Christian Bale is the king of transformations.

He is an extremely large case study in my book Superhuman Secrets because he has been able to gain and drop insane amounts of weight in what feels like the blink of an eye multiple times throughout his career.

And, not just that, but when he gains and drops the weight he also completely changes his overall aesthetic!

He has bulked up and got JACKED for roles, he has cut down and been lean (like in American Psycho), and he’s also gained a ton of weight to purposely show an obese aesthetic and lost a ton of weight to be frail and skinny.

He really has done it all.

But, for now we’ll be revisiting our his Batman workout routine from our original Christian Bale Workout Routine and Diet Plan.

We’ve since had that article updated with a second workout routine that was utilized during another one of his roles, so in an attempt to make it easier to find specific routines in our Workout Database I have been breaking up some articles into individual role-specific routines like this one.

In our original article we talked about how he went from extreme weight loss for The Machinist to bulky and jacked for his role as Batman.

Here’s what Bale had to say:

 I had about five months to reach what you see in Batman Begins. At the start I was eating often and I was eating foods very high in calories because I lost 60lb.

It took me a while to even be able to work out properly after The Machinist as well, so at first it was slow progress exercise wise. I didn’t start running until a few weeks after I got my weight back up. I love running and it’s something I always do when I’m not working. I enjoy running more than weights. I think it clears the brain and obviously, it’s good for the heart.

There’s a TON of information in our original article, but I’ll wrap up with this before moving into the full routine:

When I was able to workout again, I’d learnt a lot about training from American Psycho, Equilibrium and Reign of Fire. I learned a lot about bulking, cutting and nutrition, so that was something I brought into the Batman role. And my regime: I would do splits – every day focusing on a different muscle group.

I would do three sets of 10 to eight, depending on what I was working on. Usually, the last set was a little lower rep-wise because I’d want to be struggling, you know? Then I’d always shock my body with drop-sets and supersets.

“Actually, I gained too much weight in the run up to Batman Begins. I wasn’t the size that Christopher Nolan wanted, so I had to cut down 20lb or so just before shooting – I was a lot beefier at first. That cutting down was achieved by going on a calorie deficit and running more and for longer. I cut a lot of the carbs out of my diet for those few weeks as well.”

Bale knows what he’s doing.

Practice makes perfect I suppose, and Bale has had what I consider the perfect Superhero Physique in his prime.

Christian Bale Batman Workout Routine

Training Volume:

5+ days per week

Explanation:

Christian Bale says: Every day was a mix of weights, bodyweight moves, compound moves and then a run. It was intense, especially on the first movie when I had to gain all that weight after The Machinist. I’m not comparing myself to an athlete at all, but I would treat it like a boot camp.

For that reason we’ll be building the routine around what he told Men’s Journal he used for his weightlifting, while also making sure to utilize calisthenics, compound movements, and finish off with a run to burn extra fat.

Want To Upgrade This Workout?

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Christian Bale Workout: Sample Workout Routine Schedule

Monday: Bench Press, Calisthenics, Weights and Cardio

Tuesday: Deadlift, Calisthenics, Weights and Cardio

Wednesday: Off Day or Extra Cardio

Thursday: Power Cleans, Calisthenics, Weights and Cardio

Friday: Squats, Calisthenics, Weights and Cardio

Saturday: Overhead Press, Calisthenics, Weights and Cardio

Sunday: Off Day or Extra Cardio

Christian Bale Workout: Bench Press, Calisthenics, Weights and Cardio

Warm Up:

5 Minute Incline Walk

Jump Rope

3×100

Compound:

Bench Press

4×12,10,8,6

Supersets:

Superset One:

A. Machine Chest Flyes

3×10

B. Standing Overhead Tricep Extension

3×10

C. Dips

3xFailure

Superset Two:

A. Incline Dumbbell Press

3×10

B. Standing Overhead Tricep Extension

3×10

C. Push Ups

3×25

Superset Three:

A. Incline Dumbbell Press

3×10

B. Tricep Cable Kickbacks

3×10

C. Hex Press

3×15

Cardio:

Complete 30-45 minutes of cardio from the selection below:

• High Incline Walk
• High Intensity Interval Training on Treadmill or Bike
• StairMaster
• Elliptical

Christian Bale Workout: Deadlift, Calisthenics, Weights and Cardio

Warm Up:

5 Minute Incline Walk

Jump Rope

3×100

Compound:

Deadlift

4×12,10,8,6

Supersets:

Superset One:

A. Lateral Pulldowns

3×10

B. Alternating Hammer Strength Rows

3×10 each arm

C. Wide Grip Pull Ups

3×10

Superset Two:

A. Cable Rows

3×10

B. Straight Arm Pulldowns

3×10

C. Chin Ups

3×10

Superset Three:

A. Lateral Raises

3×10

B. Face Pulls

3×10

C. Wide Push Ups

3×25

Cardio:

Complete 30-45 minutes of cardio from the selection below:

• High Incline Walk
• High Intensity Interval Training on Treadmill or Bike
• StairMaster
• Elliptical

Christian Bale Workout: Power Cleans, Calisthenics, Weights and Cardio

Warm Up:

5 Minute Incline Walk

Jump Rope

3×100

Compound:

Power Cleans

4×12,10,8,6

Supersets:

Superset One:

A. Kettlebell Swings

3×10

B. Single Arm Deadlift w/ KB

3×10 each arm

C. Goblet Squats w/ KB

3×10

Superset Two:

A. Incline Machine Press

3×10

B. Preacher Curls

3×10

C. Push Ups

3xFailure

Superset Three:

A. Close Grip Bench

3×10

B. Alternating Dumbbell Curls

3×10

C. Close Triangle Push Ups

3×20

Cardio:

Complete 30-45 minutes of cardio from the selection below:

• High Incline Walk
• High Intensity Interval Training on Treadmill or Bike
• StairMaster
• Elliptical

Christian Bale Workout: Squats, Calisthenics, Weights and Cardio

Warm Up:

5 Minute Incline Walk

Jump Rope

3×100

Compound:

Back Squats

4×12,10,8,6

Supersets:

Superset One:

A. Hamstring Curls

3×10

B. Weighted Lunges

3×10 each leg

C. Glute Bridges (weighted)

3×10

Superset Two:

A. Leg Press

3×10

B. Calf Raise on Leg Press

3×10

C. Jump Rope

3×100

Superset Three:

A. Front Squat

3×10

B. Cable Pullthroughs

3×10

C. Bulgarian Split Squat

3×10 each leg

Cardio:

Complete 30-45 minutes of cardio from the selection below:

• High Incline Walk
• High Intensity Interval Training on Treadmill or Bike
• StairMaster
• Elliptical

Christian Bale Workout: Overhead Press, Calisthenics, Weights and Cardio

Warm Up:

5 Minute Incline Walk

Jump Rope

3×100

Compound:

Overhead Press

4×12,10,8,6

Supersets:

Superset One:

A. Snatch Grip High Pull

3×10

B. Single Arm DB Snatches

3×10 each arm

C. Clap Push Ups

3×10

Superset Two:

A. Arnold Press (seated)

3×10

B. Upright Rows w/ Bar

3×10

C. Shrugs w/ Bar

3×10

Superset Three:

A. Shoulder Front Raises w/ DB

3×10

B. Shoulder Lat Raises w/ DB

3×10

C. Shrugs w/ DB

3×25

Cardio:

Complete 30-45 minutes of cardio from the selection below:

• High Incline Walk
• High Intensity Interval Training on Treadmill or Bike
• StairMaster
• Elliptical

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