Do you remember the first time you watched 300? If you are like me you wanted to hit the gym right after the credits rolled. The movie is so full of jacked Spartans and amazing abs that you automatically get motivated to work out yourself.

 

That’s awesome of course and if movies motivate more people to take care of their bodies even better. The problem is that most beginners then search online for 300 workouts or superman workouts or whatever movie they just watched.

 

The routines you find when you do this are usually extremely complicated with hundreds of crunches and some random burpees in between sets. Often they are simply made up by magazines or some internet marketer.

 

These people are trying to bank off the success of a movie and make a quick buck by selling you some overpriced workout plan.

 

So, if it’s not the newest men’s health workout that got these actors in shape, how did they do it?

 

I want to be as straightforward as possible with you….

 

It’s actually a combination of (1) effective workouts and diets, (2) the right technology and sometimes (3) steroids.

 

Let me explain what I mean by each of those.

By “effective” I don’t necessarily mean the best workout to build muscle or the best diet to put on size. I mean the best to get the job done.

 

“Getting the job done” in Hollywood means looking great.

 

Keep in mind that the large cinema screen makes things appear bigger and more detailed. That’s why any actor would always choose muscle definition over muscle size any day.

 

It’s a lot easier to make a lean skinny guy look ripped with the right lighting and camera angle than a bulky guy who might be muscular but you can’t tell because of his fat.

 

This is also the reason many male models look great on pictures but extremely skinny in person.

 

So what this means is that an effective workout and diet in the Hollywood sense is one that gets you lean which in most cases means losing fat. Fat loss can happen pretty fast and if you are able to maintain muscle while you do it you can look ripped pretty fast.

This is Gerald Butler in the finished version of the 300 movie…

 

 

And this is him on set.

 

 

See what they did there?

 

You can tell that they darken his skin with paint, which makes muscle “pop” more. Bodybuilders do the same when they go on stage and even though it looks ridiculous it definitely works.

 

Also many studios use lighting and special effects to enhance body parts or erase others. Remember this one. If you have ever taken a selfie of yourself without a shirt you know how big of a role light plays in getting the right shot.

Ahh, the big taboo. So do some actors take them?

 

Almost certainly, but I can’t tell you who. First, because that would require me seeing their blood work and second because I don’t want to get into legal trouble for calling someone out.

 

But when you think about potential movie deals involving millions of dollars wouldn’t you do everything in your power to look your best? 

 

With the right supervision and regular checkups there are minor health risks on the one side and fame and money on the other.

 

When you look at it that way steroids become a lot more appealing, don’t they?

 

Now, before I wrap up this post let me clarify one thing. Many of the transformations actors go through are still very impressive and require a lot of work.

 

Despite the “tricks” I talked about in this video many actors still train hard and follow their diets religiously. My goal was just to make it clear that this is not what you as a beginner should expect or strive for.

 

The way someone looks in a movie is almost never how they look in real life. So make sure to keep your expectations in check and don’t fall for stupid 300 workouts.