Bulk yourself up like Ben Affleck in The Accountant – words Alan Woods

For most movie stars, taking their fitness seriously is important to them especially when a Hollywood role relies upon it. Ben Affleck is no exception.

Pushing himself to the limit in all aspects of his career, Affleck has bulked himself up to an impressive degree for his most recent role as The Accountant which hit our cinema screens mid-October.

You don’t have to be a Hollywood star to have access to high-quality nutrition and a bulletproof workout plan. MaxiNutrition have used their nutritional knowledge and understanding of training to create a combined plan that will help you bulk yourself up and achieve a physique that would rival a Hollywood movie star.

Diet Plan

For the best muscle-building results, high protein and a caloric surplus is key. In most cases, you will need to increase your daily calorie intake by 500-1000 calories. However, to prevent any unwanted weight gain, it is important to find out your maintenance level, which is essentially how many calories your body’s metabolism burns naturally. By adding 500-1000 calories to this, you can manage your weight gain.

High protein is essential to helping your body facilitate muscle growth. Whey protein shakes and protein powder supplements are an easy and affordable way to boost your protein levels. Affleck revealed some key parts of his diet in a recent interview. His diet tends to consist of 45% carbs, 35% lean protein and 20% essential fats. We suggest that you stick to the same ratios to see the best results.

Although carbohydrates are a large percentage of your diet, it is important to eat them within reason. We recommend that you opt for ‘better’ carbs which avoid saturated fat and sugar such as sweet potato and wholegrains.

With all that in mind, the best advice we can offer you is to eat clean and often. What we mean by that is up the quantity of meals per day, but decrease the portion size. You should be eating little and often. That’s how Ben Affleck did it – so it’s how you should do it!

Workout plan

Does that sound easy so far? Well it’s about to get tough. You need sheer hard work and determination to get Ben Affleck buff. However, it is possible!

MaxiNutrition have put together a training plan which consists of two key stages: a ‘bulk’ month followed by a ‘lean’ month. Both need just as much hard work as the other but the secret behind those ripped abs to rival Affleck is the lean month.

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

As a normal human, you’ll need a day of rest to recover from heavy lifting. Batman might not take a day off, but actors do – and you should too.

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

Take another day off to help your muscles grow.

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

Enjoy your final rest of the week!

Getting Hollywood abs: Lean Phase (4 weeks)

The secret behind those abs is increasing your intense cardio whilst also continuing to build muscle.

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 day 1

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 of flexibility training, dynamic and static stretching.

By putting your everything into every single workout, you will be well on your to getting a physique to rival any Hollywood movie star. You can prove that you don’t need a fat wage packet to get a ripped set of abs. With the right training plan and nutritional knowledge, you too can bulk up like The Accountant.