On April 14, 2000, the world was greeted by Patrick Bateman, a wealthy, narcissistic, and psycho investment banker. American Psycho might have become a cult classic but it also faced a lot of controversy for its ways. Actor Christian Bale though was quite praised for his work in the movie and some might even call it his breakthrough role.
Now, twenty-two years after the movie’s release, a famous social media platform, TikTok, has taken interest in the movie, and no, Patrick Bateman’s brutal ways aren’t the reason why. In the opening scene of the film, the main character is seen showing off his extensive morning routine, shining further light on his self-absorbed nature of the guy. Well now, TikTok users are taking it upon themselves to try and follow his fitness routine, which might not be as harmless as one might think!
Christian Bale’s American Psycho Routine is Trending
Apart from ice packs, deep pore cleansers, and water-activated gel cleansers, Patrick Bateman’s morning routine involves a rigorous fitness regime, including about a thousand stomach crunches. Now, we’re all well aware of Christian Bale’s incredible physique and it would be safe to say that a lot of people want to look like that. That’s exactly what’s going down over at TikTok.
Talking to GQ, two experts PTs, Chris Antoni and Farren Morgan, had something to share about the whole trend going on. Antoni calls Bale’s physique “the pinnacle of masculinity” with his broad shoulders, abs, and low body fat percentage.
“I would describe Patrick Bateman’s body as the pinnacle of masculinity: big broad shoulders, washboard abs and an aesthetic v-taper back combined with a low body fat percentage. Some would say he’s body is a resemblance of a Greek God in the film.”
Morgan, the founder of The Tactical Athlete, chimed in the discussion stating that reaching the Greek God level in your physique comes with extremely challenging and sometimes unattainable changes. A highly restrictive diet and intensive training are just part of the package that comes with going on a transformation journey.
“You will need to undergo a highly restrictive no-cheat diet and an intensive four-day strength training workout plan to obtain his highly defined abs, thick biceps, broad shoulders, and sculpted v-taper that he shows in the movie.”
TikTok has always been about new challenges. Whether it’s a trending dance or a makeover, users are always trying to one-up each other on their profiles. Now, after it has been over two decades since Patrick Bateman shared his morning routine with the world, TikTok has found its new fitness challenge. Add to it the fact that most youngsters are taking on the challenge without being aware of the possible repercussions and you have got yourself the perfect recipe for a disaster.
The New Fitness Challenge Might have its Drawbacks
According to Antoni, who is the founder of Tailor Made Fitness, a lot of young people are overdoing it when it comes to fitness just to look shredded. He talked about how the discipline needed to achieve a God-like physique is absent from many young people and they end up cutting corners. Cutting corners here means turning to supplements to enhance their physique. He called them out for taking shortcuts and then giving fitness advice on their social media accounts. Antoni also stated that this often leads to other kids their age feeling insecure just because their bodies look different.
Patrick Bateman’s ridiculous workout might be doing more harm to people than good. Owing to hustle culture and the fact that everyone is trying to be better than others, the youngsters might be falling into a trap with this one. Usually, Internet challenges are time-bound, and achieving Patrick’s level of fitness in a short time span is certainly not a clever move. It takes people years to truly transform themselves in a healthy way.
So, if you want to do it the right way, Antoni suggests exercises like bench presses, squats, deadlifts, or basically anything that movies multiple body parts.
“Compound exercises build the most muscle mass, equating to burning the most calories in the shortest amount of time. Typically, you’d spread these out throughout the week, beginning a gym session with just one of these ‘big moves’ and waiting another week to recover before attempting them again.”
If you are looking to transform yourself into a healthier you, don’t restrict yourself to a time limit. Take it slow as good things take time. In the end, the advice is to eat healthily, don’t overstress your body, and definitely don’t forget cardio!
American Psycho is available to stream on Netflix.
Source: GQ
