Hugh Jackman, "Wolverine" (2009)
The Strapping Story: In this fourth installment of the "X-Men" series, the backstory of knuckle-knived, adamantium-coated mutant Wolverine (Jackman) is explored in all its violent, awe-inspiringly burly glory.
The Hard-Bodied Breakdown: Jackman, who began training a full year before shooting began, would often begin his day at 4 a.m. with a breakfast of a whole chicken (tasty!) or egg whites and toast (no butter or jam and any other yummy toppings, of course). "[I] wiped out entire gene pools of chickens," he joked of his copious protein consumption. "To any vegetarians out there, I really apologize." The reigning Sexiest Man Alive ate every three hours and put away an estimated 4,500 calories a day. His disciplined diet was combined with explosive-impact weight training (he could bench press an impressive 300 to 320 pounds), all of which turned his body into a bulging mass of eye-popping pecs and bazooka-sized guns.
Linda Hamilton, "Terminator 2: Judgment Day" (1991)
The Strapping Story: John Connor (Edward Furlong) is the future savior of mankind. But at present he's a whiny, 12-year-old foster kid whose mom, Sarah Connor (Hamilton), has been committed to an asylum for spouting off about how the machines will eventually start a nuclear war that will kill billions. Enter future Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, whose original bad-guy terminator has been reprogrammed by grown-up Connor and sent back in time to protect his younger self from the T-1000 (Robert Patrick), a more advanced model that's also more murderously malleable thanks to its liquid metal core.
The Hard-Bodied Breakdown: Talk about commitment to physical fitness. Sarah Connor didn't let being locked in the loony bin stop her from shaping up for Armageddon, as evidenced by the film's establishing shot of her doing pull-ups on an upturned bed frame, her mighty biceps glistening with sweat. To get into mesomorphic mama-bear-meets-warrior mode, Hamilton first had to say "hasta la vista" to her post-pregnancy pounds. Three months before shooting began, she started six-day-a-week, three-hour-a-day training sessions that had her sweating from running, swimming, biking, stair-climbing, lunges, weight lifting, judo, and some quality mini-trampoline time. She dropped a dozen pounds while adding enough muscle mass to pump a shotgun with one arm, a feat helped along by a rigid diet consisting of a lot of chicken and salads (no dressing, natch). "You couldn't stop me from working out," Hamilton told MTV News. "I remember I had a tiny piece of cheese one day and thought I had blown everything. It was literally the only cheese I had in nine months."
Christian Bale, "American Psycho" (2000)
The Strapping Story: Yuppie Wall Street exec Patrick Bateman (Bale) loves two things: looking good and feeling homicidal. "I believe in taking care of myself," says the sculpted serial killer, who outfits his tanning bed-bronzed Adonis body in meticulous designer suits. Like any good narcissist, Bateman knows how to accessorize. His kicky accoutrement of choice: a chain saw, the better for slicing and dicing his many victims.
The Hard-Bodied Breakdown: To achieve his character's physical perfection, Bale adopted what he described as an "incredibly boring" diet, shoveling down plenty of protein and vegetables and gorging on carbs such as bread, rice and pasta in order to build body mass. His exhausting workout regimen ranged from running and weight training to yoga, boxing and stretching. Not that the actor would recommend trying to duplicate Bateman's chiseled physique. "You can't have a body like that if you want to have a life," said Bale, "or any meaningful relationships."
Christian Bale, "Batman Begins" (2005)
The Strapping Story: By day, he's Bruce Wayne, hard-partying billion-heir playboy. By night, he's Batman, razor-blade-voiced superhero dedicated to protecting Gotham from the same criminal element that gunned down his parents in front of him when he was a boy.
The Hard-Bodied Breakdown: Bale took on the role of the Caped Crusader just five months after dropping more than 60 pounds -- about a third of his body weight -- to play a cadaverous insomniac in "The Machinist." To fill out Batman's costume, the actor carbo-loaded back up to 180 pounds, but the process wasn't easy. When he landed the role, "I couldn't do a single push-up," admitted Bale, whose muscles had weakened from his horrifyingly emaciated state. With the help of a trainer and a rigid, protein-rich diet of chicken, tuna and steamed veggies, he eventually packed on another 40 pounds. And those push-ups? No longer a problem. As Bruce Wayne, he kicked off his day by falling straight to the floor and doing hundreds of them. "He has no superpowers," director Christopher Nolan said of the Dark Knight. "He's just an ordinary guy who does a lot of push-ups."
