Ep. 136 "300" Training Actual
Let's talk about fitness! Or something. Fifteen years ago Mark designed and implemented the training, diet and recovery practices for the actors and stunt team making a movie titled "300". Some say this work changed how male action stars looked on the big screen, and whether that is accurate or not, the bodies shaped by this program caused a lot of speculation and imitation and tempted a number of frauds to claim they were there, did the work, knew the "secrets" and should be paid for having done so. This was fairly easy because the guy who did the work (and his assistant) never shouted from rooftops, or tried to recycle and resell the work. They understood that what allowed those remarkable changes to occur was specific to the particular context and involved many more elements than just the exercises. After "300" Mark trained actors and stunt crew for eight more Hollywood movies. Michael worked as his assistant or independently on four of those films. Recently, the brand, the company, once co-owned by Mark, offered a training program that follows "the exact regimen we used for our biggest movie clients", which is a fun marketing twist based on the premise that a brand or corporation is interchangeable with an individual. In response, Mark released the actual "300" training record fifteen years after the fact. The brand couldn't do that because no one currently employed there was present for that film or any other movie project where Mark (and Michael) were responsible for the outcome, held to a standard and a deadline, with real money riding on the results. If you want to read more about the motivation for this incendiary action you may find an essay here: https://www.nonprophet.media/300-training