? Christian Bale's training program and diet for the movie [#Batman]

Christian Bale: 30 kg of muscle in 6 weeks or how to become Batman?

When I was shown a still from the movie The Machinist, starring Christian Bale, I was quite intrigued: the image showed more of a skin-covered skeleton than an actor, and the caption explained that Bale had lost 33% of his normal weight for the role. and began to weigh 55 kg. With a height of 191 cm!

But this sliver and the massive Batman from the acclaimed film “The Dark Knight” are the same person! In addition, after the end of The Machinist, only a month and a half passed before the start of the screen test for Batman! How did he do it? How do all these Hollywood actors and actresses lose and gain weight so easily, turn into a pile of muscles with the wave of a magic wand, transform without any apparent difficulty? Is it really about money, or its quantity, which opens access to some secrets accessible only to a select few?

Fortunately, with the modern development of information technology, a training system capable of such miracles quickly ceases to be the personal secret of the pioneer. Finding this information is not so difficult; anyone who has enough endurance can apply it.

By the way, unlike most comic book heroes, what makes Bae interesting and relatable to the public is his humanity and reality. Bruce Wayne was not bitten by radioactive bugs, he was not irradiated with gamma radiation in an unsuccessful experiment, no - in this film the hero is notable for the fact that he himself makes the decision to fight crime, and is responsible for it.

Of course, you don’t have to believe in superheroes, but... who should we take an example from if not from them? Do you want to become like Batman, at least in appearance? Well, most likely, you won’t have to learn to walk on your ears either - you just need to take a close look at the tools that we already know, obvious and understand: the right diet and the right training.

Mass gain. Diet

First of all, in order to gain enough weight for an entire superhero, the emaciated Bale had to eat every 2-3 hours. The trick is that each meal should be balanced and include 1 part fat, 2 parts protein and 3 parts carbohydrates. It is recommended to calculate their exact amount, knowing that approximately 1-2 grams of protein will be required per 1 pound (0.5 kg) of body weight.

Strengthening muscles. Training system

Body weight can be gained in different ways, but if brutal fights, chases and nervous tension are coming, it is advisable to turn this mass into muscle, while simultaneously developing strength, agility and speed.

Run

According to his fellow Welshmen, Bale is a firm believer in the benefits of running, which is why he started with it. They say that the actor himself admitted that running helps cope with a hangover, because Christian can drink a pint of beer or even two in the evening! This amusing quality will probably cheer up many, but beer lovers are advised to look for other similarities with the Hollywood star - friends experienced in such matters say that Bala is also distinguished by his complete lack of fear of brutal training.

Strength exercises

Experts offered the actor a program consisting of explosive strength exercises, compound (multi-joint) exercises, exercises to develop speed of movement and reaction speed. This system included:

lifting the barbell from the floor with fixation on the shoulders,
lifting the barbell without fixation,
squat jumps,
explosive bench press (From the top position, the barbell is lowered to the chest, then explosively squeezed onto straight arms, giving all attention to the positive phase of the movement: as soon as the bar touches the chest, immediately push the projectile up!) This is an excellent exercise for the development of white muscle fibers (providing the power of movements ). You just need to firmly remember that the exercise must be performed with complete control over the weight!

A set of multi-joint exercises is the best way to quickly gain muscle mass, since exercises of this type (for example, squats, bench press, deadlift, classic press) involve not only the “target” muscle groups, but also several auxiliary ones.

Christian Bale

Christian Bale's training program and diet for filming the Batman film. How did the actor manage to gain 30 kilograms of muscle in a few weeks?

Christian Bale

Date of birth: January 30, 1974.
Height: 183 cm.
Weight: from 55 to 90 kg.
Best films: “The Dark Knight Rises”, “The Prestige”, “Equilibrium”, “Terminator: May the Savior Come”, “American Psycho”.

Filming in the film "The Machinist"

For the filming of The Machinist, Christian Bale lost a third of his weight, losing up to 55 kg. The method is simple: a cup of coffee, an apple and a can of tuna per day (1) - 200-250 calories at a rate of 2500. Result: a sharp loss of both fat and most of the muscles.

The break between filming “The Machinist” and the first scenes of “Batman” was only six weeks, during which the actor tried to regain shape and gain muscle mass as quickly as possible. As a result, he increased his weight to 86 kilograms.

