Plague of Strength

Tom Hardy over the last decade:
Pascal DuPont in Deserter (2002)

Handsome Bob in RocknRolla (2008)

Bronson in Bronson (2008)

Tommy Conlon in Warrior (2011)

Bane in Batman (2012)

Tragically, the internet seems to be even more stuffed with misinformation about Hardy’s workout programs than most of you seem to wish his cock would stuff your asshole.  Luckily for you, I’m a tenacious researcher and filled with disbelief when I read most shit online, so I’ve gone to great lengths to suss out the truth for you.  First, should you be unaware, my pejorative statement above about Tom Hardy having been a crackhead was not a sly crack at how skinny he was.  Nope, Tom Hardy was, in fact, a crackhead.  As such, you might want to be concerned if you find yourself incapable of matching his physique, as you’re essentially being out-trained and out-dieted by Pookie from Menace to Society.  Next, Hardy’s done an impressive amount of bulking over the years to get where he is, and eats his fucking face off when training.  I’ll get more into the diet aspect later, but it’s worth mentioning right off the bat that if you want to get big, you have to fucking eat big.  

To give you an idea of Hardy’s starting point, let’s take a look at him in the earliest screen appearance I can recall of Hardy, which was Deserter (above).  In it, Hardy was 140 lbs soaking wet, but of note was the fact that 20 of those pounds appears to have been located in his traps.  As such, his traps have just grown in proportion to his physique as he got bigger.  Yes, fuckers- he has naturally huge traps, so you people can now cease your incessant whining about the lack of shrugs in his workouts.  Want traps like Tom Hardy’s? Smoke crack and then walk everywhere with your shoulders shrugged up like a peekaboo-style boxer for 30 years.  Case closed. That, or engage in homosexual sex with men, which he’s also done.  That’s right, guys, your shameturbation is about to take a turn for the worse- instead of just masturbating furiously about giving him a shoulder massage, you can kick those fantasies up a notch or two.

The real driving force behind Hardy’s success appears to be a somewhat doughy former specops operator or Marine (depending on the source, so maybe he was Force Recon, though I don’t know if that’s technically special operations) and mixed martial artist with a much more Viking-esque moniker than his genetics would seem to bely- Pnut.  I guess due his background in specops, Pnut’s a bit of a shadowy figure.  All I can tell you for sure is that he appears to know what he’s fucking doing, for one, and that he’s endlessly amused by spreading disinformation about Hardy’s training techniques, for another.  His training has changed over the years as his roles have changed, but I can tell you two things unequivocally- 1) Hardy’s training always includes the use of free weights, and 2) Hardy trains a fuck of a lot when he’s in preproduction.(MotleyHealth)  

For Bronson:”As part of Tom’s fitness regime, Pnut gets Tom to carry him as well as do more traditional weight training. Carrying another person in a fireman’s lift is a classic martial arts fitness exercise and is an excellent way to build strength and stamina.Tom’s role as Charles Bronson was very impressive. He managed to really bulk up for the part and looked like a real strongman. He put on 7 pounds a week while eating and lifting. Pnut had him doing volume training, working the muscles over and over to build bulk. His focus was on the upper body only, to build big arms, chest and a thick neck. His lower body was neglected, but this was intentional to look the part on screen. His transformation for the role, which he says only took a couple of months, is on par with DeNiro’s Raging Bull and Christian Bale’s Batman. The real Charles Bronson is certainly not a man to be messed with. He was a bare knuckle fighter for a while before being imprisoned for holding up a Post Office.  While in prison his violent nature developed further and he was eventually moved to a maximum security prison and has spent much of his time in isolation. However, the real Charles Bronson is a fitness fanatic and works out tirelessly in the most confined spaces.”(MotleyHealth)

For Bronson, Hardy had to pack a shitload of mass onto his upper body, as that’s what Charlie Bronson actually looks like.  Thus, he and Pnut focussed entirely on heavy compound movements for the upper body, and specifically targeted forearms, chest, and neck.  “By the time I’d finished,” Hardy said, “my legs looked like those of a stork in comparison to the top half of my body.”(AskMen)  Like he later did for Warrior, Pnut had Hardy training pretty much all day, though the diet differed markedly in that they were trying to pack on as much mass as possible without worrying about Hardy looking like Bruce Lee.  Thus, Hardy ended up gaining about 7 lbs a week eating and training his fucking face off.  Hardy ate chicken and rice, his staple foods throughout the day, and then apparently carb-backloaded at night, eating “a pizza, Haagen-Dazs and Coca-Cola.”(AskMen)  Hilariously, Hardy described his  training for Bronson thusly, “For Bronson I just ate chocolate and Pizza, lifted Pnut up and down the stairs, played Xbox, shaved my head and grew a moustache.”(Telegraph)

