Chris Hemsworth Workout Thor

Lots of people have been talking about how much Chris Hemsworth’s (an Australian actor who got his first start on soap opera “Home and Away” playing Kim Hyde) appearance changed to play Thor – the actor gained approximately 20 pounds in lean muscle (as you can see from the pic) – on an otherwise average to small frame (although keep in mind Hemsworth is 6ft 3in tall, so it takes more muscle to actually appear *huge*.)

If you want to know how Chris bulked up, then keep reading – but first here are couple Thor videos for you to enjoy (scroll down to get right into the workout and diet info…)

Chris Hemsworth Workout

Here is a picture of Hemsworth BEFORE training for Thor -

and here’s a picture of Hemsworth taken AFTER.

To get in shape for Thor, Chris trained with Detroit trainer Michael Knight (they met on the set of “Red Dawn, which was shooting in town.) Knight’s gym, Art of Strength Training Center” is known for using cutting edge training methods proven to get clients into shape in record time. Primary tools? Kettlebells, suspension training, rope training, tire flipping, and sledgehammers. Workouts began while filming 12 hrs per day for Red Dawn, and lasted 60-90min per day five day per week.

Chris’s workout followed two phases – a muscle gain phase focusing on low reps and heavy weight, followed by a metabolic fat loss phase (to reveal the muscles and give an even greater illusion of size) which used high intensity circuits (which torch calories while preserving hard gained muscle mass.)

Chris Hemsworth Workout – Phase 1 (8 week muscle building program)

Chris alternated between three different workouts – (Do no more than 4 lifting sessions per week.) Do four sets of each exercise, reps varied weekly -
Week 1: reps 4-6
Week 2: 6-8
Week 3: 8-12
Week 4: 4-6
Weeks 5-8: repeat

Why the variety?
Varying the reps requires you to also vary how much you are lifting. This prevents over-training and also forces you to continually improve week to week.

(Side note – I really like Visual Impact and John Romaniello’s new Superhero workout plans for building lean muscle. VI is great for strategic muscle building for maximum visual impact – hence the name (and basically what we are talking about in this article), while Superhero is a two phase muscle building/fat loss program AND the authors have actually worked with actors who had to get in shape for superhero movies.) Both programs have been popular with readers and it comes down to what you like. )

Workout A (Chest and Back):
Bench Press

Bent Over Row

Alternative: One arm row
(This will accommodate an typical at home gym set up.)

Weighted Pull up

(As you become more advanced you can add weight via a weighted vest or a weight plate suspended via chain from your waist.) Pullups place more emphasis on your back and less on your arms (biceps.)

Weighted dip

Workout B (Legs):
Squat

Deadlift

Hamstring isolation exercise: (options include hamstring curls, romanian deadlifts, single leg deadlifts)

Single leg deadlift

Workout C (Arms):

Weighted Chin Ups

(Good video on common form mistakes.) Chin ups place more emphasis on your arms and abs.

Close grip bench press
(Narrower hand position puts the emphasis on your triceps.)

Chris Hemsworth Workout – Phase 2 (4 week fat loss program)

In an interview with the Los Angeles Times at CinemaCon in Las Vegas, Hemsworth revealed that he bulked up so much to prepare for the role that he couldn’t fit into his costume. After that, Hemsworth said that the costume was altered along with his exercise plan. He said director Kenneth Branagh told him, “Let’s try to pull it back just a little bit, otherwise it’s too blocky.” Hemsworth subsequently changed his diet and his workout routine, focusing more on cardio exercises instead of weight training.

Here’s an example of the type of Metabolic Conditioning circuit done at Art Of Strength (one of the gyms Hemsworth trains at):

Spending time removing fat will really help you look bigger. This is counter-intuitive for a lot of guys because you spend all of your time focusing on getting bigger and eating more. Cutting fat and allowing your muscles to be visible is still one of the best ways to look bigger with your shirt off. Check out this post on how to burn fat by doing metabolic resistance training and high intensity intervals.

