Find Out About Hollywood’s Top Bulk-Ups

Most guys would (secretly) love to look like any of the leading men in Hollywood- whether they are willing to admit it or not. There are some stars that truly make an impression on the big screen because of their perfect physic. It’s 6787544713 69177843dd m Find Out About Hollywoods Top Bulk Ups hard to imagine that these guys are actors instead of professional body builders, and their commitment to the part of a ripped character really shows in some movies. Check out this list of the top ten Hollywood bulk-ups with tips on how to get the results they did- without the million dollar roles (sorry guys).

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Top 10 Hollywood Bulk-Ups

10. Eli Roth in Inglourious Basterds

For his role as a Nazi’s worst nightmare in Quentin Tarantino’s fantastical World War II flick, the already physically fit Eli Roth needed to step up his game. His character — Sgt. Donnie “The Bear Jew” Donowitz, a Boston badass who disposes of SS officers with nothing more than a bloodstained Louisville Slugger — isn’t the type of guy who would be caught anywhere near Crunch fitness. Instead of getting cut, Roth needed to bulk up. So the Massachusetts native headed home to Beantown, mastered the local accent, stuffed his face with steak, and hit the gym until he packed on 40 pounds of heavy muscle. If you’ve seen Roth swinging for the fences in the film, you know his dedication paid off.

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This movie was based in a fictional time where pretty much everyone was in top physical form. Eli Roth played a part of a total terror and had to look the part. Roth was not just ‘in shape’ for this part, he was built- so what did he do? The actor packed on 40 lbs. worth of muscle with what sounds like a very high protein diet (that’s what we get from the steak remark) and lots of gym time.

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9. Jason Statham in The Transporter

British actor Jason Statham didn’t set out to be an action hero. Starting his career in Guy Ritchie gangster flicks like Snatch and Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, the former championship diver was best known for playing skinny conmen before Hollywood came calling. So when he was cast as the world’s most dangerous chauffeur in the 2002 martial arts flick The Transporter, the part-time model needed a physical overhaul. But instead of going the typical Hollywood route of hiring a personal trainer, Statham motivated himself, increasing his time in the gym and taking his interest in mixed martial arts to the next level. By the end of his intense training, Statham was so physically fit he was able to perform most of his own stunts in the film.
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Jason Statham has a very impressive form, especially in The Transporter. He was both cut and bulky in this movie- a combination that most of us aim for when we hit the weights. According to the article, he lead himself to fitness and avoided hiring a training. This bit of information is inspirational because it means that we can do it on our own without the constant supervision of a professional. Another point we like here is that he trained through mixed martial arts (MMA). MMA workouts are a huge trend right now, and that’s because they work!

Check out our article on cage fitness to get into a fighting form.

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8. Robert De Niro in Raging Bull

Here’s the flipside to De Niro’s Oscar-winning performance—before he gained the equivalent of a small child to play Jake LaMotta in his darkest, fattest hours, the New York native got completely shredded to play the Italian middleweight pugilist in his prime. But De Niro didn’t just hit the treadmill to achieve this look. The GoodFellas star underwent a full-on training routine, working closely with the real-life LaMotta on every facet of a boxer’s regiment. In fact, De Niro was so dedicated to becoming a convincing brawler, he actually competed in three organized bouts, winning two. LaMotta was so impressed with De Niro’s dedication, he claimed the actor could have fought professionally if he wished.

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Iconic Robert De Niro is the ultimate guy’s guy and he was in the optimal masculine form in Raging Bull. For this role, he really got into method acting and pretty much transformed himself into a boxer- training like a real pro and competition in grappling matches.

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7. Jamie Foxx in Any Given Sunday

Thanks to the Academy Award he nabbed for the 2006 Ray Charles biopic Ray, Jamie Foxx is no longer known as that scrawny dude from Booty Call. But the actor first showed his dedication to his craft in Oliver Stone’s 1999 football flick Any Given Sunday. For his role as fictional quarterback Willie Beamen, Foxx hit the weights hard, bulking up to a solid 200 pounds. Then, the former MF cover model reported to football training camp and dropped 25 pounds as a result of the vigorous, real-life training. Luckily, the muscle remained and Foxx ended up with the kind of chiseled physique that looks even better on film. “It made me look bigger on the screen because I was tighter,” Foxx told MF.

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Going from ultra-skinny to ripped, Jamie Foxx went from scrawny to solid muscle in the movie, Any Given Sunday. The actor reportedly bulked up to 200 lbs. of muscle and then lost some of it during training camp and was super chiseled as a result. So what we see here is that he probably went on a high calorie, high protein diet and hit the weights- then the training camp was a combo of strength training and calorie torching cardio so he lost any excess fat. For a similar routine, try doing a 50/50 cardio and weights routine in the gym.

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6. Mickey Rourke in The Wrestler

To take on the role of washed-up grappler Randy “The Ram” Robinson in Darren Aronofsky’s 2008 film, Mickey Rourke had to do a lot more than just bleach his hair and wear lime green tights. In order to convincingly portray the kind of guy who could hold his own against King Kong Bundy, the 55-year-old had to pack on nearly 30 pounds of lean muscle. Realizing this could be his comeback role, Rourke dedicated himself to the part, working out religiously and training with professional wrestler Afa the Wild Samoan for months prior to shooting. Rourke pulled it off and his impressive build not only added to the realism of the film, but helped him land a role as a villain in the upcoming Iron Man sequel.

