Robert Pattinson, the world's newest Bruce Wayne, recently revealed that he's in the
process of buffing up for The Batman. But what exactly does that training regimen entail?
Here's how the English actor is getting ready for his next big role.
They say that abs are made in the kitchen but revealed in the gym, and Pattinson implemented
a pretty particular method of eating to build a superhero physique.
In his own words, Pattinson is an extremist when it comes to his eating choices in that
he'll go on a months-long junk food bender before it comes time for him to drop weight.
Pattinson apparently took this approach for The Batman.
During an interview with Buzzfeed in October 2019, he claimed,
"I'll eat nothing but pizzas for months so by the time I have to diet, my body is like,
'Thank God. Please only healthy stuff from now.'"
He also mentioned that he had begun a process of bulking up for The Batman. For those unaware,
bulking is a common dietary practice, and can be done by everyone from professional
athletes to actors prepping for a role to an everyday person wanting to literally bulk
up their body either in preparation for a muscle-defining weight cut or simply to keep
extra pounds on their frame in general.
There's no one "right way" to bulk, though two of the most popular and well-known methods
are clean bulking and dirty bulking. Those who practice a clean bulk gain mass by eating
a caloric surplus — taking in more calories than their basal metabolic rate, or BMR. That's
the total amount of energy one expends simply by being alive.
A clean bulk involves choosing healthier foods to chow down on. Think oatmeal and brown rice;
almond and peanut butter; proteins like salmon, chicken, and lean beef; and healthy fats like
avocados, olive oil, and full-fat coconut milk.
Those who dirty bulk, on the other hand, smash in calories from all kinds of sources the
denser, the better. And from his interviews, that sounds like the route Pattinson took.
"Who is that man? Is that a hot dog? ...New York hot dog… the kind that makes you fall
in love."
While his best friends at one point may have been Papa John and Little Caesar, Pattinson
has now adopted a cleaner diet and has cut out more than just the carbs.
In a feature for the health and fitness magazine Healthy For Men, it's noted that Pattinson
cut down on alcohol and reduced his intake of processed meat in addition to resisting
the temptation of fried foods all in the effort to get his body into superhero shape.
Giving up beer and saying so-long to something deep-fried may be difficult for us everyday
people, but for Pattinson and other superhero actors, it's all part of the job. And from
the way he described his pizza-heavy phase, his body probably thanked him switching to
a healthier eating plan.
For actors looking to change their bodies for a film, a fitness routine goes hand-in-hand
with their diet of choice. Sometimes, that involves very little working out and a whole
lot of pies – Christian Bale's combo of choice when he was gaining weight to play
former Vice President Dick Cheney in Vice.
Other times, it requires pushing a 5,000-pound Jeep across a parking lot and only eating
junk food as a reward for working out, which is what Brie Larson did while prepping for
Captain Marvel. Point is, exercise, or lack thereof, is just as important as diet when
it comes to transforming your body.
Pattinson's a smart guy, so he knows this. Thankfully, his new perspective on exercise
made his Batman movie prep a lot easier.
While speaking to interviewer Margaret Gardiner during The Lighthouse press circuit in the
fall of 2019, Pattinson revealed that he was "weirdly looking forward" to getting in shape
for The Batman which is all thanks to his new feelings about exercise. He shared with
a laugh,
"I didn't [like exercise] when I was younger. Now as I've kind of gotten older [...] I'm
suddenly getting aware of aging. It's like I need to put some effort in, otherwise I'm
going to need a hip replacement."
The actor followed up on that thought in a separate interview with Buzzfeed, saying,
"I used to hate working out. In my 30s, I find it very meditative. It's weird. When
you feel like someone's not forcing it on you, and you're doing it for yourself, it's
a very different experience. I'm weirdly looking forward to it."
When the time came to put thoughts into action and begin working out for The Batman, Pattinson
kept his exercise routine varied.
According to Healthy For Men, the actor would perform a five-minute cardio workout, followed
by a strength-training circuit consisting of crunches, side bends, and other core work.
Pattinson also picked up a habit of regularly running three to six miles three to four times
per week. The actor also took up boxing and had been spotted doing what Healthy for Men
called "military-style sandbag routines," likely to add excitement into his exercise
regime and to increase strength and agility.
Beyond the standard gym stuff, Pattinson took time to unwind while still getting outside
and moving about, taking long walks to rest the body and soothe the mind. Sounds like
Battinson will be one balanced dude.
In interviews, Pattinson has opened up about what it's been like to take on the role of
Batman. For the actor, who's received most acclaim for his turns in dramas that didn't
require physical transformations, he knows looking like Bruce Wayne is just as important
as acting like him.
He admitted that the lockdowns that world governments imposed in the face of the coronavirus
pandemic have impacted his progress, but he's determined to keep going and do his absolute
best as the new Batman, because ultimately, this has been an exciting learning experience
for Pattinson.
He told Healthy for Men,
"In every project I've ever taken on, I've come into it wanting to learn and to achieve
new things. That's usually in the embodiment of a character and someone who has a different
personality to me, but taking on a full physical transformation as well feels even more exciting
[...] A few years ago, I would have run a mile from anything with a physical edge."
Pattinson continued, sharing that he does wonder whether he can live up to expectations
in terms of both physicality and his actual performance but he understands that's normal.
Plus, he knows the onus isn't entirely on him to look unbelievably buff; Pattinson apparently
plans to continue getting ripped, without damaging his body, and then let movie-making
magic take care of the rest.
"You look at the true warriors of the superhero genre Hemsworth, the Rock, Downey Jr., Evans
and wonder if you're putting yourself in the wrong place. And yet, having spoken to a few,
I know everyone is nervous when the opportunity comes about. It's all about pushing boundaries
and building up to a point where you know you can do justice to the physicality required.
And past that, so much of it is letting the special effects and on-screen exchanges produce
the real magic. Overall, it's just very exciting."
Fans can see the fruits of Robert Pattinson's labor when The Batman hits theaters on October
1, 2021.
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