After reading some more on Dr. Berardi’s excellent G-Flux theory (having power athletes put on weight while holding at around 6% body fat is nothing short of amazing Doc) I think I’ve gained a bit more of an understanding of how it works.
Related to this, I also have come to think of many actors who have packed on muscle for a role, causing many to scream “steroids!”, when really alot of their training programmes sound like they racking up alot of hours of physical activity, and eating a large amount - very much a high G-flux I would say.
The first actor who immediately comes to mind is Thomas Jane. I remember when the Punisher first came out, the bodybuilding.com forums flared up with posts asking about TJ’s routine and diet in preparation for the role. The gist of it was he was eating alot and had twice a day workouts, sometimes targeting the same muscle groups, as well as a good amount of cardio.
Back before I had found T-Nation, I was under the impression that this was a dangerous practice if kept up for too long, as the “expert” posters told me. However, now, I’m starting to realize that this probably was not only entirely possible, but also perfectly fine. It definitely payed off for him in the film IMO.
Edward Norton I’m still not sure on. For American history X he gained 30lbs of solid muscle while staying below 10% bodyfat in just 3 months. According to EN, he “ate all day and pumped iron”. However I still don’t see it to be honest; he’s naturally an ecto, and getting a call from Arnie suggesting you did a cycle isn’t exactly helpful either. That and the fact that apparently after the shoot the muscle just went like (to paraphrase Norton) “deflating a balloon.”. Much love for his acting skills however.
Other actors who may have had high G-fluxing:
Christian Bale
Ryan Reynolds
Nicholas Cage (Con Air, although he wasn’t big at all in that, but big for Nic Cage)