The 100Strong diet & lifestyle guide to becoming a Spartan/Spartanette

This is a guide for those who would like to live like a Spartan/Spartanette and be healthy, robust, athletic and strong for life. The 100Strong training plan isn’t superficial. It’s well thought out, tried, tested and designed to make you athletic and function well. I would like to make you the real deal. 

If you’re not interested in being the real deal that’s okay too. You can only gain from having higher quality training programs and a higher quality lifestyle. 

Most gyms are just selling rebranded circuits these days. And what’s worse is most trainers don’t even train themselves this way. They follow structured personal programs. So basically, it’s like eating at the table and feeding the pigs at the trough…Don’t be the pig! 

Since we cover all that in the gym here are the directions on what to do when you’re outside of the gym. I find the more general you get the better. There are far too many people out there focusing on the specifics of diet and exercise when they haven’t covered the basics. Like someone who’s gone keto, timing their feeding, exacting their reps and sets down to a science all whilst they haven’t covered the basics - Eating wholefoods, mostly vegetables, maximising sleep, minimising stress and training in whole bodied athletic movements. 

Anyways, the guide here starts with waking up in the morning….

Start with rehydrating as soon as you wake up. About 600ml of water (preferably filtered) a pinch of salt and a squeeze of citrus (or apple cider vinegar) is ideal. The water and salt are hydrating (captain obvious here) and the citrus or AC vinegar increase stomach acid production and help with digestion. Use a natural sea or Himalayan salt and the apple cider vinegar should be organic and including the “mother”.

After rehydrating upon waking and giving yourself substantial time to build an appetite, I recommend starting the day with a high protein/high fat breakfast. It helps optimise your neurotransmitters and increases your feeling of satiation for the day. In my personal experience, I find the high protein/fat breakfast regulates blood sugar levels, helps with sugar cravings and helps to keep me grounded alert for the day.

Here are some following ideas:

• Scrambled eggs, avocado, nut/paleo loaf, greens & generous amounts of olive oil. A true Spartan will drink either an Espresso or long black with this. Tea is also OK.

• Last nights shredded chicken/beef, beans and a half cupful of cultured vegetables/sauerkraut

For those who belong to the church of Veganism I’d recommend something like this:

• Beans on paleo/nut loaf, avocado, olive oil and a couple of spoons of nut butter on the side.  

For those on the run here’s my favourite shake to help tire you over: This recipe is for 2 servings and lasts in the fridge 2-3 days.

• 1 litre of almond milk

• 1 banana

• 1 packet of baby spinach

• 2 scoops of vanilla plant based protein powder

• 2 tablespoons of chia seeds

If you eat till your full this should curb your cravings and get you through to lunch time. Snacks are for plebs and digestive rest is for Spartans.  

For lunch and dinner basically you want to consume some protein, mostly vegetables and some carbs. I love how diet guides somehow sell simple knowledge like this for big $$$. Maybe some people just like having fluro pink books with pictures of chia puddings and lamb salads on their bookshelves?

Some more points:

• If you’re trying to lose weight skip the carb portion at lunch time and have a small cup of carbs in the evening. Potatoes, sweet potatoes, rice and quinoa are the best options. 

• If you’re trying to add size and muscle mass you can consume larger amounts of carbs and add extra fats like olive oil or butter.

• If you’re happy with your current bodyweight just consume a mix that’s right for you. 20% protein, 30% carbs and 50% vegetables and healthy fats is ideal. 

Some nutrition bonuses worth mentioning:

Extra virgin olive oil for salads and coconut oil and butter are the ONLY fats worth consuming. Olive oil for raw salads and coconut oil and butter for cooking. 

Adding a half cupful of cultured veggies to any meal is also helpful. It will help repopulate your gut with good bacteria, curb sugar cravings and make everything more digestible. 

With the exception of protein shakes when you’re on the run, don’t supplement unless medically supervised. And no, your Reiki healer isn’t a medical expert.  

Now here are some lifestyle rules that make a difference:

• Use only lamp and candle light for at least a couple of hours before bed. Set all your technology to night time mode and try to use them as little as possible. Especially keep out of fluorescent lighting. 

• Respect yourself AND your sleep. Turn your damn phone onto airplane mode. You don’t need to be anticipating texts in your sleep. 

• Try to not eat too close bed time. Also add some healthy carbs to your dinner to help with serotonin production (warm fuzzies) and sleep. 

• Chew your food and take your time to eat mindfully.

• Be active outside of the gym. Even if you train everyday it’s only 1 hour and sitting has been called the new smoking, look it up! Walk, play and be silly as often as possible.

• Sit in a deep squat and hang off something (like a pull up bar) overhead several times a day. This is the quickest most reliable way to get flexible in the places that matter most and its damn simple! 

I’m pretty sure there’s enough to get started there apprentice. Overhauling your diet and lifestyle can be overwhelming and hard work in the beginning. It takes 3 weeks to form a habit so you can try implementing 3 things from the list every 3 weeks, this includes your training @ 100Strong, and within a few weeks things will be beginning to change. Good luck on your strength and fitness journey!