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At 55, Mickey Rourke transformed his body into that of a professional athlete. He reportedly packed on 30 pounds of lean muscle by working out constantly and training with pro wrestler Afa.

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5. Ryan Reynolds in Blade: Trinity

Much like Jamie Foxx, Ryan Reynolds was best known for a not-so-great sitcom (the poorly-titled Two Guys, A Girl and a Pizza Place) before an eight pack turned his career around. When the relatively unknown actor was cast as a vampire hunter in the third film in the Blade trilogy, he knew he needed to do something to grab the audience’s attention — after all, he was starring alongside Jessica Biel. So the Vancouver native began to train like a madman, doing everything from intense 3-hour daily workouts to a eating eight to 10 small meals a day. The result? Countless magazine covers, the leading role in the upcoming Green Lantern flick and a marriage to Scarlett Johansson. If that’s not motivation to get into the gym, we don’t know what is.
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This isn’t the first time we’ve talked about Ryan Reynolds’ form- we can’t help but to be impressed by this once out of shape comedian that turned himself (and his body) into a hero. He credits high intensity 3-hour workouts every day and eating 8-10 small meals a day for his fit form.

Read more about the Ryan Reynolds workout here.

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4. Edward Norton in American History X

Before he knocked audiences on their asses with American History X, Edward Norton wasn’t much more than a solid actor with a bad haircut and few decent flicks under his belt. Then he stomped onto the screen as Derek Vinyard, a raging neo-Nazi skinhead with the kind of physically imposing look that would make most men cross the street. Norton didn’t just have the cut biceps and chiseled chest of a typical Hollywood leading man, he looked like a guy who had spent some time lifting weights in the joint. So how did the scrawny Ivy Leaguer go from Yale grad to jail bird? A high protein diet mixed with strength-building exercises like squats and presses. If only Norton could’ve manned up like that in Fight Club.

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While his character was pretty unsavory for the majority of this movie, his bad guy side came with an intimidating form. He combined a high protein diet with strength training- the most popular and trusted way to bulk up! See guys, it just takes commitment but getting cut isn’t complicated.

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3. Christian Bale in Batman Begins

Christian Bale’s physique in this Batman revamp may not be the most spectacular on the list, but consider this — six months before playing the caped crusader, Bale weighed 120 pounds. Taking a page out of Robert De Niro’s playbook, the Welsh actor had dropped over 60 pounds (mostly through a steady diet of coffee and apples) for his role as an emaciated insomniac in the psychological thriller The Machinist. When he landed the lead in Batman Begins, Bale only had half a year to get in shape. Wasting no time, Bale started a high protein diet while utilizing heavy core training, plyometrics and resistance training. By the time cameras were ready to roll, Bale had packed on 100 solid pounds. Ironically, director Christopher Nolan felt Bale had gotten too bulky and ordered him to drop 20 pounds.

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Christian Bale is the ultimate example of physical transformation. In some of his roles, he looks sickly and like he’s wasting away- but for his role of iconic superhero Batman, Bale used core training, plymetrics and resistance training to pack on 100 solid pounds of muscle.

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2. Will Smith in Ali

If you’re going to tell the story of the greatest professional boxer of all time, you have to do it right. Working with Sugar Ray Leonard’s former fitness coach, Will Smith rose to the occasion, turning his 185-pound frame into 220-pounds of lean, sinewy muscle through grueling six-hour-a-day workouts and intensive weight training. At his peak physical condition during the filming of Ali, Smith was benching 350 pounds while moving with the agility of a skilled fighter. Through his focused training, the rapper-turned-actor ended up with a physique just as impressive as the former World Champion. And while the film garnered mixed reviews, Smith’s performance was praised and the actor received an Oscar nomination.

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With some pretty big shoes to fill, Will Smith went from a lean 185 lbs. to 200 lbs. of lean muscle. He worked out 6 hours a day with high intensity weight training- talk about commitment!

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1. Gerard Butler in 300

To portray King Leonidas, a Spartan warrior who disposes of thousands of hapless Persians while wearing little more than a Speedo and a cape, Scottish actor Gerard Butler needed a physique right out of a comic book. But the longtime smoker’s body was far from loincloth worthy. Enter Mark Twight. Twight, a renowned mountain climber and conditioning coach, put Butler and his costars through hell for four grueling months. A small sample of their agonizing daily workout included non-stop sets of pullups, deadlifts, pushups and clean-and-jerks, coupled with unorthodox training methods like Olympic-style ring work and flipping gigantic tires. While Butler did most of his preparation with his co-stars, the 6-foot-2 star had to look even more chiseled than the 299 other shredded warriors who were standing behind him, so he would put in an extra workout after these training sessions. The results speak for themselves.

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Admit it, you knew Gerard Butler would capture the number one spot for his role in 300. Prior to this role, Butler wasn’t in shape and was leading an unhealthy lifestyle. This guy go through the transformation on his own, he was run through the wringer by (scary sounding) trainer Mark Twight. Mark’s workout program was sun-up to sun-down strength training combined with Olympic style ring work and flipping tires. Butler trained the hardest for this film, but you know you’d give anything to look like the guys who stood behind him too!

Watch this video for more details on the 300 workout…