FIT LIKE A BAT

If you haven’t seen the Dark Knight yet, go see it. The movie is filled with action from start to finish; it’s definitely going to keep you on your toes. When I left the theater I was so jacked up with adrenaline I felt like going to the gym and working out some of the extra energy. Anyway, as someone who makes his living by training others to improve their health and physical fitness I enjoy movies where the actor/actress has to be in top physical condition for the role they are portraying.

Like the actors and stuntmen from the movie 300, Christian Bale had to work on developing a physic that was athletic but not bloated like a body builders. The role of Batman required a lot of physical activity from the actor and he (Bale) had to be not only visually in great shape but he had to be in shape in all of the ten recognized areas of fitness which are; cardiovascular/respiratory endurance, stamina, strength, flexibility, power, coordination ,agility ,balance ,and accuracy.

I did a little research on Bale’s physical preparation for the role of Batman and here is what I found. Christian Bale's Batman workout for the upcoming "Dark Knight" sequel has turned the actor from skinny to jacked in a matter of weeks. For the Dark Knight, Christian Bale underwent an intense training regime to make sure that he was a believable Batman. Anyone who has ever watched Christian Bale's knows that he can change his body for whatever the role calls for. Well for Batman, he had it tough.

Not only did he have to add substantial muscle since no one wants to see a scrawny and weak Batman but he also had to get lean and have a 6-pack for his out of suit shots. Just to make his training that much harder, he also have to be agility and increase his vertical leap slightly for some action scenes that he chose to do without a stunt double.

The Diet

For his diet Chrisitian consumed lean protein and healthy fats with every meal. His carbohydrates were kept low and limited to only carbs that came mainly from vegetable and limited fruit sources. The proteins that he ate came from fish, beef, lean steak, chicken, and turkey and protein powder. His healthy fats came from sources such as olive oil, fish oils, nuts and seeds, avocados, and from lean red meat. Christian ate six times per day two of those meals came from the protein shakes.

Training

His training had to be different from your typical gym training. Christian can't afford to do bicep curls and triceps pushdowns since he has to have an athletic body that can move. Plus, using compound movements like bench press and squats will keep his fat burning potential for one to two days post workout.

Not to mention that those exercises helped to add muscle to multiple body parts at the same time. Each exercise would be done with eight to twelve reps for three to four sets since those are the best sets and reps to build muscle. Workouts typically lasted around 30-40 minutes in duration.

Each workout had to include some type of explosive movement in it to increase his stamina and cardiovascular capacity. This was done as part of his daily regimen instead of forcing him to do 30-45 minutes of cardio after his workout. The time allotted for physical preparation for a movie role tends to be short (typically 3-4 months) when compared to most traditional workout methods.

In such a short period of time and with millions on the line there is no time to waste running on a tread mill.

Hmmm, sounds a bit familiar to me how about you? There is a growing trend in Hollywood that was started by Mark Twight the principle trainer for the cast and stunt crew of 300. Mark owns and operates Gym Jones in Salt Lake City Utah and was given the task to whip the “would be” Spartans into Spartan shape in four just months! Marks a very good guy and his training methodology has served as inspiration for the creation and physical conditioning programs of Garage Gym.

The Gym Jones method is in such high demand because it works. Hey I don’t have to sell you the concept. If you’re a member of my gym you have seen the transformations of our members who follow the program to the t. In other words, those who have chosen to drink the kool-aide (inside joke).