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.

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:

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.

Note: Hardy performed 1 set of 10 repetitions for warm-up before each exercise and had 1-2 minute rest intervals between sets.

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.