Bare Knuckle Boxer Physique?

[leadchipmunk]

I was watching tv and came across the Heineken bare knuckle boxer commercial and it got me to thinking. How can someone get the physique of the stereotypical bareknuckle boxer? I know back in its heyday, callisthenics were really big for the athletes, but did they also do free weights? Bodyweight exercises? And what kind of bf% did they have? They usually had some abs showing, but it wasn't defined.

I'm more interested in the challenger (the big guy) in the commercial:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XFdBK4gdYcA

And to add some pictures of the physique I'm interested in:

[Guest Snake McClain]

The photo of tom Hardy as Charles Bronson (the famous uk prisoner and bare knuckle fighter) should lead you to his book "solitary fitness". I have it. He uses no weights. Just himself. He's a monster.

[leadchipmunk]

I'll definitely need to check it out. I just googled "bare knuckle boxer" to find those pictures, and he was a perfect example.

After reading the article on Tom Hardy, I did want to see his movie Bronson. Now I've got to read the book and watch the biography.

By the way, if Tom Hardy keeps that physique, or gets bigger, he is going to make a great Bane in the next Batman movie. Just saying.

[Guest Snake McClain]

Well the Batman movie is already filmed and in post production. I'm not sure if he got much bigger. in the movie WARRIOR which came out after Bronson he lost like 6%bf and was looking like a tank. pretty awesome. i wish i had the money for a personal trainer and to do nothing but workout, sleep and eat. lol

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seriously. he's siiiiiiick.

[empeg9000]

If you want to see some not so in shape bare knuckle boxing check out the movie "Knuckle." Its on instant Netflix right now. I recommend it. There are some in shape guys too but they look similar to the guys above.

[Max Power]

Yeah, I like that physique as a goal too. But have you stopped to think that maybe there incredible strength comes from those mustaches?

I watched Bronson, it was a trip, I should probably check out his fitness book too.

[ZenGwen]

The one with the green background and the one in the video look kind of like my boyfriend's build. He lifts heavy and makes sure to get enough protein, but doesn't exactly count calories. I think it really is a bodyfat sweet spot thing. Guys have the advantage where they can hit a spot which isn't very high, but isn't particularly low, over a bunch of muscle, and they look rock hard. Whereas I would still be looking super-squishy. I am envious.

I think it's the kind of thing where their BMI would indicate that they are quite overweight, but their body fat percentage would be in an acceptable category.

Or I might be talking out my bum, no idea.

[Guest Snake McClain]

Yeah, I like that physique as a goal too. But have you stopped to think that maybe there incredible strength comes from those mustaches?

I watched Bronson, it was a trip, I should probably check out his fitness book too.

the mustache is definitely the key here.

Bronson the movie is pretty wild. his fitness book is a bunch of charlie atlas style stuff. pushups and all that jazz but also has a ton of isometric stuff. interesting. it is what led me eventually to nerdfitness through a series of searches on some stuff he mentions.

The one with the green background and the one in the video look kind of like my boyfriend's build. He lifts heavy and makes sure to get enough protein, but doesn't exactly count calories. I think it really is a bodyfat sweet spot thing. Guys have the advantage where they can hit a spot which isn't very high, but isn't particularly low, over a bunch of muscle, and they look rock hard. Whereas I would still be looking super-squishy. I am envious.

I think it's the kind of thing where their BMI would indicate that they are quite overweight, but their body fat percentage would be in an acceptable category.

Or I might be talking out my bum, no idea.

no i think you're right. there is a ton of muscle packed under that body fat. the body fat realistically is about 20% by my guess but they have so much muscle underneath they buldge. pretty cool stuff.

[leadchipmunk]

Man, he is pretty sick. I didn't know that movie was so far along. I just heard about it having Bane a couple months back. He really fits a more realistic Bane than was in the comics or the older movie.

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I have seen some fights from Knuckle on youtube, but I didn't know it was from a movie. I thought it was just some people taping real fights. I'll have to check out the whole thing.

And to add another guy to the mix, Brett McKay from Art of Manliness.

[leadchipmunk]

I so wish I could do the mustache, but sadly I don't have my dad's mustache growing genes. I'm lucky if mine will grow below the lip line, but I keep it trimmed so it doesn't become too pedobear-ish. If I could sport a handlebar, I would go Archduke Franz Ferdinand.

I expected a relatively high body fat %, but I was thinking closer to 12 to 15. Then again, I have no realistic idea about pretty much anything fitness related that I haven't picked up from this forum.

[Guest Snake McClain]

Man, he is pretty sick. I didn't know that movie was so far along. I just heard about it having Bane a couple months back. He really fits a more realistic Bane than was in the comics or the older movie.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]2738[/ATTACH]

I have seen some fights from Knuckle on youtube, but I didn't know it was from a movie. I thought it was just some people taping real fights. I'll have to check out the whole thing.

And to add another guy to the mix, Brett McKay from Art of Manliness.

I've gotten the impression that some CGI will be done to bane to give him the venom steroid effect. but that is only if they use VENOM. they may just have him be a bad ass with no steroids at all. just a super smart villain.

and i have to thank you for giving me that video with absolutely no context. cracked me up.

