Tom Hardy – “The Dark Knight Rises Workout”
Tom Hardy’s is literally unrecognizable in role as Bane for “The Dark Knight”. The additional pounds of muscle, combined with the shaved head and covered face makes you wonder who played the character until you watch the credits at the end of the movie. Hardy achieved his Bane-Body by splitting his workouts into four brief sessions of about 20 minutes a day focusing solely on strength. If you are a beginner, you can start with two short workouts in the morning and in the evening as you slowly build up more resistance.
Here is a 5×5 routine to get this type of look. That’s 5 sets of 5 repetitions with about 2-4 minutes in between each set.
- Monday- Squats 5×5, Bench press 5×5, Overhead press 5×5
- Tuesday- Off
- Wednesday- Deadlifts 5×5, Bench press 5×5, Overhead Press 5×5
Chris Hemsworth – “Thor Workout”
Already fit Chris Hemsworth had to beef up significantly for his role as Thor. He went from thin and lean to bulked-up. Before he got the role, he kept in shape with functional workouts. As a natural surfer, he hit the waves regularly on the coast of California and did rugby drills, which include suicides and stair climbs, in addition to boxing and Muai Thai. When he landed the role as Thor, however, he had a lot of work to do in order to gain the 20 pounds of muscle necessary to fit the part. He kept up boxing and Muai Thai for the fight scenes, but his trained create a specific “Thor workout” with heavy compound exercises like squats, bench presses and dead lifts.
4 Days Thor Workout Split
Day One
Chest/Shoulders/Boxing
- Dumbbell Flyes
- Barbell Bench Press – Medium Grip
- Bent-Over Lateral Raise
- Lateral Raise
- Arnold Press
Evening: Boxing
- Bag: 5 sets of 3-minute rounds
- Focus Pads: 5 sets of 3-minute rounds on
- Skipping: 5 sets of 3-minute rounds
If you don’t have access to boxing equipment do 30 minutes of HIIT cardio.
- Prone PlankProne Plank – 60 sec
- Lateral Plank – 60 sec
- Roman Chair Leg Raise -20 reps
- Cable Crunch – 20 reps
- Oblique Crunches -20 reps
Day Two
Back/Arms/Boxing/Abs
- Prone PlankProne Plank – 60 sec
- Lateral Plank – 60 sec
- Roman Chair Leg Raise -20 reps
- Cable Crunch – 20 reps
- Oblique Crunches -20 reps
This is a great workout but if you don’t have access to surfing equipment or surf worthy water do 30 minutes of HIIT cardio.
Superset:
- Leg Extensions
- Seated Leg CurlSeated Leg Curl
- Barbell Full Squat
Day Four
Core/Cardio
Morning Ab Circuit: Repeat Circuit 3 times
- Prone PlankProne Plank – 60 sec
- Lateral Plank – 60 sec
- Roman Chair Leg Raise -20 reps
- Cable Crunch – 20 reps
- Oblique Crunches -20 reps
Gerard Butler “300 Workout”
Gerard Butler worked out intensely for 4 months in order to have the body needed for the role in “300”. Some reports say he worked out even harder than professional athletes. To achieve his body, he hired Mark Twight, a former world-class mountain climber. Mark believes that hearing about the workout that lies ahead should make you almost sick. The workouts, which he performed 5 times a week, included Olympic lifts, functional training, and metabolic body movements. One circuit included 25 pull-ups, 50 deadlifts with 135 pounds, 50 pushups, 50 floor wipers, 50 single-arm clean-and-presses using a 36-pound kettle bell, and 25 more pullups and more. This discipline helped him get into the right mentality for the role, as well. His goal was to look “really strong.” Mission accomplished.
Hugh Jackman “Wolverine Workout”
The get a super-human strength Jackman stuck to a regimen that had him deadlifting more than 500 pounds for reps.
Example of a Lower-Body Wolverine Workout
- Deadlift – 4 sets of 5, 4, 3, and 10 reps
- Romanian Deadlift – 4 sets of 10 reps
- Zercher Squat – 4 sets of 12 reps
- Weighted Incline Situp – 4 sets of 10 reps
- Barbell Landmine – 4 sets of 20 reps
Jackman consumed 6,000 calories per day, cycling his carbs. On training days he ate more starches to support his workouts, and on off days, ate fewer to allow his body to burn fat more freely. Jackman added healthy fats such as avocadoes and nuts so as not to drop his calories too low. These nutrient-dense choices minimized the risk of gaining body fat and kept his energy steady.
