“Bald, fat, with pencil hands”: find out what “ruined” Tom Hardy’s figure

While Christian Bale was sweating on machines to add pounds of muscle, Tom Hardy was eating pizza and doing a set of exercises that made him look bigger.

“I thought you were bigger in real life” instead of “Hi Tom, how are you?” is a common thing for Tom Hardy, who played Batman’s main enemy in the film “The Dark Knight Rises.” The film was released in 2012, but Tom still remembers his technique, which helped Hardy become visually more powerful and larger than he really is.

Tom Hardy cannot be called dystrophic: for example, for the film “Warrior” the actor had to “dry out” to improve his muscle definition. The actor trained 4 times a week for 6 grueling hours and maintained a calorie deficit. But preparation for “The Dark Knight” was not limited to standard training and nutrition program. Tom Hardy admitted that pizza helped him become more powerful.

Lots of fast carbohydrates and fats

“Let’s face it, I was a fat guy. I was overweight, I was heavier than usual,” Tom states. But the actor notes that he had to eat pizza, which provided the necessary carbohydrate boost and contributed to weight gain — not the most healthy method, but very fast and definitely working.

Load on the heart

Hardy lived in this mode for 3 or 4 months. The actor admits that while preparing for the role, he had to forget about his own health — after all, the fats in pizza affect not only the figure, but also the cardiovascular system. “My main goal was to become as big as possible,” Hardy said.

Uneven load distribution

Tom the Chameleon gained 13 kilograms, becoming the 90-kilogram villain Bale. And in order to stay in shape, Hardy performed a special set of exercises — mainly only on the muscles of the torso and arms. The dream of any jock who hates leg day. “I had very skinny legs, and my stuntman liked to ask every time: “Why did Tom come riding an emu?”’ ” Hardy recalls.

Arm, back and shoulder workout from Tom Hardy’s program

Deep push-ups

Place your palms so that they stand directly under your shoulder joints;

Go down as low as you can — your elbows should point straight up;

Forcefully push your body up and repeat with the “ladder”: 10, 7, 5 and 3 times.

Rectangular push-ups

Place your arms wider than your shoulders, turn your hands slightly to the side;

Lower yourself until your elbows form a 90-degree angle;

Forcefully push your body up and repeat with the “ladder”: 10, 7, 5 and 3 times.

Push-ups

Take the starting position for push-ups, clenching your hands into fists;

Place your fists shoulder-width apart;

Lower your chest to the floor, moving your elbows back;

Forcefully push your body up and repeat with the “ladder”: 10, 7, 5 and 3 times.

Diamond push-ups

Place your thumbs and index fingers together in a diamond shape;

Lower your chest, almost touching your hands;

Forcefully push your body up and repeat with the “ladder”: 10, 7, 5 and 3 times.

It is recommended to use this workout only in combination with another set that will balance the load on the body. And if you are used to watching your figure outside the gym, then Tom has a couple of other workouts in his arsenal that can be performed on the street, at home, or in the desert.