The Chris Hemsworth Workout

It doesn’t take a genius to figure out that Chris Hemsworth added a lot of muscle to his frame for his role in Thor. Despite standing tall at 6’3″ Chris managed to fill out his frame with lean muscle mass. In this article you will learn how Chris Hemsworth got in shape for Thor.

The Workout

Phase 1 (8 weeks of bulking)

Chris followed a 3 days split:

Day 1- Chest And Back Day 2- Legs Day 3- Arms
Bench Press Squat Weighted Chin Up

Bent-Over Row Deadlift Close Grip Bench Press

Weighted Pull-Up Hamstring Curl

Weighted Dip

Rep Scheme

Chris had a different rep scheme each week to make sure he kept his body guessing.

Week One- 4 Sets 4-6 Reps

Week Two- 4 Sets 6-8 Reps

Week Three- 4 Sets 8-12 Reps

Week Four- 4 Sets 4-6 Reps

Week Five- Repeat

Phase 2 (4 week fat loss phase)

After Chris gained a decent amount of muscle his trainer wanted him to lean out for his role to acquire the superhero look. Chris dropped his weight lifting routine and switched to a circuit training approach. This apparently got him down to a lean 220 pounds. This is evident in the picture above, Chris looks around 9% bodyfat. His daily circuit routine is as follows:

Circuit one – Tabata  (20sec on/10sec off):
Double kettlebell squats – four rounds
Snatches – eight rounds

Circuit two:
Kettlebell swings – 30sec two-hand, 30sec right-hand-only swings, 30sec left-hand-only swings, 30sec  alternate swings
Cleans – 5 right, 5 left, 4 right, 4 left, 3 right, 3 left, 2 right, 2 left, 1 right, 1 left, then back up to 5 each side for a total of 60 reps with no rest

Circuit three:
Turkish get-ups – 5min continuous
Windmill – 5 each side

Chris Hemsworth’s Diet

Chris most likely followed a high carb, high protein, moderate fat diet while bulking. While cutting he probably lowered his carbs drastically for the 4 week fat loss phase. Chris said he drank 4-5 liters of water daily to stay hydrated and keep water retention low. Chris said he ate so much it was almost painful. His diet mostly composed of dry chicken breast, fruit and whole grains such as brown rice and quinoa.

Not Convinced Chris Gained His Muscle Naturally ?

I know it may be hard to believe that chris gained so much muscle in such a short time. But you have to factor in that Chris NEVER lifted weights prior to his transformation. The before picture you see above is his natural build when he just did cardio. The after picture is a result of a professionally tailored diet and workout plan. Hollywood actors have access to the best trainers, food and supplements money can buy.