Ben Affleck is an actor that knows his way around the gym. Whether he’s bulking up for roles as Batman or The Accountant, he’s a physical specimen who also has the brains to back things up. From Oscar-winning screenplays to directing Oscar-winning pictures, he’s done it all.
You don’t need to be as accomplished as Batfleck to build the same kind of muscle. Instead, focus and determination can get you as buff as the actor – but you’ll need to put in some time in the gym in order to get a similar physique. How do you do it? We’ve worked with MaxiNutrition to assess how someone like Ben Affleck puts on size quickly ahead of his films.
Movie star munching
Building muscle requires exceptional food discipline. You don’t need a movie star budget, but for good muscle building results, you’ll want a high amount of protein and to eat at a caloric surplus. To start off, you’ll need to work out your calorie maintenance level which can be done online. From there, you’ll want to add a significant amount of calories to this total, somewhere between 500 and 1,000.
As well as calories, you’ll want to ensure you’ve got lots of protein in your body as muscle can only develop in the presence of protein. Luckily, there are protein powder and whey protein shakes to help you get an adequate amount of protein. In his television interviews, Ben Affleck himself revealed his diet was 45% carbs, 35% protein and 20% essential fats –you’ll want to mimic these rations to succeed.
Your carbohydrates should be mainly leafy greens and wholegrains, avoiding saturated fat and sugary carbohydrates. Opt for sweet potato, quinoa, brown rice, wholegrain bread and other options.
Eat clean and often to succeed, perhaps by upping your meals to 5-7 per day with a smaller quantity.
Workout
Bulking up like Ben Affleck is tough – but not unachievable. By splitting your workout plan into two phases, which consist of a ‘bulk’ month and a ‘lean’ month, you can add mass and then slim down to get a set of impressive abs just like the movie stars. Start with the four week bulking phase.
Day 1 – Upper body
- 3 x 8 bench press (80% max)
- 3 x 8 clean and jerk (70% max)
- 3 x 8 military press (80% max)
- 3 x 10 pull-ups
- 3 x 8 chest flys (80% max)
- 3 x 10 dips
Day 2 – Lower body
- 10-minute warm up jog
- 3 x 8 barbell back squats (70-80% max)
- 3 x 8 front squats (80% max)
- 3 x 8 box jumps
- 3 x 8 goblet squats (use a dumbbell that is almost heavier than you can carry in one hand)
Day 3 – Rest
- Take a day to rest up and recover. Unlike Batman, you’ll need it.
Day 4 – Back
- Rowing machine 3 sets of 2 minutes, fast pace
- 3 x 5 deadlift warmup sets (30-40% max)
- 5 x 5 deadlift (begin 60-70% – increase each set until as close to max as possible)
- 3 x 8 bent over barbell row (70% max)
- 3 x 8 T-bar row (75% max)
Day 5 – Rest
- Never be afraid to rest – it’s a great way to help reduce cortisol and increase muscle-building results.
Day 6 – Arms, shoulders and core
- 3 x 12 hammer curls
- 3 x 12 bicep curls with EZ bar
- 3 x 12 overhead tricep extension
- 3 x 6 strict military press (80% max)
- 3 x 12 EZ bar skullcrushers
- 5 x 20 crunches
Day 7 – Rest
- Take a final day off – you’ve earned it.
Getting Hollywood abs: Lean Phase (4 weeks)
You’ll want to try and get lean fast while still building muscle. This means upping your cardio efforts in order to get those abs to pop.
Day 1 – Upper body
- 5 x 12 barbell bench (50-60% max)
- 5 x 12 lat pull-down
- 3 x 12 pull ups
- 3 x 12 chin-ups
- 5 x 12 chest flys
- 3 x 12 dips
Day 2 – Cardio
- 20-minute warm-up jog
- 5 x 1-minute sprint treadmill intervals
- 5 x 10 burpees
- 5 x 10 tuck jumps
- 5 x 10 jump squats
Day 3 – Rest
- You can perform a light jog/cycle or swim on this day to stay active.
Day 4 – Back
- 10-minute rowing machine warm-up
- 5 x 12 light deadlifts
- 5 x 12 barbell rows
- 5 x 12 deltoid flys
Day 5 – Cardio day 2
- Perform each exercise after a set of the previous one:
- 3 x 12 burpees
- 3 x 12 mountain climbers
- 3 x 12 jumping jacks (star jumps)
- Perform each exercise after a set of the previous one:
- 3 x 12 tuck jumps
- 3 x 12 kettlebell swings
- 3 x 12 plyometric squats
Day 6 – Arms
- 10-minute rowing machine warm-up
- 5 x 12 dumbbell hammer curls
- 5 x 12 EZ bar bicep curls
- 5 x 12 tricep extension
- 5 x 12 skull crushers
- 5 x 12 close grip barbell bench press
- 5 x 12 lateral raise
Day 7 – Rest
- 30 minutes flexibility training, dynamic and static stretching.
If you stick to every workout and approach each day with focus and determination, you’ll be well on your way to building up your physique. Even if you don’t look quite like a Hollywood movie star, you’re going to look like a better, more toned version of yourself. What are you waiting for? Go out there and get working!
