Gannicus in the historical sense was one of the slave leaders who helped the real life Spartacus strike fear in the hearts of Romans by sparking a slave rebellion that lasted for several years. In the Starz television program, Gannicus, was portrayed by Dustin Clare and by taking a lead role in the episodes of Gods of the Arena, quickly became a fan favorite. The television show is known for both its violence and gripping story lines but it is also famous for the fantastic shape the actors had to be in to portray the gladiators of ancient Rome. The actors from the leads of Spartacus, Crixus, and Gannicus all the way to the bit players worked insanely hard with the stunt crew and fitness experts in order to mold themselves into amazing shape. Gannicus was known in the series for his love of women and wine, along with his ability to capture the crowd’s imagination with his fighting skill in the arena. In order to get a body like Dustin Clare when he portrayed Gannicus it is important to consider both his diet as well as his workout routine.
Before the start of each season of the show, the cast members had to go through a boot camp program that generally lasted a month and included heavy physical exercise and fight training to help prepare them for their roles. Dustin Clare’s body type as Gannicus isn’t particularly muscular or really ripped like a bodybuilder but he has a solid base and is definitely in great shape. If you are aiming for the Gannicus look, then some hypertrophy training (muscle building) will need to be done and a diet designed to strip away belly fat should be undertaken also.
The actors during the boot camp and presumably during the season when they had to be on camera followed a low-carb diet. In a behind the scenes look at their training, I remember one of the actors commenting that their diet consisted mostly of a kilo of meat and a kilo of vegetables each day. Also, the actors were drinking protein shakes throughout the day to help their muscles grow further after their intense training schedule. It got to the point, where the members of the Spartacus staff jokingly called one of their trainers the ‘carb Nazi’ because of his strict dietary regimen to whip the actors into unbelievable shape.
Now, a low-carb approach like that works well in the short term when filming a television series or doing a magazine photo shoot. However, long-term it isn’t practical for most people to follow. A solution for many people may be to utilize carb cycling to help kick their fat burning into high gear while maintaining a realistic diet. For example, on rest days I tend to go low-carb but on days where I weight train and do cardio my carbohydrate intake is higher but it comes from sources like brown rice, potatoes, or veggies. Basically, foods that are low GI. Here is a cool interview with Liam McIntyre (Spartacus) and his trainer Tyrone Bell:
Obviously most people don’t have expert trainers, nutritionists, nor the time to do a crazy boot camp for a month. So how should you train to get a body like Gannicus? Strength training will be a must as one would need to build up some muscle to look like a true warrior. Also, consider that the look should be functional not just aesthetic. These guys did hours of fight training to not only look like they could be gladiators but to move like a gladiator would as well. Cardio could come in the form of sprints or days of circuit training to build both strength and endurance.
It might be beneficial to consider doing a couple days per week of training like a bodybuilder and then doing a couple days per week of total body circuit training. That way the body will develop muscularity while shedding fat and gaining endurance. A great circuit workout can often replace steady-state cardio (ex: jogging on the treadmill) if your diet is in order so that you can burn through fat without being bored out of your mind in the process.
Gannicus was easily one of the best characters on the television series as well as one of the fiercest warriors to step onto the sands or the battlefield. If you want a body like Gannicus then you need to have the right diet and workout program to accomplish that. Visual Impact is a program that delivers great results if you’re willing to put the work in or you could design a routine of your own. Either way, getting a physique like Gannicus will take plenty of sweat if you are currently out of shape.
Workout for Getting Ripped
Rusty Moore is a trainer and fitness expert who has released his 3 phase workout program, Visual Impact Muscle Building. It is designed to help get the ‘lean Hollywood look’ which has become so desired. It is one of the few programs on the market designed specifically to achieve this type of ripped physique without leaving a guy looking bulky like a bodybuilder. It is an ebook which is available to start right after purchasing, so there is no waiting around for the mail man to show up and deliver your package. You can start immediately. I have reviewed this program here: Visual Impact Review. If you are interested in getting ripped for roughly 26 cents a day and having a whole plan laid out for you step by step, watch the free video linked below and read the customer testimonials under that below. Plus, it comes with a 60 day money back guarantee, which makes it easy to try out.
Here’s what other satisfied customers are saying about Visual Impact methods:
“After following Visual Impact for 6 months I had taken my body fat percentage from 15% all the way down to a chiseled 6.5%.”– Gregory O.
“I’ve finally achieved the ripped six pack and body I’ve always wanted and I couldn’t have achieved it if I didn’t know the technique of shrink wrapping the muscles in the bonus phase!”– Atif A.
“Rusty, 42 pounds later, and with the body type I wanted!! Thank You so much. I love your exercise program, because you can personalize it…add a little here, change a set there. It never gets boring. As well, when I get up to work out, I always feel it’s DOABLE.”-Ange
“VIMB for Men review: The book is PERFECT! The program will give you the look of Abercrombie Models which is hot! The information AWESOME! It’s all you need to know to achieve whatever kind of physique you want. The program allows you for customization to achieve the look you like. It is divided into three Phases. I did Phase 1 for 3 weeks and gained 10 pounds of muscle and looking and feeling great.. and maintained my bf%”– Paul W.