Ben Affleck went on a very strict workout routine that allowed him to pack on lean muscle mass very quickly.
He said that his trainer told him that he needed to put an emphasis on lifting heavy weight with his body’s largest and strongest muscle groups and to give his body what it needs to grow muscle through his diet and additional supplements. He recommended a double supplement stack that Ben says “changed his life” every day (Check out the full review of the supplement stack here).
This helped him grow lean muscle mass all over and gave him a powerful looking build.
Let’s take a look at a sample week of workouts for Ben Affleck while preparing for his Batman role.
Monday: Chest and Triceps
Exercise One: Barbell Bench Press
Sets: 5
Reps: 4-6
Rest Time: 2 Minutes
Note: Since the bench press is one of the major muscle building exercises for the upper body – Ben made sure to lift very heavy weight and focus on slow and controlled movements.
Exercise Two: Overhead Db Triceps Press
Sets: 4
Reps: 8-10
Rest Time: 90 Seconds
Note: This is a mass building triceps exercise so Ben made sure to keep his reps in the 8-10 rep range to break down more lean muscle fibers in his triceps.
Exercise Three: Close Grip Incline Bench Press
Sets: 4
Reps: 6-8
Rest Time: 2 Minutes
Note: This exercise was one of the most important for Ben’s body transformation – as this build up his upper chest muscles and triceps. The upper chest muscles are very hard to develop and this was Ben’s go to exercise for developing his upper pectorals.
Exercise Four: Weighted Dips
Sets: 4
Reps: 8
Rest Time: 2 Minutes
Note: Weighted Dips are another excellent exercise for developing the triceps and chest muscles. Ben made sure to emphasize slow and controlled form to build his upper body.
Exercise Five: Barbell Decline Bench Press
Sets: 4
Reps: 6-8
Rest Time: 2 minutes
Note: Many guys don’t perform the barbell decline bench press but this is an excellent exercise for developing thickness and depth in the pectoral muscles.
Tuesday: Back/Biceps
Exercise One: Weighted Pull Ups
Sets: 4
Reps: 6-8
Rest Time: 2 Minutes
Note: Ben would switch his grip between wide grip pull-ups and close grip pull-ups.
Exercise Two: Barbell Row
Sets: 4
Reps: 6-8
Rest Time: 2 Minutes
Note: Ben would alternate sets with regular grip and underhand grip to emphasize his biceps and arm growth.
Exercise Three: Standing Barbell Bicep Curls
Sets: 4
Reps: 6-8
Rest Time: 2 Minutes
Note: Ben would try to go very heavy with this barbell bicep curls, as this was the main exercise that directly worked his biceps.
Exercise Four: Seated Row
Sets: 4
Reps: 8
Rest Time: 2 Minutes
Note: This is another great exercise that would continue to work Bens back and biceps together giving him an incredible muscle pump.
Exercise Five: Underhand Lateral Pull-Down
Sets: 4
Reps: 8
Rest Time: 2 Minutes
Note: By placing his hands in an “underhand” position Ben was able to emphasize his biceps as well as his upper lats.
Wednesday: Legs/Abs
Exercise One: Barbell Squat
Sets: 4
Reps: 4-6
Rest Time: 2 Minutes
Note: Ben would try to go really heavy on this exercise as it works his body’s largest and strongest muscle group – his quadriceps. This has incredible anabolic hormone boosting side effects.
Exercise Two: Barbell Dead lift
Sets: 4
Reps: 6
Rest Time: 2 Minutes
Note: This is another one of the most important muscle building exercises, as you are able to lift a lot of weight, which elicits maximum anabolic hormone response.
Exercise Three: Weighted Russian Twists (Abdominal)
Sets: 4
Reps: 10-12
Rest Time: 2 Minutes
Note: This was one of Ben’s favorite core exercises because it worked his oblique’s and abdominals.
Exercise Four: Walking Db Lunges
Sets: 4
Reps: 10 each leg
Rest Time: 2 Minutes
Note: 20 reps total per set (10 each leg). This was great for hip development and hamstring strength.
Exercise Five: Db Step Ups
Sets: 4
Reps: 10 each Leg
Rest: 60 Seconds
Note: At the end of his workouts Ben would choose to have shorter rest times to enter fat burning mode.
Thursday: Rest Day
Friday: Shoulders and Traps
Exercise One: Db Shoulder Press
Sets: 4
Reps: 8
Rest Time: 2 Minutes
Note: Standard Db shoulder press, but Ben would emphasize the eccentric portion (lowering the weight) to build lean muscle mass quicker.
Exercise Two: Barbell Shrugs
Sets: 4
Reps: 6
Rest Time: 2 Minutes
Note: Ben put a huge emphasis on developing his shoulders and traps so he would make sure to lift very heavy on this exercise.
Exercise Three: Db Arnold Press
Sets: 4
Reps: 6-8
Rest: 2 Minutes
Note: This is the best exercise for developing the front of the shoulder (anterior deltoids)
Exercise Four: Db Lat Raise
Sets: 4
Reps: 12
Rest: 2 Minutes
Note: Since this is more of a shoulder shaper Ben would perform higher reps.
Exercise Five: Db Shrugs
Sets: 4
Reps: 8
Rest: 2 Minutes
Note: Ben would always perform this exercise directly after db lat raise when his shoulders were nice and fatigued. This gave him an incredible deltoid and trap workout.
Saturday: 30 Minutes HIIT Cardio
Ben’s cardio routine usually consisted of high intensity interval training. Ben would alternate between days of sprint intervals and db squat jumps. He would typically perform 8-10 intervals with 60 seconds rest in between.
Sunday: Rest Day
