Want to be like Batman?

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We give you all the details that went into building Ben Affleck’s Batman worthy physique. Now all you have to do is the work.

The role of Batman is one of the most prestigious and scrutinized roles in all of Hollywood. Traditionally, this role is played by some of the biggest actors in the world. These actors must be more than just a pretty face. To play Gotham City’s greatest hero, the actor must be in world-class fighting shape.

When Ben Affleck was chosen, many questions were raised as to how he would portray the Dark Knight. Affleck is not known for his physical fitness and he would have to step up his game in order to keep up with on-screen enemy Superman (played by Henry Cavill). Affleck did this and more and became the most jacked Batman of all time. He started with a slender 198-pound frame and transformed all the way to being the 225-pound beast that is seen on the big screen.

So how did he do this?

First things first, Affleck surrounded himself with a team of trainers and nutritionists. His training team included Walter Norton Jr., the same trainer that helped him build the muscular look he sports in the movie The Town. Affleck also called upon Jamie Damon, Matt Damon’s cousin, to help him get ready for this role. For his nutrition team, Affleck enlisted the world-renowned nutritionist, Rehan Jalali.

However, assembling a team is just one step. To truly become the most jacked Batman of all time, Affleck had to have the will and desire. He had to put in hundreds of hours’ worth of work.

And that is where it all gets interesting.

This Is The Batmans Diet

During training for Batman vs. Superman, Affleck would eat around five meals a day. This would include three larger meals, with two smaller snacks in between.

Breakfast: For breakfast, Affleck would typically eat egg whites, paired with slow digesting carbohydrates. His favorite pairing would include oatmeal, which he was said to eat almost every day. This would give him the protein he needed and allowed for maximum fat burning.

First Snack: Affleck’s first snack of the day would usually consist of a protein shake and a cup of almonds. This gave him the protein he would need to have before the start of his workout.

Lunch: For lunch, Affleck went with a high protein meat meal. He would also eat a lot of greens and vegetables.

Post Workout Snack: After exercising, Affleck would eat another high protein snack such as beef. This gave his body the protein it needed to recover and help facilitate muscle growth.

Dinner: Dinner for Affleck consisted of a high protein, low-fat meal such as fish or chicken. This fish or chicken would once again be paired with greens and leafy vegetables.

As you can tell from Affleck’s diet, protein was extremely important. Mixing this high protein diet with his intense workout allowed Affleck to put on 30 pounds of muscle while lowering his body fat percentages. However, the timing of his meals was also very important. Figuring out when to eat carbs and fats is of utmost important when trying to build the perfect body.

Because it is not always possible to maintain Affleck’s crazy diet, his nutritionist, Rehan Jalali, gave the following five simple tips in order to build the ripped abs we see in Batman:

• Eat and drink less dairy products. Dairy is extremely high in fat and will cause you to build up belly fat which will cover up your ripped abs. These products also lead to water retention, which will give you a bloated, rather than ripped look.
• Keep your sodium intake low. Excess sodium in the body promotes even more, water to be retained. When water is retained the abs are covered. When that happens, all the hard work in the weight room is hidden.
• Always do cardio in the morning. Morning cardio has been proven to burn more fat than cardio done at any other time in the day.

Why?

• This happens because the stomach is typically empty in the morning. As a result, fat is all that is left to burn.
• Build your diet around lean protein. Consuming lean protein is arguably the most important part of obtaining and maintaining six pack abs. Lean protein will help you build muscle, including in the abs region. Also, lean protein tends to fill you up faster than any other foods. This will help you stay away from less flattering foods.
• Stay away from carbs late in the day. Carbohydrates at night are dangerous, as they will turn directly to fat.

This diet was specially put together to give Ben Affleck the perfect balance he needed to build the Batman body. His meals were created in order to help Affleck get bigger, while also burning fat. This gave him the bulky, yet cut body you saw in the film.

This Is How Ben Affleck Worked Out 

For his role as Batman, Affleck decided to go for a more built look. Director Zach Snyder said he preferred that Batman looked like a heavyweight fighter. This was different than anything we have ever seen before. But that makes sense considering this is the first time Batman has had an opponent as daunting as Superman.