Christian Bale's diet for filming Batman

The actor needed to regain muscle very quickly, and the total calorie intake was almost 4000 kcal. Every day he ate 350 g of protein, 500 g of carbohydrates and 70-90 g of fat. The training was as active as possible to minimize fat gain.

Starting a career and first steps in fitness

Christian repeatedly noted in his interviews that when studying acting in Britain, they were taught not to stand out from the crowd. An actor should look like ordinary people you see on the street. The only thing that should make them stand out is their acting and expression of emotions. An ordinary person should not have a magnificent fitness physique, which put a certain ban on maintaining sports shape. However, already at the beginning of his career, having moved to Hollywood, Bale had to forget everything that he was taught. In Hollywood films, directors wanted to see not only brilliant acting, but also a suitable physique. So Bale became a newcomer to the fitness field.

2000 – American Psycho

By the beginning of the new millennium, Christian had an ordinary physique. There were no six-pack abs, but at the same time, a small amount of muscle mass made him look good. The director of the film, Mary Haron, needed a charismatic middle-aged man who could play an eccentric rich man and at the same time a psychopath. An important condition for getting the role was a muscular physique with a minimum amount of fat. According to the plot, the main character was a flamboyant egomaniac who was interested in appearance more than anything else. Bale persuaded the director to give him 2.5 months to prepare for the role.

Starting weight: 76 kg
Final weight: 81 kg
Number of calories: 2500 kcal
Number of meals: 4
Diet: low carb
Workouts: strength (5-6 reps per set), 6 workouts per week

The training goal was simple: build some muscle mass and get rid of subcutaneous fat. To do this, we chose a proven scheme - a low-carbohydrate diet and strength training.

About the diet

A small amount of carbohydrates forced the body to use its own fats. Eliminating all sweet drinks, sugar, flour products and other things controlled insulin spikes, which in turn reduced hunger pangs.

At the same time, having a lot of protein in the diet maintained all the muscle mass, and even allowed me to build a little more. An increased proportion of fat is needed for effective strength training and adequate recovery. All human steroid hormones are synthesized from fats, and against the background of such loads, a surge in hormones is a key condition for achieving results. In addition, a high-fat diet reduced the risk of injury in strength training by 5-6 repetitions.

Diet example

At first glance, it seems that 2500 kcal for a person weighing 76 kg is a lot. However, do not forget about an active lifestyle and full employment. Bale trained 6 days a week at the fitness center, adding cycling. There was a calorie deficit, albeit a small one. This made it possible to steadily reduce the percentage of fat without losing muscle mass. During normal weight loss, due to a large calorie deficit, muscle mass is lost almost equally with fat mass, but in this case everything was different.

1 meal (244 kcal): 2 boiled eggs (173 kcal), 1 large apple (71 kcal);
Meal 2 (954 kcal): 600g chicken breast with calorie-free sauce (720 kcal), 70g lentils (234 kcal);
Meal 3 (648 kcal): 300g grilled beef tenderloin (648 kcal);
Meal 4 (661 kcal): 300g salmon in a steamer (591 kcal), 200g broccoli (70 kcal).

2002 – Power of Fire

Bale's career immediately took off. He was invited to play a role in the upcoming blockbuster with elements of post-apocalypse and science fiction - The Reign of Fire. For this role, it was necessary to gain more muscle mass, but with less pronounced muscle definition. Otherwise it would look unrealistic within the film. Simply put, Christian was required to increase his weight slightly.

Starting weight: 80 kg
Final weight: 84 kg
Number of calories: 2700 kcal
Number of meals: 5
Diet: carbohydrate with an emphasis on protein
Workouts: volume-strength (10-12 reps per set), 4 workouts per week, 1 cardio

About the diet

The carbohydrate diet contributed to the accumulation of glycogen, as a result of which training was relatively easy and effective. The amount of protein must be large, otherwise you can simply swim with water and fat.

Diet example

The number of calories was increased in order to increase muscle volume. The number of meals has been reduced compared to the previous diet, because it is much easier to eat the required amount of calories from carbohydrates than purely protein foods.

