Chris Hemsworth Workout - How To Look Like Thor

Chris Hemsworth workout program for his roles in films like Thor and Avengers is pretty intense.

His workout plan consists of basic strength exercises, functional training and plenty of bodyweight exercises.

Chris Hemsworth has always been in good shape with an athletic physique. The actor gained 10 kilograms of muscle back in 2010 for his first appearance as Thor. In order to match the expectations of the powerful superheroes physique, Chris Hemsworth’s workout had to match. The result speaks for itself. The actor admitted in an interview that as a result of his transformation he had to update most of his wardrobe. Most of his clothes did not fit anymore as they had become too small for his ‘new body’.

Chris says that his secret was constant eating: “For days I was busy eating. Believe me, it’s not so simple – you have to eat even when you absolutely don’t want to. Especially with huge portions as I had to do”. In this article we will describe both, Chris Hemsworth’s workout for gaining mass and the functional training he is currently doing.

Thor’s Diet

Diet is the most important aspect of improving your health, fitness and appearance goals so we will first focus on that. The basis of Chris Hemsworth’s diet plan for mass gain was high protein foods. Lean meat, eggs and protein shakes were found on his menu daily. His diet also included plenty of carbohydrates from natural sources – a portion of fruit after every strength training session to replenish muscle glycogen. This also helps to drive well needed muscle building nutrients into the muscle cells.

He would also have a side of vegetables with every meal. Besides the vitamins and minerals, this served him as a great source of fibre. For his main choice of healthy complex carbohydrates he would go with quinoa to compliment his protein and vegetable choices.

Chris Hemsworth would consume all his meals with careful control over his total calorie intake and macros from protein, fat and carbohydrates. Every day the actor would consume at least 3000 kcal, about half of which were from carbohydrate sources. One-third from protein and the rest from all sorts of vegetables and fruit. He would focus on the glycemic index (GI) of the carbohydrates, excluding sugary and sweet foods.

Chris Hemsworth Workout Plan

Even before transforming himself into Thor, actor Chris Hemsworth sported quite an athletic physique. Like many Australians he regularly surfed. He also actively trained in boxing and rugby. When Thor first screened in 2010 Chris was only 27 years old. He was 1.90M tall and weighed 85kg. He bulked up even bigger for his roles in the Avengers film series.

In order to gain muscle mass, Chris Hemsworth workout heavily consisted of strength training. In an interview with Men’s Fitness the actor noted the importance of paying special attention to the details: “The way you hold the bar, the position of your back, whether your core is tensed and many other small details are all very important. Simply lifting weights is not enough”.

Chris Hemsworth’s workout for gaining muscle mass was developed by the famous Hollywood fitness coach, celebrity personal trainer and former navy SEAL Duffy Gaver. His muscle gain program consisted of four workout days, followed by a rest day and then another 4 workout days. The actor trained like this continuously for 3 months.

It is worth noting that this workout program was developed specifically for Chris Hemsworth. He trained under constant supervision of his personal trainer and it was complemented by an appropriate diet. There have also been rumors of the actor using ‘special’ supplements.

Day 1

Morning: Chest + Shoulders

Dumbbell Press – 3 sets of 12, 10, 8 reps.
Bench Press – 3 sets of 12, 10, 8 reps.
Seated Lateral Raise – 3 sets of 15, 12, 10 reps.
Standing Lateral Raise – 3 sets of 15, 12, 10 reps.
Arnold Press – 3 sets of 12, 10, 8 reps.

Afternoon: Boxing or 30 minutes of HIIT.

Boxing Bag – 5 sets x 3 minutes + 45 seconds rest.
Hitting Pads – 5 sets x 3 minutes + 45 seconds rest.
Skipping Rope – 5 sets x 3 minutes + 45 seconds rest.

Evening: Abs

Plank – 3 sets, 60 seconds each.
Side Plank – 3 sets, 60 seconds each.
Roman Chair Sit Up – 3 sets, 20 reps.
Russian Twists – 3 sets, 20 reps.

Day 2

Morning: Back + Arms

Pull Ups – 3 sets, 15, 12, 10 reps.
Deadlift – 3 sets, 10, 8, 6 reps.
Barbell Curls – 3 sets, 10, 8, 6 reps.
Skull Crushers – 3 sets, 10, 8, 6 reps.

Evening: Boxing + Abs

Boxing Bag – 5 sets x 3 minutes + 45 seconds rest.
Hitting Pads – 5 sets x 3 minutes + 45 seconds rest.
Skipping Rope – 5 sets x 3 minutes + 45 seconds rest.
Plank – 3 sets, 60 seconds each.
Side Plank – 3 sets, 60 seconds each.
Roman Chair Sit Up – 3 sets, 20 reps.
Russian Twists – 3 sets, 20 reps.

Day 3

Morning: Surfing or 30 minutes of HIIT.

Boxing Bag – 5 sets x 3 minutes + 45 seconds rest.
Hitting Pads – 5 sets x 3 minutes + 45 seconds rest.
Skipping Rope – 5 sets x 3 minutes + 45 seconds rest.

Evening: Legs

Leg Extensions – 3 sets, 10, 8, 6 reps.
Leg Curls – 3 sets, 10, 8, 6 reps.
Barbell Squats – 3 sets, 10, 8, 6 reps.

Day 4

Morning: Abs

Plank – 3 sets, 60 seconds each.
Side Plank – 3 sets, 60 seconds each.
Roman Chair Sit Up – 3 sets, 20 reps.
Russian Twists – 3 sets, 20 reps.

Functional Training

Chris Hemsworth workout was changed drastically for his later appearances in Thor: Ragnarok (2017) and Avengers: Infinity War (2018). The new workout plan consisted of exercises and movements that are similar to everyday movements and skills in sports. In other words the actor switched his emphasis from lifting heavy weights to developing flexibility, improving his range of motion and strengthening his bodies stabilizing muscles.

The actor started to work closely with his long time friend Luke Zocchi, a celebrity personal trainer from Australia. Luke Zocchi has transformed quite a few ‘high profile physiques’, including those of Cate Blanchett, Mark Ruffalo and Chris Pratt. His workouts are all about working smarter, not harder. This comes in the form of creative workouts that often vary as well as a strong emphasis on nutrition. After all, abs are made in the kitchen not in the gym.

To help Chris maintain his Thor physique the workouts still focused on strength training. In an interview with Daily Mail, Luke shared: “Workouts for Endgame were generally no longer than an hour, targeting two muscle groups per session. We limited the movements to four exercises per muscle group with heavy weights, and around six to 12 repetitions”.

Work Smarter, Not Harder

He explained what he means by working smarter, not harder: “There are three sessions we stuck to.” he explained. “Sometimes doubling up the sessions in one week, but never exceeding six days of exercise a week.”

A clue as to why Chris Hemsworth workout plan changed from all about lifting heavy weights and gaining muscle mass may be found in an interview after his first role as Thor. He revealed that: “After the filming I stopped training for 4 weeks and went on vacation and I lost a lot of weight“. Hemsworth also says that “Maintaining this amount of muscle is not normal for my body.“

Then again, his physique in Avengers: Endgame was barely visible. When we did get to see “Fat Thor”, he was wearing a “fat suit”. The Russo brothers have revealed that Hemsworth had to keep a tight filming schedule with his other film commitments, so he never actually stopped working out for the filming of Avengers: Endgame.