Get Built Like Gerard Butler With This Full Body Workout

The action star uses supersets and super tough metcon intervals to stay shredded - by Brett Williams

Gamer

In the pantheon of super-jacked movie stars, a few stand out, bulging biceps and shoulders above the rest. One of the most iconic movie muscle moments came in 2007's 300, when Gerard Butler's King Leonidas led his 300 Spartan warriors into battle without a single shirt or visible ounce of body fat between them.

Butler hasn't stayed at quite that level of cut since then, but the Scottish actor has worked his way into impressive shape for other action-packed films like Law Abiding Citizen, Den of Thieves, and the Olympus Has Fallen series.

To build up his body for a few of these roles, Butler has worked with trainer Joe Dowdell, C.S.C.S., a New York City-based fitness coach. The two men have been working together to keep Butler in shoot-shape since 2003, when he was prepping for The Phantom of the Opera, then again for Law Abiding Citizen and Den of Thieves.

"These days when I train with Gerard, we're not really trying to bulk up for a particular role," Dowdell said when the Men's Health crew visited him at Trainstation NYC to break down Butler's training plan. "More or less looking for body composition-type training, like maintaining lean muscle mass, sort of decreasing some body fat."

See the full workout below

Dowdell says the training usually consists of full body workouts on every other day. Most days feature noncompeting paired sets, or two exercises targeting different muscle groups performed back-to-back with little to no rest, then a metabolic conditioning component to close.

Want to take on the workout? Check it out below, and pay close attention to the video for extra tips and instruction from Dowdell.

Gerard Butler's Full Body Workout

Superset 1

Perform 3 times with 60 seconds rest between pairs

1A. Double Racked Kettlebell Front Squat
3 sets of 10 to 12 reps

1B. Three-Point Cable Row
3 sets of 10 to 12 reps

Superset 2

Perform 3 times with 60 seconds rest between pairs

2A. Barbell Romanian Deadlift
3 sets of 10 to 12 reps

2B. Alternating Dumbbell Bench Press
3 sets of 10 to 12 reps

Triset

Perform 3 times with 60 seconds rest between sets

3A. EZ-Bar Curl
3 sets of 10 to 12 reps

3B. Cable Overhead Tricep Extension
3 sets of 10 to 12 reps

3C. Landmine Torso Rotation
3 sets of 8 to 10 reps per side

Metabolic Finisher

Fan bike - 15 seconds of all out work with 45 seconds of recovery
5 to 6 rounds

This article originally appeared on Men's Health

Brett Williams

Brett Williams is an Associate Fitness Editor at Men's Health. He's a former pro football player and tech reporter who splits his workout time between strength and conditioning training, martial arts, and running. You can find his work elsewhere at Mashable, Thrillist, and other outlets.