Goal physique - Achievable or pipe dream?

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  • LoraF83
    LoraF83 Posts: 15,694 Member


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    I'm just here for the Tom Hardy pictures!! :love:

    That said, there's no reason you can't achieve a similar look. Don't expect your results overnight - and strive to educate yourself about bulk/cut cycles, muscle gains, and other aspects of fitness & body building.

    However, I think someone else summed it up just right - try to be a more awesome version of you! That will be better :)
  • waldo56
    waldo56 Posts: 1,861 Member
    I like these sort of goals for guys. More women need to set goals like these.

    That physique is achieveable naturally. To get there is a long process of initial cut and multiple bulking/cutting cycles, that will likely take you a few years. If you stick with it, you can achieve it though. When you get there there will be very little risk of the gaining it all back phenomenon, it will take so long that the journey will become your reality (it takes a good 2-3 years for lifestyle changes to truly become permanent).

    So much better than trying to "lose weight" to get so some arbitrarily chosen number that you may or may not have been at some point in the past, and then be done with it, only to be back at in in a couple years. The short fix instead of the long journey.
  • jimmmer
    jimmmer Posts: 3,515 Member
    Hi Jimmer, thanks for advice, personally going to take approach of dropping the fat first then bulking up i think, as major target at the moment is to not be fat any more. Still trying to drop from 26% to about 12% body fat, at an estimate i started at about 35%.

    Am not bothered about time taken as long as I feel am making progress, and once I get in to a routine the eating isn't difficult for me it's just about the planning. Just fed up with being the over weight lazy one in the crowd, don't care about looking good for other people more them acknowledging the achievement if that makes sense.

    There's no reason why you can't build muscle and lose fat at the same time.

    Except, most people who think they are gaining loads of muscle whilst they are in deficit are actually preserving their existing LBM and revealing it by removing the covering fat. And to start with most people in a deficit experience a jump in strength and attribute this to increased muscle mass, whereas it's more likely to be greater neuro-muscular efficiency as your CNS learns to fire your muscles correctly once they're exposed to higher and higher loads.

    To the OP, shredding yourself back down initially whilst retaining as much LBM as possible is a great way to start because you'll get nice psychological bumps as you go as you become more and more cut and this can be very motivating. It will spur you on! Start a full body routine that's forgiving on a cut and can accomodate some cardio into the schedule with leaving you feeling burnt out. Then when you get where you're going, reduce/drop the cardio, eat at a surplus and you'll start to grow.....
  • mousepaws22
    mousepaws22 Posts: 380 Member
    I saw these articles online today, not sure if they might be useful to you or not, but thought I'd post it anyway. Loved Tom Hardy in Warrior!

    http://www.menshealth.co.uk/building-muscle/bodyweight-exercises/the-weight-free-ufc-workout

    http://www.menshealth.co.uk/building-muscle/fast/tom-hardys-warrior-workout
  • jayche
    jayche Posts: 1,128 Member
    Not to burst anyones bubble but I seriously have my doubts that Tom Hardy ahieved his physique without some drug supplementation. These guys also have around the clock dietary help and know exactly what to eat.


    Work on making yourself look better, week after week. Don't feel like you have to look like someone else. It's a good goal to shoot for, but just understand that most of the jacked moviestars are taking drugs.
    You think Tom Hardy's on the juice? Seriously?
    Definitely possible OP go for it
  • RosscoBoscko
    RosscoBoscko Posts: 632 Member
    You think Tom Hardy's on the juice? Seriously?
    Definitely possible OP go for it

    Personally having read a bit about him, I doubt it but i guess its possible.

    But seeing as when he isn't filming he often disappears off to Africa and other places with a bunch of ex SAS and special forces mates for expeditions I'd be surprised if its not natural.
  • chrishgt4
    chrishgt4 Posts: 1,222 Member
    He was probably (read almost certainly) on the juice for Batman, but probably not for Warrior.

    Achievable, but probably not in a year unless you dedicate your life to it.

    Maybe 3 years if you really get it right.
  • nick1109
    nick1109 Posts: 174 Member
    I have to agree with other on here that have said its pretty un acheivable and pointless. I can't understand why people try to look like a particular person or start obsessing about looking like Daniel Craig/Tom Hardy/Christian Bale or some other public person they see on TV or in the news.

