Of all the celebrity workout plans, Chris Hemsworth’s routinely ranks among the most in-demand. And as the actor begins filming Marvel’s latest superhero joint, Avenger’s: Doomsday, he’s been hitting the gym to fine-tune a physique worthy of Norse god status.
However, his long-time PT and Centr trainer Luke Zocchi tells me that, compared to Thor’s previous outings, the pair “haven’t pushed anywhere near as hard on this film”. Yet, “Chris still looks great”.
“I hate to say it, but I think we’re just getting a little bit older,” Zocchi laughs. “We’re not killing ourselves as much and always thinking more is better. Instead, we’re being a bit more in-tune with our bodies.”
Below you can find the lowdown on the plan from Zocchi himself, including Hemsworth’s training split, sustainable approach to nutrition and go-to workout for larger shoulders and arms.
How Chris Hemsworth’s Avengers: Doomsday preparations have changed from previous Marvel films
The last time I chatted to Zocchi was after the release of Thor: Love and Thunder in 2022. With the film put on hold due to Covid lockdowns, Hemsworth had a year of dedicated training to look as imposing as possible, while also preparing to pull a truck as part of his Disney+ longevity documentary Limitless – this was later swapped for the equally high-octane act of climbing a 100ft rope suspended from a helicopter.
The pair went all-in on a programme comprising regular bodybuilding, strongman training and 450-calorie meals, consumed 10 times per day.
“In the morning, in hair and makeup, I would get him his first meal, then I was just running him more and more food,” Zocchi recalls. “Every two to three meals he’d feel sick, so I’d run him a protein shake and we’d go again.”
By the end, Hemsworth’s biceps were bulging, and the star boasted an impressive physique even by superhero standards. But he didn’t enjoy being treated like a foie gras goose, or the heavier frame it gave him, having found it detracted from his ability to surf – a favourite pastime for the Aussie native.
“We were in a position where we [felt we] had to do it,” says Zocchi. “It might have been the last time he played Thor, so we wanted to look massive and we had a year to train for it. Then this time Chris was like, ‘Yeah, I don’t know if I want to do that again’.
For Avengers: Doomsday, Hemsworth’s workout plan looks far more palatable to mere mortals like you and I, with efficiency and effectiveness as its central pillars.
Chris Hemsworth’s Avengers: Doomsday training plan
Zocchi adopted a one day on, one day off approach to lifting weights for Hemsworth’s Avengers: Doomsday training. He also follows a rough push-pull-legs split – one workout focuses on pushing muscles such as the chest, shoulders and triceps, the next hits pulling muscles like the back and biceps, and a third targets the legs and glutes.
These strength sessions comprise classic muscle-building exercises such as belt squats (“Chris doesn’t put a barbell on his back”), pull-ups and seated dumbbell shoulder presses. The pair have also been paying special attention to Hemsworth’s arms and shoulders, having seen his costume for the film will highlight these areas – an example push day session can be found below.
The workout flow for the week goes: push day, cardio day, pull day, cardio day, leg day, cardio day, then repeat. Although, Zocchi says, this isn’t set in stone.
“We’re being a bit more in-tune with our bodies this time,” he tells me. “[If Chris says] ‘I’m feeling a bit flat today,’ we might just do some steady-state cardio then come back tomorrow and focus on our lifting.”
Cardio sessions usually comprise 30 to 40 minutes of moderate-intensity steady-state work, but Zocchi likes to keep Hemsworth on his toes.
“We mix it up just to keep him moving,” Zocchi says. “We might do 10 minutes of walking on an incline treadmill, then 10 minutes on a StairMaster, five minutes on a rower, five minutes on a SkiErg – just keep moving every 10 minutes so you don’t get too bored.
“We’ve been doing a fair bit of boxing recently as well. Before I started working with Chris, that was my background, so for this film we’ve been doing more of that. He’s been running a bit too, but not crazy long distances.”
On the day of our interview, Zocchi rounded out one of Hemsworth’s morning cardio workouts with Tabata intervals on a fan bike: eight rounds of 20-second intense efforts, each separated by 10 seconds of rest.
Hemsworth’s verdict: “I haven’t done this in a while. This is horrible.”
Chris Hemsworth’s Avenger’s: Doomsday workout
Warm-up circuit for three rounds with light dumbbells:
- Lateral raise x8
- Front raise x8
- Military press x8
- Rest 60 seconds
Seated dumbbell shoulder press
Sets: 4 Reps: 8-12 Rest: 60 seconds
- Sit upright on a flat bench with a dumbbell in each hand, held at roughly shoulder height. The handles of the dumbbells should be angled slightly inwards.
- Tighten your core, then drive the dumbbells upward until your arms are extended overhead.
- Control the dumbbells back to the starting position.
