ong before the release of

Warner Biollier's block-

btistcr movie, 300. 1
came across an article
the extremely cballeiiging
and brutally intense training regimen
tbe actors endured prior to filming.
Through six months of workout ses-
sions conducted by Mark l'wight, an
accompHsbed mountain climber,
autbor, and bigbly respected irainer,
the movie's casi transformed tbeir bod-
ies into tbe warrior pbysiqties mandat-
ed by director Zach Snyder.
One training approach called for
'lie exectition of a string of various
exercises - some conventional, some
extiemely unconventional - with tbe
goal of cotiipieiing 300 total reps.
Tbat's quite a feat, considering thai
most workout scripts call for aboul balf
(and usually niucb less) of that grtiel-
ing number.
Always being a fan of good, old-
fashioned hard work, I decided lo take
ihat theme, modify it a bit, and rtui
(lift, actually) with it.
1 should styte here that tbese work-

R
outs exceed tbe norm to a degree tbat
recjuiresyou to examine them closely.
You may determine that the pariit ular

TRAINING
iige group and/or the overall training
experience of your athletes dictates
lluil you file ibese scripl.s for future use.

In order to be judicioiLs and pru-

dent, several important caveats are in
order:
" Tbese scripts are for oldei atliletes
who have been training in earnest
for at least a couple of years. In

Spartan "3OO" (tther words, bigb scbool juniors

• These are extiemely challenging
By Ken Mannie, Head Strength/Conditioning Coach, Michigan
State University, East Lansing. Ml
who have been indoctrinated, well-
coached, and put tbrotigb the rig-
ors of a year-round strength train-
ing program since they were fresh-
men, should be ready for some-
thing of this nauire.
workouts, and tberefore sbould be
used witb consideration given to
tbe appropriate lime.s on tbe liain-

8 PTEMBEB 2007
 ing calendar. I would recoinnieiid
performing these routines in the
off-season periods only, as they will
assuredly indut e some muscle sore-
ness for al least a couple of days.
These art- novel workouts that
sliuiild be used no more than once
per week, and followed with at least
a couple of recovery days before
engaging in even so inucli as a con-
ventional strength workout.
These scripts are nol meant to be
used for an indeliuJte |>eri<>d
time. We use them as a motiva-
tional tool on a limited basis in
the ofl-.sea.son only.
A iitial suggestion for those who
hl be a little wary of tlic high vol-
ume in a single .session is to bre;ik-iip
ihe workouts into two separate !.''>() rep
arrangements. The scripts could ihen
be performed on two non-tonsecutive
days. This amounts to 15 sets of 10
reps in each workoul, which is closer
lo a standard stiength training session.
Note: ,\11 of the workouts are pre-
ceded with a live minute dynamic
warm-up peiiod, and followed with a
ijiief static and/or band stretching
segment.
With these stiggestious in mind,
here are two of oiir favorite Spartan
"300" workouts, Michigan State style,
complete with some coaching points.
WORKOUT I: COME BACK
WITH YOUR SHIELO
This is a total body workout that
includes the use ol barbells, dtnnl)-
bells, machines, sandbags, and several
body weight exercises.
Twenty exercises are performed
for one set of 15 repetitions apiece,
with the lower bodv movements per-
formed first in the seqtience.
[1 looks like this:
1. Sanilbag Front Squats - 15 reps
2. Hex Bar Dead Lifts - 15 reps
3. Leg Press - I Tt reps
4. Straight bar Rotnauian Dead Lifts
WWW.COACHAD.COM
(RDL's) - 15 reps (Note: These
are commonly referred to as stiff-
legged dead lifts, but a slight bend
should be tiiaintained iti ihe ktiees
throughout the movement.)
5. Bodyweight Squats while wearing a
25 11). weight vest - 15 reps
6. Bodyweight Lunges while wearing
25 lb. weight vest - L5 reps (with
each leg)
7. Dumhbell (DB) Incline Press- 15
reps
8. DB Bent-over Rows - 15 (for both
right and left sides if performed
independetitly)
9. DB Seated Military Press- 15 reps
10. DB Upright Rows - 15 reps
11. Barbell Close Crip Bench Press -
15 reps
12. Front Lat Pulldowns - 15 teps
13. Sandbag Standing Military Press
-15 reps
14. Hammer (machine) Horizontal
Row — 15 reps
15. Hannner Chest Press - 15 reps
16. Hammer High Row-15 reps
17. Bodyweiglit Cliin-nps- 15 teps
(even ii dotie in ati all-negative, or
lowering only, manner)
18. Bodyweiglit Dips- In reps (eveti if
done in an all-negative tnatuier)
19. Bodyweight Mid-Section exercise
(several choices) - 15 leps
20,Bod\'weight I'uslMtps- 15 teps
Coaching Points: As dictated by
the high volume, tlie weight loads
range from light to moderate on all of
the applicable exercises (i.e., those
tising an inipletneiu, rather than body-
weight, of some type). The accumula-
tive fatigue created by the high rep
target and sheer length of the script
become the primary overload indices.
"Heaw" weights simply cainiot (and
should not) be used because ol those
two factors, which may be contradicto-
ry to most mainstream plans, hut is
necessary for this particular approach.
Another overload technique that
can be easily applied is (ontrolling the
recovery lx*tweeti sets. While the initial
recovery period between sets is usually
1 '/»-2 mintttcs, our tiltimate goal for
recovery is 1 minnte between sets.
Finally, tiote that we allow for "neg-
ative-only" reps on the chin-nps and
dips, due to the fact that a tretnen-
dous amount of fatigite will be built-
ttp in the musculature by that particu-
lar point in the roittine. Good, posi-
tive (raising) reps will be hatd-eariied
aud maybe even impossible for some
of your larger athletes.
WORKOUT II: FIGHT IN THE
SHADE
The second workout consists of
rotating through three cycles of five
different bodyweight exercises and
performing 20 reps in each set.
Here it is:
1. Modified Rope Ptill-tips
(described iti the April, '07 issue)
20 reps
2. Dips - 20 reps
3. C;hin-ups - 20 reps
4. Bodyweight S(|iiats - 20 reps
5. Step-ups (onto a 24" high box) -
20 reps with each leg
Coaching Points: The first
sequence is performed at a fairly
good clip, with ahout 30 seconds
recttvery between exercises.
After the step-ups, we allow for a
longer respite of 60-90 seconds, and
then we get after it from tlic top of
the order for ihe secotid cycle. A lit-
tle more rest will be needed between
sets - probably up to one mintite.
At the end of the second cycle, 60-
90 more seconds ate issued for recov-
ery, followed by tlie third and Hnal
cycle. Again, we try to keep tlie lecov-
ery period hetween sets to 60 seconds.
FINAL REP
These ate merely a couple of sam-
ple workouts you can examine and
tweak to your liking. If the volume
ha.s you concerned -even though, as
mentioned, these are infre(|uent!y
2OO7 SEPTEMBER 9
 Spartan "3OO" Training

