From Bronson to Warrior, Tom Hardy is an actor whoโs renowned for his physical presence on screen โ itโs to the point his transformation for the role of Bane in Christopher Nolanโs The Dark Knight Rises is still talked about to this day. Though would you believe the man himself didnโt rate the state of his own rig back in 2012?
Honouring the storied tradition his Nolan Trilogy co-star Christian Bale (AKA Bruce Wayne / Batman himself) routinely makes headlines for, Tom Hardy packed on over 30 pounds (13.6kg) of mass, muscle, and brute strength to play Gothamโs reckoning. In a recent interview with BBC Radio 1 โ more specifically, during its viral โKids Askโ segment โ he revealed his form wasnโt as impressive as everyone had assumed.
โIf you really study the photographs [of Bane], I was really overweight, actually. I ate a lot and I wasnโt much heavier than I am now, but I just ate more pizza. They shoot from low to make you look big,โ admits Tom Hardy.
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โPeople would lift up the lids on their motorbike [helmets] and say, โI always thought you were bigger, mateโโฆ I was just bald, slightly porky, and with pencil arms.โ
โThatโs the magic of lighting and three or four months of lifting and training and eating lots of pizza. It wasnโt great for my heart. The point was to look as big as possible. I have really skinny legs and my friend Jacob Tomuri โ my stunt man โ liked to say, โWhy did Tom come in riding an emu?โ
Elsewhere, the British thespian has previously spoken about the toll of undertaking roles like Bane in general, citing the demand as untenable after a certain age.
โI think you pay the price with any drastic physical changes,โ Hardy told The Daily Beast.
โIt was alright when I was youngerโฆ but I think as you get into your 40s you have to be more mindful of the rapid training, packing on a lot of weight, and getting physical, and then not having enough time to keep training because youโre busy filmingโฆ so your body is swimming in two different directions at the same time.โ
โCompared to Christian Bale, Iโve been by no means extreme in my body changes.โ
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โI havenโt damaged my body, but Iโm certainly a bit achier than I used to be. I certainly have joints that click that probably shouldnโt click, you know what I mean? And carrying my children is a little bit harder than it used to be โ but donโt tell them!โ
All weโll say is this: if Tom fucking Hardy was insecure about his transformation into Bane for The Dark Knight Rises โ what chance do the rest of us ordinary blokes have?
Anyone with a lingering desire to achieve what the big guy did for The Dark Knight Rises can give the following workout a red-hot go (courtesy of Muscle & Strength; pizza diet optional).
Tom Hardy โ Bane Workout Plan (The Dark Knight Rises)
Monday
- Incline Barbel Bench Press
Warm Up: 2 x 10-15
Working Sets: 2 x 5-8
Rest Periods: 2 minutes - Dumbbell Floor Press
Warm Up: 0
Working Sets: 2 x 5-8
Rest Periods: 2 minutes - Modified Arching Pull Up
Warm Up: 1 x 10
Working Sets: As many as possible
Rest Periods: 2 minutes - Partial Deadlift
Warm Up: 1 x 10
Working Sets: 2 x 5-8
Rest Periods: 2 minutes - Floor Clean & Push Press
Warm Up: 1 x 10
Working Sets: 2 x 5-8
Rest Periods: 2 minutes - Dumbbell Lateral Raise
Warm Up: 0
Working Sets: 2 x 10-15
Rest Periods: 2 minutes - Floor Crunch
Warm Up: 0
Working Sets: 4 x 10-15
Rest Periods: 1 minute
Tuesday
- Dumbbell Calf Raise โ Run The Rack
Warm Up: 1 x 15
Working Sets: 2 x 3 by rack
Rest Periods: 2 minutes - Full-Range Squat
Warm Up: 2 x 10-15
Working Sets: 5 x 10
Rest Periods: 2 minutes - Walking Lunge
Warm Up: 0
Working Sets: 2 lengths
Rest Periods: 2 minutes - Modified Hamstring Raise
Warm Up: 1 x 10
Working Sets: 2 x As many as possible
Rest Periods: 2 minutes - Seated Barbell Curl
Warm Up: 1 x 10
Working Sets: 2 x 5-8
Rest Periods: 2 minutes - Dips
Warm Up: 1 x 10
Working Sets: 2 x 5-8
Rest Periods: 2 minutes - Hanging Leg Raise
Warm Up: 0
Working Sets: 4 x 10-20
Rest Periods: 1 minute
Wednesday
(Rest.)
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Thursday
- Barbel Bench Press
Warm Up: 2 x 10-15
Working Sets: 2 x 8-12
Rest Periods: 2 minutes - Feet Elevated Three-Point Pushup
Warm Up: 0
Working Sets: 2 x As many as possible
Rest Periods: 2 minutes - Side-to-Side Pull Up
Warm Up: 1 x 10
Working Sets: 2 x As many as possible
Rest Periods: 2 minutes - T Bar or Barbell Row
Warm Up: 1 x 10
Working Sets: 2 x 8-12
Rest Periods: 2 minutes - Double Plate Raise
Warm Up: 1 x 10
Working Sets: 2 x 8-12
Rest Periods: 2 minutes - Wide Grip Upright Row
Warm Up: 0
Working Sets: 2 x 8-12
Rest Periods: 2 minutes - Incline Sit Up
Warm Up: 0
Working Sets: 4 x 10-20
Rest Periods: 1 minute
Friday
- Seated Calf Raise
Warm Up: 1 x 10-15
Working Sets: 2 x 10-15
Rest Periods: 2 minutes - 1.5 Rep Front Squat
Warm Up: 2 x 10-15
Working Sets: 2 x 8-12
Rest Periods: 2 minutes - Single Leg Press
Warm Up: 0
Working Sets: 2 x 8-12
Rest Periods: 2 minutes - Romanian Deadlift
Warm Up: 1 x 10
Working Sets: 2 x 8-12
Rest Periods: 2 minutes - Standing Dumbbell Curl
Warm Up: 1 x 10
Working Sets: 2 x 8-12
Rest Periods: 2 minutes - Decline Close Grip Tricep Press
Warm Up: 1 x 10
Working Sets: 2 x 8-12
Rest Periods: 2 minutes - Lying Leg Raise
Warm Up: 0
Working Sets: 4 x 10-20
Rest Periods: 1 minute
Weekend
(Rest.)
Thereโs more where that came from: we watched and ranked every single Christopher Nolan movie. Check it out now.
