Spartacus Andy Whitfield’s Workout and Diet

Craig, these kind of super detailed posts are killer.

Regarding the guy in the workout video – he is doing Renegade Rows wrong lol! He is twisting his damn hips!

Btw, I’m half way through the series, fantastic show!

Y.

Cool! these are my favourite style of workouts. It’s real warrior stuff. What helps me is really get into the zone… at the start I play music then I start to think treat this like a battle (me vs weights) …the intensity level goes into outerspace.
Paleo Diet is fantastic too ..I do my own version for the last year and I’m now around 8% bodyfat and hoping to loose a bit more.
Excellent topic

Something that keeps popping up with these celebrity workouts is the circuit training they do. Great post!

-Drew

Workout look’s pretty intense. Im going to give it a go today. Also I have never heard of this show I don’t get the channel in Canada. Im going to start downloading now it looks great

Craig,
This is a great post! It is so informative and doesn’t leave anything to chance. I like to do these types of workouts every once in awhile. I was doing some other types of circuit training like the MODE training and Turbulence training from Craig Ballantyne.

They all work great, I just have a hard time staying away from the weights for too long. I guess I still have a little meathead in me!

I had to come back and make another post. I just finished it 20 minuets ago and … holy shit. ahahaha That killed me looking forward to incorporate this into my workout for a couple weeks and see the results.

Yavor,
Lol yeah I just noticed that – good thing I linked over to your video because your form is impeccable. To be honest I think this guy in the video is pretty boring but it was the best one I could find, but I am going to film myself doing the workout ASAP – I’ll make you proud on the renegade rows

Raymond,
8% body fat is excellent man – great work! I love intervals too – it’s cool you could pick 10 different exercises if you wanted and create a whole different workout, but just as intense – love it. And yeah, I feel my intensity shoot up big time AFTER round 1 on this one. After I get a sweat going, I turn into a beast lol.

Drew,
Yep, true – especially when the role calls for super lean and size is less of a factor – although some of the actors of Spartacus are pretty darn big AND shredded! I saw Nick E Tarabay, who plays Asher, about a week ago when hiking at Runyon Canyon… considering he doesn’t even play a Gladiator in the show, he looked pretty in shape!

Matt,
So glad you liked it man! The first time was so brutal on my legs – ugh… lol. But my pace is way faster now and I’ve definitely gained strength through it. BTW… go to “watchspartacus.com” and you can watch every episode, streaming video, for free Some are HD, others the quality lacks, but hey – at least you’ll get to check it out, it’s a great series! Enjoy.

Kelly,
Oh I agree completely man! As much as I love these workouts, I still do traditional weight training (usually non-competing supersets) for about 50% of my workouts. But I am a fan of full-body workouts, and this workout definitely nails em all! I don’t train legs with heavy weight, except deadlifts and thrusters on occasion, so these bodyweight leg workouts keep em strong without adding a lot of bulk.

Yeah my legs kill! Im only used to HIIT on my legs because im scared to add any mass to my legs. I played hockey most of my life and my legs are quite big already so any bigger and nice jeans don’t fit well. But doing this probably wont add any mass just tone up the muscle, maybe even knock off the little fat on them. Its sad I hurt but I can’t wait to do it again.

Matt,
Exactly man – I never do heavy weights for legs anymore. They just get bulky too fast and it’s a pain in the ass! I’ve been doing the Spartacus Workout for a few weeks now, and it hasn’t caused any extra bulk, but my legs are gaining muscle tone. I did the workout last night, I swear I love it more each time

Easy to speak xD

how many calories should I take in a day on this diet? im eating 2000 calories down from 4500 a day for 16 years I’ve lost 25 pounds in 25 days. is 2000 calories good for this diet?

Phil,
2000 is a good starting point. If you are performing the workout on 2000 cal and still not seeing fat loss, drop in daily increments of 200-300 until the fat begins to melt.

Thanks craig I’m proud to say today is 1 month since I changed my diet and I lost 27 pounds in 30 days! at 2000 calories and working out hard. my FFM is 180-185 I’m told. so to be at 10% body fat I’d need to be 203 pounds. I’m hoping that at 2000 calories jogging / power walking 10km a day 7 days a week with weights 4 times a week that I will get to 10% body fat. I wonder how many calories Andy Whitfield takes in a day to keep his physique.

