I Trained Like Tom Hardy for One Week & My Strength Skyrocketed
Tom Hardy is known for his incredible body transformations, from his shredded physique as Bane in The Dark Knight Rises to his bulked-up look as Eddie Brock in Venom. His ability to change his body for a role is something I've always admired, so I decided to take on his workout routine for one week to see if I could transform my body, too.
As a hybrid athlete who's balanced long-distance running with strength training for years, I'm no stranger to demanding workouts. But Tom Hardy's workouts pushed me in ways I wasn't prepared for. The superstar's training sessions are high-intensity, focused on compound movements, and rooted in functional strength, so I was excited to see how they would impact my body.
The Tom Hardy-Inspired Workouts I Did for One Week
Here's a breakdown of the Tom Hardy-inspired workouts I followed for the week:
- Day 1: Upper-Body Strength—compound lifts, bodyweight exercises, and supersets targeting chest, shoulders, and arms
- Day 2: Lower-Body Strength—squats, leg presses, deadlifts, and calf raises to build lower body power
- Day 3: MMA-Inspired Conditioning—high-intensity cardio with MMA-style exercises to boost endurance and agility
- Day 4: Core Strength & Endurance—a mix of core exercises and cardio intervals for a strong, stable core
- Day 5: Full-Body Strength & Conditioning—high-rep lifts and bodyweight movements to push my body's limits
- Day 6: Recovery—rest and muscle recovery with stretching and foam rolling
- Day 7: Active Recovery & Light Movement—a light workout focusing on mobility and flexibility
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My Full-Body Strength Increased Off the Bat
Day 1 of Tom's routine wasted no time hitting my upper body's biggest muscle groups, the chest and back. I started with dumbbell incline bench presses then moved on to bodyweight exercises like pushups and pull-ups. These bodyweight movements replicated Tom Hardy's training for The Dark Knight Rises, where he focused on building dense muscle through high, controlled reps.
I followed a pyramid-style rep structure, gradually increasing weight and decreasing the reps for each set. My arms, chest, and shoulders were on fire by the end of the session (in a good way), and I could feel every muscle in my upper body engaged during the workout.
Stephen Sheehan, CPT, a certified personal trainer at BarBend, explains why this kind of training works. "Mixing strength and cardio builds muscle while keeping endurance high," he tells Celebwell. "Strength work adds power, and cardio improves conditioning. The combination creates a strong, lean physique without sacrificing athleticism."
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I Pushed Myself Hard with High-Volume Training
Tom's go-to method for boosting strength and adding size seems to be increasing the number of reps and sets over time to build endurance and strength simultaneously. So on Day 2, I hit the weights hard, incorporating exercises like high pulls and seated cable rows, which focus on both the upper back and shoulders.
What really stood out to me was the actor's use of supersets, which are back-to-back exercises that target opposing muscle groups. For example, I alternated between pushing and pulling exercises by doing bent-over barbell rows right after overhead presses. This created an intense pump in my arms and shoulders while my heart rate stayed elevated.
"Compound exercises, like pull-ups, push-ups, squats, and deadlifts, engage multiple muscle groups at once, which requires more strength, more coordination and mobility, and a higher endurance level," explains Nicole Davis, CPT, a certified personal trainer at Garage Gym Reviews. "These exercises build strength while also improving stamina since they require more effort and energy."
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I Didn't Neglect the Lower Body
While the first two days were all about the upper body, Tom Hardy's workouts don't skimp on blasting the lower body. Day 3 included heavy lifts like squats and trap bar deadlifts, so I incorporated those into my own routine, with a few sets of leg presses thrown in to target my quads.
I found the trap bar deadlift the most challenging by far. However, with my form dialed in, I could feel my glutes, hamstrings, and lower back muscles working overtime to increase my full body strength during this movement. By the time I moved on to leg extensions and calf raises, my legs were on fire. (Again, in a good way!)
This lower-body workout showed me just how important compound movements are for building overall strength. After the soreness wore off a few days after Day 7, I noticed my legs felt stronger and appeared more toned.
Sheehan explains why compound lifts like these are so effective, telling us, "Compound movements recruit multiple muscles at once, making workouts more efficient. They build functional strength, burn more calories, and improve stamina by keeping the body under tension for longer periods."
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I Combined Strength and Conditioning for a Well-Rounded Physique
On Day 4, I got into the mixed martial arts (MMA) inspired portion of Tom Hardy's workout routine. While it's common for actors like Hardy to train in mixed martial arts for action flick roles (he even won a Brazilian jiu-jitsu tournament), I had to improvise a bit as I don't have access to a full MMA training facility.
So, I swapped in exercises that mimicked the high-intensity nature of MMA training, like shadowboxing, burpees, and high knees. Fortunately, my gym has some heavy bags that I was able to add to the mix. The cardio-heavy nature of this session made it incredibly effective for building endurance and burning fat.
"Functional exercises improve agility, coordination, and core stability, making them useful for both everyday life and injury prevention," Davis says. "These exercises also engage several muscle groups at once which maximizes workout efficiency."
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Working on Core Strength and Endurance
You don't get ripped six-pack abs by skimping on core-building exercises, which is why Tom's routine includes a variety of ab exercises, such as hanging leg raises, planks, and sit-ups.
These exercises helped build strength and definition in my abs, obliques, and lower back by incorporating these moves into a circuit. Hardy's approach to building core strength involves a combination of dynamic and static holds, which also helped boost my overall stability.
"Functional training is important because it helps improve coordination, balance, and stability, making it essential for overall strength and injury prevention," Sheehan says.
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I Didn't Skimp on Recovery
Any experienced muscle-builder knows you need to prioritize rest and recovery as much as the intensity of your training sessions if you want to make gains in the gym. That's why the final day of my Hardy-inspired workout plan was dedicated to R&R.
After five days of intense training, my muscles needed time to repair and rebuild. I made sure to stretch, foam roll, get eight hours of sleep, and hydrate with electrolytes to ensure my muscles were ready to go when I returned to my regular training schedule the following week.
"You need to get enough sleep, eat whole foods hydrate appropriately, and listen to your body's signals to help prevent burnout," Davis advises. "Switching up intensity levels, taking rest days, and incorporating mobility work help keep the body fresh as well."
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Was Hardy's Workout Worth It?
Even though it was only for one week, training like Hardy delivered some impressive results. The combination of high-rep exercises, compound lifts, and MMA-style conditioning was something new to me, which helped me build muscle, increase strength, improve my endurance, and get one step closer to a well-rounded physique.
If you're looking to add muscle while staying shredded like Tom Hardy, I'd recommend trying out his workout routine. It's tough, but the results are worth it.
What do you have to lose?