    While I can appreciate its good to take motivation from somebody else's acheivements and looks they have built, without the exact same genetics you will simply never look like one of these people. Sure you can get in great shape, there is no doubting that. You can even get in better shape than those people but you will never have the same muscle belly lengths, propertions,muscle insertion points or symetry of them-fact

    Iovedeadlifts mentioned the drugs thing too, which I completely agree with. I think many movie starts take some juice to get the look they need for some films. One prime example was Hardy as Bane. He was huge and had acne all over his back, kinda suggests injecting Sustanon or something similar.
  • RosscoBoscko
    RosscoBoscko Posts: 632 Member
    I have to agree with other on here that have said its pretty un acheivable and pointless. I can't understand why people try to look like a particular person or start obsessing about looking like Daniel Craig/Tom Hardy/Christian Bale or some other public person they see on TV or in the news.

    I don't want to look like Tom Hardy or any other actor, I want to aim at a similar physique. and if it's pointless why don't we all give up now then!!! Unachievable it may be but if its pointless why is anyone on this site, we're all aiming for one physique or another whether or not it is based on any particular person.

    I want to look like me with a goal physique that I hope to achieve. and honestly I couldnt give a damn whether Tom Hardy took drugs etc to achieve physique for Bane role, cos I'm not trying to get that physique and definitely won't be taking anything dodgy. Sorry if I come across as wound up if you were only trying to help, but the pointless comment riled me.
  • jimmmer
    jimmmer Posts: 3,515 Member
    I have to agree with other on here that have said its pretty un acheivable and pointless. I can't understand why people try to look like a particular person or start obsessing about looking like Daniel Craig/Tom Hardy/Christian Bale or some other public person they see on TV or in the news.

    I don't want to look like Tom Hardy or any other actor, I want to aim at a similar physique. and if it's pointless why don't we all give up now then!!! Unachievable it may be but if its pointless why is anyone on this site, we're all aiming for one physique or another whether or not it is based on any particular person.

    I want to look like me with a goal physique that I hope to achieve. and honestly I couldnt give a damn whether Tom Hardy took drugs etc to achieve physique for Bane role, cos I'm not trying to get that physique and definitely won't be taking anything dodgy. Sorry if I come across as wound up if you were only trying to help, but the pointless comment riled me.

    Welcome to the internets - where people want to crush your dreams!

    All you need is the right food, an intelligently laid out programme, commitment and lots (and lots) of time. Start today and don't look back!
  • alyssamiller77
    alyssamiller77 Posts: 891 Member
    You're 30 years old and not terribly obese, there is no reason you can't get there. I'm not an expert but I can tell you what I did that worked. Take a look at my profile pictures. There's a before and after in there and most of that was accomplished in the last 2 years. I am older than you and started off not much thinner than you are.

    For me it was cardio and strength 6 days a week along with a commitment to eating at a calorie deficit. I started at 1200 calories/day plus eating back exercise calories. My workouts started with 20-30 minutes of cardio, usually high intensity intervals on a treadmill. When I say high intensity, I mean it. 1 minute of super high resistance (so high that the fastest I could go was around 70 RPM) then 2 minute rest. I then followed that with 30-45 minutes of strength training. My strength training was a combination of body weight movements, free weights, cable machines and functional movements. Since I was doing it 6 days a week, I would focus on upper body one day, abs and back the next, and then legs and glutes on the third day (obviously on those days doing a shorter session on the elliptical).

    At this point I have a pretty decent showing of a six pack, not shrink wrap chiseled but you can see it pushing through. My biceps are up to 17" (43cm) and I've got a 42" (107 cm) chest. At 5ft 10in (1.78 meters) tall and 162 lbs (73.5 kg), I'm pretty happy with the numbers. I might be able to post a new pic soon to show you where I'm at so you can get an idea of what my results are like in relation to the pics you posted.

    Good luck. All it takes is commitment, hard work and being honest with yourself (particularly about your calorie intake). Staying active in other ways outside of your workouts I think is very helpful too, so the Rugby should help you there (personally, I'm a football referee so running up and down the pitch for 90 minutes 2-5 times a day in addition to my normal workouts).
  • R0asted
    R0asted Posts: 83 Member
    achievable. you have a lot of hard work ahead of you. a lot. this will take you a long time to achieve.

    the actor had trainers and nutritionists to help him out. he also probably had six months to prepare, with nothing else to do but work out 6-8 hours a day.

    you probably have a job and a life that needs attention to.

    not trying to put you down at all. you can do it. but you have certain limitations and obligations that will make it hard.

