We’re all used to seeing actors make transformations for movie roles. Few, however, have been as impressive as the way that Aussie actor Chris Hemsworth bulked up to play Thor for the 2011 movie of the same name. More impressive yet, he has managed to pretty much maintain that muscular look for the last decade; especially for his numerous reprisals of the legendary character. In this article, we take a close look at Chris Hemsworth’s Thor workout.
Training Style
Chris and his trainer, Duffy Gaver, decided to follow a standard bodybuilding type training program to get him in shape to play Thor. The goal was to pack on 20 pounds of lean muscle mass in order to create a superhero body, which is precisely what they managed to do.
After carefully going through the script of the first Thor movie, the pair decided to focus on the parts of the upper body that were most often seen. These were the shoulders and arms. There are a lot of scenes in the movie which show Thor sleeveless but not that many when he is completely topless.
In the years since the first movie came out, Chris Hemsworth’s training program has remained pretty much the same. Of course, for each movie he and his trainer go through the script to see which body parts need emphasizing and adjust the training accordingly. However, the basic bodybuilding split routine format has remained constant.
The success of the Chris Hemsworth workout plan is not only evident from the results onscreen. To this very day, the search term ‘Chris Hemsworth workout’ is the top search when you put his name into Google.
Unfortunately, the internet is not the most reliable of sources. That is why you will find all manner of workouts that are completely different from one another online, each claiming to be the original Thor workout. The actual workout plan to follow is taken directly from the record provided by Chris’ personal celebrity trainer, Duffy Gaver.
A Drug-Free Body?
The vast majority of people write off the muscle-gaining efforts of actors with the comment that it’s all steroids. However, according to Duffy Gaver, Chris didn’t touch a single substance that could be considered a steroid during his whole prep period. Whether that’s true or not we’ll never know, but one thing that is certain is that Hemsworth put every ounce of effort and intensity into his Thor prep.
Chris also modified his diet to add 20 pounds of lean muscle mass to his body by eating more daily calories. He increased his daily amounts of calories by 500 to 1000 calories each day. He upped his intake of protein with an emphasis on the following sources of protein:
- protein powder
- animal proteins like chicken breasts, and salmon fillet.
- red meat
He also ate more clean carbs, including sweet potato, brown bread slices, and leafy greens. Omega 3 fatty acids were also an important part of the diet plan. Of course, to turn those extra calories into muscle, you need to do the work in the gym. Here’s the way Chris did it …
The Chris Hemsworth Thor Workout Program
Chris followed a classic bodybuilder type workout, training Monday through Friday and having the weekends off. The focus was on compound muscle movements. Here is a breakdown of his actual training routine for both the first Thor movie and Thor Ragnarok …
Monday (Back)
| Exercise | Reps |
| Pull-up | 5 x 20/15/12/10/10 reps |
| Push-up | 5 x 20 reps |
| Hammer Strength Two-Arm Row | 4 x 12 |
| Dumbbell Row | 4 x 12 |
| Swiss Ball Hyperextension | 4 x 20/15/10/10 |
Note: On each succeeding set where Chris is doing a pyramid, he adds a little bit of weight to the bar.
Tuesday (Chest)
| Exercise | Reps |
| Barbell Flat Bench Press | 8 x 12/10/10/8/8/6/4/4 |
| Incline Dumbbell Press | 4 x 12 |
| Hammer Strength Chest Press | 4 x 15 |
| Weighted Dip | 4 x 10 |
| Cable Flye | 4 x 12 |
Wednesday (Legs)
| Exercise | Reps |
| Back Squat | 7 x 10/8/6/5/4/3/3 |
| Leg Press | 1 x failure |
| Bodyweight Walking Lunge | 4 x 20 |
| Single-Leg Curl | 3 x 20 |
| Standing Calf Raise | 3 x 20 |
Note: On the leg press, Chris used a drop set system. He started with six 45-pound plates on each side of the leg press machine and went to failure, he then had his trainer strip of one plate from each side and continued to failure; this process was continued until there was just one plate left on each side. Having two training partners can help to make the process faster.
Thursday (Shoulders)
| Exericse | Reps |
| Military Press | 7 x 10/8/6/5/4/3/3 |
| Arnold Press | 4 x 12 |
| Barbell Shrug | 4 x 12 |
| Dumbbell Lateral Raise | 3 x 15 |
| Dumbbell Front Raise | 3 x 15 |
| Dumbbell Rear Delt Flye | 3 x 15 |
Friday (Arms)
| Exercise | Reps |
| Barbell Biceps Curls | 3 x 10 |
| Skull Crusher | 3 x 10 |
| EZ Bar Preacher Curl | 3 x 10 |
| Dumbbell Lying Triceps Extension | 3 x 10 |
| Dumbbell Hammer Curl | 3 x12 |
| Rope Pressdown | 3 x12 |
| Barbell Wrist Curl | 3 x 20 |
| Barbell Reverse Wrist Curl | 3 x 20 |
How to Train Like Thor
You can train the same way that Chris Hemsworth did to pack on 20 pounds of muscle for his movie roles. But just doing the same mechanical movements is not going to cut it. It is up to you to summon up the same level of intensity and consistency that Hemsworth brought to the gym each and every day.
You must also be committed to progressive resistance. You will see on the above program that Chris relied heavily on the pyramid rep scheme where he added weight on each succeeding set as he lowered the reps slightly. This is the key to adding muscle mass to your body. Even if you are adding just a pound or two to the bar, you need to be striving to push more weight in every workout.
In order to be able to do that, you will need to take longer rest periods between sets. Give yourself as much as 2-3 minutes to fully recover between each set.
Conclusion
The Chris Hemsworth transformation into Thor was the result of hard work, heavy weights, sweat, and consistency. Now that you’ve got access to his complete workout program, it’s up to you to bring the Thor-like intensity needed to pack 20 pounds of muscle onto your own physique.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many hours a day does Chris Hemsworth work out?
Chris’s workouts usually take about an hour and a quarter each day, Monday through Friday.