Demi Moore, "G.I. Jane" (1997)
The Strapping Story: Lt. Jordan O'Neill (Moore) is chosen to become the first woman to undergo Navy SEAL torture training, and she sets out to prove that she's just as tough as her male counterparts. How? By doing oodles of one-armed push-ups, shaving her head, and telling her merciless and slightly sadistic drill instructor (a mustachioed Viggo Mortensen), "Suck my d---."
The Hard-Bodied Breakdown: Demi prepared for the grueling on-screen physical trials (running obstacle courses, crawling through mud and sand, rolling oil drums, carrying life rafts, and enduring push-ups in the freezing surf) by going through her own real-life version of SEAL Hell Week. Her boot camp-inspired daily routine consisted of running, swimming, obstacle-course tests and endless push-ups, sit-ups and squats.
Brad Pitt, "Troy" (2004)
The Strapping Story: Based on the epic "Iliad" by Homer (the Greek one, not the rotund one who says "d'oh!" a lot), smitten Trojan prince Paris (Orlando Bloom) runs off with Spartan queen Helen (Diane Kruger), a married looker with a face that launched a thousand ships. War is declared, and Greece unleashes hell in the form of Achilles, a golden-skinned, god-bodied Greek warrior who probably could launch a thousand ships with his rippled torso and colossal deltoids.
The Hard-Bodied Breakdown: Unlike Pitt's lean cut of bruised beefcake look from "Fight Club" five years before, his brawny bod in "Troy" is a gift straight from Mount Olympus. The A-lister reportedly requested a toga-dropping nude scene in the sprawling flick, which seems like a reasonable request considering he was feeling the burn six days a week for eight months leading up to the start of production. The star achieved Hellenic hunkiness with weights (a gym and trainer came with him on location to Malta and Mexico), yoga, running and sword training, along with balance training on a seesaw board, medicine ball hoisting and various one-legged exercises. In between, Brad refreshed with vitamin-rich protein shakes and daily massages.
Will Smith, "Ali" (2001)
The Strapping Story: Will floats like a butterfly and stings like a bee as he channels legendary boxing champ Muhammad Ali.
The Hard-Bodied Breakdown: Smith went from slim to solid by gaining more than 30 pounds of muscle over the course of a year. He got ring-ready by kick-starting his day with a run before segueing into boxing practice and weight training (at his peak, he was able to bench press 300 pounds). By the time cameras rolled, he had completed his metamorphosis into a well-built, Ali-like wall of 220 pounds.
Taylor Lautner, "New Moon" (Nov. 20, 2009)
The Strapping Story: Bella (Kristen Stewart) loves sparkly, pretty-boy vampire Edward (Robert Pattinson), but their epic love story hits a snag when one of his bloodsucking siblings tries to have her for lunch. Enter Jacob Black, who comforts a heartbroken Bella in between getting all furry with his werewolf brethren.
The Hard-Bodied Breakdown: Lautner was this close to getting dropkicked from the sequel. Seems the pic's producers weren't convinced he could change from an unassuming teen in the first flick to an imposing lycan in the second. The actor, 17, set out to prove them wrong by adding about 20 pounds of muscle with intensive gym time and an unorthodox diet regimen. According to the New York Daily News, his trainer "forced" him to down shakes from McDonald's to up his poundage.
Gerard Butler, "300" (2006)
The Strapping Story: In this CGI-heavy adaptation of Frank Miller's graphic novel about the Battle of Thermopylae in 480 B.C., King Leonidas (Butler) leads 300 Spartan warriors sporting smooth, gym-toned chests and leather underpants into combat against the immense Persian army.
The Hard-Bodied Breakdown: "Only the hard and only the strong may call themselves Spartans." So says Leonidas, a line Butler apparently took to heart by training unremittingly for four months. Not only did he work with both a Venezuelan bodybuilder ("I wanted to look really strong," Butler told Men's Health), but he also got into character both physically and mentally with something called the 300-rep Spartan workout, which required him to do -- without a rest -- 50 pull-ups (25 at a time), 50 push-ups, 50 dead-lifts (135 pounds at a time), 50 jumps on a 24-inch box, 50 floor-wipers (lie on your back, lift a barbell and touch it on the left and right with your legs) and 50 "single-arm clean-and-presses using a 36-pound kettle bell." We have no idea what that last one is, but it sure sounds backbreaking. Toss in some tire flipping and gymnastics-inspired ring-training, and Butler ended up with a powerful body that was royally ripped.