    If he worked out for 6-8 hours a day he would be over training and would actually be screwing himself. If I had all the time in the world and got paid to be in shape I honestly wouldn't exercise any more than I do now....which is about 8 hours a week total.....it would be pointless. I agree that actors usually have a nutritionist, trainer, cook, which makes things easier but no one should need 6-8 hours a day exercise if your goal is just looks. If you're training for endurance, than I'd agree, it can be time consuming.
  • nick1109
    nick1109 Posts: 174 Member
    I have to agree with other on here that have said its pretty un acheivable and pointless. I can't understand why people try to look like a particular person or start obsessing about looking like Daniel Craig/Tom Hardy/Christian Bale or some other public person they see on TV or in the news.

    I don't want to look like Tom Hardy or any other actor, I want to aim at a similar physique. and if it's pointless why don't we all give up now then!!! Unachievable it may be but if its pointless why is anyone on this site, we're all aiming for one physique or another whether or not it is based on any particular person.

    I want to look like me with a goal physique that I hope to achieve. and honestly I couldnt give a damn whether Tom Hardy took drugs etc to achieve physique for Bane role, cos I'm not trying to get that physique and definitely won't be taking anything dodgy. Sorry if I come across as wound up if you were only trying to help, but the pointless comment riled me.

    You've misunderstood, although maybe the word pointless was wrong. I stand by my comment though that it is unachievable to look like somebody, although anybody can always become the best version of themselves and do what they can with the genetics they have. As I said there is nothing wrong with celebrities for motivation in achieving the best physique we can though .

    Neither did I say that anybodies efforts/being on here is a waste of time but I think too many people are blinded by the media and advertising and are fooled into the idea that anybody can get a great physique whereby you have 7% body fat whilst sporting 18 inch arms. The majority of the models/athletes that endorse the products and adverts you see either are taking drugs, have superb genetics or a combination of both. All this leads to is disappointment by the masses, yes a small amount of us can achieve the pipe dream but the majority of us are not going to be as 'big' and 'ripped' as these people are. Yes most of us can achieve an aesthetically pleasing physique and should always strive to be the best we can for self satisfaction and for health reasons. In my experience most people are not educated enough to eat the right food to reduce their body fat into single digits or they are simply not willing to eat right for a prolonged period or train in a sensible, consistent and progressive manner-all of which are required to achieve the best version of 'you'.
  • nick1109
    nick1109 Posts: 174 Member
    achievable. you have a lot of hard work ahead of you. a lot. this will take you a long time to achieve.

    the actor had trainers and nutritionists to help him out. he also probably had six months to prepare, with nothing else to do but work out 6-8 hours a day.

    you probably have a job and a life that needs attention to.

    not trying to put you down at all. you can do it. but you have certain limitations and obligations that will make it hard.

    If he worked out for 6-8 hours a day he would be over training and would actually be screwing himself. If I had all the time in the world and got paid to be in shape I honestly wouldn't exercise any more than I do now....which is about 8 hours a week total.....it would be pointless. I agree that actors usually have a nutritionist, trainer, cook, which makes things easier but no one should need 6-8 hours a day exercise if your goal is just looks. If you're training for endurance, than I'd agree, it can be time consuming.

    I completely agree with you, unfortunately many people assume that more is better and that because an actor has 9 hours a day to train, that they should do that. In actual fact it requires as little as an hour a week of intense, progressive strength training with a very strict diet to achieve a strong, muscular and lean physique.
  • Bakkasan
    Bakkasan Posts: 1,027 Member
    No reason you cannot do this. You need to eat enough to gain muscle and work hard enough to stimulate growth. You are not fat, you are still young. You will only be held back by not doing the above or a medical condition.


    Most normal people will not be able to achieve Hollywood gold in the time actors can as people have already pointed out. Personal trainers, chefs, and endless supplies of medical help. You just don't go from 'The Machinist' to 'Batman' in a few months. That is years of work without help.

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