When you get the chance to speak to the man who keeps Chris Hemsworth in shape, you have to ask for a recent workout. That's exactly what I did when I spoke to Hemsworth's long-standing trainer and friend Luke Zocchi, and I was in for a surprise.
Not because Hemsworth was tackling superhero-sized workouts, but because it made me realize Hemsworth has to overcome the same constraints on time, energy and motivation the rest of us do.
"It was the end of the day so there was no point smashing him," says Zocchi, speaking from the set of Amazon Prime production Crime 101. "He'd been filming for like 10 hours or something. His pick up was 5.30am the next morning.
"All we had were Centr adjustable dumbbells, the Stack 50s, some bands and a treadmill, so we did a circuit."
The workout, which Zocchi and Hemsworth completed together, began with a 10-minute low-impact warm-up on a treadmill set to a 10% incline, before moving onto a 10-minute upper-body dumbbell drill and finishing with a 10-minute abs circuit.
The beauty of this routine is that you can pick and choose each 10-minute element to suit your goals and the time you have available.
10-minute upper-body dumbbell circuit
"We kicked off with a little bit of a zone 2 warm-up," says Zocchi. "Then we kept it super light to get a little pump on." For the dumbbell section, Hemsworth cycled through a giant set of shoulder presses, biceps curls, triceps kickbacks and upright rows. "It was a simple push-pull-push-pull set-up," Zocchi explains.
Zocchi recommends working each exercise for around a minute before moving onto the next move. Rest as needed but try to keep it to a minimum. If you can't reach a minute, reduce the weight until you can.
After trying this routine myself, I recommend picking a light pair of dumbbells. Working for 10 minutes with minimal rest gets tough quickly—you're prioritising volume over intensity here.
1A. Shoulder press
Time: 1min
- Hold dumbbells at shoulder height with palms facing forward.
- Press the weights overhead, finishing with your biceps close to your ears.
- Slowly lower the weights to the start under control.
1B. Biceps curl
Time: 1min
- Hold dumbbells by your sides with palms facing.
- Bend your elbows to lift the weights, rotating your wrist so your palms face toward you at the top of the rep.
- Slowly lower the weights to the start under control and repeat.
1C. Triceps kickback
Time: 1min each side
- Change to a lighter dumbbell and stand in a staggered stance with your left foot forward.
- Hinge forward at your hips and rest your left elbow on your left knee, holding a dumbbell in your right hand, with your right elbow bent and upper arm pinned to your torso.
- Extend your right arm to lift the dumbbell behind you.
- Pause for one second, then slowly bend your elbow to return to the start.
1D. Upright row
Time: 1min
- Stand holding dumbbells in front of your thighs with palms facing you.
- Keep your chest facing forward and engage your core to protect your lower back.
- Lift the weights to chest height, bending your elbows and moving them out to the side.
- Lower under control to the start.
10-minute abs finisher
Next, Hemsworth moved onto the core finisher. "We went from a plank into a side plank then reverse sit-ups, raising his knees, then we did a bit of work to strengthen his posterior chain, called Foundation Training. It stretches the muscles to their greatest tension to build his posterior chain to support his back," says Zocchi. In place of the Foundation Training movement, which isn't especially well known (although it's explained in this YouTube video), Zocchi recommends subbing in a reverse plank to target the posterior chain.
Hemsworth would perform each core exercise for 30 to 40 seconds and then move on to the next exercise with no rest. "We went through that circuit three times," says Zocchi.
2A. Plank
Time: 30-40sec
- Lie face down on the floor and place your forearms on the floor with your elbows directly under your shoulders.
- Lift your body off the floor, with your feet hip-width apart and weight resting on your toes and forearms. Your body should be in a straight line from head to heels.
- Avoid letting your hips lift too high or sink too low, and think about drawing your elbows toward your toes to activate your core muscles.
2B. Side plank
Time: 30-40sec each side
- From the plank position, shift your weight onto one elbow and turn your body to face one the side.
- Either place one foot on top of the other, or place one in front of the other to create a more stable base.
- Keep your shoulders, hips and ankles in a straight line and avoid letting your hips sag.
- Hold for time, then repeat on the other side.
2C. Reverse crunch
Time: 30-40sec
- Lie on your back with your arms on the floor to your sides for support.
- Gently lift your head and tuck your elbow into your chest while pressing your lower back into the floor to engage your deep core muscles.
- Move your knees to your chest, bending your knees and lifting your hips off the floor.
- Extend your legs in front of you without letting them touch the floor and repeat.
2D. Reverse plank
Time: 30-40sec
- Sit on the floor with your legs extended and palms on the floor beside your hips, fingers pointing whichever way feels most comfortable.
- Press into your hands and heels to lift your hips off the floor so that your shoulders, hips and ankles are in line.
- Maintain this position, keeping your neck in neutral alignment and engaging your glutes muscles hard to maintain this position.
- If you need to break, lower your bum to the floor, reset, and go again until the time elapses.
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