Daniel Craig, "Casino Royale" (2006)
The Strapping Story: In the 21st installment of the franchise, James Bond (Craig) is resurrected as a thoroughly modern British spy, who is alternately violent, vulnerable, volatile and very, very sexy, especially when he's emerging from the ocean in teeny-tiny swimming trunks that just happen to match his intense, ice-blue eyes.
The Hard-Bodied Breakdown: It takes a lot of work to fill out 007's Speedo and tuxedo. For six months, Craig spent six days a week on an exhausting regimen that ranged from pull-ups and push-ups to squats and dips. He also spent a lot of time with a dumbbell in his hand, with endless lateral raises responsible for those sigh-worthy broad shoulders. But the tough training was necessary to play the lady-killer with a license to kill. "I had black eyes, I had cuts, I was bruised, I had muscle strains, and I took a lot of painkillers," said the actor. "But it was part of the job."
Angela Bassett, "What's Love Got to Do With It" (1993)
The Strapping Story: The rise, fall and rebirth of Tina Turner (Bassett), who, after years under the violent thumb of husband Ike, is able to find her inner strength and escape from his clutches.
The Hard-Bodied Breakdown: With her coconut-crushing biceps, Bassett's Tina looked like she could snap Ike's hand like a twig if he raised it against her in anger. It took the actress only a month to get into shape, which doesn't seem like long until you consider she spent all but four of those 30 days sweating up a storm in the gym.
Tobey Maguire, "Spider-Man" (2002)
The Strapping Story: Brainy but bullied high school student Peter Parker (Maguire) is bitten by a radioactive spider and gains superpowers overnight. But it takes a personal tragedy to turn him from a zero to hero, and he finally understands that "with great power comes great responsibility." Something else that comes with great power: cute redheads named Mary Jane (Kirsten Dunst).
The Hard-Bodied Breakdown: The big moment when Peter takes off his shirt and we see that his once-puny body is now bulging with muscles was accomplished through six months of six-day-a-week training sessions, some lasting up to four hours. The actor's intensive workouts focused on weight-lifting, running, cycling, yoga, gymnastics, and martial arts. Maguire, a vegetarian, also partnered with a nutritionist and ate four to six times a day to bulk up.
Robert Downey Jr., "Iron Man" (2008)
The Strapping Story: Debonair billionaire industrialist Tony Stark (Downey) is captured and nearly killed by terrorists who want him to build one of his high-tech weapons of mass destruction. Instead, he creates a hulking suit of armor, escapes, and has an epiphany, namely, "I have more to offer the world than making things that blow up."
The Hard-Bodied Breakdown: Underneath that iron suit, Tony Stark was rocking some abs and buns of steel. Downey got buff for what would be his comeback role by undertaking strenuous daily workouts to pack on more than 20 pounds of muscle in five months. The catch? The Iron Man suit couldn't be altered, so the star had to be careful not to get too beefy. His trainer, Brad Bose, used various exercise machines (Jacob's Ladder, The Pineapple) to work every muscle group and build strength but not bulk, which fit in with his superpower-free character. "They wanted someone unique," explained Bose. "His character is an alcoholic and a womanizer, and he's an arms dealer. They didn't want a six-pack or bulging muscles, but they wanted to see that he had the power to forge iron."
Robert De Niro, "Cape Fear" (1991)
The Strapping Story: Ex-con Max Cady (De Niro) is a brutal psychotic determined to exact revenge on the attorney (Nick Nolte) who unsuccessfully defended him in a rape trial. His intimidation methods: terrifying brutality, scary religious tattoos that snake across his super-sinewy body, and a beyond-creepy attempt to seduce the lawyer's daughter (Juliette Lewis) with his finger-sucking technique.
