Have you ever wondered what secret weapon Chris Hemsworth used when getting fit to play Thor? No, it wasn’t his lightning-filled hammer, it was a group of resistance bands. Yes, pull Mjölnir down, as Hemsworth’s personal trainer, Luke Zocchi, shared the exact workout they used on the set.
Instead of stopping for a full weights session, Zocchi revealed that they used resistance bands for the last minute pump. The The best resistance bands Lightweight and portable, perfect for carrying with you to and from the gym, in your handbag on vacation, and even to a movie set.
Resistance bands work by letting you do that It isolates the muscles and puts those muscles under constant tension through the range of motion,” says Zuki. “Resistance bands maintain constant tension on the muscles throughout the entire movement of the exercise compared to dumbbells where tension can be lost in certain parts. If toning is your goal, using resistance will help you do just that. Because it’s such a versatile tool, there are endless exercises you can do to target your arms, legs, or butt muscles.”
But what exactly did the exercise entail? To find out more, I tested out a Hemsworth resistance band exercise – read on to find out what happened.
Zocchi is the lead trainer on the Centr app – read our Centr app review to learn more.
What is Chris Hemsworth’s Thor Workout?
Heating:
Push-up (5 repetitions): Put the tape around your arms and help you get out of the push-ups. Knees or plank position. Here’s more on how to do pushups and variations to try.
Bent to Row (5 reps per arm): Place your foot on the belt and hold it with your hand while hanging at your hips and bending over. Pull your arm up and squeeze the biceps and back.
Squat (5 reps): Place the tape around your quads above the knee and then imagine you are sitting in a chair. Here’s more on how to perform squats with a resistance band.
Triceps curl (5 each arm): Put the tape on your left forearm and place your left hand on your right shoulder. Grab the bottom of the belt with your right hand and press down to activate the triceps. Put the tape on your right forearm and place your right hand on your left shoulder. Grab the bottom of the belt with your left hand and press down to activate the triceps.
Biceps exercise (5 repetitions per arm): Kneel on the ground. Place the bar under your left foot and hold the top of it with your right hand and ally. Kneel on the ground. Place the bar under your right foot and hold the top of it with your left hand and ally.
Reverse lunges (5 repetitions per leg): Place the bar above the knees and step back in a lunge alternately.
Lateral Shoulder Raise (5 repetitions on each side): Place the tape around both hands and place your hand in front of your body. Keep one hand centered while you raise the other sideways to engage the shoulder muscles.
Workout (3 sets):
Push-ups (10 repetitions)
Bent into the row (10 reps per arm)
Squat (10 reps)
Triceps curl (10 per arm)
Biceps exercise (10 repetitions per arm)
Reverse lunge (10 repetitions per leg)
Lateral Shoulder Raise (10 repetitions on each side)
I Tried Chris Hemsworth’s Thor Resistance Band Workout – Here’s What Happened
To put your workout to the test, I grabbed a long resistance band, a smaller loop band, and gave it a try. Resistance bands are elastic rubber bands that are used to provide resistance to the body when exercising. The exact resistance it provides increases as you stretch it, so each band has a spectrum of resistance levels. I grabbed a heavier and lighter strap and started warming up.
Like using a set of dumbbells, the resistance band engaged my muscles from the first rep. For curved rows, I found it easier to increase the resistance by reducing the length of the bar, which makes it more pounding and harder to row. For squats and reverse lunges, using a small bar looped over my knees really worked my muscles.
The whole workout was quick, but effective – I was able to get through all three sets in about 20 minutes, and felt like I had a good full-body workout in a short amount of time. Part of the beauty of resistance band exercise is that it can be made instantly more difficult or easier by increasing or decreasing the strength of the resistance band. I’m sure Hemworth had a heavier squad than me, but we can’t all be as strong as Thor.
My lessons learned? This short workout reminded me to keep a resistance band club bag are the way to go in the future – they make it easy to increase the intensity of your body weight workout. Looking for some resistance exercise inspiration? Check out these resistance leg exercises for beginners, resistance band arm exercises that build muscle without weights, and how to squat and deadlift with a resistance band.
This isn’t the first time I’ve tried working out like Thor—read what happened when I tried the 800 rep barbell, and how I found this 35-minute Hemsworth bodyweight workout.
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