Chris Hemsworth Thor Diet

“I put on a lot of weight — I put on about 20 pounds at one point. It was purely eating, eating, eating, working out and working out, trying to sleep as much as you can — that’s the other third of the equation. The eating was the biggest thing; since stopping shooting I probably work out the same but don’t eat as much, and I’ve probably lost 15 pounds or something. Chicken breasts and protein shakes, boiled chicken . . . clean meats, the right carbs. Sickly stuff.”

There are two big problems that most people run into when trying to gain muscle quickly –

1. You don’t eat enough. To gain muscle you will need to eat more calories than you burn in a day. If you want to know how to figure this out, check out my earlier post. Now add about 500 extra calories. This could end up being a LOT of food. Most people underestimate how much they should be eating to gain muscle and this is the main reason they stay small – your workout is burning off all your surplus.

The best way to make sure you eat enough is to eat regularly. Your stomach can only hold so much food at one time. If you are struggling to make yourself eat as much as you know you should, eat smaller meals, but much more frequently (every 2-3hrs.) You can also add in protein shakes as well.

Protein shakes are not a magic bullet for muscle gain (so don’t spend a ton of money on marketing hype) but they can really help you quickly consume quality calories (read the back of the label to make sure you are getting 100 calories to 20g protein. If the calories are a lot higher, what you are drinking is full of sugar and fat additives you may not need.) Adding in a protein shake can help you meet your daily goal of eating 1.5g protein per lb body weight.

2. You gain too much fat. This is always the risk of eating more calories. If you gain too much fat, you will mask all of your muscle gains. The best way to minimize your fat gain while maximizing muscle gain is to a) eat real food, not high calorie processed junk food or low quality meats and carbs b) consider a cyclical diet. In the past, cyclical dieting was as simple as spending months “bulking” (which was gaining as much weight of any kind, including fat, as quickly as possible) and then 6 weeks or so “cutting” (which was losing fat, and sometimes a good amount of hard earned muscle as quickly as possible.) Most people would end up doing multiple bulking and cutting cycles before finally being happy with their bodies.

But wouldn’t it be better just to minimize fat gain to begin with? This would reduce the need for a lengthy cutting session that could end up reducing hard gained muscle. Today, many people do within week cyclical dieting to maximize muscle gain while minimizing fat gain. (A good program to walk you through how to do this is Tom Venuto’s Holy Grail. This program provides three different cyclical diets, shows you how to easily customize any plan for your goal, and provides really simple eating plans that anyone can do.)

What you do -

Daily protein intake stays the same but you vary your carbs depending on how intensely you are lifting that day. If it is a very intense day, eat 400-500g carbs – primarily for breakfast and post workout. On moderate days, take the carb level down to 200g, and on rest days, stay very low carb (its okay to boost protein on this day to make up the calorie gap.)

Eat more in the earliest weeks of your workout plan, and gradually taper down. One easy way to do this (assuming a 12 week plan) is to start out eating red meats (higher in fat) as your protein source during weeks 1-4, then switch to chicken and turkey for weeks 5-8, and finally down to super lean fish and shell fish for the last four weeks. This is a dead simple way to keep your existing meal plan but gradually taper down calories while keeping protein levels high. For more ideas, I’d recommend checking out Holy Grail.
For more information on how to gain lean muscle – be sure to check out my earlier post on Chris Evans Captain America Workout.

If you are frustrated with your current diet and workout, I recommend you try a quality program like Visual Impact, John Romaniello’s new Superhero workout, or Tom Venuto’s Holy Grail for custom workout/diet plans. How are they different? VI focuses on quickly building up a dense, super lean body in three stages using specific lifting techniques, high intensity interval training, and intermittent fasting, Superhero is a two phase muscle building/fat loss program AND the authors have actually worked with actors who had to get in shape for superhero movies (comes with programs for men and women) – while Holy Grail is geared towards taking a more experienced lifter to the next level – lots of information on carb cycling, varying your within day calorie surplus/deficits to build muscle and lose fat simultaneously, when to do what type of training to maximize your results, etc.

Thanks for stopping by!