Ever wonder what Chris Hemsworth’s secret weapon was when he was getting in shape to play Thor? No, it wasn’t his lightning-infused hammer, it was a set of resistance bands. Yes, drop your Mjölnir, as Hemsworth’s personal trainer Luke Zocchi shared the exact training they used on set.
Instead of stopping for a full weight session, Zocchi revealed that they used resistance bands for a last-minute pump. the best resistance bands They’re lightweight and portable, perfect for taking to the gym, in your carry-on on vacation, and even on the movie set.
“Resistance bands work by allowing you to isolate the muscles and put those muscles under constant tension throughout the range of motion,” says Zocchi. “Resistance bands maintain constant tension on the muscles throughout the movement of an exercise compared to dumbbells, where tension can be lost in certain parts. If toning is your goal, using resistance will help you achieve it. Because they are such a versatile piece of equipment, there are endless exercises you can do to work your arms, legs, or glutes.”
But what exactly did the training entail? To learn more, I put Hemsworth’s resistance band workout to the test; read on to find out what happened.
Zocchi is a lead trainer on the Centr app – read our Centr App Review To discover more.
What is Chris Hemsworth’s Thor Resistance Band Workout?
Heating:
Push-ups (5 repetitions): Put the band around your arms and it will help you get out of pushups. Kneeling or plank position. Here’s more about how to make a lizard and variations to try.
Bent over row (5 repetitions with each arm): Put your foot on the band and grab it with the knuckles of your hand as you twist at the hips and bend over. He raises his arm and squeezes his biceps and back.
Squats (5 repetitions): Wrap the band around your quads above the knee, and then pretend you’re sitting in a chair. Here’s more about how to do resistance band squats.
Tricep curls (5 on each arm): Put the band on your left forearm and place your left hand on your right shoulder. Grab the bottom of the band with your right hand and press down to engage your triceps. Put the band on your right forearm and place your right hand on your left shoulder. Grab the bottom of the band with your left hand and press down to engage your triceps.
Bicep curl (5 reps with each arm): Kneel on the ground. Put the band under your left foot and take the top of the band with your right hand and roll it up. Kneel on the ground. Place the band under your right foot and take the top of the band in your left hand and roll it up.
Reverse lunges (5 repetitions with each leg): Place the band above your knees and step back into a lunge by alternating legs.
Lateral shoulder raise (5 reps each side)): Wrap the band around both hands and place your hand in front of your body. Keep one hand centered while the other is raised to the side to activate the shoulder muscles.
Training (3 series):
Push-ups (10 reps)
Bent over row (10 repetitions with each arm)
Squats (10 reps)
Tricep curls (10 each arm)
Bicep curl (10 reps with each arm)
Reverse lunges (10 repetitions with each leg)
Lateral shoulder raise (10 reps each side)
I Tried Chris Hemsworth’s Thor Resistance Band Workout: Here’s What Happened
To put the workout to the test, I grabbed a long resistance band and a smaller loop band and gave it a go. Resistance bands are elastic rubber bands used to provide resistance to the body when exercising. The exact resistance they provide increases as you stretch them, so each individual band has a spectrum of resistance levels. I took a heavier band and a lighter one and started the warm-up.
Like using a set of dumbbells, the resistance band worked my muscles from the very first rep. For the incline paddles, I found it easy to increase the resistance by decreasing the length of the band, making it easier and harder to paddle. For squats and reverse lunges, wearing a mini band looped across my knees really helped work my glutes.
The entire workout was quick, but effective: I managed to complete all three sets in about 20 minutes and felt like I had gotten a good full-body workout in a short amount of time. Part of the beauty of a resistance band workout is that it can be made instantly harder or easier by increasing or decreasing the strength of the resistance band. I’m sure Hemworth had a heavier band than me, but we can’t all be as strong as Thor.
My lessons learned? This short workout reminded me that keeping a resistance band on my gym bag is the way to go in the future: they make it easy to increase the intensity of a bodyweight workout. Looking for inspiration for exercises with resistance bands? look these leg exercises with resistance bands suitable for beginners, the resistance band arm exercises that build muscle without weightsand how squat Y dead weight with a resistance band.
This isn’t the first time I’ve tried to work out like Thor – read what happened when I tried his 800 rep barbell workoutand how I found Hemsworth’s 35 minute bodyweight workout.
