Did Christian Bale Used Steroids to Transform for his Roles?

So well, I guess we’ve all discussed about Christian Bale and his transformation. Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the last 20 years then you most likely know who Christian Bale is and what body transformation that he managed to get. So I guess that you did heard and seen the transformation this amazing actor had from the movie “The Machinist” to the movie “Batman Begins” where he got such a huge body transformation that you can barely believe this is the same person, especially in such a short period of time.

I do know that a lot of people are intrigued by the amount of the muscle mass that Christian has gained in such a short period of time, isn’t it? very well, you are not the only one here because his transformation has been nothing short of incredible.

One incredible fact that not many know but if you hear about this you are most likely shocked is that:

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Christian Bale’s Transformation Has Taken 5 Months Only

Before I can continue here I should say that in case you still have not watched the movies The Machinist or Batman Begins (and its whole trilogy) then I recommend you to give them a watch because you won’t regret – they are indeed amazing movies.

But, if you still don’t know what I am talking about then Christian Bale managed to literally go from being a severely anorexic guy to looking like a bodybuilder in only 5 months! The only other time when I was witnessing such an amazing transformation was when Goku has transformed into Super Saiyan God form and for those who don’t know that’s an anime. There are lots of other actors out there who had big body changes and transformation in order to get their roles (such as Matthew McConaughey, Jake Gyllenhaal and others) but I’ve never seen such a transformation and especially in such a short period of time.

In this period, Christian Bale managed to gain over 30 kg and most of it has been in form of pure muscles. With this being said, it is no wonder why so many people started to think that he must have been using steroids, otherwise he couldn’t make all this change and couldn’t get all that muscle mass. With this being said, we would try to determine this.

Legal Disclaimer

Before I am going to continue we need to mention that we are in absolutely no way, form or shape associated with Christian Bale and we don’t know him personally (even though, honestly, we would like to). We have no access to his medical history and we don’t know absolutely any personal information of him. We do not know anybody close to him either.

All the information we are going to use to write this article is found public, online. We would analyze information, his pictures and videos and based on our knowledge on steroids and their side effects, we would try to make a conclusion as close as possible to reality. But in the same time, our conclusion and verdict remains speculative as all the information we would share here since we have no actual proves that he uses steroids or ever used. That’s why, please take the information here as speculative rather than factual, even though, as I said, we do believe our verdict is very close to the real one – we just cannot give actual 100% proves.

We do not judge the use of steroids but in the same time we do not recommend them. This remains up to everybody’s own decision. So let’s continue and find it out if

Did Christian Bale Used Some Steroids for his Role as Batman – Bruce Wayne?

In fact, the real question that needs to be asked here is: it is possible at all to gain an approximate of 20 kg of muscle all naturally in the space of only 5 months? There’s no fricking way you could do that unless that you are a genetic freak and newbie in all of this. However, in fact, if you are going to analyze Christian Bale’s body over the years then you would realize that the question should be rephrased and it should sound like: is it possible to REGAIN back 20 kg of muscle naturally in the space of 5 months? Very well, there’s a pretty big difference between the first and the second question and that’s why, while the first question is NO, the answer to the second one is definitely yes, and that’s possible because of the muscle memory.

If it would be someone else then I would have much more questions, but since it is Christian Bale we assume that this is pretty possible and that’s because he already had the mass. That’s because Christian Bale wasn’t always a skinny guy who was looking severely anorexic as we can see him looking in The Machinist. That’s how he tried to get to look like. But before that movie, we could see Christian Bale in an extremely good shape for the movie American Psycho where he was in a very good shape, while looking very lean and muscular.

That was an amazing movie which I would definitely recommend to my readers where you can admire Christian’s body where he is pretty muscular, but absolutely nothing “too much”. And we definitely can’t say he’s anorexic. In fact, that’s a body many men would envy.

But he does not look as big as he does in Batman Begins. So well, if we are going to compare his body from American Psycho to Batman Begins then there’s obviously not such a huge difference between Batman and Machinist, however he does look to be bigger. To my notice, he looks to have quite a little bit of more body fat but he also has a little bit more muscle mass while playing Batman (Bruce Wayne).

So well, we can already see that in the movie American Psycho, Christian already had quite a large amount of muscle that he displayed 5 years later in the Batman Begins movie.

What I am trying to say is: if it would have been a person who has never been muscular, a person who has always been skinny/ average, then looking completely anorexic and then, out of a sudden in 5 months looking like Batman then that would have been extremely strange. However, it is different for Christian since we saw him already carrying a good amount of muscles, then getting anorexic and then getting into shape again for another movie where he needs to be full of muscles. This is telling us that the muscle memory is what could have been the cause (most likely) for Christian Bale to gain such an exceptional amount of muscles so quickly after the movie “The Machinist”.