Phil,
27 pounds in 30 days is incredible – I admire your dedication and hard work, that’s no easy task right there. Keep up the hard work, it’s obviously paying off and you’ll be sub 10% body fat before you know it!

great post aswume shit.

craig,
I just started doing this workout and its amazing. It is so much better than the workouts I did for college football. I am currently 5’10” 211 lbs and my BMI says im at 25% body fat. I need to either get down to 179 or 18% by February for basic training. I would like to be at 12-14. Do you think this workout will do the trick?

Jeremiah,
Yeah I love the workout too. Did it this morning. Yeah it will help you drop body fat quickly and effectively. Since you did college football and are obviously athletic, I’d aim for 3-4 times a week with this workout and a Paleo diet and I would expect to see some amazing results.

Craig,

Thanks for the great post. I found this workout on the men’s health website recently and you really nailed the explanation.

Question:
Would this workout help put on “muscle-weight”?

It seems like it would but they also tote it as a fat-burning workout too. Right now I am 5’11″ and 150 pounds. I am only 19 and I don’t have a lot of fat on me and I want to build some muscle.

This workout looks great and I would love to do it but I am just not sure if it will help me put on muscle.

Trevor,
Thanks man. I noticed more improvements in definition and fat loss from this workout. If you’re looking to gain a little muscle, I would use this workout along with days where you do traditional weight training and keep the calories up. At your stats, you shouldn’t put on fat, but might gain some lean muscle by doing so.

We really cherish this site. Iwish I could come here all the time.

hey man im 14 going on 15 and im going to start this workout.All i REALLY want is a 6-pack. i can already see my top 2 but have some fat on my stomach. will this burn it off? what would i have to eat/how many calories? im 5’4″ 110pounds(maybe more really not to sure.) all ive always wanted is that six pack man! thats all its about at our age =/

Hi Craig,

Can an eighteen year old female at 5ft4 and 125lbs do this?

John,
Ahh the coveted six-pack. You’ll get there if you take the right steps. This workout program / diet is certainly effective at burning fat. Nutrition is a crucial component so make sure you are spot on in that area, although at 15 years old, your metabolism should be burning like a Ferrari anyway. Be patient, at that age, muscle development is tough, so your abs may not “pop” for awhile.

T,
The cool thing is you can go at your own pace. Form comes before speed, so make sure you are performing every movement correctly to avoid injury – range of motion is also important here. Say you can do 50 split jumps and I can only do 20. As long as you’re pushing your lactic threshold, you will reap the benefits.

Hey awesome post Craig I really love this show and the story behind Andy Whitfield. I am currently 5’8″ 176lbs, tons of muscle, but looking to really add definition. I am currently at 10% BMI. What weight would you recommend to use??

Gary,
Hey buddy – It’s a great show right? My good friend was in the running for the lead of Season 2, but didn’t quite get it

If you’re looking to be at a similar type physique as Whitfield, he’s actually not all that big, but lean as hell.

At 5’8″ you sound like you have more than enough muscle to have the look, just need to get your BF down to around 6-8%. You should be doing weighted interval workouts with a slightly restricted calorie diet. I would lean toward a more Paleo style diet and try to get down to about 165 lbs.

Thanks Craig for the speedy response!! yeah my physique is there, just needs that little extra!! I’m in college and working full-time so preparing my meals can be hard at times, but after reading through the Paleo diet(caveman diet) it seems very easy to follow, and easy on the pocket book as well. I’ll give this workout a try, and let you know my progress by Valentines day.. haha

If anyone is interested I made a few printable workout tracker for this, courtesy of bodybuilding.com, just cross out my name with yours

http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/printlog2.php?firstname=Gary&name=The+Spartacus+Workout&num_exercises=10&Exercise%5B%5D=Goblet+Squat&Sets%5B%5D=3&Exercise%5B%5D=Mountain+Climber&Sets%5B%5D=3&Exercise%5B%5D=Single-arm+dumbbell+swing&Sets%5B%5D=3&Exercise%5B%5D=T-pushup&Sets%5B%5D=3&Exercise%5B%5D=Split+jump&Sets%5B%5D=3&Exercise%5B%5D=Dumbbell+row&Sets%5B%5D=3&Exercise%5B%5D=Dumbbell+side+lunge+and+touch&Sets%5B%5D=3&Exercise%5B%5D=Pushup-position+row&Sets%5B%5D=3&Exercise%5B%5D=Dumbbell+lunge+and+rotation&Sets%5B%5D=3&Exercise%5B%5D=Dumbbell+push+press&Sets%5B%5D=3&mood=yes&weight=yes&cardio=yes&location=yes&length=yes&comments=yes&instruct=yes&pdf=yes

