Celebrity Workouts: Chris Hemsworth

If you want to be the God of thunder, you've gotta train for it.

Chris Hemsworth has a very athletic lifestyle, outside of the gym he works on his Muay Thai and surfs as often as he can, But in the lead up to any 'Thor' film he has to put on as much as 20 lbs of muscle!

To do this he combines"Body Building" training alongside functional circuit training to allow him to remain mobile and flexible whilst putting on size.

We first saw Hemsworth wield Mjolnir in 2011, he said he felt too bulky and stiff during filming so for the proceeding films he and his trainer modified his regime to include more functional and flexibility training. This allowed him to sculpt a leaner looking physique whilst still being mobile enough to perform stunts and feel more nimble.

Below is the functional circuit training routine Chris developed with the help of his trainer Luke Zocchi.

You'll need a hammer (obviously) and a large tractor tyre... Since I don't live near a farm I used a Medicine ball and a plyo box instead.

Here's the drill:

6 minute rounds.

6-8 reps of each exercise.

Repeat for 3 rounds.

Overhead Slams
Single arm Slams
Single arm twist and slam
Sideways Slams
Round the world Slams
Overhead strike Squat

Rest 1 minute between rounds.

Review

Be prepared to sweat for this one! Since the purpose of this circuit is to increase functional strength you'll most likely feel this through the hips and lower back, so make sure you've prepared these areas to work. It's a form of training I'm guilty of not doing enough of so this was a great change to my routine.

Good Points

Makes cardio fun / bearable
Great time saver
Full body integration
High calorie burner

Bad Points

Requires strong awareness of form (wouldn't recommend for beginners)
Need specialist equipment. Sledge hammers & tyres aren't too common in gyms
I looked nothing like Chris Hemsworth after completing it.

In summary, it is a really fun workout. It definitely switches up your routine so throw it in every now and then! Just make sure you have good mobility through your hips. If this is something you struggle with, regress the exercises and do them slow and controlled.

To see the routine performed by myself (sorry I couldn't get Chris to do the video) check out my Instagram, @spear_fit

Much love,

Joe