Now I do know that there’s a question that some of you may be asking:

Is Muscle Memory Really This Powerful and can do such “Miracles”?

So well, for answering this question I must mention a few things that should be clear here. There are 2 different types of muscle memory and as everything else, there’s quite a good difference between them. The first muscle memory is when you are stopping to go to the gym and your muscles are getting shrunk due to the fact that you are no longer lifting weights (nonetheless, you’re eating normally). But the second type is when you are losing muscles because of your diet, like for example, starvation or way too big of a calorie deficient. It is obvious that in such a case, the person can’t even go to gym.

So well, with all of that being said I should mention here – in order to regain the muscles back from the scenario number one then you would need to go back to the gym and to start lifting weights once again. So well, by doing so over the several weeks your muscles are going to start to restore to their previous size. But if we are talking about the second type of muscle memory then you are going to need to overeat in order to regain back all the muscles that you have lost due to your diet. In this case, when you do overeat again, most of the weight gain is going to come back as pure muscles, as opposed to being mostly fat and a little bit of muscle if you were never muscular and never under ate and simply started to overeat.

I do know this because I have lost a lot of muscles once myself and that’s because I was doing excessive amounts of HIIT on an empty stomach in the morning, my body started to lose weight and I wasn’t losing only fat but muscles as well. However, after I have lost my muscles I have started to overeat and I was doing it aggressively, I was eating in a bid to get all the muscles back. As much as I have calculated, I used to consume approximately 6,000 of calories per day and that’s quite a lot. In other words I can say that during that part of my life I was eating quite a lot of McDonalds Foods (in the style of CT Fletcher – you can read about that guy who is a strong evidence that if you want to get big – eat big).

So well, what has happened as a result of that overeating can be described only as something pretty “magical”. Why? Because I lost a lot of muscles, I started to overeat again and nearly all of the weight that I have gained was pure muscle. Of course, I did got a bit of fat too, however the fat – muscle ratio was unbelievable. Of course, I did became very bloated and I have been retaining quite a lot of water and that’s because of the huge influx of the calories that I have been having back then, nonetheless, I have only gained quite a small amount of fat. That’s the power of the muscle memory and that’s what kicked in, making me gain most of the weight in muscles only. But please understand me right. A very important point to mention here is:

If I already regained absolutely all of my muscles back, however I would just continue to overeat further after that point on, then most of the weight gain after that point would be pure fat without any muscles. Overeating might sound like a good idea, but it depends on a lot of factors because for a different person overeating might turn them into obese. Plus, you should know how to stop, and when to do it.

I personally got smaller than what Christian Bale is in the right photo below when I was undereating and then it seems I was bigger than what Christian Bale is in the photo on the left after I was overeating. Then I’ve stopped.

But if talking about Christian’s transformation from The Machinist to Batman Begins then there’s obviously a huge difference. Much bigger than mine. It is obvious that I have not lost as much muscles and therefore it is quite obvious that my transformation was not quite as impressive as Bale’s. but in the same time, what I am trying to say is that I if would have under eat so much as he did and I would have lost even more muscles, then I do believe that I would have experienced quite a similar transformation as he did. However, in such a case, I would also need to do even more eating than what I’ve been having as I am quite sure that Christian Bale was eating more than 6,000 of calories per day in that 5 months period when he transformed from The Machinist to Batman Begins.

In fact, people who saw me also started to think that I am taking steroids. I am such a person that I don’t really care how small/ big or whatever else I may look like, I refuse to take steroids and I know that I would never take them. Still I got steroid accusations. Pretty much as Christian Bale did. I know such big transformations sound strange and “magical” making you think that it may be due to steroid intake. However, those people do not realize that at least 90% of the muscles that I gained and Christin Bale gained was not NEW muscle, it is the muscle that we had it before. We lost it, then it reappeared back thanks to muscle memory. Building new muscles and regaining muscles are 2 completely different things.

However, in the same time, if there is somebody who is at their normal size and then they would have made all of those huge gains and they would build some new muscles, that’s a completely different story and in such a case it is something pretty obvious that the steroids are indeed playing a very important part in all of it.

So Christian Bale had a huge body transformation but it wasn’t any new muscles. So, once this muscle memory successfully has restored Christian to his normal size, then the difference between his body in American Psycho compared to Batman Begins as much as we can see, isn’t as huge and shocking. Check the photo I shared above. The main difference it is that he was eating much more (he was bulking up), therefore he got moderately bigger muscle size (but we definitely can’t say that he got anything extraordinary that would indicate steroid use) and he obviously has higher body fat %.

