Tom Hardy Workout Routine And Diet Plan

Over the past decade, few names have dominated the box office quite like Tom Hardy’s.

From Band of Brothers to The Dark Knight Rises, Hardy has become an icon for his physical transformations.

In particular, his rendition of the mask-wearing mastermind Bane, who breaks Batman, cemented him in gym and pop culture history.

So, have you ever wondered what Tom Hardy did to transform himself into The Man Who Broke The Bat?

Today, let’s discuss the Tom Hardy workout routine and diet plan. We’ll review his workout fundamentals, diet preferences, and more. You’ll even get sample routines you can try yourself.

Let’s jump in. 

Tom Hardy Current Bio and Stats

Read More: Daniel Craig Workout Routine

Edward Thomas Hardy was born in Hammersmith, London in 1977 to Elisabeth Ann and Chips Hardy.

Growing up in East Sheen, Hardy began his acting journey in his formative years at Richmond Drama School. He later enrolled at the Drama Centre London, where he studied alongside fellow student and friend Michael Fassbender.

Both would go on to be cast in Band of Brothers (2001). He would go on to play Shinzon in Star Trek: Nemesis (2002) alongside Patrick Stewart.

Following filming, Hardy began treatment for addiction. In fact, all throughout his late teens and early twenties Hardy struggled with alcohol and substance addiction, which sadly ended his marriage.

Upon returning in 2003, Hardy focused on roles in theater productions before landing roles in Layer Cake and Marie Antoinette.

All of this elevated him into being cast in the cult hit Bronson where we would see an incredible transformation of his physique.

However, it was his role as Handsome Bob in Guy Ritchies’ RocknRolla that caught the eye of Christopher Nolan. Nolan launched Hardy into superstardom, casting him in the film Inception.

This birthed opportunities to play physically transformative roles in Warrior and his most iconic, the Trojan Horse Bane, in the The Dark Knight Rises.

Since then, Hardy has become a household name, starring in Mad Max: Fury Road, The Revenant, and Dunkirk.

• Age: 45 Years Old
• Height: 5’ 10” (178 cm)  
• Weight: 178 lbs (81 kgs): 
• Birthday: 15th September, 1977
• Occupation: Actor
• Retired/Active: Active

Tom Hardy Workout Fundamentals 

Read More: Michael B. Jordan Workout Routine

Tom Hardy is far from the athlete that we see in his films, calling himself a “professional coward and couch potato.” He’s plainly stated that, “Getting into a gym is something I’m not comfortable with at all.”

Still, for Hardy’s first transformation into Charles Bronson in 2008, he had five weeks to pack on 35 pounds.

With an unrealistic deadline, Hardy began enlisting in body weight exercises and dirty bulking on chicken, rice, chips, chocolate, and pizza.

Successfully reaching his weight goals, he began at a modest 147 lbs. and finished at a solid 182 lbs. If you’ve seen this film, you would know that this method was a great success, and the performance incredible.

And thankfully for Hardy, he wore pants for the role, because this training routine didn’t include leg day, leaving little to no change to his chicken legs after the five-week program. 

His next transformation into Tommy Conlon in Warrior required a more calculated approach. Hardy’s training consisted of mixed martial arts, body weight training, and free weights.

This role demanded that he looked the part of an elite fighter with a strict training routine and diet plan to follow. 

Still, the transformation that truly turned heads was his physique for Bane, where he took his weight to 190 lbs. This was made possible with four strength training sessions per week for four months. 

While his transformation for Bane was impressive, he was much smaller than portrayed in the film, with many of the shots taken from the ground-up to give him a dominating and formidable presence.  

Hardy has since gone on to practice Brazilian Jiu Jitsu to maintain his fitness. 

Tom Hardy Workout Routine 

Tom Hardy’s workout routine has varied through the years, from his upper-body focused training for Bronson, his combat-focused training for Warrior, and his strength training for his role as Bane.

Hardy’s dedication to assuming his roles and dedication to his fitness has evolved over the years.

Below is Tom Hardy’s workout based on his roles in each movie, including a weekly schedule to help you obtain his supervillain physique.

Tom Hardy Bronson Workout Routine

Hardy’s training for Bronson was based around a man in solitude, with his coach Patrick “P-Nut” Monroe basing his training on four walls and a floor. 

He trained using bodyweight exercises for two to two-and-a-half hours per day, with adequate rest days to help him to grow. 

Hardy’s training for Bronson isn’t clearly documented, so we will take components of what is available and fill in the gaps to make a complete bodyweight program.

The program will be split into a push and ab components, with both to be completed in a circuit. 

P-Nut Monroe explains that it is not only about training hard, but training smart and prioritizing rest.

Based on this, we have created a weekly schedule of alternating days to help you assume the body of Tom Hardy as Bronson.   