1 meal (373 kcal): omelette of two eggs and vegetables without oil (154 kcal), 100 g of king prawns (84 kcal), 550 ml of fresh orange juice (135 kcal);
Meal 2 (997 kcal): 200g baked salmon (375 kcal), 150g stewed champignons (41 kcal), 150g bell pepper (41 kcal), 75g boiled white rice (260 kcal), 200g baked potatoes (280 kcal) ;
Meal 3 (691 kcal): 200g grilled stuffed eggplant (508 kcal), 150g grilled zucchini (101 kcal), 200g strawberries (82 kcal);
Meal 4 (644 kcal): 1 large banana (160 kcal), 100g avocado (208 kcal), 50g cashews (276 kcal).

2004 – Machinist

The director of the film, Brad Anderson, did not want to cast Bale as the main character, since he had to be terribly thin. CGI could make Christian look like this, but there was simply no budget for it. When Bale's agents relayed the director's words to him, he personally contacted Brad to convince him of his weight-loss abilities. Even after the call, Anderson was skeptical about Bale’s words, because not so long ago he had seen the film “The Reign of Fire,” in which Bale walked around bare-chested in his majestic 84 kg. For his film, the actor would have to lose 20-30 kg, which looked extremely unrealistic. Imagine Anderson's surprise when he saw Bale's diet plan and his signature on the contract.

Starting weight: 79 kg
Final weight: 56 kg
Number of calories: 1500 kcal
Number of meals: 2
Diet: Low carb with lots of fiber
Workouts: 2 cardio workouts per week in light format

About the diet

To lose all his muscle and fat mass, Bale had to practically starve. A huge calorie deficit combined with light cardio is the perfect combination for this goal. The whole difficulty was in the implementation of this plan. Getting down from the usual 2500-2700 kcal to 1500 kcal per day is extremely difficult, both psychologically and physiologically. An eternal feeling of hunger, problems with nails, hair, constipation, and other “bonuses” from a hyper-low-calorie diet.

Diet example

To at least somehow feel full, nutritionists added more fiber, as it complicates the absorption of food and prolongs the feeling of fullness. Proteins, fats and carbohydrates, namely their proportions, faded into the background. The main thing was to avoid breakdowns and gluttony. The actor began to move less. Spending more relaxing time allowed me to feel less peaks of hunger. Bale also notes that he began to sleep more often. A long sleep with a glass of calorie-free soda temporarily solved the problem of hunger.

1 meal (660 kcal): 250g cherry tomatoes (38 kcal), 1g olive oil (8 kcal), 300g beef steak (561 kcal), 150g broccoli (53 kcal).
Meal 2 (902 kcal): 30g mozzarella cheese (295 kcal), 300g baked turkey (450 kcal), 100g sweet red pepper (27 kcal), 50g white boiled rice (130 kcal).

2005-2008 – Batman Begins, The Dark Knight

Batman reboot director Christopher Nolan wrote the script with his brother Jonathan, with Christian Bale in mind. However, at the time of creating the film's concept, Nolan was unaware of Bale's transformation into a lean, 56kg machinist. After the information was made public, Nolan met with Bale and told him the concept for the future Batman trilogy. The only condition set was to gain muscle mass. Christian agreed without hesitation.

Starting weight: 66 kg
Final weight: 86 kg
Number of calories: 2600 kcal
Number of meals: 3
Diet: classic (50% carbohydrates, 25% proteins, 25% fats)
Workouts: 1 strength and 3 volume-strength workouts per week

About the diet

To quickly regain muscle mass, Bale had to dramatically increase the caloric intake of his diet. Nutritionists chose a standard diet in order to restore former muscle volumes without unnecessarily forcing events.

Christopher Nolan, the director of the Batman trilogy, wanted to see a strong and expressive Bruce Wayne, played by Christian Bale. More muscle mass, moderate amount of fat and good mobility for shooting action scenes. There was no question of doubles, since the director is an adherent of the old school.

Diet example

One of the features of the chosen diet plan is the presence of dairy products. This is not a secret list of foods for super-effective muscle growth. Just a personal wish from Bale, who at that time lived near his hometown. Since childhood, he loved to drink a liter of fresh milk, not from a pack, and enjoy natural homemade cottage cheese.

