- Date of birth: August 11, 1983.
- Place of birth: Melbourne, Australia
- Height: 191 cm.
- Weight: 90-100 kg.
- Best films: “The Avengers”, “The Elusive”, “Thor”, “Star Trek”, “Snow White and the Huntsman”.
How did Thor get pumped up?
To fit the image of a superhero, Chris Hemsworth gained more than 10 kilograms of muscle for filming the title role of the film Thor. As the actor admits, after that he had to update his entire wardrobe, since the old clothes were too small.
Chris says that the main secret was that he constantly ate: “All day long I was busy eating. Believe me, it’s not so easy - to eat even when you absolutely don’t want to, especially in such huge portions as I had to” (1).
Chris Hemsfort Diet
The basis of his diet was high-protein foods (meat, chicken, eggs), protein shakes, and non-processed carbohydrates: fruit after training to close the carbohydrate window, a side dish of vegetables at each meal as a source of fiber.
Naturally, food was consumed with careful control over calories and over the composition of the diet, namely the amount of fat, protein and carbohydrates in grams. Healthier and more natural product options were chosen, for example.
Superhero Training Rules
Before preparing for the role of Thor, Chris was already quite athletic - like any Australian, he surfed, and also actively practiced boxing and rugby. To gain muscle mass, he focused on strength training.
Chris says it's important to pay attention to detail: “How you grip the bar, whether you're holding it correctly, what position your back is in, whether your abs are tight, and a lot of other little details are all very important. Simply lifting weights is not the same” (1).
Chris Hemsfort Program
The mass gain program was developed under the guidance of the famous Hollywood trainer Duffy Gaver. The training was carried out according to the following scheme: four days of training, one day of rest, then another repetition of the four-day cycle (2).
Note: This program was designed specifically for Chris Hemsfort and was carried out under the constant supervision of his personal trainer and included an appropriate diet. FitSeven does not recommend repeating the program on your own - especially for beginners.
First day
Morning: Chest, shoulders
- Lying dumbbell flyes - 3 sets of 12, 10, 8 reps
- Bench press (medium grip) - 3 sets of 12, 10, 8 reps
- Seated dumbbell press - 3 sets of 15, 12, 10 reps
- Dumbbell lateral raises - 3 sets of 15, 12, 10 reps
- Arnold press - 3 sets of 12, 10, 8 reps
Evening: boxing
- Punching bag - 5 sets of 3 minutes each
- Paws - 5 sets of 3 minutes each
- Jump rope - 5 sets of 3 minutes each
Alternatively, do 30 minutes of interval cardio.
Height: 190 cm
Weight: 100 kg
In his training program for the role of Thor, Chris Hemsworth combined strength training and high-intensity interval training. For Thor's training, Chris Hemsworth used this powerful combination because he had to get in shape quickly. Lifting heavy weights alternated with Tabata workouts, which he used not only to work on his abs, but also to burn fat in general. After all, no matter how large the muscle mass is, it looks most impressive with a low percentage of subcutaneous fat.
Thor Monday Workout: Chest/Legs
Most recently, in May of this year, the fantasy action film Thor starring Chris Hemsworth was released worldwide. Definitely, the film was a great success and is worth seeing. But the main question, or rather the two main questions that shook the entire fitness industry, was Chris's training program and his diet for Thor. If you saw the movie, you might have noticed how muscular and ripped Chris was.
To play the role of the God of Thunder, Chris gained 10 kg of pure muscle mass. This required a lot of effort, including constant food consumption. Here's what Chris himself says: “I felt like I was busy, but all I had to do was eat all day. Eating when you're not hungry is exhausting." You couldn't rely on protein shakes alone. Unprocessed carbohydrates (fruit) helped Chris rebuild his muscles by slowing down the breakdown of muscle protein. Fruits and vegetables provided the body with fiber, which strengthened the cardiovascular system, and its antioxidants helped muscle recovery.
But diet was only the third part of the whole equation. Rest and training were also important. And this is a formula that anyone can follow. Need proof? Before filming Thor, Chris had never lifted iron before. This was quite a new activity for him. Chris built the foundation of his physique by playing sports. He surfed, he boxed and even played Australian rules football, which is a mix of rugby and soccer.
Chris Hemsworth's trainers constantly forced him to vary the weight, reps and speed to keep his muscles from adapting to the workouts. Even minor changes, such as the position of your arms when doing pull-ups, can stimulate your muscles in new ways. In fact, no matter what kind of muscle mass you want to gain, variation is the important part. When your daily workouts start to seem easy, it's because they're not as rewarding as they used to be.
Now that Thor has finished filming, Chris Hemsworth will obviously be spending less time on the hardware. But he definitely won’t give up training completely. In May 2012, the Marvel film “The Avengers” will be released worldwide, the trailer for which you can already watch online. In the film, Chris will again play the role of Thor. If Chris is not active enough and eats poorly, he will lose what he worked so hard to achieve. After a 4-week vacation, he felt it the hard way: “My body will not be able to maintain this weight. But with enough work, everything will work out.”
