It takes a crazy amount of training to get into superhero shape, as shown by many of the heavily muscled actors who portray characters in either the DC or Marvel universes. It seems like MCU’s Chris Hemsworth, though, adds some pretty wild methods to his hectic workout schedule. The Thor: Love and Thunder star uses a particular trick to get as swole as a Norse god and now it seems like it’s turning into a new eccentric gym trend.
While there is no denying the fact that Chris Hemsworth has put a ton of work into his god-like muscles that are on display as Marvel’s Thor, he does have a type of shortcut for his massive biceps. Hemsworth recently posted a throwback to his Instagram that showcases something called occlusion training, which is the use of special bands that cut off blood flow while lifting weights. You can check out the post with the lengthy video of Hemsworth training with this method for the first time below:
Typically, cutting off your own blood flow isn’t an awesome idea, especially if you are exerting more energy and effort than normal - you know, like during a workout. In fact, Chris Hemsworth seems like he is in a significant amount of pain while lifting a relatively small (for someone like Hemsworth, anyway) set of weights while wearing the occlusion bands on his arms. After he is finished with his set and moving on to a different, but one that would be equally mild without the bands, exercise Hemsworth can be heard expressing his apprehension to the method, and later even saying he feels sick.
This reaction is kind of expected, and according to Futurism, there is evidence that the occlusion workout method can have some serious drawbacks. Muscle damage and a life-threatening condition called rhabdomyolysis, which involves the leakage of muscle contents into blood circulation. This is why it is important that if this method is attempted, that it is under the supervision of an educated professional. Chris Hemsworth trains under someone who is both familiar with the method and with Hemsworth’s abilities and limits themselves.
The goal of this method is to see substantial muscle growth by using the lack of blood flow to create more lactic acid faster. This method is apparently especially helpful for individuals who want to see muscle growth after an injury, as smaller weights are used rather than the heavy lifting workout that most are accustomed to seeing in high-intensity routines.
While Chris Hemsworth’s semi-questionable workout methods are certainly not for everyone, they sure seem to be producing the results he wants to see - and fans don’t mind seeing them, either. Hemsworth’s upcoming Thor: Love and Thunder is set to release to theaters next year on May 6th, and we can pretty much guarantee Thor is back to prime godliness post his Endgame beer belly.
