Chris Hemsworth’s fitness transformation into Thor: he follows a strict dehydration routine before his shirtless Marvel scenes to achieve that ripped physique – but is it actually healthy?

Mar 20 , 2022

Chris Hemsworth looks great in his shirtless scenes as Thor, but the aesthetic is the result of a gruelling dehydration regime. Photos: Marvel

To achieve the ripped physique Thor is known for, the Australian actor follows a strict dehydration and carb-cycling regime that gives him headaches and low energy

Luke Zocchi, his personal trainer and the co-founder of Hemsworth’s lifestyle app Centr, doesn’t typically recommend the procedure, but finds that it helps muscles look tighter and harder

Many of us have admired Chris Hemsworth’s shirtless scenes as Thor – and it probably comes as no surprise that achieving such a physique takes plenty of work. These scenes have a gruelling dehydration process behind them, according to Hemsworth’s long-time trainer Luke Zocchi.

Chris Hemsworth as Marvel’s Thor. Photo: Handout

Hemsworth has appeared shirtless in four films in his role as Marvel’s Thor. A week before he shoots a topless scene, Hemsworth gradually increases his water intake, then stops drinking water a day and a half before call time, Zocchi told Insider while promoting the lifestyle app, Centr, which he and Hemsworth founded.

“We start with three litres and everyday increase by one litre, and then by the end, he drinks seven litres of water,” Zocchi said. “Then around lunchtime before the scene, we cut water completely. This is by no means a healthy thing to do, and I wouldn’t recommend that anyone else do this.”

Chris Hemsworth does high intensity workouts and punching exercises to train. Photo: @chrishemsworth/Instagram

Zocchi said that Hemsworth will simultaneously carb-cycle to prepare for the scenes. He depletes his body of carbs in the week leading up to filming, but then eats 40 grams of carbs every two hours in the last two days before call time. Zocchi said this process replenishes Hemsworth’s muscles with glycogen after draining them of all their fluids, which makes them look denser and harder than they would naturally.

“So at the start of the day [before the scene] I would give him a sweet potato and brown rice, then closer towards the day I would give him rice cakes. And then half an hour before he stepped out I gave him Snickers and a handful of lollipops, and he doubled in size by the end of the day,” Zocchi said.

Hemsworth also spends the last two days before filming doing high-rep, low-weight lifting workouts to build a pump in his muscles.