Contents
Thor the Thunderbolt’s Training
When Chris Hemsworth landed the role of Thor, he was surfing, not weightlifting. Find out how he gained 10 kg of lean muscle mass and how you can achieve the same results!
Author: Brian Bullman
The first blow to the cinematic battle of superheroes came when Marvel finally released one of their most significant projects, the first in the Thor film series. Sworn to protect the innocent, the Norse God of Thunder uses his mighty hammer to serve divine powers.
The physical form of Australian actor Chris Hemsworth suggests that before picking up the legendary hammer of his on-screen character, he also carried other iron.
This is both true and not true.
Prior to taking the role, Hemsworth had hardly lifted anything heavier than his surfboard. As sports training, he caught waves in California or did old-school rugby exercises (shuttle running, climbing stairs, etc.), was engaged in martial arts – boxing and Muay Thai. There can always be some scuffle. He’s an Australian after all.
According to his Limerick-based coach Steve Walsh, a retired professional rugby player, Hemsworth’s training was previously focused on developing speed, agility and endurance. You need to understand that Hemsworth had at least some muscle development, thanks for that.
However, having received the role of a superhero, the Australian actor, who previously played mainly in TV shows, realized that he would have to increase muscle mass, and very quickly. But you can’t build 10 kilograms of muscle through rope training and shuttle running, so the famous trainer Duffy Giver developed, in addition to Walsh’s training, a training program for hypertrophy.
Prior to that, Giver helped Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie and Adam Sandler to find the necessary athletic form. This task was no less difficult.
Gaining 10 kg of lean muscle mass is not easy, especially for a beginner to bodybuilding. To have a body worthy of a superhero, Hemsworth followed a training program and a special diet.
Here’s how Thor did it:
Training
Hemsworth’s training to transform into Thor was supposed to be simple but powerful. The hero needs not only to raise the sword, they also need to swing.
Hemsworth had to keep doing Muay Thai and boxing to be ready for the fight scenes and also to stay lean. But gaining muscle mass required serious, time-tested resistance training.
Heavy compound exercises such as squats, bench presses, and deadlifts are the backbone of all serious muscle-building programs, and Hemsworth’s program was no exception.
Training split: 4 days of training, 1 day of rest, repetition.
Day 1: Chest / Shoulders / Boxing / Abdominals
Morning: Chest / Shoulders
Evening: Boxing
- Pear: 5 rounds of 3 minutes
- Paws: 5 rounds of 3 minutes
- Jumping: 5 rounds of 3 minutes
If you don’t have boxing equipment, do 30 minutes of high-intensity interval cardio ().
Circular press workout: repeat 3 times
Day 2: Back / arms / boxing / abdominals
Morning: Back / arms
Evening: Boxing
- Pear: 5 rounds of 3 minutes
- Paws: 5 rounds of 3 minutes
- Jumping: 5 rounds of 3 minutes
If you don’t have boxing equipment, do 30 minutes of high intensity interval cardio training (HIIT).
Circular press workout: repeat 3 times
Day 3: HIIT / legs
Morning: HIIT
Do 30 minutes of high-intensity interval cardio
Evening: Legs
Day 4: Abs / Cardio
Circular press workout: repeat 3 times
Food
Proper nutrition to supply the body with energy is a key factor in any transformation of the body. Protein is the most important macronutrient for muscle growth, so the first step was to increase the amount in Hemsworth’s daily diet. Under Giver’s guidance, Hemsworth began eating more chicken, fish, and steaks.
This type of diet requires choosing the right type and the right time to take them. For Hemsworth, preference was given to carbohydrate foods rich in fiber, such as and, as well as reducing the consumption of starchy foods such as and.
Application of food additives
Hemsworth would not have been able to form a “divine” body without the help of modern advances in sports science – protein supplements. The pre-workout intake creates an anabolic environment for both superheroes and mere mortals.
Taking a post workout allows you to take advantage of the anabolic window.