The Hard-Bodied Breakdown: Verisimilitude-devoted De Niro, who had previously put on 60 pounds for "Raging Bull" and 30 pounds for "The Untouchables," whittled his body fat down to just four percent to play Cady, gaining muscle with a combination of weight-lifting and a carb-crammed diet. "I feel if you're going to do certain parts," the actor told Time, "you really have to commit to them all the way to make them special."
Jake Gyllenhaal, "Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time" (2010)
The Strapping Story: Dastan (Gyllenhaal), a frequently shirtless and straggly haired sixth-century Persian prince, must stop an evil nobleman (Sir Ben Kingsley) from getting his hands on a device that can destroy the world.
The Hard-Bodied Breakdown: Audiences won't get to see Gyllenhaal in his pumped-up state until May 2010, but, judging by the trailer, the wait will be worth it. "I guess I've gotten buff," he downplayed to "Entertainment Tonight" during filming. "There's a lot of acrobatics in the movie -- a lot of running up walls, and jumping on things and parkour [basically, running full-speed at an object and bouncing off it]. So it requires muscularity, but it requires a lot of aerobic ability, too." The actor's training reportedly included wearing a 20-pound jacket while running and doing uphill sprints followed by sit-ups upon reaching the top (we got winded just typing that).
Mickey Rourke, "The Wrestler" (2008)
The Strapping Story: In his heyday, Randy "The Ram" Robinson (Rourke) was a wrestling giant. He even had his own action figure. But two decades of in-the-ring abuse have left him damaged in body and mind, an "old, broken-down piece of meat," as he puts it (his flowing, bleach blond 'do, however, remains robust). But Ram still has some fight left in him, and he seeks redemption with one final bout.
The Hard-Bodied Breakdown: Faced with his own moment of career redemption, Rourke was willing to do whatever it took to sell the role. That included performing many of his own stunts, from the rope dives to slicing open his much-altered face with a razor blade. Mickey went for maximum authenticity by spending months getting put through his paces with a former Israeli cage fighter and supplementing breakfast, lunch and dinner with four other meals, all of which helped him put on 46 pounds of muscle. As for whether he got deep enough into character to add heft with steroids or human growth hormones, he coyly told Men's Journal, "When I'm a wrestler, I behave like a wrestler."
Ryan Reynolds, "Blade: Trinity" (2004)
The Strapping Story: Dracula is back and evil as ever, and in order to stop him, the brooding, architecturally coiffed Blade (Wesley Snipes) reluctantly teams up with undead-hunting upstarts the Night Stalkers, which consists of the bow-and-arrow-wielding Abigail (a big bicepped Jessica Biel) and the 12-pack-sporting class clown Hannibal King (Reynolds), whose nonstop quips make an effective, if really annoying, weapon.
The Hard-Bodied Breakdown: Before "Blade," Reynolds was better known for his frat boyish charms in "Van Wilder" than his body, and he made a beeline for the gym as soon as he landed the vampire flick. He filled out by gaining 25 pounds of muscle and got chiseled by getting down to just 3 percent body fat. Every day, he did a dizzying 500-1,000 sit-ups, along with weight training and a diet heavy on oatmeal, protein bars, chicken and eggs. "All told, it was about seven months of just every day living like a complete fool, living in the gym and eating a diet that is scientific basically," explained the actor, whose reshaped body probably didn't hurt when he was wooing now-wife Scarlett Johansson (or when he was preparing for "Wolverine"). "I put on a lot of weight. I ate every two hours. All day, every day. I'd even wake up in the middle of the night and eat," he said. "The biggest challenge was having to gain all that weight and spend all my time in the gym. That was something that I'd never done before. That nearly broke me."
John Travolta, "Staying Alive" (1983)
The Strapping Story: It's been six years since Tony Manero (Travolta) lit up the disco with his Bee Gees-accompanied booty-shaking and bell-bottomed white suit in "Saturday Night Fever." Now, he's trying to become a star on Broadway in the cheese-tastic musical "Satan's Alley," which requires him to wear a loincloth, headband and an entire bottle of baby oil.
The Hard-Bodied Breakdown: Travolta was able to carve his body into primo dancer condition thanks to the film's director, Sylvester Stallone, a guy who knows muscles. Sly helped devise a plan that had Travolta working out six days a week for nearly five months (14- and 16-hour gym days were not uncommon). The actor lost 20 pounds and gained a sleek, muscular build that he called "more contemporary and sexier."
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