Popular actors have to change their appearance from one role to another. And often the art of make-up artists is not enough for this. Stars build their own bodies on their own, working out hard in the gym and following a strict diet. A clear example of this is the English actor Tom Hardy. Training for the film “The Dark Knight” helped him gain 10 kg of muscle mass and become a hero, ready to challenge Batman himself. The actor had to face similar challenges during preparation for other films. Thus, Tom Hardy’s training for the film “Warrior” allowed the actor to quickly turn into a real fighter, a representative of mixed martial arts.
- Training program
"Warrior"
- "The Dark Knight Rises"
- "Warrior"
A little about Tom Hardy
Tom grew up in a wealthy family, so in his youth he was spoiled
Tom Hardy is 44 years old. He was born into a family of English intellectuals in September 1977. Tom's father was a writer, his mother an artist. Since childhood, his parents tried to instill in their son a love of good literature and classical music, and to protect him from bad company.
However, the future actor, on the contrary, was indiscriminate in his choice of friends and in adolescence began to regularly get into various troubles. At age 15, he was expelled from school for his addiction to alcohol and drugs, and a year later he found himself behind bars for car theft. The arrest was short-lived. The young man was released thanks to his father’s connections and Tom’s promise to come to his senses.
Hardy’s passion for the stage helped him take the path of correction. The young man entered the London School of Drama and at the same time began working as a model. The aspiring artist received his first film role in the late 1990s. It was the series "Band of Brothers". Then Tom’s filmography began to rapidly expand, and leading roles began to appear in it. The actor often had to change images, playing characters completely different from each other.
At 21, Tom Hardy won the Breakfast's Find Me beauty contest. As a prize, the young man was paid a monetary reward and offered a contract with a modeling agency.
Among Hardy’s iconic works are roles in the films “Bronson”, “RocknRolla”, “Mad Max: Fury Road”, “The Revenant”. The film “Warrior”, in which the artist played the role of an MMA fighter, also became important for Tom. For this, he had to urgently get into shape, literally registering in the gym for 8 weeks.
Another role that required Hardy to seriously work on his body was the terrorist villain from the film about Bae. Especially for this film, the actor gained weight and learned to walk with 10-centimeter pads under his shoes so that in the frame he would be the same height as the bat-man.
Tom Hardy is 175 cm tall and weighs 76 kg.
The formation of a career and its flourishing
The aspiring actor felt confident on the set. After his first cameo role, Tom began receiving filming offers. At first these were minor roles in major films. A year after his first film role, Tom was offered to play one of the main roles in the war drama “Simon”.
Over the course of several years of continuous participation in the filming of films, the actor did not stop using drugs. Over the long years of addiction, which began in school, Thomas has experienced a lot. There were also homosexual relationships in his life.
After finishing filming Star Trek, the actor suffered a cocaine overdose, which resulted in a seizure. According to Thomas himself, when he came to, there was a pool of blood and vomit around him. After that, Hardy decided it was time to stop.
The actor went to a rehabilitation center for treatment, after which he had no breakdowns.
In 2003, Tom Hardy returned to the set and continued acting. He now spent all his energy on work, thanks to which he achieved good results.
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Training program
The actor's full name is Edward Thomas Hardy.
Tom Hardy's training program includes choreography and jiu-jitsu. They help strengthen and improve the actor’s body along with other exercises.
"Warrior"
Hardy and his partner Joel Edgerton trained with real MMA fighters
In preparation for filming the film “Warrior,” the actor was faced with the task of “drying out” his body and improving muscle definition. Together with his trainer Patrick Monroe, the actor developed a special training program that included martial arts such as boxing, Muay Thai and kickboxing. The training process took place four days a week. The classes lasted six hours.
Tom Hardy often alternated with training on simulators and numerous exercises with his own weight.
Tom started the first day with a bench press. After that, he moved on to dumbbell presses, deadlifts and dumbbell flyes. Hardy performed three sets of 10–15 exercises each. Also, the first training day contained pull-ups (3 sets to the maximum) and abdominal exercises (4 sets to a full burning sensation).
On the second day, Hardy began doing barbell exercises. First there were squats, then lunges and calf raises with a barbell. In total, the actor performed three approaches, including up to 10 performances of each exercise. Next, Tom did a similar number of approaches to the “Hyperextension” exercise, barbell curls, dips and leg raises to the bar.
Tom Hardy gained 12 kg of muscle mass for the role
On the third day, the actor’s training program included bent-over barbell rows and barbell rows to the chin, lifting dumbbells in front of you, pull-ups on the bar and abdominal exercises. There were 10–15 repetitions in 3 sets. At the same time, it was necessary to do pull-ups as many times as possible, and perform abdominal exercises until the burning sensation was complete.
On the fourth day of training, Tom Hardy performed a leg press, front squats, dumbbell curls, a deadlift exercise, and a close-grip bench press. Each element was performed in three approaches, 15 times each.
In addition to acting in films, Tom Hardy also plays in the theater.
