There is no doubt that The Dark Knight Rises will be one of the biggest movies of the decade. The anticipation for this film alone has many wondering if it will be the best super hero movie ever. Will Batman die? Is Bane going to “break the bat”? Where does cat woman’s allegiance stand? While there are many questions, one thing that we do know is that there will be a massive showdown, if not many, between hero (Christian Bale as Batman) and villain (Tom Hardy as Bane). We also know from the trailers and production photos that Bane looks very muscular in this film. Then come new questions: what did he do to train? What did he eat? Did he use any supplements? Did he do steroids?
Whether your questions are about Tom Hardy and his body or how you can transform yours to have a Bane-like physique with monstrous traps and bowling ball arms to intimidate your opponent, we share your curiosity. And while we always recommend that you become the role of the hero instead of the villain, we understand your thirst for knowledge regarding Bane’s physique. That’s why we scoured forums, websites, magazines, video footage, and interviews (like this one, and this one) to analyze the physique of Bane to get you some answers.
We announced Hardy’s intentions when he was given the role of Bane along with a more recent update of details and rumors of his training regimen. Now, we’re happy to bring it all together.
What We Do Know
- Tom Hardy is very capable of transforming his physique. He has proven to be hard working and relentless when he took on the roles of Charles Bronson (in Bronson) and Tommy Conlon (in Warrior).
- Tom Hardy has admitted to having a colorful background in the realm of alcohol and drugs.
- We also know that there are plenty of rumors about Tom Hardy allegedly tampering with steroids to match the physique of his larger-than-life on screen characters (past and present).
*Sources to how we know these things are listed at the bottom of this article.
Let’s Get Answers
Did Tom Hardy Train Hard For the Role of Bane?
Of course he did. In his interviews (check out the YouTube links above) he refers to training hard with heavy weights to fit the role of the larger than life Bane. Do actors say that they trained hard, even if they really didn’t? Sure they do, but we take Tom Hardy for his word and with his past roles (like Tommy Conlon), he gives us every reason to trust him.
What Was Tom Hardy’s Workout for the Role of Bane?
While many sites out there claim to have “the official Tom Hardy Bane workout”, they are lying. Tom Hardy nor his representatives have disclosed his official training program for Bane. His trainer and close friend “Patrick P-Nut” Monroe is the one who got him into shape for the role. While some of the set images of him show him as being a bit bloated (see below), that doesn’t necessarily mean that he didn’t have an intense regimen. Given that Christopher Nolan admitted that there will be CGI use for the physique of Bane, this fueled speculation that he isn’t training hard for the role. In our opinion, that speculation has no merit. CGI had to be used to remove Tom Hardy’s tattoos anyway, so don’t believe everything that you hear. It did seem fishy initially, but we trust in Christopher Nolan and Tom Hardy.
If you’re looking for his specific workout or to get jacked like his character looks on film, we’ll have that for you very soon.
Is There a Tom Hardy Bane Diet?
Tom Hardy did not release his official diet that he used while training for the movie. However, him and P-Nut have used the same diet model for his past roles where he had to really bulk up. The diet mainly consisted of high protein, high fat, low carb meals. Hardy discusses that adjusting to the diet used to be difficult – “we’d have breakfast before we got there [to the gym]. Peanut butter on toast. Then we got in the joint, had our protein shakes and a gallon of water…”
The above quote also answers the general question of “Did Tom Hardy take supplements?” He took protein shakes at the very least and we’d hope he took BCAA’s to help him out with the soreness of intense and crazy workouts.
Did Tom Hardy Take Steroids?
There is a lot of speculation and rumors when it comes to this. The root of these rumors began when word got out that Hardy added 30 pounds of muscle for the role in a few short months leading up to production. Rumors began to snowball as set images were revealed and Hardy appeared bloated with quite a bit of acne on his back (see images below). These notions along with an actor who had a past of alcohol and drugs makes it easy to speculate. Still, Tom Hardy has never officially come out and said “I took steroids to play Bane.” Tom Hardy has been asked in an interview if he took drugs and gave a very wise-ass vague answer. So while some consider the above factors as “evidence” that Hardy used steroids, none of it is 100% solid.
Tom Hardy got in ridiculous shape for Warrior and muscles do have muscle memory. It is physically possible to put on plenty of weight in muscle over the course of 4 months. Not easy by any means, but possible. Putting on 30 pounds of muscle in that time frame really seems like a bit much and, like all rumors, this one seems to have been exaggerated a bit. The breakouts on his back could very well be from sweat. The only thing that seems to hold water (no pun intended) is that he was bloated. The photos of him as Bane (with the re-touching) and the photos of him on set do seem to be pretty far apart. Still, the guy has proven that he can and will get in beast-like shape for a role – so we trust his word and trust his judgment.
