Gerard Butler is famous for two reasons-for playing the role of King Leonidus in the movie 300, and for his amazing body. He looks very lean and not overly developed, hinting that his workout consisted of circuits rather than heavy weight training. His height is 6’2″ and his weight is rumored to be 224 pounds.
Gerard Butler spent close to 4 months in transforming his body and mind to essay the role of a Spartan soldier. He had to be sure that his body looked like one of a killing machine, so he took the help of Mark Twight, who believed one should train as if his life depended on it. He made Gerard do some high intensity training as well as some non-traditional exercises.
Gerard Butler Diet
Gerard Butler placed importance on proper nutrition and eating healthy food regularly. However, he was never fixed on following any diet. He tried hard to quit smoking. After filming the movie, he has started to eat healthy. For example, he would have a meal with vegetables and salads instead of burger and fries.
Although the exact diet plan Gerard Butler followed could not be found, here is what we believe he ate before and during the movie:
- Large amounts of proteins- found in eggs, skinless chicken breast, fish and lean turkey.
- Carbohydrates- sources included whole wheat bread, potatoes, brown rice etc along with breakfast. Carb consumption was reduced during the afternoon and evening.
- Olive oil, almonds, flaxseed etc. for healthy fats.
- Lots of fruits and vegetables, along with lots of water.
Gerard Butler Workout
Gerard Butler used to work out close to 6 hours a day (yes, you read that correctly) and took a different approach to working out.
- Rather than working out individual muscle groups at a time, his exercises, like flipping large tires, sprinting while being tied to a bungee cord etc.. not only gave many muscle groups a workout at the same time, but the change in schedule shocked his muscles into growth.
- He worked out with a vengeance, like doing pull-ups till his arms could not lift him up any more.
- One month before the movie, Gerard Butler took the help of former bodybuilder Franco LeCastro. He also started practicing sword fighting,which finally led to his getting over trained, so he left gym for around 8 months and now works out 4 days a week.
As mentioned earlier, Gerard followed a circuit training approach to prepare for the role of King Leonidas. He followed the 300 rep-workout, which is stated below:
Pull Ups-25 repetitions
Deadlift-50 repetitions with 135 lbs
Push ups-50
Jumps on a 2ft box-50
Floor wipers-50
Front raises with a 36lbs kettleball-50 repetitions
Pullups (again)-25 repetitions
Hence we know Gerard Butler is a strict person when it comes to his diet and workout.
