We covered many other celebrity workout routines, but one we got a lot of requests for from readers is one of the nemesis villains from The Dark Knight Rises.
Bane is a great character played by Tom Hardy, and there's no doubt that he went through some grueling training to get into that kind of physical shape.
The good news is that actor has shared a lot of information in interviews over the years, which meant a few weeks of research for our team to come up with a Bane training program that would turn boys into real men.
Let's take a look at what's involved.
Quick Summary
- Bane's Workout program includes deadlifts, flat bench presses, incline bench presses, military presses, dips, preacher curls, hammer curls, deadlifts, split squats, and calf raises.
- Turkey, steamed vegetables, sweet potatoes, beef, brown rice, unsalted nuts, Oatmeal with berries, and eggs are some meals in Bane's diet.
- Bane takes the following supplements; whey protein, and pre-workout.
Bane Body Stats
- Born: September 15, 1977 (Tom Hardy)
- Height: 5'10"
- Weight: 165 lbs
I just want to mention here that in the Batman comic books, Bane is 6'8" tall and weighs over 400 pounds. I don't think there were many actors that fit those criteria, but they did a great job in casting.
Bane Workout Routine
The Bane workout is split over five days, with each day dedicated to a specific body part.
Now, if you've spent the last two years on the couch with junk food and Netflix on auto-play, then this is not where you want to start.
I'll give you some reasons below.
Monday: Chest And Back
The Bane training program starts with working on the chest and back muscles to ensure a strong foundation. You want to keep the reps down and lift heavy weight loads.
- Light Cardio warm-up
- Shoulder width grip pull-ups (4 sets of 8 reps)
- Flat bench press (4 sets of 8 reps)
- Deadlifts (4 sets of 8 reps)
- Standing lat pulldowns (4 sets of 8 reps)
- Chest flys (4 sets of 8 reps)
- Back flys (4 sets of 8 reps)
- Incline bench press (4 sets of 8 reps)
Tuesday: Shoulders And Arms
One thing you'll notice when you look at Bane is that he has very broad shoulders and muscular arms.
Before you get into the starting position for each workout, make sure that the weight you've picked will bring on the burn by the end of each set.
- Seated barbell curl (4 sets of 8 reps)
- Close grip tricep press (4 sets of 8 reps)
- Dumbbell lateral raise (4 sets of 8 reps)
- Cable pulldowns with arms straight (4 sets of 8 reps)
- Hammer curls (4 sets of 8 reps)
- Military press (4 sets of 8 reps)
- Preacher curls (4 sets of 8 reps)
- Dips (4 sets of 8 reps)
Wednesday: Full-Body
This day focuses on multiple body parts to bring on maximum strain on as many muscle groups as possible.
- Leg press (4 sets of 8 reps)
- Calf raise (4 sets of 8 reps)
- Incline dumbbell bench press (4 sets of 8 reps)
- EZ-bar curls (4 sets of 8 reps)
- Hanging leg raises (4 sets of 8 reps)
- Deadlifts (4 sets of 8 reps)
- Split squats (4 sets of 8 reps)
Thursday: Legs And Core
You have to ensure that you have balanced muscle growth and don't end up with the lollipop effect.
This is a problem many amateurs end up with where they have huge arms and shoulders stuck on top of skinny legs.
- Full-range squat with feet shoulder-width apart (4 sets of 8 reps)
- Front squat (4 sets of 8 reps)
- Leg press (4 sets of 8 reps)
- Calf raise (4 sets of 8 reps)
- Hamstring curls (4 sets of 8 reps)
- Glute bridge (4 sets of 8 reps)
Friday: Arms, Back, And Shoulders
And the last day at the gym will continue to focus on the upper arms and shoulders, getting to those glory muscles to show off shirtless.
- Double plate front raises (4 sets of 8 reps)
- Upright row with an overhand grip (4 sets of 8 reps)
- Weighted dips (4 sets of 8 reps)
- Dumbbell lateral raises (4 sets of 8 reps)
- Deadlifts (4 sets of 8 reps)
- Squats (4 sets of 8 reps)
- Concentration curls (4 sets of 8 reps)
Saturday/Sunday:
Tom Hardy's rest days aren't what most people think of. This is not a time to curl up on the couch and count all those sore muscles you never knew you had.
Instead, plan for an active rest day with several walks and light hikes.
You can also do some swimming or cycling to keep your muscles moving and avoid them becoming too stiff [1].
Also, consider going for a massage or investing in a massage roller to keep the blood flow up into the sorest muscle groups.
Before You Try This Workout
As a personal trainer, I can tell you right now that this workout plan is not something that a complete beginner should start with.
If you're out of breath after a flight of stairs or you break into a sweat while eating a pizza, then you need to fix those things first.
And here are some other prerequisites for you.
Types Of Exercises
There are a few bodyweight exercises on the list above, but for the majority of them, you'll need to head to the gym or have a well-equipped home gym.
