Think you got what it takes to follow the plateau-busting workout & diet of the world’s most jacked supervillain? Then get a load of Bane’s eye-popping build; a physique every superhero is eyeing. We’ve shown you how to follow suit with Tom Hardy’s discerning style guide. But this time, we’re rolling out a superlative training and diet program to help you finesse your physicality. While retaining a stately resumé that boasts titulars like Inception, The Dark Knight Rises & Mad Max: Fury Road, Bane’s menacing muscularity & persona were what sprung out of screens upon premiere.
Much like when playing Charles Bronson, the English actor hulked up for his role as Bane in almost no time — we’re talking three months. His method was simple: a multi-faceted workout employing moderate weights and high repetitions that’s coupled with a Super Size Me take on healthy eating. And thanks to Muscle & Strength, the beefcake’s intensity-amplifying training regiment is at your hands.
Tom Hardy’s ‘Bane’ Diet Plan
At the risk of sounding proverbial, everyone knows that to bulk up, you’ll need to crank up your caloric intake. Though, unlike the regiment of the genetically blessed Terry Crews, The Rock & Jason Momoa, we’re taking a more discerning route in getting you swole like how we did with standard statured slew; Jason Statham, Jake Gyllenhaal & Michael B. Jordan. Tom Hardy playing the beefy bad guy was no cinch; it necessitated loading up with three gut-busting meals, three in-between bites, and many supplements. So for those who get a bang out of gluttony, then this regimen might be up your alley.
In an article by Men’s Health, that details the star’s diet regime, Hardy’s daily caloric intake comes to a rough total of 3,300 calories, comprising about 450 grams of carbs, 210 or so grams of protein, and under 90 grams of fat. That means his diet wasn’t as restrictive as other celebrity workout routines but required a lot of mental fortitude. Similarly, during his training for the Charles Bronson role, Hardy said: “We didn’t have any time to waste, so I started eating and my arse very quickly got very fat. For Bronson, I put on about 7lbs a week – with no steroids. In the end, I’d put on about 2 and a half stone by eating chicken and rice, which was my staple diet throughout the day.”
Tom Hardy’s Supplements
Respecting filming and production deadlines, Hardy had to tone up pronto. And there’s no better way of fuelling up during the day than with the help of the time-honoured protein powder, pre-workout, protein bars, amino acids and high-quality nutrients and minerals. By consuming several supplements in conjunction with his meal plan, Hardy was able to accelerate recovery and amplify gains. Below is a detailed listicle of Hardy’s supplement intake:
- Whey protein: Crucial to speeding up muscle growth via repairing muscles and tissues, as well as speeding up recovery from muscle soreness after exercise.
- Creatin: Enhances strength, increases muscle mass and helps muscles recover faster.
- Glutamine: An essential amino acid that helps decrease the burning of muscles and amplify bulk. It also speeds up recovery time.
- Pre-workout: Maximises performance levels by increasing output and stamina.
- Protein bars: An excellent and convenient source of protein that is nutritious & muscle-promoting.
- Multivitamins: To supplement nutritional inadequacy and ensure one gets the right amount of vitamins and minerals like calcium, magnesium, fibre & potassium.
- Green tea extract: This is excellent to decrease any hunger pangs or cravings for carbohydrates.
- Fish oil capsules: Omega-3 helps in reducing muscle swelling and delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) after workouts.
Meal 1
- 2 whole eggs
- 4 egg whites
- 4 slices of brown toast
- Mixed fruit and nuts
Meal 2
- 200 g (7 oz) of lean steak
- 100 g of brown rice
- Grilled asparagus
Meal 3
- 2 scoops of whey protein
- 1 tablespoon of peanut butter
- Skim or almond milk
- 1 banana
Meal 4
- 225 g (8 oz) of chicken breast
- 200 g of brown rice
- Grilled vegetables
Meal 5
- 90g-100g of tuna
- Fillings: tomato & lettuce
- Your choice of sauce
- 2 slices of brown bread
or - 1 wholemeal pita wrap
Meal 6
- 100-150g of oatmeal
- 1 scoop of whey protein
- 1 handful of blueberries
Tom Hardy’s ‘Bane’ Workout
According to Muscle & Strength, Hardy’s workout for the role of Bane was gruelling, it necessitated transforming himself into one of the most physically dominating villains of all time with his training, doing four training sessions per week to add over 30 pounds of muscle and strength. And to aid recovery, the actor had an inter-week day off, Wednesdays. After all, Bane is an imposing physique, not to discount his psychopathic psyche, who’s much too terrorising for the Caped Crusader.
A workout routine of this ilk demands an active rest day. It was imperative to give Hardy time to rest and optimize recovery for his transformation from good guy to fear-mongering antihero. Insofar as not having a full workout, light cardio, yoga, active and static stretching as well as foam roller work are great recourses in getting the blood pumping and without exerting yourself too much. Getting your cardiovascular system going expedites the delivery of protein and sugars to your torn muscle fibres.
The hypertrophy-focused training program maximised the growth of chest, arm, back and leg muscles, the A-lister gained about 14kg (30Ibs) of mass for the role of Bane; bringing him from 76kg (165Ibs) to 90kg (200Ibs). With an intense 4-day a week training program, each workout consisted of compound exercises, and a few isometric exercises, that are high repetition and require medium to heavy weights with the use of barbells, dumbells, machines and one’s body weight.
