 1 football player so I dont have to worry about diet as much but I still have to watch what I eat to make sure I dont gain any fat. Fat is the enemy. With the amount of running and weight lifting I do, I have to consume as much as I can throughout the day. Especially carbs because that gives us energy. I stay away from alot of unnatural sugars like those in soft drinks, candy, and just about anything else humans werent supposed to consume.

A training regimen is vastly different for people of different shapes and sizes. If youre a naturally built person but overweight and want to shed fat, then you would have to limit your food intake. But if you can hide behind a stop sign you would want to eat more. healthy but more so you can build muscle.

And if you wanna look like one of those guys from the movie be prepared to lift weights and run your butt of for at least a year. And lots of Ab work. I do not believe you can just lift weights and not run and expect to look good.

NSUballer said:

I disagree with the diet you suggested. I am a Division 1 football player so I dont have to worry about diet as much but I still have to watch what I eat to make sure I dont gain any fat. Fat is the enemy. With the amount of running and weight lifting I do, I have to consume as much as I can throughout the day. Especially carbs because that gives us energy. I stay away from alot of unnatural sugars like those in soft drinks, candy, and just about anything else humans werent supposed to consume.

A training regimen is vastly different for people of different shapes and sizes. If youre a naturally built person but overweight and want to shed fat, then you would have to limit your food intake. But if you can hide behind a stop sign you would want to eat more. healthy but more so you can build muscle.

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you're a football player, exactly. this diet is for the average gymgoer (with average genetics) on here. athletes don't need a specific diet to trim down because they're ALREADY eating properly.

if there even eating properly. I know a lot of atheltes with **** diets that do fine because of there good genetics.

NSUballer the majority of what we post on this board are for the people with average to below average genetics. If your going to be posting here id take the time and read the idiots guide to growth, squat for big arms, the aunit post that stickied, this will help you understand the people that arent gifted genetically and more of the journey they have to take. I understand where your coming from, as an athelete your around people with superior genetics, training a particular way and its working but for the people that arent athletes and dont have the genetics to be, things are a lot different. And im not taking anything away from you, i know you put in hard work to get where you are.

and Fred da head, as you know there have been a lot of posts about the 300 spartans after the movie came out (people basically asking how to look that way as if proper training and diet became a fantasy after the movie) so now probably the most knowledgable person on the board posts a thread to settle the 300 spartan deal once and for all and you come and flame him like hes making some newbie post like the rest of the 300 spartan threads, come on man

I for one appreciate Warboss Alex for taking the time to post anything he wants.

There are a few here who have great knowledge and I appreciate them too but as I have said in other post if Warboss Alex were to leave here it would be a shame cause he is a vailable asset here and has helped me greatly and I am sure many, many others.

I had been troubled with stiffness and Warboss recommended supplements to ease this condition since I am no spring chicken around here and since taking what he recommended a few weeks ago alot of my stiffness is leaving and I feel ten times better since. At this rate in a couple of months I should be stiff free if I continue with the supplements.

I am not new to training but being away a few years science and weighttrainng has come a long way and I am trying to catch up where I left off and to look to people like Warboss Alex it helps to get those answers I need quickly and he does it respectfully.

LoneSilver

EFFORT said:

the pre breakfast cardio isnt too long, id up it to 1hour at a low intensity, best way to get a day started in my opinion (after sex of course)

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I'm assuming you mean "other than" rather than literally "after"...

Fred Da Head said:

Couldn't you just tack your original post on to one of the gazillion of threads about "The "300" workout"? Or are you so special that you deserve to start the gazillion and first thread on it? Not saying it's not good advice, just that it's a waste of bandwidth to have all of those threads about the exact same thing. Kinda like all the looks thread, really

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strictly speaking, it's a waste of board space, not bandwidth. it saves bandwidth, b/c those in the know don't have to dig through 5 threads of useless workouts to find the goods from WBA.

now my post and yours, they're both wastes of bandwidth.

TY for this Warboss. Damn I keep saying these mods shoudl sticky your stuff, but they're deaf or something.

Fred Da Head said:

Couldn't you just tack your original post on to one of the gazillion of threads about "The "300" workout"? Or are you so special that you deserve to start the gazillion and first thread on it? Not saying it's not good advice, just that it's a waste of bandwidth to have all of those threads about the exact same thing. Kinda like all the looks thread, really

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And you sir, are a tard. I don't see you b1tching about newbs on the front page asking whether or not d1ck size matters. Go grow a pair you obese fuker.