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Thor Workout Routines for a Body like A God

Updated on May 28, 2013

3 Conditions for a Body like Thor!

You can get a body like the God of Thunder! If you liked what trainer Duffy Gaver did with Chris Hemsworth’s physique for the movie Thor, there is more than one thor workout routine that can help you get the same results. There are only three conditions:

1. You have to be willing to work hard!

2. Your nutritional intake needs to be top notch

3. Choose a goal other than pure aesthetic appeal to focus your training programs on. This gives purpose to your training and motivates you to continue.

Preparing

Nutrition:

Dump out processed foods, and stop drinking soda and eating sweets. Choose fresh beef, chicken, other poultry and fatty fishes like salmon and tuna; fruits, vegetables, eggs, seeds and nuts.

Allow yourself a beer or a drink, and the occasional ice cream, just don’t binge or do this more than once a week; and not all at the same time!

Start the program only if you are in good physical health. If in doubt, check with your doctor first. If you can’t walk a fast mile without huffing and puffing, you might want to start off with real low volume.

Have the proper equipment available. In the workouts showcased here, Indian clubs or clubbells and kettlebells will be essential. But don’t worry, you will not have to spend a lot of money to get these.

Homemade indian clubs/clubbells
Homemade indian clubs/clubbells | Source

Homemade Indian Mace/Club

So here is the list of recommended equipment:

-1 or more indian clubs of significant weight. This could be an RMax International Clubbell or 10 or 15 lbs., or a homemade indian club from galvanized steel pipe of similar weight. For inexperienced club users, start lighter than you think you will need. 10 pounds is a good beginners weight; focus on technique in the beginning.

The Big Book of Clubbells from Scott Sonnon is a great reference guide for clubbbell/Indian club exercises.

-1 or more kettlebells. The same rules apply here. Start lighter if you are new to using kettlebells, and start with one. When you have the techniques down, grab another, or another heavier kettle bell. 18-26 pounds for women and 35-44 for men is a good barometer to go by.

-A set of sandbags. For a body capable of lifting heavy dead weight quickly, you need to lift heavy dead weights. Sandbags are ideal for this. Whereas it is easy to spend a lot of money on these, all you really need are some old nylon laundry bags or duffel bags, and a few bags of playsand or water softener salt.

-A sturdy wall/playset or pullup bar. There are endless places to do pullups, and they do not have to be done on a pullup bar. A strong wall you can reach the top of will develop the lats as well as anything, and a playground jungle gym is a great place to workout.

Set up two or three sandbags, one with a 40 or 50 lb. bag of filler (salt or sand,) and another with two of these bags. Duct tape wrapped around the ends and corners will help prevent leaking sand or salt. You can also pour off smaller bags of 15 or 25 pounds by measuring the material into a small trash bag and sealing it. A household scale should work fine for weighing the bags.

*Optional:

Dumbell OR Barbell set. Sure, this whole workout could be done at a gym, and traditional equipment can be used instead of ballistic training tools and sandbags. But thor spent more time swinging, fighting and jumping than he did on comfy pleather-covered benches, soo…go primitive for the best results.

Ab Wheel/Power Wheel: Hardly primitive, but an awesome and cheap addition to the home gym. This workout calls for planks of increasing difficulty, so you might as well use the wheel to enhance the exercise. Spend $10 or spend $60, but get it, you’ll be happy you did.

**For both clubs and kettlebells, increase the weight as soon as possible. Too light a weight will do little towards achieving your Thor body!

Triple Extension Lift with Sand/Salt Bags

The Thor Workout

In the UK Men’s Fitness, they claim trainer Duffy Gaver had Chris Hemsworth doing several weeks of muscle-building to bring him up to 220.

After this, he focused on intervals using kettlebells. This helped him keep his muscle and burn fat. It’s a good approach, but in this workout routine, ballistic training (clubs and kettle bells,) will be incorporated from the beginning. As the program shifts into the second cycle, you will be doing more ballistic training and plyometrics than straight muscle-building.