Bonus: On the last set of this exercise, perform a drop set. This means completing your usual set of eight to 12 reps, then immediately grabbing dumbbells that are 10-20 per cent lighter and completing as many seated dumbbell shoulder presses as you can. When you have done this, lower the weight by another 10-20 per cent and repeat, then lower the weight by the same margin one final time and do it again. In each dropset, you should be looking to hit eight to 12 reps.
Incline dumbbell bench press
Sets: 3 Reps: 12 Rest: 60 seconds
- Set an adjustable weight bench to an incline of between 30- and 45-degrees.
- Sit upright on the bench with a dumbbell resting on either knee, and hold the handles with your palms facing inwards.
- Lie back on the bench, lifting your knees to propel the dumbbells up your torso so they’re held on either side of your chest, palms facing slightly inwards – this is your starting position.
- Press the dumbbells towards the ceiling until your arms are fully extended above your chest.
- Slowly lower the dumbbells back to the starting position to complete the rep.
Single-arm cable lateral raise
Sets: 4 Reps: 12 (each side) Rest: 60 seconds
- Set a cable machine at the lowest position possible then stand perpendicular to the machine so your left foot is closest to the handle.
- Grip the handle in your right hand and stand tall, holding the handle close to your body and in front of your hips with a soft elbow.
- Pull the handle across your body and out to your right side until your arm is roughly parallel with the floor.
- Control it back to the starting position, repeat for the prescribed number of reps, then switch sides.
Cable machine rear delt fly
Sets: 3 Reps: 15 Rest: 60 seconds
- Stand opposite a cable machine with the cables set to just above head height.
- Grip the end of the left cable with your right hand and the end of the right cable with your left hand, using an overhand grip.
- Start with your arms straight out in front of you in line with your shoulders then, keeping your torso still and arms straight, pull the cables out to your side until your arms are level with your body. While doing this, the cable should also move down slightly so it runs in line with your shoulders and wrists throughout the movement.
- Control the cables back to the starting position then repeat.
Bonus: For the last set of this exercise, complete a dropset as you did with the seated dumbbell shoulder press above, lowering the weight three times after your final set and pushing to failure on each of subsequent sets.
Cable machine straight bar triceps pushdown
Sets: 3 Reps: 12 Rest: 60 seconds
- Stand opposite a cable machine with one cable set just above head height and a straight bar attachment in place.
- Grasp the straight bar attachment with both hands using an overhand grip.
- Keeping your elbows pinned to your side and pointing down, extend your elbows and straighten your arms.
- control the weight back to the starting position and repeat.
Read more: I’m a trainer specialising in longevity – these are the five exercises that have the biggest impact on my clients
Chris Hemsworth’s diet while training for Avengers: Doomsday
On the set of Thor: Love and Thunder, Hemsworth had to eat like it was his full time job, consuming 450-calorie meals 10 times per day. But, as with the training for this film, Zocchi says his diet in the lead-up to Avengers: Doomsday has been more relaxed.
“It will be interesting to see how different he looks in the film,” his trainer says. “I don’t think he’s as big as he was in Love and Thunder, and that wasn’t the goal either. Chris felt uncomfortable with how big he was on that one and he wasn’t enjoying how much food he had to eat.
“For this one, he’s eating four or five meals [per day], but his diet is nowhere near as strict. We’re not ramming the food down his throat, but he still looks great.”
Chris Hemsworth’s recovery protocols while training for Avengers: Doomsday
An injury or an off-day are not an option as an actor, so prioritising recovery around their training is key for Hemsworth and Zocchi.
“We’re big on saunas and ice,” Zocchi tells me. However, with new research suggesting a post-workout plunge can pump the brakes on muscle growth, the pair have developed a routine where they do this in the morning, pre-gym.
After a heavy lifting session, Zocchi also encourages Hemsworth to lie down, listen to a guided meditation and do some breathwork.
“It’s just to get the body to calm down and get into that parasympathetic nervous system,” Zocchi explains.
If this is the first time you’re hearing this term, the autonomic nervous system, which controls involuntary bodily functions such as regulating heart rate, contains three divisions: sympathetic, parasympathetic and enteric.
Activation of the sympathetic nervous system is often described as the “fight-or-flight” response, and triggers changes such as adrenaline release and a quickened pulse to prepare you for vigorous activity. A workout will kick you into this system.
The parasympathetic nervous system, on the other hand, promotes the body’s “rest and digest” processes. For this reason, downregulating your nervous system after a workout via calming practices such as breathwork and meditation can enhance muscle growth and recovery.
When is the release date for Avengers: Doomsday?
Hemsworth is filming Avengers: Doomsday as you read this feature, so Marvel fans still have some to wait before the film will be in cinemas. The most recent touted release date is 18 December next year, with The Fantastic Four: First Steps (coming on 25 July, 2025) segueing into the next Avengers flick.
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