- Monday – Chest & Legs
- Tuesday – Arms & Legs
- Wednesday – Recovery
- Thursday – Abs & Back
- Friday – Arms & Legs
Monday: Chest & Legs
Note: Hardy performed 1 set of 10 repetitions for warm-up before each exercise and had 1-2 minute rest intervals between sets.
- Floor Crunch – 4 sets of 10-20 reps
- Dumbbell Lateral Raise – 2 sets of 10-15 reps
- Modified Arching Pull Up – 2 sets till muscle failure
- Dumbbell Floor Press – 2 sets of 5-8 reps
- Incline Barbell Bench Press –2 sets of 5-8 reps
- Partial Deadlift – 2 sets of 5-8 reps
- Clean & Press – 2 sets of 5-8 reps
Tuesday: Arms & Legs
- Dips – 2 sets of 5-8 reps
- Seated Barbell Curl – 2 sets of 5-8 reps
- Hanging Leg Raise – 4 sets of 10-20 reps
- Modified Hamstring Raise – 2 sets till muscle failure
- Walking Lunge – 2 sets of 15-20 steps
- Full-Range Squat – 5 sets of 10 reps
- Dumbbell Calf Raise (weight increments per set) – 3 sets of 3 reps
Wednesday: Recovery
- Foam roller work to break down scar tissue
- Static stretches to loosen up muscles
- Slow and controlled active stretching for improved mobility
Thursday: Abs & Back
- Incline Sit Up – 4 sets of 10-20 reps
- Wide Grip Upright Row – 2 reps of 8-12 reps
- Barbell Bench Press – 2 sets of 8-12 reps
- Double Plate Raise – 2 sets of 8-12 reps
- T Bar or Barbell Row – 2 sets of 8-12 reps
- Side to Side Pull Up – 2 sets till muscle failure
- Feet Elevated 3 Point Push Up – 2 sets till muscle failure
Friday: Arms & Legs
- Standing Dumbbell Curl – 2 sets of 8-12 reps
- Decline Close-Grip Tricep Press – 2 sets of 8-12 reps
- Lying Leg Raise – 4 sets of 10-20 reps
- Seated Calf Raise – 2 sets of 10-15 reps
- Romanian Deadlift – 2 sets of 8-12 reps
- Single-Leg Press – 2 sets of 8-12 reps
- Weighted Front Squat – 2 sets of 8-12 reps
Who is Tom Hardy?
Born in London on the 15th of September 1977 to an Irish mother and British father, Edward Thomas ‘Tom’ Hardy was brought up in the Swing City’s suburb of East Sheen. In his teenage years, Hardy was quite troublesome, having attended several schools, expelled from one and even arrested at the age of 15. But bad behaviour never stymied the Englishman from pursuing his passion for acting after completing high school. At 18, Hardy matriculated in the Drama Centre London and was fortunately flanked by the before-famous Michael Fassbender, who often eclipsed the Hollywood shoo-in their classes.
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In his early 20s, Hardy was lucky to land a small modelling contract and bring home the bacon in The Big Breakfast’s Find Me A Supermodel competition in 1998. Despite his modelling career being short-lived, he made his first strides as an actor when featured in the HBO-BBC mini-series Band of Brothers. He would then make his film debut in Ridley Scott’s war thriller Black Hawk Down. Following this, the actor appeared in Star Trek: Nemesis, The Reckoning and slowly scaled up to star in the likes of Bronson, Warrior, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, The Revenant, Mad Max: Fury Road and you know the rest. Of late, he’s been cast as Eddie Brock in the anti-hero film franchise Venom.
Apart from his splashy movies, Hardy’s affinity for fashion landed him a spot on GQ magazine’s 50 best-dressed British blokes in 2018. The hombre is addedly a recipient of the Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE). When off-screen, he can be seen tagged by his canine companions, Max and Woodstock, and cutting a casual figure when in public with his three children and wife, Charlotte Riley. Hardy is a nut for hounds, and in a video by LADbible TV, that’s sponsored by PETA, he appears with Woodstock to promote pet adoption for abandoned dogs in the United Kingdom and abroad.
In a round-up of interesting tidbits, with courtesy to Mental Floss, Hardy told The Hollywood Reporter why he’s more inclined to play the bad guy. “Villains are much more interesting than hero leads, who are, for the most part, really boring. The thought of going into work day in and day out to play someone who is just mind-numbingly boring fills me with dread, so I don’t bother,” Hardy said. The actor is currently set to play the lead in Netflix’s Havoc (2022), an action thriller directed by Gareth Evans. The revered thespian continues to make breakthrough performances and work alongside showbiz’s best directors, actors and producers.
Age: 44 years
Height: 1.75m/ 5 ft 9 in
Weight: 75kg/ 165Ibs
Acting career: 1998-present
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General FAQs
For the role of Bane, Tom Hardy followed an intense 4-day a week training program. The workout plan consists mostly of compound exercises, and a few isometric exercises, that are high repetition, require medium to heavy weights and the use of barbells, dumbells, machines and one's body weight.
Tom Hardy did do Bane's voice for The Dark Knight Rises, but it was enhanced with hi-fi technology. The inspiration for Bane's voice came from the late Bartley Gorman, who was an Irish traveller, boxer, bare-knuckle boxer and the 'king of gypsies'.
Tom Hardy gained about 14kg (30Ibs) of muscle mass for the role of Bane. His hypertrophy-focused training program maximised the growth of chest, arm, back and leg muscles and brought the actor from 76kg (165Ibs) to 90kg (200Ibs).
