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Need to pump up fast

Sat Apr 01, 2006 6:42 am

It's summer vacation here in the Philippines, and probably the only time where I can lift weights on a constant basis e.g. everyday or thrice a week, unlike when school is on where the schedule of deadlines for submitting requirements, projects, review for exams and quizzes can pretty much cancel a visit to the gym.

I was hoping if maybe someone here in the forums knows a link describing in detail Christian Bale's workout regimen for Batman Begins.
Background info:
Before doing Batman Begins, Bale had just finished shooting The Machinist where his role required him to be down-to-the-bone thin. For the role of Batman he needed to pump-up his skeletal figure to look credible as Batman, and he had to do it in only a span of 2-3 months (I think) because shooting is set to begin after that time.

I figured that since summer vacation offers the convenient time available and summer vacation is also short, I might as well get the most out of an intended workout regimen and that's where Bale's transformation came to mind.

I'm still trying to Google it, still to no avail. If anyone finds it, post the link. :D
If I find it first, I'll post it for those interested.

Sat Apr 01, 2006 6:44 am

goddamn... thats insane, only 2-3 month to make his body ripped. (Y)

Sat Apr 01, 2006 6:49 am

how old are you? nothing against you, but I'd figure a fully matured man would probably be able to 'pump up' faster than someone young(underage, perhaps)

Sat Apr 01, 2006 7:07 am

Well your diet is probably the biggest part of bulking up.

Sat Apr 01, 2006 7:26 am

maybe you shoud lift with melo15 to make you muscles bigwhen you flex :lol:

seriously though, if you find any info on that, let me know... I've been looking for a new workout plan too.

Sat Apr 01, 2006 7:45 am

I'm in my mid-20's, Dunleavy.

I'd figure a fully matured man would probably be able to 'pump up' faster than someone young

I don't know whether that's true or not. All I know is that it depends on a person's body if it can adjust quickly or not to the load being given. I've just started a few months back in seriously lifting weights for muscular development.
Yes, 2-3 months is sufficient to build up a decent body, but the reason I'm looking for that regimen is that when summer ends my workout will also probably be interrupted again and I'll have a hard time improving my load.
I want to get the most out of the upcoming months so even if summer ends at least I'm able to achieve 75-90% of my intended target for muscular development. PHX4LIFE, if you have any idea what Bale looked like from Machinist to Batman Begins, you'll be freaking surprised. I consider what he did in that short span of time as the closest thing that I could follow given the short time of summer vacation.

With my body type, I can lose or gain weight in just 1 week even without the use of those fad diets just by controlling my food intake and coupled with some exercise. I eat more, say 5x a day, I gain weight. I eat less than 4x a day, I lose weight. I found out that eating 4x a day is the best way to retain my weight. All of those mentioned are moderate amounts of food per meal and not pigging it out every meal. :mrgreen:

TBD, A diet for building muscles is no problem for me. I live near a joint which serves all tofu and vegetarian meals. Tofu is a good source for abundant protein. As you probably know, protein is essential to muscle growth.

Qballer wrote:maybe you shoud lift with melo15 to make you muscles bigwhen you flex :lol:

Nah, he might fall in-love with me.

Sat Apr 01, 2006 7:50 am

Take a lil HGH :D

Sat Apr 01, 2006 7:54 am

Man, I need to start dieting right. all i do is eat junk food. :'( it sucks. I CAN'T STOP!!!111 :P but seriously, i do.

Sat Apr 01, 2006 8:46 am

Cyanide will be able to help out in this topic, I'm also trying to bulk up as much as I can in the coming three to four months.

Could you set up an easy to follow program Cy? With stuff I can get at the local supermarket and with the few weights I have at home? :cheeky:

I'll hump your leg. For free!

Sat Apr 01, 2006 10:15 am

Take steroids. Lots of it.

Sat Apr 01, 2006 11:51 am

protein shakes? :wink:

Sat Apr 01, 2006 1:05 pm

Its_asdf wrote:Take steroids. Lots of it.


