Few Hollywood actors have so completely embodied the role of superhero quite like Chris Hemsworth. Despite his Australian roots, he seems perfectly cast as Marvel’s Nordic god, and if the rumors from the set of Thor: Love and Thunder are to be believed, the 37-year-old actor has never been more fit. “We’ve been prepping for this film on and off for half a year, even longer,” says Hemsworth’s longtime trainer, Luke Zocchi, from the Sydney set. “He’s the biggest he’s ever been.”
Zocchi hasn’t had much in the way of free time over the past eight years working with Hemsworth, during which the actor has moved from blockbuster to blockbuster, embodying characters as diverse as a receptionist (2016’s Ghostbusters) to a cult leader (Bad Times at the El Royale) to the eponymous character of The Huntsman: Winter’s War. Granted, not every role requires the same shred as the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but Hemsworth never seems to go soft. In response to the many, many queries about his diet and exercise, in 2019 he launched Centr, an app-based fitness and lifestyle platform that brings together experts from disparate backgrounds to create an encyclopedic resource for newbies and gym rats alike. “Even I’ve learned a lot,” Zocchi, who’s been part of the company since its two-year-long development, says.
Granted, not every guy is going to look like Hemsworth at the end of the day. “Don’t get me wrong, it’s good to push and have a goal to have a certain image or look a certain way,” Zocchi says. “But it’s more an all-around approach to health and fitness and a better lifestyle.” What does it take to turn everything around? According to him and the Centr methodology, about 20 minutes a day. He’s shared seven of the more than 1,000 on Centr’s platform. These short-duration, high-intensity workouts will leave you panting, accomplished, and, after a few months, as solid as if you’d been hammered by Thor’s hammer itself.
Luke’s Heart Starter
No workout is better representative of Centr’s bread and butter than this. Part of its Centr 6 series, which Hemsworth and Zocchi developed together, it was the app’s most-viewed workout in 2020.
Targeted Muscles: Biceps, delts, lats, quads and hamstrings, core
Equipment Needed: 2 dumbbells
Sets: 6
Execution: Complete six reps of each exercise (or six on each side for single-side exercises) consecutively, repeating the series for six sets. Try not to rest. Hint: Use lighter weights than you might think.
- Burpee, bicep curl to shoulder press, six
- Bent-over rows, single arm, six each side
- Bodyweight squats, six
- Single-arm snatch, six each side
- Zottman curls, six
- Sit-throughs, six
Read more: Best Arm Workouts
Unleash Your Fitness
From its “Unleashed” program, this series requires zero equipment and keeps you moving for a cardio burn. It makes a great travel companion or for the next COVID lockdown.
Targeted Muscles: Full body
Equipment Needed: None
Sets: 3
Execution: For the first round, complete each exercise for 40 seconds on, then a 10-second break. For the next round, 30 seconds on, 10 seconds off. And for your final round, 20 seconds on, 10 seconds off. Breathe deep; take a minute for water. Then run through the sequence again.
- Crab walks
- In and out squat jumps
- Monster sumo walks
- Skater lunges
- Push-up
- Bear crawl hold
Read more: Best Full-Body Workouts
Luke’s Low-Equipment Special
Fast. Effective. And requiring a single weight. This fast, effective workout will get your muscles and lungs burning and then spit you out the other side.
Format: 40 seconds of each exercise and then rest for 20 seconds, complete four rounds in total.
Targeted Muscles: Full body, with an emphasis on shoulders, chest, and core
Equipment Needed: A kettlebell, dumbbell, or another heavy object
Sets: 4
Execution: Complete 40 seconds of the exercise, rest 20 seconds, and continue down the list. Repeat for four sets.
- Cross climbers
- Kettlebell halos
- Hindu push-ups
- Kettlebell cossacks
- Bicycle crunches
Read more: Best Kettlebell Workouts
Advanced HIIT Session
Hemsworth’s philosophy centers (get it?) on max effort in minimal time. Want to look like Thor? This is the first swing of the hammer.
Targeted Muscles: Full body
Equipment Needed: None
Sets: 4
Execution: Complete 40 seconds’ worth of the exercise, then rest for 30. Move on to the next. Repeat the full circuit four times.
- Squats
- Lunges
- Burpees
- Bear crawls
- Kick sits
Luke’s Power Moves
Another Hemsworth original, this one from the Centr 6: Phase II program, it takes the foundation from the first series and builds on it. This workout needs only dumbbells for an awesome burn.
Format: 6 rounds of 6 moves of the following 6 exercises:
Targeted Muscles: Full body
Equipment Needed: Two dumbbells
Sets: 6
Execution: Complete six reps of each of the six exercises, repeating the whole series six times. Hemsworth is the devil.
- Renegade row
- Deadlift
- Glute bridge and press
- Lunge row (right)
- Lunge row (left)
- Push-up
- Burpee
Twenty-Minute Beginner HIIT
Everyone has to start somewhere, and while we’re not positive about our Nordic mythological history, even Thor must have been a baby. (Iffy on that last point, but Hemsworth certainly was.) Think of this as the on-ramp instead of trying to jump from zero to 60.
Targeted Muscles: Full body
Equipment Needed: At least one set of dumbbells
Sets: 3 sets of three
Execution: Each three-exercise series is repeated three times, with a 15-second rest between sets.
For the first round:
- Dumbbell thrusters, 10
- Dumbbell renegade rows, 10
- Bicycle crunches, 10
For the second round:
- Alternating dumbbell curls, 10
- Push-ups, 10
- Cross climbers, 10
For the third round:
- Walking planks, 10
- Side plank, 30 seconds
Read more: Best HIIT Workouts
Unreal Upper Body
While all of these workouts so far have strived to balance your musculature, it’s time to buy your ticket to the gun show. More plates, more dates, baby!
Targeted Muscles: Upper body
Equipment Needed: At least one set of dumbbells
Sets: Two sets of each round
Execution: Complete two rounds of each series. Take 10 seconds of rest after the first exercise, 15 after the second, 20 after the third, and 30 after the fourth. Want to make it harder? Up your weights and watch the sweat roll.
For the first round:
- Dumbbell lateral pull-down, 30 seconds
- Dumbbell hammer curls, 30 seconds
- Dumbbell lateral raise, 30 seconds
- Dumbbell floor tricep press, 30 seconds
For the second round:
- Dumbbell thrusters, 30 seconds
- Zottman curl, 30 seconds
- Dumbbell bent-over rear flys, 30 seconds
- Dumbbell floor tricep extensions, 30 seconds
Read more: Best Shoulder Workouts
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