How Chris Hemsworth Got Shredded With the Fat-Burning ‘HIRT’ Method for ‘Avengers: Endgame’
The “Thor” actor used this intense resistance training method to get jacked.
Chris Hemsworth doesn’t just play a superhero/Nordic god in Avengers: Endgame, he absolutely looks the part. As you can probably guess, the movie star got there by putting his body through a grueling exercise circuit.
With the guidance of longtime personal trainer Luke Zocchi, Hemsworth has chiseled out multiple different types of builds over the years. Even his Thor has evolved: the current character is leaner than in his 2011 silver screen debut.
Zocchi, who also contributes to the fitness app Centr that Hemsworth created, told Men’s Health that the actor’s present-day shred comes from a variation of High-Intensity Interval Training (HITT) called High-Intensity Resistance Training (HIRT).
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HIIT is a fat-burning regimen that crams a lot of anaerobic exercises into short periods of time that usually last no longer than 30 minutes. HIRT focuses on strength-building exercises that still jack up heart rate but keep muscles active long after the workout ends.
Per Men’s Health, here’s the grueling HIRT dumbbell workout that got Hemsworth ripped and ready to play Thor.
Chris Hemsworth’s HIRT Workout
For five total rounds, complete 10 reps of each move with a 30 second rest between moves.
Burpee Curl to Press
Sets: 5; Reps: 10
Begin standing, feet hip-width and hands holding dumbbells by your sides.
In one fluid motion, bend down and place your hands and dumbbells under your shoulders as you jump your feet backwards to a push-up position
.
Complete a push-up before jumping your feet back under your body, standing back up and raising the dumbbells straight above your head as you do so
.
Lower the dumbbells to the starting position. That’s one rep.
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Walking Planks
Sets: 5; Reps: 10
Take the plank position with your weight supported on your forearms and toes, your elbows beneath your shoulders, and your core muscles engaged (squeeze your glutes and tense your abdominals)
.
Take your right arm from the floor, placing your hand below your right shoulder. Push up with your right hand while raising your left arm and placing it beneath your left shoulder
.
The top position resembles a narrow push-up. Return to the start position. This is one repetition.
Complete the next repetition by leading with your left arm, then alternate.
Dumbbell Renegade Row and Press-Up
Sets: 5; Reps: 10
Start in a high plank position – hands positioned beneath your shoulders, feet apart (the wider they are, the easier the exercise will be), a straight line from your shoulders to your ankles and a dumbbell in each hand.
With your core muscles engaged (squeeze your glutes and tense your abdominals), complete a push-up
.
At the top of the push up, row the right dumbbell up and back down in line with your belly button, then the left. That’s one rep
.
To reduce the difficulty, perform the exercise on your knees.
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Dumbbell Bent-Over Rear Flys
Sets: 5; Reps: 10
Take the position by standing with knees slightly bent, and hinge from the hips to bend so your back is flat and parallel with the ground
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Hold your dumbbells straight down, touching underneath your chest and refrain from arching your back
.
While tensing your stomach, raise each hand up to the side of your body at the same time, forming a T shape and not going above your back
.
Slowly lower arms and repeat.
Dumbbell Hammer Curl and Reverse Lunge
Sets: 5; Reps: 10
Stand holding your dumbbells by your sides, with your palms facing toward your body
.
Step your right foot back behind your body and lunge down, your right knee touching the ground and left knee staying in line with your ankle
.
At the same time, raise both dumbbells up to shoulder height, while keeping your elbows tucked in
.
Lower the dumbbells as you return your right foot to the starting position.
This is one rep, complete the next rep with your left leg.
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Hollow Outs
Sets: 5; Reps: 10
Lie down flat on your back and hold your arms and legs straight out from the body, with hands and toes pointed, hovering slightly above the ground
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The key with this exercise is to tense your abs and glutes to move with control rather than momentum
.
So, with control, slowly begin to rock back and forth – raise your upper body off the ground as you lower your legs, then rock back the other way just before your legs touch the ground
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Maintain lower body contact with the ground for the duration of the movement
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Rock forward, then back – this is one rep. Repeat.
Looks pretty intense. Time grab a protein shake then give this one a shot.
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