Transforming into a Spartan

Lance Lijewski Evergreen reporter

This is Sparta! Well, actually this is Pullman, but that’s no excuse for not training like a Spartan.

The Student Recreation Center will celebrate Dad’s Weekend with a special Spartan Training Demo in the weight room Friday, Oct. 11 at 6 p.m.

“Spartan training is a three month that actually started back in September,” said Matthew Atwell, fitness services and educational coordinator. “We help people become capable of completing the fabled workout seen in the movie ‘300’.”

The 300 workout consists of 25 pull-ups, 50 box jumps, 50 deadlifts, 50 push-ups, 50 floor wipers, 50 kettle bell cleans, and 25 more pull-ups.

The program generally follows an early morning or early evening, three-day a week regimen suitable for almost any schedule on campus.

Fitness Services graduate assistant Ramon Sodano, one of the programs trainers, said that Spartan Training will push participants beyond their limits.

“It’s not the easiest workout,” he said. “Every four weeks there is a test that checks how much you’re physically capable of. It starts with a 100 reps, then goes on to 200, then 300. As you progress, you see yourself improve.”

However, in spite of its intensity, any athletic skill level is welcome to participate.

“The workout is readily available,” Atwell said. “We break it down and modify it according to what people are capable of. If you can’t do a box jump, we’ll have you do a step up. If you can’t do a pull-up, we’ll give you some support bands.”

For program trainers, it’s less about helping people reach a specific goal and more about making them fit. Spartan training is great opportunity to mentally and physically challenge the body, Atwell said. The idea of struggling and building community with others while working toward the same thing is at the core of the program.

“A couple of years back there was a kid participating who had a foot issue,” Sodano said. “He wasn’t very fit and he couldn’t land flatly on one of his feet. But with the help of a trainer and other support, he completed the entire 300 workout during the final test.”

The final test for the semester will take place on Nov. 4 from 5 to 7 p.m. on the tennis court outside of the SRC building. It will be a competition that will acknowledge a Spartan Champion, and that winner will receive a trophy for their accomplishment.