I so wish I could do the mustache, but sadly I don't have my dad's mustache growing genes. I'm lucky if mine will grow below the lip line, but I keep it trimmed so it doesn't become too pedobear-ish. If I could sport a handlebar, I would go Archduke Franz Ferdinand.

I expected a relatively high body fat %, but I was thinking closer to 12 to 15. Then again, I have no realistic idea about pretty much anything fitness related that I haven't picked up from this forum.

i can tell you that I have 15% bf (really close to it) and I look nothing close to those guys in body fat. maybe its just because they have a ton more muscle. i dunno. but i think they have more than that.

[leadchipmunk]

They really better give him the venom. It just isn't Bane without it. He doesn't have to be so huge that he can't walk through a garage door, but at least some vein popping should be enough.

The context for the video was very slight, he isn't as muscular as the guys in the first post, but I would be damn proud to look like that. And Indian clubs look like fun! Maybe I should have stated that in my post. Haha

I'm happy with it being around 20%, that's better for me because I'm right around 35% according to the internet, but we all know how inaccurate that can be. Either way, it is a more attainable goal and I'll see progress towards it quicker.

[Guest Snake McClain]

I agree. Bane needs the venom. I'd be okay without because I think I know what they're doing with the movie. It seems as if he's basically the leader of "the mutant gang" from the comic the dark knight returns. which really makes sense considering some of the way this series has been building. (how did we start talking about batman????) lol

just lift heavier and eat at a calorie defecit. The fat will drop. throw in some good circuit stuff too.

Get buff! *flex*

Seriously i think you can do it man. i don't know what you look like but it doesn't even matter. Just work and focus and do your research to make sure you're doing things right.

[leadchipmunk]

I have no idea how we got to Batman.

I'm relatively stuck with bodyweight exercises for now, I do have a multi gym style exercise machine, but I cannot stand those. I'd rather have free weights.

And for calorie deficit, I've been monitoring what I eat these past couple days and I'm between 800 and 1100 calories naturally. I believe it being so low can cause more problems (body going into starvation mode and all that), but that is what I naturally go to.

[andygates]

It's all in the moustache. Try again.

Celebs are... an interesting choice for body transformation goals. The job is to look right, not necessarily to do right, and they have resources the general public don't (mostly time and creative chemistry). An actor on screen is a bit like a bodybuilder onstage, not the whole story at all.

That aside, if ya wanna look like a fighter... fight!

[leadchipmunk]

I chose the celebs for their body style, not how they got there. I was wondering more for a right way to get in a similar shape. I don't have the time and resources that they do, but given enough motivation, I can scrap up he resources to give me a similar but more functional result. And I would fight, but I gotta get to the point where I'm not getting killed everytime, unless I go after 5 year-olds that is. Those little buggers are fast though.

DISCLAIMER: I do not, never have and never will advocate fighting 5 year-old humans. Now, if they were zombies or some kind of Children of the Corn possession situation, that's a whole different story. Swing away.

[Max Power]

That aside, if ya wanna look like a fighter... fight!

A buddy of mine is a bull rider and he used to say that the only reason to get on a bull was to meet nurses. I've got a feeling I would have similar results as a fighter.

[leadchipmunk]

Max, don't you meet enough nurses fighting those bears?

[Max Power]

Max, don't you meet enough nurses fighting those bears?

Nah, so far the bear hasn't landed a clean swipe.

[Maj. Bloodnok]

http://www.sandowplus.co.uk has a lot of old-time strongman stuff, going back to the turn of the 20th century. Lots of goodness there, including the old Maxalding course, the Hoffman isometrics course that Bruce Lee used, and Martin 'Farmer' Burns' wrestling course. Good times!

[The Tin Man]

Bronson was a weird movie for me to walk into the middle of. This is my contribution.

[Max Power]

Bronson was a weird movie for me to walk into the middle of. This is my contribution.

Bronson was kind of a weird movie to watch all of the way through

[leadchipmunk]

Major, thank you for that link. It looks really nice, quite worth a read.

Bronson was kind of a weird movie to watch all of the way through

You don't know how much more this makes me want to watch it. I've always loved "weird" movies.

[Namednoname]

I went to the cinema to watch a different film and walked into the wrong room. Took me half hour before I realised I wasn't watching adverts.. Still don't understand what the hell I saw.. Don't smoke weed kids.

(Literally one of the 3 times in my life I've tryed it)

But seriously, If i was aiming for this. I'd Focus on the big moves, Dead lifts, bench press, Squats etc. Go heavy. Diet wise, eat good food, but seeing as your not looking to get ripped, it's okay to indulge in some cravings. Of course that's only for the aesthetic.

[leadchipmunk]

I'm still trying to figure out what I'm aiming for. I love the physique of these men, but I'd also like to get into free running. And a body of this size seems to be detrimental in moving fast and fluid-like at a prolonged duration. So, right now I'm just working on getting healthier and more generally fit (weight down to between 180 and 200 lbs, bf down to around 15-20% and general full body strength up) and once I reach that point then I'll try to specialize. I'm hoping to reach that point within 6 months; I'm already at 218 lbs and 35-ish% bf, so I don't see this being completely unrealistic.

Right now, I'm gaining as much information as I can to help me decide or maybe just mix my knowledge and go the ranger route, trying for a jack-of-all-trades kinda thing.