What Robert Downey Jr did to Get in Shape for Iron Man

Remember the movie “Weird Science” from 1985?  It wasn’t his first film role, but perhaps the one that launched Robert Downey Jr’s acting career. This film was a huge hit for many youngsters at that time. Not long after, irony would see him as well-to-do, but troubled teen, with a drug problem in “Less that Zero.” Unfortunately, Downey “played” the role of drug addict in real-life for a period of ten chaotic years. He was arrested many times in the years from 1996 to 2001 on drug-related charges.

Then, in 2008 he was cast as Tony Stark, aka - Ironman! This Was a Turning Point for Robert Downey Jr

The part required that Downey ad 20 pounds of muscle in 5 months. Jon Favre, director of “Ironman,” had in mind to see his Tony Stark as a very fit man, fully capable of pounding out iron. And they didn’t have a lot of time to make this challenging task become a reality. Brought on board with the purpose of whipping him into shape was Brad Bose, legendary American trainer. I would say that the first Ironman movie was Robert Downey Jr’s first step toward his now amazing physique.

In the First Ironman, Downey Added 20 Pounds of Muscle to His Physique

One machine that Bose made him use primarily that helped him accomplish this amazing feat was the Vortex. Several different cables, a dip bar, and a pull up bar are features of the Vortex machine. The unique feature of this machine is that it can hit the muscle from almost any angle. Another advantage of the machine is the ability you have to switch from one exercise to another quickly. The Jacobs Ladder was another device that Downey used regularly. As you climb a ladder which revolves, you get a great cardio workout. While the Vortex was instrumental in sculpting some muscle mass, the Jacobs Ladder melted away body fat. Another device used was a vibration platform called the Pineapple, which was specifically used to exhaust the muscles during stenuous exercise.

Robert Downey Jr really started to hone is body further for “Sherlock Holmes.”

Although Downey looked great in Ironman, he was new to this level of fitness. But many more months with just a small percentage of body fact is necessary to achieve the ultimate lean look. Simply continuing what he did to get lean for Ironman, Robert Downey Jr sharpened up to a new level. When one loses body fat and becomes leaner, as Downey did, their skin doesn’t shrink to the new, smaller size for some time. If you watch the fight scenes in Sherlock Holmes, you will notice he looks more toned than Ironman.

And Downey really gets ripped for “Ironman 2!”

He actually looks even better as far as his overall physique, skin and face are concerned. One of the big benefits of staying lean and holding that condition over a number of years is that the skin finally has time to adapt to the new body size. One thing people don’t often realize is that reaching a lower level of body fat will result in their face looking more angular and their features sharper. Robert Downey Jr has the look of a “GQ” model in Ironman 2 and this is largely because he has stayed lean.

This impressive physique shown in “Ironman 2″ is actually the aftereffect of 3 years of regular and devoted exercise.

Although this article was about Robert Downey Jr’s Workout for Iron Man 2, his journey began in 2007. Starting at that time to prepare for the first “Ironman” role, his ongoing training over the next three years was what really sculpted the Robert Downey Jr of today. He worked with Brad Bose on The Vortex, Jacob’s Ladder, and  The Pineapple to get the sleek and lean look you see today. As you might guess, a large part of the improvement was due to a careful diet, too.