That type of life appears to suit Hardy, as he basically just sits on the couch and watches TV in between movies, and his diet is almost unbelievably bad for a guy who’s naturally pretty lean and muscular.  According to Hardy, he’ll get up, “have a sandwich…. loads of coffee(it used to be cigarettes) and then eat a big meal before going to sleep.  Prior to  filming Warrior, he’d never engaged in a sport competitively, and he’d not lifted prior to Bronson.  As such, he’s pretty much a genetic freak with some awesome fucking trainers and the ability to push himself to ridiculous lengths for no reason.  Had he not gotten into crack and acting and grown up in Iowa, the dude would probably be the greatest wrestler in the history of the sport.  As it stands, Hardy pulled his sloppy ass off the couch when he got the call for Warrior and started training harder than most people have ever considered in their lives.  

So, by now you’re likely dying to know what sort of shenanigans Hardy got up to for Warrior.  Most of the shit you’ll read about online in that regard is idiocy propagated by intellectually and physically lazy people.  Forget the Men’s Health bodyweight bullshit you’ve heard- you’re likely never going to match hardy’s transformation, because what he actually did was fucking insane.  To wit:

For ten weeks, Hardy and Joel Edgerton ate a tremendous amount of food and trained for 8 hours a day, two of which were lifting.  During that time, both guys packed on about 20 lbs, though they were intended to actually gain more weight so they’d be able to play heavyweights.  According to one source, the actors’ training regimes were pretty different, as the actors needed different looks, and because the sum total of Hardy’s fighting experience consisted of wrestling cocks in and out of his mouth, perhaps for crack.  “The film’s producers wanted Hardy to be more of a raging bull in the fights. So, Hardy focuses much more on heavy weightlifting with the goal of bulking up in sheer size.”(Krumboltz)  Hardy’s days were structured thusly- “Two hours of boxing, followed by two hours of kickboxing and Muay Thai, followed by two hours of choreography, and finally two hours of lifting”, in addition to two hours of heavy weightlifting.(Keegan, Krumholtz) Edgerton, meanwhile, plays the underdog. With his smaller size, he relies on finesse, jiu-jitsu, and “slick maneuvers.” Both actors had stunt doubles, but Hardy and Edgerton completed about 85% of the fight work.”(Krumboltz)

Before we move on from this, I’d like to take the time to point out that in both instances, Hardy DID WHAT WAS NECESSARY TO ACHIEVE HIS GOAL.  He didn’t do some half-assed, cookie-cutter, 5×5 bullshit program and expect fucking miracles.  Instead, these guys lived and breathed fighting and lifting for 10 weeks.  According to Edgerton, “We got to Pittsburgh two months before [shooting began]. And literally from seven in the morning until three in the afternoon it was fighting all morning, eat a massive meal with the stunt guys and then come back to lift massive weights.  I think at some point I was training seven days a week when I should really have been resting occasionally. But there’s a need to get fit, get big, and learn the skills. Because at some point Tom and I knew we had to get our shirts off, stand in a cage, put our feet there and look like we belonged there.”(Lambie)

That, fuckers, is how you get jacked in a hurry.  Simply going through the motions of a workout everyone says is the tits is not sufficient to look and feel like a fucking badass- you have to get the right mindset and live a badass life.  On top of the heavy training schedule, Pnut would follow Hardy everywhere he went and put him through small 20 minute workouts throughout the day just to keep him tight and focused.  According to Pnut, this is called “signaling.”  “Throughout the day you need to send constant signals to your body, so that it adapts in the direction you point it in. It’s better to do 10 press-ups every hour than 100 in a single burst. If you do things often enough, your body adapts for the task you set it, and you evolve.”(Tom Hardy’s Warrior Workout)  That echoes my sentiments, especially in regards to getting good at bodyweight exercises, exactly.  The more often you can get in the gym and do anything at all, no matter how short the workout, the better.  I’ve found that over time, the cumulative effects of the small workouts you do on a whim as you’re passing the gym far exceed the sum total of the volume you do.  Pnut had Hardy doing four bodyweight workouts a day in addition to lifting, which both of them credit with a lot of Hardy’s insane conditioning in the movie.  Oh, and the fact that he carried his trainer around the set in a fireman’s carry.  Yeah, he really fucking did.(Squiddoo)

In the event you’re curious about Hardy’s mini-workouts, they’re what you’ve seen in Men’s Fitness, and frankly are nothing terribly exciting.  If you’re curious, however, here they are:

The Circuit

Perform these 3 exercises back-to-back, in sets of 10 reps, then 7 reps, then 5 reps, then 3 reps, each with no recovery time between each movement.