That means a good set of dumbbells, a squat rack, an Olympic bar with plates, and an adjustable bench.
You'll also find a mix of isolation and compound exercises. If you're just getting started to bulk up, then the compound ones will probably have the best effect on your overall physique [2].
And you should also avoid doing high repetitions. Many beginners simply add more and more reps, but you'll have much better results by keeping the reps below ten and getting maximum muscle hypertrophy [3].
Learn Powerlifting Techniques
You don't have to get to a stage where you can perfectly do an Olympic snatch or clean lift.
But learning some powerlifting techniques will help you to avoid injuries and always keep your mind on keeping a proper technique.
The best way is to spend a few hours with a strength coach.
Get into a starting position with a lighter weight, and make sure you have a perfectly neutral spine and a slight bend in your knees.
Grab hold of the bar by your feet and take a deep breath.
Slowly pull and as the barbell passes your knees, bend your elbows so that you can continue lifting it over your head.
Never get into hips forward position, and always focus on keeping a neutral curve on your spine.
If you can learn to do this, you can adapt the posture and movement to so many different workouts.
Eat More Food
Because Bane works out as a superhero, he has to up his calorie consumption a lot. If he didn't do this, then he would lose weight in fat and muscle mass and find it difficult or impossible to bulk up.
What I suggest you do is plan for 15% to 20% excess calories on a daily basis. So, if your body needs 2,000 calories a day, excluding your workouts, then you need to aim for 2,400 calories from healthy food, especially more protein [4].
"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
Maximize Your Gym Time
I'm not referring to adding more minutes and hours to your routine.
Each of the above workouts will likely take about 90 minutes, and I'm not suggesting that you add even more time.
What I'm referring to is making sure that every minute at the gym provides the maximum effect.
First of all, make sure that you do every exercise with proper form.
Have a fitness coach show you the right starting position for each one and whether you need to stand shoulder or hip-width apart.
Getting that right won't just help to avoid injuries but will make each workout bring on maximum effects.
Secondly, with your blood pumping and great form in each workout, you can also get a small boost from pre-workouts. They can help to increase strength and reduce fatigue so that you can push yourself further [5].
More on this shortly.
Work On Your Motivation
And finally, if you struggle to motivate yourself to go to the gym once a week, then you need to work on your attitude and mental fortitude first.
This workout program will only work if you stick with it week in and week out.
And even then, you'll need to have the mental strength to overcome periods of little progress and continue pressing on until you get to a plateau-busting stage.
What Are Bane's Workout Principles?
Bane's workout principles are essentially about turning up every day at the gym for 90 minutes and feeling the maximum burn at the end of every set.
If he feels he gets to eight reps and could still do a few more, then he'll load up with more weight plates for the next set.
That's the only way to stay on target and why so many people end up failing.
They take the easy way out and lift less weight than they are truly capable of.
Make sure you don't fall into that mental trap and train like a superhero instead.
What's His Diet Plan?
Bane's diet plan is heavily focused on getting as much protein through real food as possible, and making the right diet plans is critical for the Bane workout. If you've started eating chicken breasts for breakfast, you're on the right track.
And if you take this seriously, you'll soon be sick of mountains of food at each meal.
- Breakfast: Oatmeal with berries and 6-egg omelet with chicken strips
- Snack: Protein bar and shake
- Lunch: 20 ounces of turkey with steamed vegetables and sweet potato
- Snack: Protein shake and a cup of unsalted nuts
- Dinner: 15 ounces of beef with a large salad and brown rice
This might look great to start with, but getting all that protein down can be a struggle.
If you find that's the case, you'll want to check out the below supplement recommendations.
Recommended Supplements
Tom Hardy aims to get as much natural nutritional value as possible. But that can become a struggle, and there are ways that every athlete should get a boost.
Whey Protein
Whey protein is classed as a complete protein with the ideal amino acid profile for your muscles. That means it contains all essential amino acids that you have to take in with food. And ultimately, that will help your muscle recovery [6].
Pre-Workout
Pre-workout supplements deliver natural herbs and amino acids that can boost your strength and reduce fatigue during training. It's not an instant superpower strength, but enough to allow you to load up a few more pounds or do more reps.
Related Articles:
Are You Ready To Work Like Bane?
This Bane routine is physically intimidating, but you will build up enough strength to break Batman's bones. And I'll tell you right now that it will take many months of never giving up to really get that ripped body with six-pack abs.
And to make sure that you get the right macro diet profile with loads of protein, you should get the best protein powder for men.
With high-quality grass-fed whey, you can give your body exactly what it needs when it needs it most.
Just make sure you don't just buy something cheap, as quality matters a lot for your muscle recovery.
References:
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5932411/
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5744434/
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7927075/
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5786199/
- https://jissn.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12970-016-0138-7
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5537849/
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