This workout also contains “neck bridges”, which Tom used to build his neck. However, we recommend against this as it can put far too much stress on the spine. 

If you would like to build a thicker neck safely, check out the article below.

Related: How To Get a Thicker Neck: 8 Best Exercises & a Full Workout Program

Tom Hardy Bronson Training Schedule

Mon	Tues	Wed	Thurs	Fri	Sat	Sun
Train	Rest	Train	Rest	Train	Rest	Train

Push Circuit

Exercise	Sets	Reps	Rest
Tricep Push-Ups	10	25	–
Push-Ups	10	25	–
Pike Push-Ups	10	25	–
Diamond Push-Ups	10	25	–
Bench Dips	10	25	–
Rest	–	–	60-90 secs

Ab Circuit

Exercise	Sets	Reps	Rest
Slider Mountain Climbers	5	20	–
Slider Knee Tucks	5	20	–
Slider Y Knee Tucks	5	20	–
Rest	–	–	30-45 secs
Sit Ups to Stand	5	10	30 secs
Single-Arm Single-Leg Plank	4	20 sec	30 secs
Neck Bridge Prone	–	–	–
Neck Bridge Supine	–	–	–

Tom Hardy Warrior Workout Routine

Tom Hardy’s Warrior workout plan was more calculated than Bronson.

He was afforded more time, with a specific approach to assume the role of a professional MMA fighter. 

For his role as Tommy Conlon, Hardy performed a combination of MMA and strength training. To truly turn him into a fighter, Hardy was put through a grueling regime, training every day for two months.

His daily routine consisted of two hours of boxing, two hours of Muay Thai, two hours of choreography and two hours of weights.

This was combined with a strict diet to get him looking lean and cut.

There are again clear records of Hardy’s Warrior routine. However, the direction of his training was to build strength and mass. So below, we have created a five-day split training program to build strength for Tommy Conlon.  

Tom Hardy Warrior Training Schedule

Mon	Tues	Wed	Thurs	Fri	Sat	Sun
Chest/Triceps	Legs	Traps/Shoulders	Back/Biceps	Upper Body	Rest	Rest

Chest & Triceps

Exercise	Sets	Reps	Rest
Bench Press	4	8	45-60 secs
Incline Bench PRess	4	8	30-45 secs
Cable Flys	4	10	30-45 secs
Skull Crushers	4	10-12	30-45 secs
Dips	4	8-10	30-45 secs

Legs

Exercise	Sets	Reps	Rest
Squats	4	8-10	45-60 secs
Dumbbell Step-Ups	4	10	30-45 secs
Dumbbell Lunges	4	12	30-45 secs
Hamstring Curls	3	10-12	30-45 secs
Leg Press	4	8-10	30-45 secs

Traps & Shoulders

Exercise	Sets	Reps	Rest
Dumbbell Shoulder Press	5	8-12	45-60 secs
Barbell Row	5	5	30-45 secs
Barbell Shrugs	4	12	30-45 secs
Seated Shrugs	4	8-12	30-45 secs
Dumbbell Lateral Raises	4	10-12	30-45 secs

Back & Biceps

Exercise	Sets	Reps	Rest
Deadlifts	4	8	45-60 secs
Pull-Ups	4	10	30-45 secs
Lat Pulldown	4	8-12	30-45 secs
Barbell Curls	4	10-12	30-45 secs
Dumbbell Curls	3	10-15	30-45 secs

Upper Body

Exercise	Sets	Reps	Rest
Barbell Rows	4	8	45-60 secs
Dumbbell Chest Press	4	8	30-45 secs
Wide Lat Pulldown	4	8	30-45 secs
Dumbbell Shoulder Press	4	8	30-45 secs
Dumbbell Bicep Curls	3	8-10	30-45 secs
Dips	4	8	30-45 secs

Tom Hardy Bane Workout Routine

Tom Hardy’s transformation into The Man That Broke The Bat was yet another intense workout schedule.

He would perform a five-day training split with a focus on strength and bodybuilding movements to again, pack on serious mass.

Hardy’s Bane workout used many of the previous exercises from his Warrior training, but with changes to more sets, lower reps, and heavier weight.

For this role his sole focus was to get as big as possible, even forgoing cardio to ensure no mass was lost. 