Key Takeaways
- Tom Hardy says that he trained very hard with heavy weights
- Hardy has a training regimen that he often follows from Patrick “P-Nut” Monroe, although the official routine for this role has not been revealed (regardless of what other sites claim)
- While there are a lot of rumors and Hardy has given wise-ass answers in interviews, he never officially said that he took steroids to play Bane; therefore, give him the benefit of the doubt because he has proven what he is capable of when it comes to physique
Sources:
- Tom Hardy interviews (like this one, and this one)
- http://collider.com/tom-hardy-the-dark-knight-rises-interview/169104/
- http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-2065838/Tom-Hardy-opens-latest-role-brutal-villain-Bane-new-Batman.html
- http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1683188/dark-knight-rises-star-tom-hardy-calls-bane-no-joke.jhtml
- http://www.complex.com/pop-culture/2012/04/tom-hardy-on-his-portrayal-of-bane-in-the-dark-knight-rises
- http://www.nolanfans.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=33&t=4716&start=2250
- http://www.comicbookmovie.com/fansites/joshw24/news/?a=46132
- http://forums.superherohype.com/showthread.php?p=23231487
- http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=145491441&page=1
- http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/08/06/tom-hardy-talks-about-bei_n_673824.html
- http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-1301129/Inception-star-Tom-Hardy-dark-past-drug-addict.html
The acne on his back is caused from waxing. He had all his body hair removed for the makeup, etc. And he, like myself and many people I know, comes out in huge spots when he gets waxed.
Source: Friend who worked on the set
That’s awesome that your friend worked on the set. DId Hardy tell him that personally? His remarks in the videos listed under sources allude to it being something more than that. He also had his back waxed for Warrior and didn’t have spots in the set photos.
I still thought he was a terrible Bane. It was two things:
1. He’s only 5’10” and no matter how they shot it, you could tell. Bane is supposed to be LeBron James sized.
2. The voice. Holy crap the voice was bad! Picture Dr. Zoidberg and…that’s it. He sounded like freaking Dr. Zoidberg. And the lines were poorly written.
This was a colossal disappointment to an otherwise great series. Bane + the MASSIVE plot holes sunk this well below The Avengers, or even Hunger Games for 2012.
Terrible? Yea, the other Banes were totally unrealistic. If you haven’t realized, Nolan’s Batman trilogy is more realistic, then your typically Batman Forever. The trilogy is great! In reality, the Bane your thinking of (all muscled out on roids) would get his butt handed to him, by a proficient martial artist or mma fighter.I absolutley hated the other banes, to much muscle equals to much show, except for Tom Hardy’s roll, he did an outstanding job. Not to many guys could have pulled it off. Plus, The Avengers, the hulk is nowhere near that size in the old tv series. They made him really unrealistic, the hulk is a character that is truly overrated.
doogle: you are a FOOL.
I believe the “acne” you speak of on his back is actually the vertical scar (prosthetic makeup) going down his spine. That is from the botched surgery the morphine-addicted prison doctor attempted to perform on Bane rendering him to constant pain THUS the necessity for the mask. This wasn’t made exceptionally clear in the film, but read interviews with the costume designer and about the deleted Bane scene. Also, when he’s hunched over that fire in said picture above, you can also see the back brace he’s wearing. Also show’s Bane’s motivation to break SPOILER: Batman’s back.
Thanks for the input Cal!
For someone who was in the sort of shape that Tom was in Warrior they WILL have taken steroids, testosterone injections, probably both, unless they are a genetic freak-of-nature of course. That doesn’t mean to say they didn’t have to work out tremendously hard, very very hard if fact. What steroids do is give you the ability to train harder by minimising recovery time and allowing one self to push themselves harder. It’s simply not a case of injecting steroids and magically getting bigger. People at the top of their game in all kinds of physical sport, MMA, athletics etc will have taken steroids, testosterone or HGH – they have to. Yes we have dope testing but if you know what you’re doing you’ll be fine. It’s the guys who get greedy or don’t have the correct information that get caught.
Am I just guessing this? Nope, I’m in the industry, an ex MMA champion and now coach to athletes professional and competing athletes.
I’d just like to add that I don’t think steroids are cheating as you still have to put in the hours and dedication but there are side effects and risks, again if you know what you are doing you can minimise the risk but most importantly ask yourself WHY you need to take steroids. If it is for pure vanity, or you just think it’ll be a magic injection, that is very wrong in both cases. If you are looking at competing at a very high level and your competitors are on steroids they have an advantage over you, so I feel it is more justifiable so you are on a level playing field.
Another reason for my comment is something that really pisses me off – there are lots of articles on the web on so and so’s training regime, for example ‘Tom Hardy’s Warrior workout’ which states he trained 4 times a day. Now looking at the routine, I’m pretty sure it’s not actually what he was doing BUT he was probably training 3 or 4 times a day, now this is the bit that pisses me off, guys out there reading this who end up trying this routine are going to be massively over training, which will have a negative impact ie muscle loss and possibly even serious injury. Only someone who is on steroids has the recovery to be able to train that hard and often, again unless you are a very rare breed of genetically gifted human being, or a long term professional athlete who has built up to that level over years of training.
Thurston,
Thank you for your comments. You have some very valid arguments, and you’re completely right – athletes that use steroids can recover much faster than regular joes. We only attempted to provide some insight into his training style based on the information out there. Tom is a tremendously gifted individual regardless of steroids or not as he was able to build an incredible physique for this role.
Thanks again for your insight!
Jeremey
I believe there is a huge possibility that Tom Hardy used steroids for the bane role. That being said, I don’t know him, or the truth of whether he did or didn’t. Does it really matter? He did what he did because it was what worked for him. Doesn’t mean it will work for anyone else. We all have to find what works for us to reach the fitness level and physique that we would like. If he did use steroids, I fully support it. If he ABUSED steroids, it’s a different thing entirely. But, given that he is a bit of a shrimp normally, I’d say he merely used them. Rae