Phase one:

For each workout, do a general warm-up such as jogging, easy jumproping, etc. Then start off with a very light set of the specific exercise.

Also recommended before anything starts is a joint warm up routine. Use “Super Joints” from Dragon Door or “Intu-Flow” from RMax International if you need a good program.-

Beginners, 3 days a week, every other day. Intermediate/Advanced, 3 days on and 1 day off.

Day 1

After warmup:

-Triple Extension Lift w/ Sandbag: 4 sets x 5-6 repetitions. (Rest 1 minute between sets.)

-Front Squats w/ Sandbag: 3 sets x 5-6 reps.

-Bent-Over Shoulder Pushups: 4x 8-12 (Rest 1 minute between sets)

*Hands on floor, wider than shoulders; walk feet up towards hands, lower head between hands and press back up. Do handstand pushups against wall if you are able.

-Kettlebell Halos + Kettlebell Ribbons: 3 sets x 8-10 each. Heavy enough to have trouble keeping form by the end of the set. Not to failure.

-Isometric Pushup hold x 5 seconds + 5 bouncing pushups. (hands leave the ground, full lockout not necessary.)

Finish with:

Plank w/ elbow to hand walkout: 10-30 seconds x 3 sets.

*Assume plank position on elbows walk elbows out as far as possible and back for the duration. Maintain perfect form or stop.

Day 2

After warm-up

-Turkish Get-Up: Use kettlebell. 4-6 sets x 6 reps each side.

-Clubbell Jori Swings + Torch Press: 3-4 sets of 6/6 each side.

-Ab Wheel/Power Wheel Rollouts: 3 x 5-12 reps from knees or standing or both.

Day 3

After warm-up

-KB 1 or 2 arm Overhead Press: 5 x 6, 5, 3, 1, 3, 6.

*Work up to max in good form. Repeat on other side if using 1 kettlebell.

Pullups/Wallups: 3-5 x 6-10.

(*Wallups are done holding onto top of wall and with feet resting against it, knees bent. Like climbing.)

-Sandbag or KB Bent Over Rows: 5 x 6

*Repeat on other side if using 1 KB

-Single or Double Heavy Club Swipes: 3-4 x 6-8

-Isometric Squat Hold with KB’s or Clubs: Squat down to parallel, hold weights out to side, arms fully extended. Hold for 10-30 seconds, come up for 10-30 seconds, repeat. 3-5 sets.

Sandbag/Salt Bag Cleans to Shoulder

Jori Swing

Torch Press

Phase Two: Repeat this workout every other day, beginner or advanced. Add additional weight/sets if necessary.

After warm-up

-Sandbag Cleans to Shoulder: 6 sets working up to max. Max repetitionsx 3. 90 seconds rest between. *Alternate shoulders each rep.

Then, no rest between exercises, 60-90 seconds between ‘rounds.’ Do 3-5 rounds of:

-Jump Squats x 10-20 (or until form or speed break down.)

-Lateral Side Jumps x 10-20 each side

-Burpees with Plyometric pushup and Jump Squat x 10-20

Rest up to 5 minutes, then:

No rest between exercises, 60-90 seconds between ‘rounds.’ Do 3-5 rounds of:

-Kettlebell Snatch x 30 seconds

-Kettlebell Push Press x 30 seconds

-Kettlebell Slingblade x 30 seconds each side.

Rest up to 5 minutes, then 3-5 rounds of:

-Heavy Club Mills x 30 seconds each side

-Heavy Club Swipes (single or double) x 30 seconds

-Jori Swings + Torch Press x 10-12 each side.

Do each phase for at least 4-6 weeks, depending on how long it takes to become comfortable with the exercises and workouts. Then feel free to substitute exercises to keep the workout fresh.

Examples would be using lunges with sandbag on your shoulder instead of the triple extension lift. Doing double club swings where you were doing single, and so on.

Keep working and eating well, and don’t neglect your workouts. Within a few weeks of these thor workout routines, the results will be visible and you will be well on your way to having the body of the god of thunder!

working

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