Press-ups
Perform the first set with your hands shoulder-width apart. For the next set, do it with your forefingers and thumbs forming a ‘diamond’ shape below your chest. For the third set, have your hands wider than shoulder-width apart. And for the final set, ball your fists and rest on your knuckles. 

Shoulder flies
Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, holding an 8kg kettlebell (or dumb bell) in each hand, palms forward. Raise your arms through 180 degrees, maintaining your palm position, until your fists meet above your head. Lower to the start position. To increase difficulty, up the weight or stand on one leg. 

Dips
Sit on the ground, legs straight in front of you, and grab the seat of a chair with your hands behind you (fingers pointing towards your body). Keep your back straight and push down on the chair to raise your backside off the floor until your arms are extended. Lower yourself until you are almost touching the floor. That’s one rep. 

The Bridge
Gain back flexibility, a powerful neck and massive core strength. Only move on to the next level when you are confident of your strength, or you risk a neck injury.
Stage 1
Lie on a mat, with your feet on the ground, knees bent. Lift your hips off the mat. As you do this bring your hands to your ears, palms on the floor, fingers pointing to your feet. Do 10 reps, then 7 reps (counting 1 at the top), then 5 reps (counting to 3 at the top), then 3 reps (counting to 5 at the top).
Stage 2
Push to the extended position from stage 1. Press through your hands, lift your shoulders off and allow your head to tilt back so the top of it rests on the floor. Push from your heels onto your toes. ALL your weight should go through your toes and hands, NOT your head. Follow the rep count as before.
Stage 3
As your flexibility increases, rest 90% of your body-weight on your hands, and allow your head to carry 10%. Slowly increase this session by session until you can carry more weight on your head than your hands. Rep count as before. Warning: do not rush or you risk damaging your neck.
Stage 4
When you are able to carry all your bodyweight through your head, raise into the bridge position without using your hands for support. Keep them close to the side of your head in case they are needed for stability, and perform the same set/ rep count as before.
Stage 5
To be performed ONLY when stage 4 is easy. Assume the extended bridge from stage 3, holding a light barbell across your chest, or a 2kg dumbbell in each hand. Perform 5 bench-press movements (or 5 chest flies with the dumb-bells). As it gets easier, increase the weight.

Abdominal workout
This develops core strength and the size and power of your abs from the top to the bottom. Again, start with stage one and increase the difficulty as you get stronger.
Stage 1
Lie on a mat, with your legs together, hands clasped behind your head. Lift your head and shoulders and hold. Then, tighten your abs and lift your legs. Lower to the start position. Do sets of 10 reps, then 7, then 5, then 3.
Stage 2
Perform the movement from stage 1, then, at the top of the position, bend your knees and pull them in to touch your elbows. Then straighten your legs and lower back to the starting position, flat on the mat. Do set/reps as before.
Stage 3
Perform the movement from stage 1, then, at the top, pull your knees in to touch your elbows – but, don’t bend your legs. Much harder, right? Move your legs back to the start, then lower everything back to the mat. Do sets/reps as before.
Stage 4
Take an 8kg kettlebell and push the tip of your left shoe through the handle. Wrap your right foot around to hold it in place, then perform the movement from stage 1 with the kettlebell weighing your legs down. Do sets/reps as before.

If you’re thinking that they were overtraining for that movie, you might be interested to discover that on top of all of the other exercise they were doing, Hardy and Edgerton did still more work.  Whenever they were caught just sitting around by the stuntmen, of whom there were apparently legion for Warrior, they would force Hardy and Edgerton through another workout.(Warrior MMA Muscle Workout)  That’s right- those two motherfuckers were doing up to 6 strength training workouts a day on top of another 6 hours of intense physical activity, and they GAINED weight.  A shitload of it, in fact.

The how on that fact is somewhat amusing.  Hardy credits the vast majority of their weight gain on one food- pulled pork.  Apparently, they’d break for lunch every day and the entire crew would head to Texas longhorn or some such, then eat as much pulled pork as they possibly could.  The stunt guys kept encouraging Edgerton and Hardy to eat more so they could fuel their workouts and keep making gains, which worked quite well.  At least until the director made the following observation: “‘We got fat,’ [Hardy] said. And then they were like, ‘Okay, so now, no more pulled pork. You are allowed to eat chicken and broccoli and that’s it.’ And we’re like, ‘You’re having a laugh, right?’ And they were like, ‘No, and you’re going to have to work a 16-hour day.’ So we were all grumpy and cantankerous and belligerent.’”(Heller)  They kept eating that diet from that point throughout shooting, which was a long and arduous process, according to Hardy.  Each round of fighting took two days to shoot, so they were still training and shooting on a low calorie diet, for 14-16 hours a day, for a fairly long period of time after the initial 10 week training period.(Keegan, Snape)  “Even in a sparring session in the gym you get pretty tired after 20 minutes of sparring, and we were maintaining that illusion of being fired up for two days… and just eating chicken and broccoli at the same time. It was weird.”(Ibid)  Supplementing that, of course, were copious protein shakes, which Hardy credited with keeping his energy up.

