Spartacus 300 Workout Tuesday Routine: Dirty 30’s
Dirty 30’s are done 2 times per week. Each round consists of 3, 10 minute segments. (Do the following 3 exercises, as many reps as you can, in 1 minute. Use remaining time to rest. 5 sets of 1 min on/1 min off per exercise. Then, move onto next exercise for 5 more rounds of 1 min on/1 min off). You may find that as you get winded, it takes longer to get your max reps in each set. This is why they’re called ‘Dirty’ 30’s. You have to use your rest time to finish your reps. If you find this too easy, you’re not doing max reps.
Round 1 – 10 minutes each exercise (1 min on/1 min off)
- Pushups (try weighted with 45 pound weight on your back)
- Situp Medicine Ball Throws
- Sled Pulls (the Spartacus crew used sled pulls, sub in treadmill/wind sprints if you need)
Round 2 – 10 minutes each exercise (1 min on/1 min off)
For each set, find out how many you can possibly do in 1 minute. This is your max. You have 1 minute of rest after each set. However, if you don’t reach your max, you have to use part of your rest time to finish. This makes Dirty 30’s harder as you go on. As Spartacus (Liam McIntyre) says,
As the minutes pass, you get less and less rest because you’re not finishing the reps in the minute, and you feel like throwing up. But you hang tough, motivated by your mates, and the reward. Afterward, you feel exhausted, but you take 30 minutes to recover and you feel like your body is changing in front of you.
Spartacus Workout Wednesday Workout Routine: 9-Part Circuit Training
Use dumbbells for each exercise. Grab some dumbbells that will make you work hard during these short, 40-second circuits. Perform each circuit twice through. Rest for one minute between each time you do a circuit.
Do 2 sets of each Circuit. 1 min rest between circuits, and no rest between exercises:
- Circuit 1 (40 secs each)
- Planks with Leg Lift
- Single Leg Stiff-legged Deadlift
- Alternating Rows
- Circuit 2 (40 secs each)
- Dumbbell Chops
- Push Press
- Dumbbell Side Lunge and Touch
- Circuit 3 (40 secs each)
- Dumbbell Lunges
- Goblet Squat
- Deadlifts
So, do Planks with Leg Lift for 40 sec, then Single Leg Stiff-legged Deadlift for 40 sec, then Alternating Rows for 40 sec. Rest one minute, then repeat those three. Now, rest another minute, then move on to the second circuit.
Do Dumbbell Chops for 40 sec, then Push Press for 40 sec, then Dumbbell Side Lunge and Touch for 40 sec. Now, rest another minute, then move on to the second circuit. Do Lunges for 40 sec, then Goblet Squat for 40 sec, then Deadlifts for 40 sec. Rest one minute, and you are done. If an exercise is too easy, increase the weight of the dumbbells you are using.
Liam McIntyre’s workout motivation used to be about getting the role. Now, it’s about looking the part. Liam McIntyre says:
As a younger actor, my motivation may have been: ‘Do you want that job, or don’t you?’ Now it’s, ‘Do you want to look like crap on film?’
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Would you recommend this or the Brad Pitt Troy workout if I want to get a bit bigger but not huge and a lot more ripped? I am in between an ectomorph and a mesomorph. which would you suggest?
Try the Spartacus workout first. I’ve found the circuit training listed above to be really effective in what you’re looking for. But, check out the Brad Pitt workout for more information on his diet. Diet is everything. Being meso/ecto means you’ve gotta eat a lot of clean food.
It also may mean you’re gonna have to up your cardio routine. Still, I think you’re gonna find that the circuits are fun, and hep with your cardio needs. After your workout, make sure you’re getting a protein shake. If you get tired of the Spartacus workout, then move on to the Brad Pitt workouts. See what works best for you.
On the dirty 30’s, it states 5 sets. If you follow the plan, that makes a five hour work out. Should that not be a single set?
I added further description to hopefully make it more clear. Added: “5 sets off 1 min on/1 min off per exercise. Then, move onto next exercise for 5 more rounds of 1 min on/1 min off). You may find that as you get winded, it takes longer to get your max reps in each set. This is why they’re called ‘Dirty’ 30’s. You have to use your rest time to finish your reps. If you find this too easy, you’re not doing max reps.”
Each round should last a half hour. Doing 2 rounds, you’re looking at an hour of circuit training. The challenge is that you’re going to get winded, and it will take longer than 1 min to finish. This means you have to finish during your ‘rest time.’ Which turns into a slippery slope, as you’re only going to get more winded. Hence ‘Dirty’ 30’s.
Chris, thanks for the clarity. Should this workout routine be used inlieu of a weight workout routine or as an augment to it?
The Liam McIntyre workout is a circuit training type of workout meant for fat-burning. The Spartacus crew had already had already spent some time in the weight room. This was to get them cut, to look good on TV. So, you would do this when you’re in the “cutting phase” of your workout, or if you’re just looking to get leaner.
hi chris,
im 5 foot 10. 160lbs. i want to get bigger and ripped, i dont have much mucle definition i have always been skinny as people put it but my lower stomach is getting bigger as i try to gain weight… what would you suggest specifically for someone to do to look like the cast of spartacus?
These circuits were designed to help you look like the cast of Spartacus. But, you are what you eat. If you aren’t eating properly, then you won’t achieve the gains you want. Check out The Rock Workout for an example of what he eats to get bigger. If you’re looking to get that lean, gladiator look, then the Joe Manganiello workout and diet may help you as well.
i noticed there’re a lot of leg exercises and no chest exercises
Yes, you will notices that this workout, designed by Rachel Cosgrove, C.S.C.S, is about circuit training. The result is a lean, muscular body. When I did this workout, I found myself sweating a lot. It’s all about intensity to get that fat-burning going.
The Spartan workout is a functional workout, meaning that gladiators would have wanted core, shoulders and leg strength. They’d be less concerned with chest. That being said, there are pushups, dips, etc. It’s just that the core of a good, fat-burning routine is going to involve a lot of core, legs (and in this case shoulder) exercises.
On set, once they had passed gladiator boot camp, one of the actors led them through strength training. This is what got them stronger for the show. I was only able to find a video with a couple exercises, not enough to publish their strength training routine. It starts with the fat-burning cardio circuits, above, to get in gladiator shape.