1 meal (829 kcal): 150 ml milk (80 kcal), 3 boiled eggs (314 kcal), 20 g Dutch 40% cheese (65 kcal), 250 g steamed trout (370 kcal);
Meal 2 (1239 kcal): 400g boiled beef (810 kcal), 100g boiled rice (355 kcal), 200ml homemade kefir (74 kcal);
Meal 3 (614 kcal): 170g boiled potatoes (139 kcal), 150g steamed salmon (336 kcal), 10g olive oil (80 kcal), 100g pineapple (49 kcal).

2010 – Fighter

After reading the script by Paul Tamsey and Eric Johnson, Christian Bale almost immediately agreed to the role. He was not interested in the main role of “Mickey Ward”, but in the role of his half-brother, a cocaine addict with an excellent sports background. Christian wanted to undergo another transformation of his body to better suit the chosen role. Despite the fact that the contract did not oblige him to change his body in any way, Bale again hired the nutritional staff familiar from “The Machinist”.

Starting weight: 84 kg
Final weight: 65 kg
Number of calories: 1600 kcal
Number of meals: 2
Diet: ban on fast food and sweets, low carbohydrates allowed, more vegetables.
Workouts: 1 strength training per week (full-body), 1 jog (marathon).

About the diet

To show the former presence of muscle mass, it was impossible to simply lose 20 kg. The goal of nutritionists is to preserve a small percentage of muscle. To do this, we eliminated carbohydrates, which allowed us to add more protein. The vascularity inherent in experienced athletes was achieved through alcohol. At Bale’s insistence, the number of meals was made the same as in preparation for “The Machinist” - 2 times a day.

Diet example

The peculiarity of this diet is flexibility. Bale was given his entire ration in the morning. He could eat it right away, or, on the contrary, not eat all day, and at night enjoy all the food to his heart's content. That is, there was no distribution by day. The only condition is 2 meals. He varied the portions himself.

Let's make a special mention of the wine. Bale had to drink wine to maintain vascularity and for the dryness of his face, with the skin characteristic of experienced drug addicts. Let us remind you: according to the contract, such efforts were not required from him, but he took the initiative into his own hands. After the release of the film, all his efforts paid off in full with an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor.

1 meal (1599 kcal): 350g grilled salmon (991 kcal), 250ml red wine (243 kcal), 50g boiled rice (130 kcal), 150g broccoli (53 kcal), 100g grilled zucchini (142 kcal).

2013 – American Hustle

This film cannot be called the best in Bale’s acting career, but at the same time, many people remember the film largely thanks to Christian. Huge attention was focused on his next transformation. Several years passed after the "skinny fighter", followed by a year of rehabilitation and weight gain, and then several more films in good shape, including the third Batman film.

Fans have been waiting for Bale's next transformation. Everyone expected a repeat of “The Machinist” or “The Fighter,” which was partially realized in the film “Out of the Furnace.” Christian surprised everyone again. For his role in this film, the actor gained 25 kg of weight, and it was by no means muscle mass. He needed to play an eccentric, emotional movie character who lived in abundance and loved to have a good rest.

Starting weight: 67 kg
Final weight: 92 kg
Number of calories: 3200 kcal
Number of meals: 3 meals + snacks
Diet: fast food, sweets, chips, etc.
Training: 1 cardio run per week, lasting 55-60 minutes, at home on a bike path.

About the diet

Contrary to expectations, eating 3200 kilocalories was quite difficult, even despite the absence of forbidden foods. Pizza, fast food, candy bars and other delights of the modern food industry have not helped as much as they should. Bale simply didn't feel like eating that much. Therefore, nutritionists added 1 cardio run. A small expenditure of calories, thanks to the compensation mechanism, whetted the appetite, and the body simply ate what it spent during the workout. Christian has repeatedly noted that this was the most difficult transformation. Every day it was difficult to suffer more and more from sweating, insomnia, shortness of breath and other “bonuses”, especially against the backdrop of a huge amount of food, for which he never had much liking.

Diet example

If you take this diet out of context, you might mistake it for the average fat person's diet.

1 meal (624 kcal): 2 Burger King cheeseburgers (540 kcal), 200 ml Coca-Cola;
Meal 2 (2070 kcal): 4 large slices of pizza (1512 kcal), 500 ml Coca-Cola; a small jar of Pringles (314 kcal);
Meal 3 (488 kcal): 1 Hershey chocolate bar (210 kcal), 2 scoops of ON protein (278 kcal).