Tom Hardy And Austin Butler's Insane 1,000-Rep Workout Exposed

File this under: actors who take the assignment way too seriously. The Bikeriders asked Austin Butler and Tom Hardy to look like bruisers, and they did not mess around. Now we know exactly how they got there — and yes, it is as ridiculous as you think.

The plan: Hardy goes full maniac, Butler follows

Men's Health dug into how the two transformed for writer-director Jeff Nichols' 2024 motorcycle club crime drama. According to the report, Hardy (The Dark Knight Rises) basically designed the program himself. After long days on set, he would strap on a weighted vest and crank out 1,000 weighted box jumps. At home. After filming. A thousand.

Butler (Dune: Part Two) saw the progress and jumped on the same 1,000-rep idea. It tracks — these guys had to sell the hotheaded, hard-living vibe on screen, and the bodies had to match.

Butler's day-to-day: not just gym torture

Beyond the box-jump madness, Butler kept things consistent and, honestly, kind of basic. He trained six or seven days a week and stuck to a protein-forward diet — think omelettes, chicken kebabs, and the occasional steak. He also made a point of spending time in the afternoon sun out on his balcony, which is delightfully mundane for a guy doing 1,000-rep workouts.

"Sometimes it's the mundane little things."

Want to try a saner version?

If you are not Tom Hardy (and your knees would like to stay attached), there are more reasonable ways to sample the vibe without getting wrecked:

• Swap box jumps for box step-ups and scale the reps to your current strength.
• Or go with air squats instead, and use an adjustable weighted vest to dial the difficulty up or down.

Bottom line: The Bikeriders looks the way it does because Hardy cooked up a gnarly, old-school grind, and Butler matched it with consistency, protein, and a little afternoon sun. Inside baseball, sure — but it explains why they look like guys who could bench-press a Harley.