I am going to share another picture: The Many Bodies of Christian Bale. This image is supporting my theory as Christian Bale had only gained a few lbs (kg) in his weight, compared to when he has started to act with a good looking back in Reign of Fire which was 3 years before Batman Begins. The image below perfectly shows how much a person can change his body by making huge difference in their diet. It’s interesting how he is 190 lbs (86 kg) for Batman Begins in 2005; then 135 lbs (61 kg) for Rescue Dawn in 2006 and then again 190 lbs (86 kg) 2 years later for The Dark Knight.

But an extremely interesting fact that few people know is that: Christian Bale actually gained TOO MUCH WEIGHT for the Batman Begins movie after the movie The Machinist and that’s why he has been told that he needs to cut down a little bit before he can appear on the screen as the DC favorite hero. I know it is hard to believe in this, but that’s the truth. You can find this on IMDB yourself:

“After being cast [as Batman], he was told to become as “big as you could be” by Christopher Nolan. Bale underwent a 6 month dietary and exercise regimen and ending up weighing about 220 pounds (about 40 pounds above his normal weight). It was decided that Bale had become too large (friends of his on the film’s crew dubbed him “Fatman”) and he quickly shed about 20 pounds to have leaner, more muscular frame. Bale described the experience as an unbearable physical ordeal.”

As much as we have found, Bale said that he gorged and was eating a lot of foods which could make him become more fat. Such foods as: pizza, ice cream, burgers and so on and so forth. His body went through huge differences. From anorexic to too much fat and then cut some fat back. It is not wonder that he said it was an unbearable physical ordeal and it definitely is no wonder that he had to visit his doctor several times in all those changes… that’s because he was making himself ill by doing that.

Trust me, it doesn’t sound like a good idea to binge eating junk food such as pizza and ice cream. I know some of you may dream about this, but that’s the worst diet choice you might have. CT Fletcher found it out by eating a lot of McDonalds daily. Christian Bale found it out by eating junk food and I found it out personally by eating lots of junk food and McDonalds as well. All of this isn’t a good idea at all.

So, the body transformation that he got was most likely natural, or at very least, there’s nothing that could indicate he actually used some steroids. I know that by saying this, some of you who don’t ever give up on accusing good looking people of taking steroids might think: “ok, fine, Christian Bale might not have used steroids for the transformation, however he still could have used some steroids in order to develop that muscle mass that he had in the movie American Psycho.”

Well, I think that if you are having a body like Christian Bale had in American Psycho and accusing him of using steroids that’s most likely jealousy and envy. Do you really think that it is so hard and impossible to reach his body size and shape in American Psycho without steroids? well… ok. I am going to talk about whether it is likely at all that Christian Bale did used steroids in order to get in the shape he was for American Psycho.

So, first off it is very important to mention here that Patrick Bateman (the character played by Christian Bale in American Psycho. PS. Someone found it funny/ strange his name is Bateman then years late he’s actually Batman? LOL) is not having a huge amount of muscle mass. As we can see, he is indeed very learn and ripped and is indeed having a good size, however I have big doubts that he’s anything too big to say that he looks to use steroids. Plus to that, I am more than sure that his physique in that movie is something 100% attainable for a natural guy. And you do not need world class genetics in order to have the body Christian Bale did for movie American Psycho. It is no doubt that you do need quite a good hard work both in and out of the gym as you should work in the kitchen for achieving such a body. However, you just don’t need to be as huge as Mike O’Hearn at 14 years old in order to be having such a body.

Except for the fact that he’s not huge but still good looking and except that his physique is absolutely attainable for any natural guy, there should be some visual side effects of steroids if Christian did used some steroids to get into that shape. Usually, those who use some steroids get at least some side effects. Christian Bale, however doesn’t have any of them at all.

Those visual side effects that are associated with the steroid users include: acne (he seem to have perfect skin); bloating (I would be crazy if I would say that he has any bloating at all); excessive vascularity or red looking skin (sign of higher body temperature and decreased collagen production) – something that we definitely didn’t seen for Christian Bale. Thin/ receding hair (he’s seen in the movie with perfect/ long hair) or at least gyno, something that we also can’t see in Christian Bale’s case.

Why it is very likely that Christian has been all Natural for American Psycho?

Well, if there is someone who has not got a very determined personality, a body such as Patrick Bateman’s in American Psycho it is nearly impossible to attain naturally. With this being said, I should mention here that a person’s attitude can give us some really big insight as to whether they are some likely to be on steroids or not.

Those who are super determined and reach big things. Those who are not and still look amazing raise question. For example… there may be a pretty boy that is strolling into the gym now and then with some Converses on and is only ever doing some bicep curls with barely some weight and yet, he is still successfully having some amazing arms. Well, it is very likely that the person is on something.

You don’t believe me? You think that I am lying? Well, just take a look at the picture below perfectly describing what I am trying to say:

That it is the type of the guy that you can simply look at and be nearly sure that he is juicing. Not trying to say that looking like that you are surely using something, but I am trying to say that there’s a big chance they do.