Affleck mimicked this belief when he told Muscle & Fitness, “We knew going in that the preparation involved would be demanding. If the audience was going to believe I stood a fighting chance taking on a superhero, I was going to have to physically match the size and power Henry [Cavill] had dauntingly established in Man of Steel.”

Affleck’s trainer, Walter Norton Jr., kept much of his workout plan a secret. However, he did provide a small insight into what Affleck was doing. So what was the workout plan he used to gain nearly 30 pounds of pure muscle while remaining chiseled? While we are not privy to the complete info, Walter Norton Jr. did dish some details to Muscle & Fitness on a couple of the Batman workouts.

Batman Workout #1

AM: Perform 30 minutes of cardiovascular work on a completely empty stomach right at the start of the morning.

PM:

Warm Up

Activation Phase

Strength Building

Circuit Workout

Perform one set of every one of these exercises. You should rest for one minute at the conclusion. Repeat the circuit workout three or four additional times.

Batman Workout #2

AM: Perform 30 minutes of cardiovascular work on a totally empty stomach right at the start of the morning.

PM:

Warm Up

Activation Phase

Strength Building

As you can tell from these sample workout plans of the first two days of Affleck’s training, Ben went for a full-body workout daily. This full-body workout was very top heavy, with an extreme emphasis on shoulders and chest.

This heavy load put on Affleck’s upper body served a couple of purposes. First off, more muscular shoulders and chest make him look bigger than he already is. Second, it helped from a functionality standpoint.

The bat suit that was worn during filming weighed upwards of 75 pounds. In order to withstand a full day of filming while lugging that suit around, Affleck’s shoulders would have to be extremely strong. This is also true of his legs. Trying to run and jump with an extra 75 pounds weighing you down is no easy task. Affleck had to have a solid base with extremely strong legs and core.

Turning Ben Affleck into Bruce Wayne was not a quick or easy process. 

Affleck and his trainer, Walter Norton Jr., began training well over a year before filming even started. However, the case could be made that Ben Affleck began training for his role as Batman without even knowing it. This happened as a result of the hard work he had to put in for his role in The Town. For The Town, Affleck started honing in on a ripped physique. But being ripped is not enough when you want to play Gotham City’s greatest hero.

But being ripped is not enough when you want to play Gotham City’s greatest hero.

As a result, Affleck and Norton went through a grueling training process to get Affleck’s body where it needed to be. Norton’s main focus was to make Affleck look huge. Unlike the Batmans of the past, Affleck wanted to be big and intimidating. This meant cutting fat and building muscle.

As you could imagine, Affleck’s workouts were long, grueling and plentiful. During training, he would train for up to three hours per day, six times a week. Given his busy schedule, this was no easy feat. He would routinely have to train on the set of Gone Girl, the movie he was filming during his training. This meant long days of filming, followed by harsh training sessions.

Conclusion

In his first film as Batman, Ben Affleck completely changed the game. He took a beloved character and set the bar very high in terms of fitness. Though Batman actors before him were in great shape, Affleck blew them out of the water. At 6’4” and weighing over 225 pounds (300 pounds in his bat suit), Affleck was the most intimidating Batman of all-time.

He did this by surrounding himself with the best team and following their programs religiously. He ate well, exercised hard and transformed himself into Bruce Wayne.

Affleck’s Trainer, Walter Norton Jr. said it best when he told Muscle & Fitness that, “People always talk about how it’s easy for celebrities to get in shape because they have a support team.

But the work can be done only by you.

Nobody else can do it for you.

That’s the cool part about the iron game. It’s equal for everybody. You make a choice, you commit to the process, and you’ve gotta get it done day after day after day.”

No matter how you look at it, Affleck did the work. He was committed to being the best Batman he could be and he succeeded. Many people will look at what Affleck did and want to follow his program in an effort to look like him. However, this will not necessarily work.

Every person is different and there is no one size fits all workout plan. If you want to look like Affleck did in this film, then following his plan will surely help. But it will not be perfect. In order to achieve ultimate gains, it is important to tailor a workout and diet plan specific to your needs.

The simple takeaways from this plan are the following: Eat a lot of protein, train hard and often, and learn how to plan your meals. By doing these three things, you almost guarantee yourself that you will get bigger and stronger. Though this is an extreme oversimplification, sometimes simple does work.

By Michael Hersey