Chris Hemsworth has switched up his approach to fitness since stepping away from the Marvel Cinematic Universe. After playing the god of thunder with an increasingly buff physique for the last ten years (he put on the most muscle of his life for 2022's Thor: Love and Thunder), the Australian actor is now training for greater athleticism and functional fitness.
In a new Instagram video, Hemsworth shared a glimpse of what a "solid full body workout routine" looks like these days. "Doing a lot less heavy weight sessions lately and incorporating sprint work and more functional movements," he wrote. "Functional" training, simply put, refers to doing exercises which help to boost your physical performance in everyday life, rather than for a specific gym goal or shredded look.
The video, set to "Sure Shot" by the Beastie Boys, shows Hemsworth doing sprint work with endurance athlete Ross Edgley (he jokes that he left him "in the dust"). He also performs ball slams, a great way to build strength and explosive power, and battle ropes, which are an effective fat burner. He also builds in some all-important rotational work, strengthening the core for its original purpose.
Hemsworth's shift in focus to everyday strength and staying injury-free were touched on by his trainer Luke Zocchi and sports physiotherapy professor Michal Novotný during the promo for action sequel Extraction 2. Novotný pointed out that between his intense workouts and busy filming schedule, Hemsworth was not getting nearly enough rest or recovery time, and was being plagued by back pain.
"When we started it was more, more, more and harder, harder, harder," said Zocchi. "But Extraction 2 required so much more of him physically with stunts and all the action scenes so his sessions needed to be based around recovery and really trying to look after him."