Tom Hardy Bane Weekly Schedule

Mon	Tues	Wed	Thurs	Fri	Sat	Sun
Chest/Triceps	Lower	Traps/Shoulders	Back/Biceps	Upper	Rest	Rest

Chest & Triceps

Exercise	Sets	Reps	Rest
Incline Dumbbell Chest Press	4	8-10	45-60 secs
Bench Press	4	8	30-45 secs
Cable Fly	4	12	30-45 secs
Skull Crushers	4	8-10	30-45 secs
Dips	4	8-10	30-45 secs

Lower Body

Exercise	Sets	Reps	Rest
Back Squat	5	5	45-60 secs
Deadlift	5	5	30-45 secs
Dumbbell Step Ups	3	8-12	30-45 secs
Dumbbell Lunge	3	8-12	30-45 secs
Leg Press	3	15-20	30-45 secs

Traps & Shoulders

Exercise	Sets	Reps	Rest
Barbell Row	5	5	45-60 secs
Barbell Shrug	5	5	30-45 secs
Dumbbell Shoulder Press	5	5	30-45 secs
Seated Dumbbell Shrug	4	10-12	30-45 secs
Dumbbell Lateral Raise	4	8-12	30-45 secs

Back & Biceps

Exercise	Sets	Reps	Rest
Weighted Pull Ups	5	5	45-60 secs
Reverse Grip Lat Pulldown	4	12-15	30-45 secs
Cable Row	4	8-10	30-45 secs
Barbell Curl	3	12-15	30-45 secs
Dumbbell Curls	3	8-10	30-45 secs

Upper Body

Exercise	Sets	Reps	Rest
Barbell Row	4	8-12	45-60 secs
Dumbbell Floor Press	4	8-12	30-45 secs
Neutral Grip Pull-Up	3	12	30-45 secs
Push Press	3	5-10	30-45 secs
Inverted Row	3	10	30-45 secs

Related: What Is The Best 5 Day Workout Split? 5 Day Split For Both Muscle Gain & Weight Loss

Tom Hardy Dieting and Food Preferences 

Tom Hardy’s dirty bulking for Bronson is far from ideal. 

It was his role in Warrior that cleaned up his nutrition, mainly consisting of chicken, broccoli and rice.

However, in this state he was training in excess of eight hours per day, and heavily carb depleted to give himself a shredded physique.   

When Hardy assumed the role of Bane, his diet became a hybrid of healthy, nutrient-dense meals to build lean mass.

And what did Hardy do to boost his calorie intake to add some bulk?

Pizza!

His role for Bane, while based around packing on muscle mass, was about getting as big as possible. This gave him that added license to eat beyond his healthy eating plan. 

The diet and food preferences below are based on his healthy and nutrient-dense meal plan. It’s a high protein, high carb diet made up of six meals per day.  

Meal	Food
Meal 1	4 Egg white (2 full egg) Omelette, 4 Slice Brown Toast, Mixed Fruit & Nuts
Meal 2	4 oz Grass-Fed Beef, 1 Cup White Rice,  Vegetables
Meal 3	Protein Shake 2x Scoops, 2x Tbsp Peanut Butter, Banana
Meal 4	6 oz Chicken Breast, 1 Cup Brown Rice, Vegetables
Meal 5	Tuna, 2x Slices Whole Grain Bread, Salad
Meal 6	1x Cup Oats, ½ Cup Berries, Chia Seeds, Casein Protein

Tom Hardy Diet Plan 

Tom Hardy’s healthy bulk meal plan consists of six high protein, nutrient-dense meals per day.

To gain mass like that of Bane, your calorie intake will need to exceed 3,000 calories to not only fuel the intense strength training sessions, but to promote increasing muscle mass. 

Meal 1

• 4x egg white chicken and vegetable omelet
• 4x slices whole grain toast
• Mixed fruit and nuts

Meal 2

• 4 oz lean beef stir fry, with vegetables
• 1 cup of white rice

Meal 3

• 2x  scoop protein shake, peanut butter, berries, banana, ½ cup oats 

Meal 4

• Grilled chicken wrap, salad, sweet potato fries
• Protein yogurt

Meal 5

• Tuna salad on whole wheat roll with veggies
• Protein bar

Meal 6

• Oat, casein, berries, and banana shake 

Tom Hardy Supplement Preferences

Tom Hardy used a variety of supplements to assist with his training, including a whey protein to increase his calorie intake, build muscle, and aid in recovery.

He also drank a casein shake in the evening to further boost his protein intake.  

In addition, he used creatine and pre-workout to boost his energy and improve his performance during the session.  

• Whey Protein 
• Casein
• Pre-workout 
• Creatine
• Vitamins
• BCAA’s

Final Thoughts

Tom Hardy’s dedication to fitness and mastery of transformation is nothing short of amazing.

His dedication to his roles, both physically and mentally, have been an inspiration to many who view his films.

So, if you are considering taking on the Tom Hardy workout routine and diet plan, be sure to consume nutrient-dense, protein-rich meals, and take your time.

And if you must hit those lofty calorie targets, why not throw in a little pizza?

Are you considering trying the Tom Hardy workout routine and diet plan?

Which of his physiques interests you the most? Let us know in the comments, and be sure to share this with any Tom Hardy fans you know. 

Popular Celebrity Workout Routines: