Men's Health's hardest ever workouts

Up for a challenge? From barbarian bulking to elite UFC training, these are the four most taxing workouts we've ever published

Ignore the meatheads. You don't always have to kill yourself in the gym to get great results. In fact, hitting the weights too hard, too often can be counter-productive.

On occasion, though, every man should test himself. Progress comes through pushing your boundaries, and these four routines are designed to stretch the physical limits of even the most elite athlete. 

Jason Momoa's Conan The Barbarian workout

To get Game of Thrones star Momoa into Schwarzennegger-worthy shape, his trainer Eric Laciste designed a 30-minute compound move routine that demands 330 reps with heavy weights and very fleeting rest periods. It's as brutal as Conan himself.

The Rock's Pain and Gain workout programme

Dwayne Johnson has always trained hard, but to play bodybuilder Paul Doyle in Pain and Gain he amped up his workouts even further. His five day plan annihilates every muscle group, but you're going to need a particularly bountiful stockade of willpower to get through the two leg days. Savour those weekends off.

Michael Bisping's strength and speed workout

Dragon flys, trap bar jumps and prowler pulls – the fight camp workout of UFC middleweight Michael Bisping takes some of the most hardcore exercises out there, then adds chains and weighted vests. He finishes it in around 45 minutes. If you make it to the end at all we'll be impressed.

Join the 300

Many would call Mark Twight a sadist. His workouts are notorious for being both absolutely excruciating and garnering exceptional results. From Henry Cavill in Superman to Gerard Butler in 300, his no-holds-barred routines have built some of the most impressive physiques ever to grace the silver screen. And now you can adopt his methods. In the April 2014 issue of Men's Health we invite you to join the 300 with Twight's torturous Spartan workout. Here's your warm up. If you're able to complete the entire thing, we want to hear from you; let us know by tweeting @MensHealthUK or posting on the MH Facebook wall.