Thor training
Chris's workout consisted of basic exercises that were aimed at building muscle mass. Compound exercises recruit multiple muscle fibers and force them to work synergistically, as opposed to isolation exercises, which only recruit muscle fibers in certain areas.
Widely used and effective basic exercises: deadlifts, squats, lunges, bench press, seated press, push-ups, pull-ups, dumbbell rows, curls, dips, close-grip presses, etc. Basic exercises give better results and greater functionality, but also require more attention to technique and safety.
Thor's diet
Chris's diet consisted primarily of protein and carbohydrates, but was low in fat and sugar. His diet included foods such as chicken, fish, rice and vegetables. In an interview, Chris jokingly apologized for killing a huge number of chickens to pump up his body for the role. However, the results were amazing and made Chris the perfect Mighty Thor.
- Breakfast: 4 chicken eggs, a bowl of porridge, fruit
- Morning snack: a handful of nuts and fruit
- Lunch: 2 chicken breasts, a portion of potatoes or rice, vegetables
- Snack before dinner: a handful of nuts, fruit, some tuna
- Dinner: huge portion of steak or fish, vegetables
- Late dinner: protein shake
With a little effort, you will realize that you are no different from any celebrity and have the same potential to achieve your goals.
A significant breakthrough for Marvel was the release of the famous comic book film about Thor. Sworn to protect the innocent, the Norse god of thunder uses his mighty hammer to serve the divine forces.
Chris Hemsworth became the main character of this film. Before landing this role, Hemsworth had hardly lifted anything heavier than his surfboard. For sports training, he caught waves in California or did old-school rugby exercises (shuttle running, stair climbing, etc.), and practiced martial arts - boxing and Muay Thai.
Find out how he gained 20 pounds dry muscle mass, and how you can achieve the same results!
Australian actor Chris Hemsworth's physical form suggests that before he picked up his on-screen hero's iconic hammer, he carried other things as well. iron.
According to his trainer Steve Walsh from Limerick, a former professional rugby player, Hemsworth's training used to focus on developing speed, agility and endurance. You have to understand that Hemsworth had at least some developed muscles, thanks for that.
Chris Hemsworth before and after landing the role of Thor:
However, having received the role of a superhero, the Australian actor, who had previously mainly played in TV series, understood 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 Gaver developed, in addition to Walsh's training, training program for hypertrophy.
Gaining 20 pounds of lean muscle mass is not easy, especially for someone new to bodybuilding. To have a body worthy of a superhero, Hemsworth followed a rigorous training program and followed a special diet.
So, Thor's training program:
Hemsworth's training to transform into Thor had to be simple but effective. The hero doesn’t just need to raise his sword, he also needs to swing it.
Hemsworth had to continue training in Muay Thai and boxing to be ready for the fight scenes and also stay lean. But increasing muscle mass required serious, time-tested weight training.
Heavy compound exercises such as squats, bench presses and deadlifts are the basis of all serious programs aimed at increasing muscle mass, and Hemsworth's program was no exception.
Training split: 4 days training, 1 day rest, repeat.
Day 1:
Morning: Chest/shoulders
Evening: Boxing
- Pear: 5 rounds of 3 minutes
- Paws: 5 rounds of 3 minutes
- Oblique crunches
3 approach to 7 repetitions
3 approach to 10, 10, 3 repetitions
Day 2:
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 training (HIIT) cardio.
Circuit training for the abs: repeat 3 times
- Oblique crunches
3 approach to 7 repetitions - Raising the disc while lying head down on a bench
3 approach to 10, 10, 3 repetitions
Day 3:
Morning: HIIT
Do 30 minutes of high-intensity cardio interval training
Evening: Legs
Day 4:
Circuit training for the abs: repeat 3 times
- Oblique crunches
3 approach to 7 repetitions - Raising the disc while lying head down on a bench
3 approach to 10, 10, 3 repetitions
Nutrition
Proper nutrition to supply the body with energy is a key factor for any body transformation. The most important macronutrient for muscle growth is protein, so the first step was to increase the amount of protein in Hemsworth's daily diet. Under Gaver's guidance, Hemsworth began eating more egg whites, chicken, fish and steak.
This type of diet requires choosing the right type of carbohydrates and the right time to consume them. For Hemsworth, preference was given to carbohydrate-rich foods rich in fiber, such as broccoli and spinach, as well as reducing consumption of starchy foods such as potatoes and white rice.
Use of food additives
Hemsworth would not have been able to create a “divine” body without the help of modern achievements in sports science - protein supplements. Taking amino acids pre-workout creates an anabolic environment for superheroes and mere mortals alike.
Taking whey protein after training allows you to take full advantage of the anabolic window.