The Power of Thor. How Chris Hemsworth trained to become a superhero

The work of an actor is incredibly difficult. People have to spend a lot of energy and nerves to maximize their preparation for the role and to be remembered by audiences around the world. Undoubtedly, some of the hardest shootings are action movies and superhero movies. After all, it is here that actors need not only to immerse themselves in the image, but also to bring their body in great physical shape.

Trying on the image of God is a very serious challenge for any actor. Especially when it comes to Thor, the god of thunder and storms. To cope with such a task, as well as to lift the legendary hammer Mjolnir, had to Australian actor Chris Hemsworth. We tell you what the actor does to maintain heroic muscles.

Preparation for the first “Thor”

When Chris originally tried out for the role of Thor, he was a pretty athletic Australian kid with a typical surfer’s body.

But to the image of the thunderer, the actor was very far away. Therefore, the director of the movie demanded that Hemsworth for six months to gain muscle mass and came to the set of a completely different person. The actor was so motivated that he was able to increase his weight by 18 kilograms in six months. He spent every day in the gym and constantly ate protein food. The results were great. Hemsworth could not even put on the Thor costume, which at the first auditions literally hung on him.

I trained a lot, ate a lot. Shortly before the start of official filming, I put on a pre-made suit and soon felt that my hands began to go numb. At this point I realized that I had gone a little overboard with the training and was even bigger than I had intended.

How does Thor train?

Of course, Chris Hemsworth has always devoted a large amount of free time to sports. Long before getting a role in the Marvel movies, the actor was actively engaged in surfing, which also required special preparation. Therefore, he approached the start of training in a good physical shape. It is worth noting that beginners who dream of quickly achieving the power of Thor, should not immediately engage in the program of the actor. Otherwise, the cherished figure will turn into constant trips to the doctor. If you want to see the result, you need to put a huge amount of effort:

• Start slowly and warm up well, so as not to get injured.
• Take a day off if you have to: these workouts put a huge strain on your muscles. Even if it takes you longer, the results will still be evident.
• Find a companion. Chris had two personal trainers who also kept him motivated when his mood was at zero.
• Don’t push yourself. Remember, Chris had no distractions: his life revolved around following a workout and diet plan.

Classes at the gym combined strength training and high interval training. This powerful combination produced incredibly fast results, which is what was needed in the first place.

The trainers were professionally putting together a training program for the future god of thunder. Every day, except Sunday, Chris pumped his legs, back, shoulders, chest, biceps and triceps separately, paying attention to every detail in the exercises. In most cases, he performed the exercises four times for 8-12 reps. The actor made a special emphasis on cardio training, so that the percentage of subcutaneous fat was as low as possible. It was with them he began each session, training for 40-50 minutes.

Chris Hemsworth’s workout plan

Monday | Legs and chest

1. Bench press
2. Bench press.
3. Head down barbell bench press.
4. Dumbbell curls
5. Push-ups on the bars
6. Squats with barbell
7. Bench press with dumbbells

All in 4 sets of 12 reps.

Tuesday Back and biceps

1. Incline barbell pull (4 sets of 12 reps)
2. Middle Grip Pull-ups (5 sets of 12 reps)
3. Biceps Curls on Scott Bench (5 sets of 12 reps)
4. Standing dumbbell biceps raises (4 sets of 12 reps)
5. Hammer exercise (3 sets of 12 reps).

Wednesday | Press

1. Single leg plank (3 sets of 1 minute)
2. Curls on the upper block (3 sets of 30 reps)
3. Straight twists (3 sets of 30 reps)
4. Reverse twists (3 sets of 30 reps)
5. Side twists (3 sets of 30 reps)
6. Side Plank (3 sets of 1 minute)

Thursday | Shoulders and Triceps

1. Seated barbell bench press (4 sets of 12 reps)
2. Standing barbell bench press (4 sets of 12 reps)
3. Dumbbell swings in front of you (4 sets of 12 reps)
4. Dumbbell swings to the sides (3 sets of 12 reps)
5. Dumbbell Incline (3 sets of 12 reps)
6. French press (4 sets of 12 reps)
7. Push-ups on the bars (4 sets of 12 reps)

Friday | Legs and Chest

1. Dumbbell bench press (4 sets of 12 reps)
2. Dumbbell bench press (4 sets of 12 reps)
3. Dumbbell Head Down Press (3 sets of 12 reps)
4. Dumbbell curls (4 sets of 12 reps)
5. Push-ups on uneven bars (5 sets of 12 reps)
6. Squats with barbell (4 sets of 12 reps)
7. Bench press with dumbbells (4 sets of 12 reps)
8. Leg curls in a machine (4 sets of 12 reps)

Saturday

Tabata training.

Tabata training is carried out with the use of weights. The training is built in the form of a pyramid. Each technique should be performed for 20 seconds without rest. Break between exercises – no more than 10 seconds. It is recommended to perform from 3 to 5 approaches. Chris Hemsworth performed the following exercises with a kettlebell:

• Swings with both hands – 10 times
• Right arm – 15 times
• Left arm – 15 times
• Alternating swings – 10 times
• Squats
• Kettlebell chest raises with right/left arm – 5 times
• Kettlebell chest press with right/left arm – 4 times
• Kettlebell chest press with right/left arm – 3 times
• Kettlebell chest press with right/left arm – 2 times
• Kettlebell chest press with right/left arm – 1 time

Sunday

Rest and recovery

As you can see, there aren’t a lot of movements in Chris Hemsworth’s workouts. However, pumping, progression of working weights and proper nutrition provided the desired result. In parallel with strength training were exercises from Crossfit – sledgehammer blows on tires, jumps and push-ups.

The actor also began to practice in some types of martial arts, such as boxing and wrestling.

Nutrition program for gaining muscle mass

Thor’s workouts look intimidating, however, it is only half the work. Chris Hemsworth to gain the necessary 18 kilograms extremely responsibly approached the nutrition program. The actor had to consume about 6,000 calories a day. In order to keep his body toned with a minimum of subcutaneous fat, Chris ate a lot of steamed meat and fish, vegetables, fruits, and healthy carbohydrates.

I ate a lot of clean protein, fruits, vegetables, and some fast carbs, and drank 4-5 liters of water per day.

Chris’s diet in preparation for the role of Thor included all kinds of animal proteins: eggs, chicken fillets, fish, steaks, veal, rabbit. At that time, the actor had to eat even at night. He woke up to drink a protein shake to saturate his muscles.

Approximate diet of Chris Hemsworth looked like this:

• Breakfast – eggs, porridge and fruit.
• Snack – fruit and nuts.
• Lunch – chicken breasts with a side dish and vegetables.
• Snack – portion of tuna with nuts and fruit.
• Dinner – large steak or fish with vegetables.