Correct me if I'm wrong, but aren't bodybuilders primarily interested in appearance and very specific kinds of tasks?
Bane was big, but he wasn't a "bodybuilder" in the professional sense of the term. He was a brutal warrior, and I don't think they have to eat all the time. His muscles weren't his end goal, they were just part of his means.
Well I think Silasya77 addressed this point the best. Bane's men weren't greedy opportunists, they were true believers and fanatics, willing to throw themselves on their swords for him and his cause. The movie makes this quite clear (though I do wish it explored Bane's "mystique" a bit more).
lolwut?
He's on the ground after he's had the **** beaten out of him, so that somehow is meant to imply that he can't stand up for the rest of his life?
Seriously?
Barring an in-depth explanation of how his device works, I think we're meant to assume that the painkillers are cut off completely once it's broken. (those of us with medical knowledge know there'd be a delay before he felt the effects, as the painkillers would still be present in his bloodstream - but this "instant effect" of medication is a movie trope, so we're supposed to accept that within the rules of Hollywood).
Ok, I think it's clear you missed the entire point of the movie, and the trilogy in general. Batman is an effective fighter, but what he really does for the city is act as a symbol. An inspiration.
The flaming Bat symbol he creates is meant to galvanize the city - the civilians and the police - to step up and fight for Gotham. No one individual can deal as much damage as Batman could, but together, collectively, they are far more effective than any one man could be. Which makes any time spent on that flaming symbol worth more than anything else he might have done instead.
He talks about this in the first movie and it is brought up throughout each of the three films.