Build like Thor: Insight into Chris Hemsworth’s Workout Routine and Diet Plan

It wasn’t until ‘Thor’ that I started lifting weights. It was all pretty new to me. It was certainly exhausting at times, but I prefer to be training than not. It gives me more energy and I just generally feel better about myself. I feel like I’ve earned that beer at the end of the week. – Chris Hemsworth

To be honest, Chris Hemsworth was never out of shape at least throughout his Hollywood career. And hence, his transformation journey may not sound as great as others who manage to lose quite a lot of weight to get fit. Having said that, bulking up and putting on quality lean mass without adding layers of fat is not everyone’s cup of tea. But he did it with this chris hemsworth workout plan. So can you.

According to his trainer Duffy Gaver (a former Navy SEAL), the biggest challenge for Chris was to put on at least 20 odd pounds of lean muscle to justify Thor’s role in the movie (read the full interview here). To accomplish this difficult task, all he did was to stick to the basics of fitness and bodybuilding, focusing more on compound lifts and basic strength training routine rather than trying exotic exercises.

“It was all heavy weights and quality diet. He crushed every single workout. He simply decided to look like Thor.” – Duffy Gaver

Here’s your insight into Thor’s workout routine and diet strategy that helped him pack on lean mass in no time –

Thor’s Diet Strategy to Gain Muscle while Losing Fat

• One word – Calculate your Macros. For your information, Chris Hemsworth was super skinny but unlike other skinny guys he did keep an eye on his macros and ensured that he was getting enough calories from protein, carbs, and healthy fats to bulk up.
• Take some time out of your day and prepare and old-school kind of journal where you can track all your calories on a day-to-day basis. Alternatively, you can even download apps that will help you keep a track of your macros in a much-simplified way.
• Overweight guys, on the contrary, need to reduce their body fat percentages to anywhere near 8%-12%. And once you have reached the mark, you can start bulking up again. This way you will put on more lean muscle mass over the span of time.
• Fast Fact – At 235 lbs, Chris Hemsworth was eating humongous 6000 calories a day. Timing each meal at every 2-3 hours made him achieve the calorie intake. But hey, take a note – neither a single calorie came from sodas and junk foods.

Chris Hemsworth’s Workout Schedule

Split – 1

• Monday – Day 1 – Upper body workout
• Tuesday – Day 2 – Lower body workout
• Wednesday – Day 3 – Rest
• Thursday – Day 4 – Upper body workout
• Friday – Day 5 – Lower body workout
• Saturday – Day 6 – Rest
• Sunday – Day 7 – Rest

Split – 2

• Monday – Day 1 – Upper body workout
• Tuesday – Day 2 – Rest
• Wednesday – Day 3 – Lower body workout
• Thursday – Day 4 – Rest
• Friday – Day 5 – Upper body workout
• Saturday – Day 6 – Rest
• Sunday – Day 7 – Lower body workout

Thor’s Upper Body Workout Chart – Push Split

 Note – (*) – Including 1-2 warm-up sets.
The last two exercises which are Barbell Curls and Cable Triceps Extensions are usually performed as supersets.

Thor’s Upper Body Workout Chart – Pull Split

Note – (*) – Add weight to make chin-ups more challenging.

The last two exercises which are Incline Bicep Curls and Overhead Triceps Extensions are usually performed as supersets.

Chris Hemsworth’s Lower Body Workout – Hamstrings and Glutes

 Note – (*) – Include a couple of warm-sets prior to going heavy on Rack Pulls. Opt stiff leg deadlift in case you have trouble in your lower back while doing rack pulls.

Chris Hemsworth’s Lower Body Workout – Quads

Note – (*) – Start back squats with a warm-up set and proceed towards a final heavy set.

Chris Hemsworth’s Fat-Loss and HIIT Routine

After Chris put on an ample amount of mass on him, it was the time to get rid of excess fat and sculpt the ultimate Thor physique.

So, he included several total body circuit based training and a lot of strongman exercises like tyre flips, sledgehammers and even kettlebell swings. Here’s a sample of Thor’s fat-loss exercise routine –

Circuit 1

Exercise 1 – Kettlebell Swings

• Active Time – 120 seconds
• Rest Time – 30 seconds
• Total Time per round – 150 seconds
• Total Round – 6
• Exercise – 30 seconds two-hand swings, 30 seconds left-hand swings, 30 seconds right-hand swings, 30 seconds alternate swings.

Exercise 2 – Kettlebell Cleans

• Active Time – 60 seconds
• Rest Time – 20 seconds
• Total Time per round – 80 seconds
• Total Round – 6
• Exercise – 30 seconds right-hand, 30 seconds left-hand, 20 seconds rest.

Circuit 2

Exercise 1 – Double kettlebell squats

• Active Time – 20 seconds
• Rest Time – 10 seconds
• Total Time per each round – 30 seconds
• Total Round – 5
• Exercise – Do double kettlebell squats for 5 round with each round having an active time of 20 seconds and rest time of 10 seconds.

Exercise 2 – Snatches

• Active Time – 20 seconds
• Rest Time – 10 seconds
• Total Time per each round – 30 seconds
• Total Round – 5
• Exercise – Perform snatches for 5 rounds with a total of 20 seconds on and 10 seconds rest.

Resources – Coachmag.uk and Fitmole.org

Also published on Medium.