No, I don’t know what kind of fucking protein he was taking, dawg.  You motherfuckers love asking me for protein recommendations, which is odd, because I figure anyone with the ability to read could pick one that worked.  Before you ask, I’m drinking Protizyme’s retardedly expensive but incredibly delicious Peanut Butter Cookie flavor.  I know, it’s not a blended protein, and I know I recommend blended proteins.  I was sick to fucking death of chocolate protein and was considering suicide if I had to have another goddamned chocolate protein shake.

So, you have the techniques Hardy used to gain 40 lbs for Bronson, gain 18 lbs and get ripped to shreds for Warrior, and are likely dying to know how he gained an additional 10 lbs for Bane.  Wait, you didn’t know Hardy only weighed 191 when he played Bane?(Wilding)  Disappointed?  I sure as fuck was, especially since he was considerably fatter than he was in Warrior.  The truth, here, is that Hardy hasn’t told a single motherfucker what he did to gain the weight for Bane.  He’d clearly slimmed down after Warrior, since he was pretty fucking svelte in This Means War, so it was likely necessary for him to get back to lifting and eating his face off for Bane.  As for how he did it, I think it’s pretty fucking clear- he lifted until his fucking eyes bled and ate enough food to choke a full-grown donkey. 

“A lot of why I wasn’t into martial arts before was fear of dojos, of fighters’ gyms, of that pack mentality, thinking ‘That’s a scary place, I’ll never survive in it.’ So I avoided that for many years, and I found drinking, found tattoos and other ways to avoid that and feel strong. But eventually you realise that being strong is participating, being prepared to be counted. You don’t have to be good, the fact that you turn up is massively respected. Because they need bodies.” -Tom Hardy

Sources:
     AskMen.  Tom Hardy: Becoming Bronson.  AskMen.  http://m.askmen.com/entertainment/special_feature_250/267_tom-hardy-becoming-charles-bronson.html
     Belfast Telegraph.  Tom Hardy: Bronson diet took its toll.  Belfast Telegraph. 9/22/11.  http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/woman/fashion-beauty/tom-hardy-bronson-diet-took-its-toll-16053660.html
     Heller, Corinne.  Tom Hardy say “Warrior” made him fat.  On The Red Carpet.  http://www.ontheredcarpet.com/Tom-Hardy-says-Warrior-made-him-fat-Video/8348895
     Keegan, Rebecca.  ‘Warrior’s’ Tom Hardy and Joel Edgerton roll with the punches.  Los Angeles Times.  9/8/11.  http://articles.latimes.com/2011/sep/08/entertainment/la-et-warrior-20110908
     Krumboltz , Michael.  How to Look Like a ‘Warrior’: Tom Hardy and Joel Edgerton’s Brutal Training Regime.  Movie Talk.  http://movies.yahoo.com/blogs/movie-talk/look-warrior-211519813.html
     Lambie, Ryan.  Joel Edgerton interview: training for Warrior, and fighting Tom Hardy.  Den of Geek.  http://www.denofgeek.com/movies/18065/joel-edgerton-interview-training-for-warrior-and-fighting-tom-hardy
     Snape, Joel.  Hard Knock Life.  Men’s Fitness.  October 2011.  http://www.tomhardyparty.com/tom-hardy-when-i-train-everything-slows-down/
     Tom Hardy’s Fitness Workouts and Diet.  MotleyHealth.  http://www.motleyhealth.com/celeb/tom-hardys-fitness-workouts-and-diet#ixzz21plOFLSQ
     Tom Hardy’s Warrior MMA Muscle Workout And Diet Plan.  http://muscle.iuhu.org/2011/12/tom-hardys-warrior-mma-muscle-workout-and-diet-plan/
     Tom Hardy’s Warrior workout.  Men’s Health UK. http://www.menshealth.co.uk/building-muscle/fast/tom-hardys-warrior-workout
     Tom Hardy Workout Routine and Diet Plan.  Squidoo.  http://www.squidoo.com/tom-hardy-workout
     Warrior – Behind the Scene – Tom Hardy & Joel Edgerton Training.  Youtube.
     Wilding, Josh.  Tom Hardy discusses gaining muscle to play Bane and how he nearly missed out on TDKR!  http://www.comicbookmovie.com/fansites/joshw24/news/?a=46132