Great website. Love the Spartacus workout plans in detail. I’ve been wanting to try spartacus my lift days and didnt know the right way to work it in. In addition, felt working out only 3 days a week wasnt enough as currently going 5-6 times. I was planning on doing plan A – happy with size but want increased definition. Just had a quick question. At the end of heavy lift days I like running on the treadmill – great stress reliever and really enjoy it. Do u think I risk over training doing treadmill runs on the lift days and spartacus workout the other days? When would u work in ab workouts or are the mountain climbers in spartacus sufficient?? Thanks for your help.

Shaun,
I think hitting a little post-lifting cardio will be just fine, as long as you’re not overdoing it. I would limit it to 30 minutes or less if you’re coupling lifting with the Spartacus workout, because although it’s interval cardio, it will create muscle fatigue so you will want recovery time.

If you’re in pretty good shape and it sounds like you are, you shouldn’t risk over training by doing as mentioned above. Although many of the exercises are core-based and will tighten up the abdominals, it wouldn’t hurt to dedicate 15-20 minutes to ab work 2-3 times a week. Best wishes!

Craig,

Excellent workout, Sir!

I have spent the last couple years dropping fat from my out of shape body and adding muscle slowly but surely. I’m happy with my size now, 18, 5’10”, 160 lbs..But I’m sitting at around 11-12% body fat.

If I stay strict on this plan, do you think it will help me drop these last few pounds of fat before summer comes around? I was also wondering whether or not I should add any extra cardio to the plan as well.

Thanks in advance!

Cale

Hi Craig!

Thanks so much for your posts. I love your site. This and reading about Spartacus on other sites has inspired me to try it! In the middle of my first week. It gets my breathing really intense–but I feel pretty conditioned going into it, due to taking gym classes that work circuits sort of similar to this.

I’ve had about 10-15 lbs of what I call “desk job weight.” I managed to lose 7-9 of those over 3 months (over the HOLIDAYS, to boot!) through nutrition and exercise (4-6 days/week). But it has been very slow going–my body seems to not want to lose any more weight (I’m female, at 137 lbs at 5’8–a healthy weight for my height, but I want to achieve that LA physique and have my muscles pop.) Hoping Spartacus and cutting sugar from my diet will do the trick.

Hi Craig!

Thanks for great post. I’ ve been Spartacus fan from the beginning, and always admired to those actors and theirs 6-packs!
Now I can try to be like them, but I have some questions before..

I’m 6’1 and have 222 lbs,(hopefully I converted it correctly) which is far from perfect, but I’m not either one of those guys with beer belly, have some muscles too, so I was wondering if combination of spartacus training 3 days a week and kickboxing training 3 days a week can give me so much wanted looks or at least close to that… or that is going to be to much and maybe produce counter effect – and is 2000 kcal a lot or is it ok (diet is already in process, not exactly Paleo diet, but very similar)?

Thanks for your answer and greetings from Croatia.

Luka

Can u use the Spartacus workout for mass gaining?, I was thinking instead of doing it to cut fat with the as many reps in a minute , could u do those exercises in the order they r there but do the 8-12 reps to gain mass?

Cale,
This is a definite calorie/fat burner and will expedite getting that summer body in shape! If you want to toss in some more cardio, feel free, but I would try and do the Spartacus workout and the additional cardio in separate workouts… ie, AM cardio, PM Spartacus or visa versa.

Zee,
Cutting sugars and refined carbs will definitely benefit your goals I dropped refined sugar from my diet (I’m Paleo) and maintain 6% body fat and feel amazing. That with a high intensity workout like this one, and you will notice great results. Way to go!

