When it comes to fitness inspiration, nothing beats Chris Hemsworth’s Instagram account. From his bodyweight workout that can be done from almost anywheretoward exact arm training he used when training for ThorThe actor has been very open about his gym routines, in fact, he even launched his own training app: Centr.
Unsurprisingly, his workouts are no joke, so when I saw that Hemsworth had uploaded a new barbell workout, I headed to the gym to try it for myself. I’m going to preempt this by saying that as a fitness editor I work out fairly regularly, although I’m definitely not lifting anything as heavy as Thor himself. This probably isn’t a workout to try if he’s a complete beginner, and if he’s new to the exercises in this workout, it’s a good idea to ask a personal trainer to look at his form before adding weights.
Read on to find out what happened when I attempted Hemsworth’s 800-rep barbell challenge. If you’re looking for more exercise inspiration, you can also see what happened when I did 100 dead bugs a day for a week.or when I added 30 sit-ups a day to my exercise routine for 30 days.. You can also read our center review if you want to check out the Hemsworth-endorsed app.
What is Chris Hemsworth’s 800 rep barbell workout?
The workout shared on Hemsworth’s Instagram page is 10 rounds of the following circuit. You’ll need a barbell, but if you don’t have one, the entire workout can be done with a pair of dumbbells (see the best adjustable dumbbells here).
- 10 bicep curls
- 10 overhead presses
- 10 tricep extensions
- 10 squats
- 10 x lunges on the left leg
- 10 x lunges on the right leg
- 10 x inclined rower
- 10 x foot twist
At the beginning of the video, Hemsworth says that all eight exercises must be completed with no breaks in between.
I Tried Chris Hemsworth’s 800-Rep Barbell Workout: Here’s What Happened
I warn you now, this training is unforgiving. I went into this workout with all guns blazing, so to speak, grabbing a barbell and going to work. I’ll start by confirming that my bar was much lighter than Hemsworth’s: from the looks of it, he’s using an Olympic weightlifting bar that weighs around 45lbs or 20kg. Fortunately, my gym had a few different options, and I selected a barbell that weighed 22lbs or 10kg; I am not a superhero.
I noticed Hemsworth bicep curls held the bar in an overhand grip, palms facing the body and knuckles on top of the bar. The overhand grip targets the outer arms and forearms as well as the biceps, but it’s also a bit more challenging than traditional bicep curls. Unlike Hemsworth, I did slower reps to make sure my form was correct.
When I got to the squats, I found it really hard to hold the bar with one hand (I’m only 5ft 1, compared to Hemsworth’s 6ft 3), so I swapped the bar for an 8kg dumbbell to make sure. I was getting my form right. For the last few rounds of the workout, I placed the bar on my shoulders, as I had in the squats, to really make my legs explode.
The lack of breaks between exercises during the first few rounds felt good, but by round eight, he was breaking a sweat. Hemsworth gave no instructions on the length of the breaks between rounds, but gave me two minutes between each set, although this increased to three before the later rounds.
Hemsworth called this exercise a “monster” and he was not wrong. Even moving at a much slower pace, with a much lighter bar, 10 rounds was amazing. My whole body ached when I finished, and instead of looking out the window at Byron Bay from my gym, I found myself lying on a sweaty exercise mat at the local leisure center. Who said getting in superhero shape was glamorous?
While I wouldn’t recommend this workout for complete beginners, it can definitely be adapted. Like I did, you could grab a lighter pair of dumbbells or a lighter barbell for exercises, or just try to do three or five rounds, instead of 10. Give it a try, just pack a towel and one of the best water bottles.