Nonetheless, in the same time, if there is somebody who is very committed/ knowledgeable then there is less likely to be taking anything at all. And that’s especially if they are not huge and are not having any visible signs on their bodies screaming: Steroids! A very good example of that it is Rob Riches who is considered one of the best looking natural guys out there in the bodybuilding industry. I am quite sure that we all have a lot to learn from that guy. But here is what I personally know about it and some of my advices:

The Natty Guide:

The first thing is: if there is someone who has got a really good physique and they are having a dedicated personally then it is most likely that they are natural. And to get me right: I am just talking to get a good physique, I am not talking about Mr Olympia level. The second case is if there is somebody who has got a good physique and they are only lifting weights on a Monday night in order to get a pump to impress the girls, then there’s a good chance that they are on steroids since you can’t be so good looking without enough dedication, workout and diet. Well, unless you are having some amazing genetics like for example Jeff Seid who has them both, but we can’t say that he’s just good looking because that would be a huge understatement.

But as much as we can see, Christian Bale is without any doubts in the first category of people as he is one of the most dedicated actors of all times and I assume one of the most dedicated person at all.

I can assume that because he has had to gain and to lose a ton of weight in preparation for several movies so his body weight fluctuated extremely much – up and down. There are other big names and actors who transformed their bodies for roles, but they didn’t got through so many body transformations making them get up and down in body weight. What I am trying to say is that in order to successfully transform your body like that you surely need to have both knowledge and discipline because steroids alone definitely won’t help you. but you still can achieve it without steroids.

In addition to that, take in consideration that Christian Bale is having some elite personal trainers and nutritionists at his disposal which are providing him all the knowledge that he needs. However, this still won’t be enough in case you don’t have the discipline to follow up with all the advices from those elite nutritionists and personal trainers. Therefore, you just don’t need to personally know this guy in order to understand that he is having a fierce work ethic, and that’s essential when you are trying to bulk or to cut. If you want to know and better understand what this guy went through, I am going to share a YouTube video link where it is shown several of his mind blowing transformations.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ADFaaWnaVaM

With all of this being said, I should mention that when it is coming to perfecting his craft, Christian Bale is as serious as it can be. This has been particularly evident when playing the role of John Connor in the Terminator Salvation movie when an extra just kept on walking on the set during the filming process.

Well, if you want to hear Christian Bale literally turning as mad as the Hulk does then you can listen to the record below. I must mention that the words used aren’t the most beautiful you would hear today, but what do you expect from a person getting so mad as the Hulk? What I am trying to say is that this is a perfect example of how dedicated this man is.

Christian Bale did admitted quite a little bit later that it has been a distasteful moment, however in the same time, this has showed that he surely cared a lot about his job, he’s not accepting excuses and that he is trying to be the absolutely best that he just could be.

With transforming his body while being a big part of his job, of course, it is quite easy for me to believe that he is 100% natural and that it is only capable of those feats due to the fact that he is super commitment and also thanks to the team that he is having around him such as personal trainers and nutritionists.

Or do you think that in fact, it was roid rage? I personally doubt in this and that’s why I must say:

Conclusion: Christian Bale is Natty

This verdict of being a natural guy, Christian Bale got because there is nothing which could prove him being a juicer. People’s biggest accusation of his taking steroid is his rapid transformation but as I earlier explained, the muscle memory is what comes at play that many people simply do not take in consideration. He went from literally BIG undereating to BIG overeating nearly overnight while he was looking good before doing it all. Taking this in consideration as well as knowing that he is one of the most dedicated actors out there, it is fair to assume that Christian Bale is all natural to my opinion.

If he would have taken steroids he would have been a lot much bigger and there would be steroid signs visible on his body with naked eyes. But we can see that from American Psycho to Batman Begins he has not gained any huge amounts of muscles (which he definitely would on steroids), and therefore his gains are very possible without the help of anabolic steroids. we can see he’s not as huge and we can see he has no signs of steroid use all along with natural looking body, big transformations and huge dedication with a team that can help him do it all.

There are very little chances to my opinion that he did actually used anything. If you want to accuse Christian Bale of using steroids then the only way you could do it is to accuse his character – Bruce Wayne which, in the comics, he would take some kind of super steroids referred to as “venom” which he later became addicted to. It’s fair to say Bruce was on steroids, but I doubt Christian ever was.

In the end, tell us what do you think about Christian Bale in the comments section below. Is he among your favorite actors or not? Are you amazed by all the body transformations he got through? Do you still think that he uses something? Provide evidences. If you have anything else other to add about Christian Bale, do it in the comments below. Special thanks to many different sources which helped me writing this article with some of them including:

https://www.google.com/

https://www.youtube.com/

https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000288/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christian_Bale

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