"The Dark Knight Rises"
As a child, Hardy was a fan of Batman, so the fight scene with his idol was difficult for him
In order to transform into the villain Bane, Tom needed to increase an additional 15 kg of mass in a short time. Details of the actor’s activities are kept secret. However, it can be assumed that Tom trained according to the 5 on 5 system.
It involves performing five sets of 5 repetitions per set. The breaks between approaches were quite long - from 2 to 4 minutes.
In 3 months, the actor gained 15 kg of muscle mass
Exhausting training took place three times a week. Tom devoted the rest of his days to recovery. The only sports activities allowed at this time were yoga and Pilates - even running and playing football were completely excluded.
The basic exercises included in the program:
- squats;
- deadlift;
- military bench press and standing press.
The peculiarity of Tom Hardy's training was that he alternated squats and deadlifts, while all other exercises were performed without fail every time.
Way to success
In 2003, Thomas Hardy left rehab and returned to his acting career. He started working in the theater. In the same year, the actor received the prestigious “Most Promising Newcomer” award from the famous Evening Standard publication. He received this award for his role in the play “Blood”.
In 2004, Thomas starred in the film Layer Cake. Then he managed to work with Daniel Craig.
In 2005, Thomas received one of the main roles in the film “The Virgin Queen.” In the film, he became a character named Robert Dudley, who was an associate and part-time lover of Queen Elizabeth the first.
In parallel with filming the film “The Virgin Queen,” the actor starred with Kirsten Dunst in the film “Marie Antoinette.”
In the film Stuart: Past Life, Thomas played the role of Stuart Shorter. Critics called the actor's performance in this film his most breakthrough work.
The filmmakers did not want to release the film widely. That is why Russian film lovers did not see Thomas in the role of Stewart. The plot of the film is taken from the novel of the same name. In the story, Stewart is an outcast, a drug addict and alcoholic. But despite his negative qualities, the man fights for the rights of those left without shelter and livelihood.
In the film RocknRolla, directed by Guy Ritchie, Thomas played the role of a member of the criminal group The Wild Bunch. According to the plot, the character is a homosexual and a bandit. The head of the group was played by Gerard Butler, with whom Tom fell in love in the story.
Nutrition program
In 2011, the British Academy of Film and Television Arts recognized the man as the most promising star.
The actor’s nutrition before filming each of the films was supposed to contribute to the rapid growth of high-quality muscles without any fat deposits. The actor admits that this made his diet too monotonous. Moreover, after finishing working on the films, Tom could no longer look at some products without shuddering.
"Warrior"
The actor used BCAA as sports supplements, both during the day and during training.
On the eve of filming this film, Tom Hardy went on a low-carbohydrate diet. All food consumed was divided into 5–6 meals. The menu was based on chicken and broccoli. The diet did not involve going beyond 3,500 calories per day and implied an unconditional ban on any fast food and empty calories.
In addition, the actor took proteins as sports supplements throughout the day, and amino acids (BCAAs) during training. This made it possible to increase the effectiveness of the training and gain 12 kg of muscle mass during the training, and reduce fat to a minimum.
If before the start of training Tom’s weight was 73 kg, then at the end of the course Hardy already weighed all 86 kg. The set goal was achieved. The artist appeared on the screens with a spectacular figure that any fighter could envy.
"The Dark Knight"
Tom did not follow a special diet in preparation for the film - he simply ate a lot of protein foods, limiting carbohydrates
The nutrition program before filming was high in calories with a slight restriction of carbohydrates. The basis of the diet with a daily calorie intake of 3210–3500 included:
- rice;
- chicken,
- protein shakes.
“I ate as much as I could fit,” Tom admitted in an interview after the premiere of the film. Although the actor added that the food was not always exclusively healthy. Sometimes the actor allowed himself to enjoy ice cream or could eat a large pizza alone.
Childhood
British actor, theater artist, screenwriter and producer Tom Hardy was born on September 15, 1977. His mother, Elizabeth Barrett (Irish), was an artist, and his father, Edward "Chips" Hardy, was a writer.
Edward not only wrote stories, he was involved in drafting scripts for films and theatrical productions. Papa Hardy attended Harvard and received an excellent education.
Thomas is the only child of his parents. The family lived in a huge luxurious mansion in the London suburb of East Sheen.
The parents loved the boy very much. Mom devoted herself completely to raising her son. Dad and mom constantly gave gifts to the child. Tom loved to read books and listen to music, so in his room there was a huge number of collectible editions of literature, as well as music records.
When the time came to study, the parents sent their son not to a regular school, but to a private one. Tom's mom and dad believed that their son would receive a better education there.
Thomas grew up as a very naughty boy. He himself admitted that as a child he did not want to obey his parents and was constantly capricious. Tom was ashamed of his family, because the school was attended by very rich children, in comparison with whom Hardy seemed poor. That is why Thomas preferred to communicate and make friends with children from disadvantaged families.