I'm with him. (Y)

Sat Apr 01, 2006 1:16 pm

I was watching a documentary on the Japanese eating phenom Kobayashi (the current Nathan's hot dog eating champ) and you wouldn't expect a small asian guy to eat much, but this guy is RIPPED. I think that with a good eating regimen, anybody can get ripped.

Sat Apr 01, 2006 3:48 pm

Its_asdf wrote:Take steroids. Lots of it.

I don't want to grow man-boobs and have my penis shrink, like yours ASDF. :mrgreen:
protein shakes?

Protein shakes are pretty much worthless in building muscle if you don't accompany it with a workout regimen.
Qballer wrote:expect a small asian guy to eat much, but this guy is RIPPED. I think that with a good eating regimen, anybody can get ripped.

It has something to do with that guy's metabolism. The body needs more energy if it has a higher metabolism so the body takes in more food.
More muscles = higher metabolism = body needs more food.

Sun Apr 02, 2006 12:34 am

I don't want to grow man-boobs and have my penis shrink, like yours ASDF


Shhh... I thought you were going to keep it a secret. Now everyone knows. :(

Sun Apr 02, 2006 1:39 am

Christian Bale was my first role model as far as weightlifting goes, ever since his performance in American Psycho, which was also the first movie he bulked up for. He did lost a lot of weight for his role in the Machinist and he did gain the much-needed pounds for Batman pretty fast, but the thing is that muscles have their own memory. It's easier to go from 130 to 200 pounds for a 6'2 guy who already weighted that much once than for his twin brother who never lifted weights. That's just for start, so you won't be dissapointed.

As some of you said, the younger you are, the harder is to gain muscle because your metabolism is so much faster. I'm pretty much a victim of my own metabolism, so it will take another couple of years to get to the optimum weight my frame allows. But that shouldn't stop you, it's just that you'll have to work harder. You need to eat relatively clean, 5-7 times per day. Low fat milk products, boiled eggs, chicken breasts, protein bars, fish, whey products are just what you need. You should also check your daily carb input and make sure that you eat mostly complex carbs. Considering that your goal is just gaining muscles/weight, you don't have to worry about that too much, but you wouldn't wanna end up fat, do you?

For me, training is most effective if done 4 times per week. You should limit your aerobic training, though. Right now, I'm doing aerobics only as a warmup (10 minutes before training), because it additionally speeds up my metabolism and don't want that, do I. [Apollo Creed voice]And give everything you got to the iron, because the iron knows if you're cheating.[/Apollo Creed voice]

And Bale wasn't 'ripped' in Batman, he was 'bulked up'. There's a huge difference.

Sun Apr 02, 2006 1:47 am

You said that it differs between different body types? I'm considered skinny, 176cm and weigh only 62 kilograms. Is it easy for me to build up? I'm turning 16 this June.

Sun Apr 02, 2006 2:43 am

i think Coolmac had a thread similar to this...

when you say "pump up fast", do you mean get bulky/gain muscle mass or get toned/ripped?

Sun Apr 02, 2006 3:34 am

Its_asdf wrote:Shhh... I thought you were going to keep it a secret. Now everyone knows.

That your penis went from 10 inches to just 8 inches. Yes, you should be ashamed of it.

Vank wrote:the thing is that muscles have their own memory

Yep, muscle memory. It is most noticeable in martial artists, where in matches or tourneys they can quickly respond against an attack with their often practiced counter-moves. Muscle memory is also applicable to other muscle types such as cardio or heart muscles. I experienced this when after I stopped for almost a year doing cardio (jogging, cycling, calisthenics), it took me no more than 2 cardio sessions of 30 minutes each to get my "feel" back. I was back again to having the stamina to last 1-2 hours of it.
complex carbs

Are rice and potatoes complex carbs? I know they have carbohydrates. :?:
Vank wrote:Considering that your goal is just gaining muscles/weight, you don't have to worry about that too much, but you wouldn't wanna end up fat, do you?

I have no worries about that. Losing fat is no problem because other than what I have stated in my previous post regarding my meal intake, I already have experience on how to lose fat quickly, naturally, and safely.
air gordon wrote:when you say "pump up fast", do you mean get bulky/gain muscle mass or get toned/ripped?