Luka,
Dude, you have a great plan going. I actually just finished a 1 hour kickboxing class and it kicked my ass! Sweating like crazy and felt great afterward. Definitely will condition your body and tone muscles in ways other workouts can’t. I really like the idea you have of Spartacus/kickboxing alternating the two. Let me know how it goes. I would stick around 2000 calories to start and adjust accordingly. Personally I don’t count calories, but eat a ton and maintain a low BF% due to good food choices and a high activity level.

Luke,
8-12 reps with weight? Hmm… some of the exercises yes, some no…(mountain climbers for example) but I like that idea.

Thanks for you help Craig in answering my questions. Just one more quick question. Mens Health just came out with Spartacus 2.0. Have you tried it? How does it compare to the original in your opinion?

Shaun,
Just looked it over and it does indeed look to be another good one. All movements are functional and accessible… both good things. I will try this bad boy out and let you know first hand But from a first glance, looks stellar. Good movements, great work/rest ratio and high intensity level. I will for now, blindly recommend. It would be good to alternate between this and the original… that way you will be mixing it up even more.

Is it ok to do this workout everyday for quick fatloss instead of doing it 3x week?

Jeremy,
I suppose you could, although I wouldn’t recommend doing the same workout every time – all the time. Variety as I’m sure you know, is good when it comes to working out. Although this is a killer workout and great for fat burning, I’d still implement other means of training in there as well.

This is a great workout because you don’t need much equipment and can easily do it at home. I haven’t tried the regimen you set out, but have done most of the exercises you suggest and they are good. Thanks for setting out the workout like that. Often you need to pay for access to that kind of detail but you’re cool enough to give it away free. Thanks.
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If doing this workout. Should I take the $ protin shakes a day with the diet plan?

If doing this workout. Should I take the 4 protin shakes a day with the diet plan?

Spartacus workout is like the circuit routine that i am doing. You should not stop performing it. But everything that you had mentioned about the workout is a bit complicated. I would really want to try this one. But then everything should be done with determination to see great results. Am I right?

what will be the diet plan for vegetarians?

Where are instructions on how to do each of these items:

Goblet Squat (Using heavier DB)
Mountain Climbers
Single-arm DB Swing (30 seconds each arm)
Alternating T-Pushups
Split Jumps
Bentover DB Row
DB Side-lunge and Touch
Renegade Row (Yavor @ Relative Strength Advantage shows the perfect form on these, watch video to see how)
Forward-lunge and Twist (Using heavier DB)
Overhead DB Press

Thanks!

Hey Craig.
I am 17 and I used to swim (6 times a week 2/3 hours each time) but 1 year ago I dropped it.
So I wanna lose all the fat I have gained since then, and adding some muscle wouldnt be bad.
The workout seems interesting, but will it be enough?
Thanks for your time

[...] is also amazingly effective for females who are aiming for a Megan Fox type figure. Check out the workout routine here. Other plyometric exercises she used included different variations of pushups. Check out some of [...]

Hi there would you mind letting me know which hosting company you’re using? I’ve loaded your blog in 3 different internet browsers and I must say this blog loads a lot faster then most. Can you suggest a good web hosting provider at a reasonable price? Thank you, I appreciate it!

Thank you for all the info. What about protien supplements in the diet? I’m doing two shakes a day for building muscle. Should I cut that out or down to one?

Thanks for any help,

Rob

siento mucho la muerte de Andy actuaba buenisimo en las película
tu fans numero 1 siempre estaras nuestro corazones toda tu fans siempre te vamos recordar como tu eres guerrero héroes y ballata que lucho por su familia esposa hijo hermanos y amigos amigas

A tragic loss of a wonderful talent.

Rest in Peace, Andy Whitfield.

Rest in peace, Andy.
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[...] The Spartacus Workout – This is a detailed description and instruction on The Spartacus Workout based on the lead from Spartacus: Blood and Sand. I have never seen the movie, but it looks good, and Spartacus is ripped. The workout routine incorporates some interesting workouts like, Mountain Climbers and others that I have never tried. So I’m anxious to give it a shot. What I like most, however, is that he’s included a link to a free download of The Spartacus Workout Soundtrack which is an mp3 file of a music and some guy telling you when to rest and when to do each workout. It’s really cool. [...]

Hey Craig. Haven’t checked here in a while but I’m liking the new look for the site you have. Also I’m a huge fan of Spartacus and just found out about Andy…. What incredibly sad news!

Keep up the great work!