Robert Pattinson© GettyImages

Robert Pattinson’s 6 Pre-Batman Diet And Exercise Secrets

As is with superhero movies, the star of the newest Batman franchise, Robert Pattinson, had to prepare for his gruelling role as Batman and follow some diet and exercise rules to get into fighting shape fast.

Unfortunately, since the Twilight star doesn’t use social media, we had to do some serious digging here and there to know more about his fitness journey towards becoming Batman.

He once quipped in an interview that he considered joining social media “only in dark moments,” and joked that he’s “too old and boring” for Instagram. Though that’s far from the truth, we believe the actor secretly subscribes to Wednesday Addams’ philosophy and finds social media to be a soul-sucking void of meaningless affirmation—especially after dealing with ruthless paparazzi for years.

Now, back to the issue at hand. Much of what he did in terms of diet and exercise for Batman is a mystery, but at least Jimmy Kimmel gave us something to look forward to: “I saw the movie last night. I’m going to begin by saying you are an excellent Batman,” he told Robert on Jimmy Kimmel Live after watching a pre-screening.

We’ve learned from other superhero actors that playing the role is just as much about fitness as it is acting. “You look at the true warriors of the superhero genre—[Chris] Hemsworth, The Rock, [Robert Downey Jr., [Chris] Evans—and wonder if you’re putting yourself in the wrong place,” Pattinson said in a recent interview.

While the actor had previously criticised working out during quarantine, it’s safe to say that his mindset has changed. Pattinson has since been motivated to follow in the footsteps of previous superhero legends. “That really came back to haunt me,” he revealed in January 2022. “I think I was doing the interview when I was in lockdown, as well, in England. … I was in a lower gear of working out.”

So, how has this Twilight alumnus, now Batman superhero, trained for his iconic role? Read on to find out Pattinson’s diet and workout secrets that he followed to the tee to embody The Batman.

He worked out in the mornings

Batman workouts took place in the morning before filming started for the day. “I’d have my burst of energy in the mornings. I’d go do a workout, and I’d have about 15 minutes before I had to get into the suit,” Robert shared in an interview. Studies show that morning workouts keep you more active throughout the day and don’t delay your sleep like an evening workout might. So Pattinson’s got it right there.

He did core workouts with diligence

So, what kind of exercises did the actor do? As per reports, his core workouts mainly consisted of bicycle crunches, dumbbell side bends, double crunches, and supermans. He typically performed three sets of 25 reps each. Talk about strengthening your core! Then again, we’ve all seen and loved Christian Bale do push-ups as Batman on screen, so his successor did have some big shoes to fill for sure.

Persevering during health-related setbacks

Before the pandemic put filming on hold, the actor broke his wrist, creating a serious obstacle in his fitness routine. “I broke my wrist at the beginning of it all, doing a stunt, even before COVID. So the whole first section was trying to keep working out—looking like a penguin,” he said. We certainly wouldn’t want the legendary Batman looking like his former adversary The Penguin. But the fact that Pattinson kept working out, even with a broken wrist, shows that he was up for the challenge.

Balance was key

While training for The Batman, Pattinson discovered that he had to strike a happy balance from within. “For too long I’ve been all-in or all-out. I realised I needed a more thorough approach to fitness because it’s too easy for me to go one way or the other…or at least, it has been in the past,” he said in a recent interview. The Harry Potter actor worked on improving his mindset towards working out, and kept himself on track.

He ate healthy to aid his workouts

Pattinson knew that eating healthy was necessary along with working out to really see any progress. That’s why he tweaked his day-to-day diet, limiting alcohol, processed meats, and fried foods. While his meal plan may have changed since 2020, he said in an interview that he was eating a lot of oatmeal with vanilla protein powder while preparing for his role in Batman. The actor also said that he would eat tuna from the can with tabasco sauce. This was great because canned tuna is known to be rich in protein, and can also improve your brain and eye function. It contains lesser amounts of mercury than other fish as well.

He preferred outdoor activities

Being stuck inside his home during the pandemic compelled the actor to do many of his workouts outside to ward off boredom. He ran 5-10 km about three to four times a week to get his cardio in. Besides this, he also worked out on the beach or boxed outside. The Remember Me actor even went for relaxing strolls every now and then, because he “has always been an advocate of long walks as a way of loosening up and freeing the mind,” as per reports.