Gain muscle/bulk up, as what Bale did. I want to see muscles first before I tone it. :mrgreen:

Sun Apr 02, 2006 4:13 am

in the workout thread- i believe Dweaver and Cy mentioned some tips about gaining muscle mass

if not mentioned already- some general tips:

-eat more calories then you're burning- so less cardio at lower intensities
-increase your protein/calorie intake- whether by supplements, shakes, and/or the old fashioned chicken breast and egg white method
-do low repititions with heavy weights. remember to do a few warmup sets
-try and streatch before and after workouts
-have some fun becoming a meatheat and try not to do too much- could lead to injury

you could probably find a workout on the net or in a muscle mag that may be just as effective as the one Mr. Bale tried. The key things are getting your ass in the gym to workout and and maintaining a good diet on a consistent basis
(Y)

Sun Apr 02, 2006 4:33 am

air gordon wrote:-eat more calories then you're burning- so less cardio at lower intensities
-increase your protein/calorie intake- whether by supplements, shakes, and/or the old fashioned chicken breast and egg white method
-do low repititions with heavy weights. remember to do a few warmup sets
-try and streatch before and after workouts
-have some fun becoming a meatheat and try not to do too much- could lead to injury

Thanks, I always do what have been listed except for the bolded ones.
How to go with the warm-up sets? Low reps and low intensity?
I don't get the "eat more calories than what I'm burning". I want to bulk up muscle not fat. The only reason I could think of to do that is to have more energy for muscle recovery, or this there another reason?

Sun Apr 02, 2006 5:06 am

One warm-up set per excercise is more than enough. If you're going for muscles, you should target 3 sets and 8 reps per set plus one for a warm-up at the beginning (15-20 reps, normal speed (3 seconds per rep)).

(Brown) rice and potatoes are good source of complex carbs, yes. You're carb input is most important in the morning and immediately after your workout. Example: my typical breakfast are cornflakes (very little or no sugar added)/oatmeal and a protein shake. Make sure you get enough proteins in the morning, because you haven't ate whole night and you need some.

You need to eat more than you need because if you don't get enough of other sources, your body will start using proteins as an energy source = no muscle gains. You can't get leaner and bigger at the same time.

Stretching is very, very important. It will help you gain more muscles, prevent injuries and improve your flexibility. First you have to warmup (10 minutes of aerobical excercise - bike, stairmaster,...) and then you stretch for five to ten minutes or so. I recommend that you get yourself a book about yoga and choose the basic excercises and do them before weight training. I don't stretch after every set/excercise, because I find that a bit too much, but I do stretch after I finish the workout for that bodypart.

You said that it differs between different body types? I'm considered skinny, 176cm and weigh only 62 kilograms. Is it easy for me to build up? I'm turning 16 this June.


You're still very, very young and you'll probably gain 10+ kilos in the next couple of years. Remember, you're still growing and people are gaining considerable weight all the way into their early 20s (I'm talking about muscles here :)). You shouldn't look at people like Lebron, because they're freaks of nature. Most basketball players gain 25, 30 pounds in college and even more during their HS years. But that doesn't mean you should just lay down and wait. Weight training or any other psychical excercise will make sure that your body stays healthy and develops properly and it will also have positive effects on your mind. I know I'm much more disciplined since I started working out. You just have make sure that you don't become obsessed with it. It has to improve quality of your life, but it shouldn't become one.

And people, read as much as possible:
http://www.abcbodybuilding.com
http://www.bodybuilding.com
http://www.exrx.net

Sun Apr 02, 2006 5:17 am

VanK wrote:Stretching is very, very important

Sure is. I stretch before and after the workout.
Warmup - stretch - lift weights/actual workout - stretch - cooldown.
I find stretching after workout of each body part time consuming. That's why I do all the stretching after all of the workout is finished.

Sun Apr 02, 2006 5:31 am

That's also an alternative.

Sun Apr 02, 2006 6:42 am

steroids dont make your penis shrink, just your balls...and they just get in the way anyway.
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