used routines - you can certainly
make adjiistnieiiLs as you see fit.
Obviously, you can mix and match
any type or sequence of exercises you
prefer to work in concert with your
current approach.
Other than that, "Come and get
them!"
TIP FROM THE
TRENCHES
Super Foods for energy, recovery
from hard exercise, and a healthy
lifestyle: If you're iooking for a short
list of hf althy, energy producing, and
recovery aiding foods that are easy to
incorporate in the daily diet, hsten-up
Hoops:
• Sweet Potatoes - A real nutrition-
al "all-star" lh;it is literally one of
the he.st veggies you can eat, try to
incorporate this winner in your
diet as often as possible. These
babies are loaded with Vitamin C,
carotcnoids. potassi-
um, and
fiber.
Some restaurants even offer them
as a substitute for French Fries (a
top-of-tlie-line artery dogger) and
regular baked potatoes.
Grape Tomatoes - Sweeter and
firmer than other types of toma-
toes, these bite-size treats are per-
fect for snacking, dipping, and
plopping on salads. Packed with
Vitamin C and Vitamin A, these Ht-
de health ntiggets also contain
some fiber and those wonderful
phytochemicals you hear so much
about.
Fat Free (Skim) or 1% Milk -
Check it out: Calcium, loads of
vitamins, and high-quality protein
without all the fat; need I say
more? Caution: Don't be fooled
by 2% milk, which still has a con-
siderable amount of saturated fat
in it.
Blueberries - Rich in fiber.
Vitamin C, and the highly sought-
after antioxidant group, these little
sweeties are great on cereal, in
yogurt, on low-fat ice cream, or all
by themselves.
Wild Salmon (not the "farm-
raised" variety that has higher
ievels of dioxin contaminants) -
One of our "heart healthy heroes,"
wild salmon is chalk-full of the
good omega-3 fats, whose health
benefits are continually being
unearthed, and qii;ility protein.
Citrus Fruits -Juicy, great tasting,
and oozing with Vilamiii C, folic
acid, and fiber, tliese are much
healthier snacks than candy bars
that are bloated with saturated fat.
Pre-washed, Pre-cut Bags of
Greens (Kaie, Spinach, Hearts of
Romaine, etc.) - Convenient,
ready-to-eat, and high in calcium,
carotenoids. folate, potassium,
fiber, and Vilaniin C, loss tlit-rn in
a .salad bowl, sprinkle some blue-
berries, grape tomatoes, green
peppers, salmon chunks, a light
salad dressing, and yoiu" favorite
nuts on top, and you've got a
healthy meal in itself. •
Ken Mannie mannie^'ath.msu.edu

I f you enjoyed reading this story, then why not ieg on to www.coachad.cem
and watcli it before your eyes.
That s right! Beginning this month. Scholastic Coach & Mthletic Director s
Web site will feature a virtual monthly version of Powerline, our highly suc-
cessful and widely read strength and cenditioning column. Just took for the
Poweriine ONLINE logo on the homepage.
Hosted by our very own Powcriine guru and resident expert, Ken Mannie,
the head strength & conditioning coach at Michigan State University, Poweriine
ONLINE wiii provide tips, suggestions, and recommendations from a whole bevy
of strength and conditioning activities, ail in digital quaiity streaming video.
Poweriine ONLINE brings the pages of Coacb&MBio life, offering an inter-
active, visual depiction of each set and each exercise. You and your piayers
will experience every grunt, groan, and grimace as Ken Mannie and his staff
explain, perform, and evaluate, step-by-step, all of the muscle-buiiding rou-
tines that will help your athletes and your programs reach their maximum
potentiai in the weight room.
This month, Coach Mannie and his graduate assistant, Joe Tate, a former
MSU offensive lineman, who played briefly in the NFL and NFL Europe, will take you inside the Spartans' weight room and perform 17
exercises as depicted in the September Poweriine story. Spartan "300" Training, based on the movie blockbuster, 300.
These specific exercises provide a new challenge and stimuius for the MSU athletes, particuiariy the football players. The segment
is nearly 40 minutes long and is time well spent.
Also, each month Coach Mannie will answer your questions at the end of each Poweriine ONLINE segment.
To ask Coach Mannie a question, just email him at: mannie@ath.msu.edu.
So tog on and get ready to feel the burn!

- Kevin Newell, Editor, CoachA Athletic Birectw

lO COACH AND ATHLETIC DIRECTOR