Yahoo News Why Chris Hemsworth Uses the 'HIRT' Method to Burn Fat and Build Muscle Simultaneously
With the Avengers franchise in the rear view mirror, 37-year-old Chris Hemsworth has shown no signs of slowing down, both in with his career and his fitness.
As one of Hollywood's leading men, the Australian megsatar is an absolute machine in the gym — with his workouts, diet hacks and training methods making for some of our most-read articles.
Throughout this career, Hemsworth's body has varied significantly. He's bulked up for Thor's debut outing, slimmed down to play a shipwreck victim, built lean muscle for Thor: Ragnarok and, more recently, has shown off a more functional and attainable physique for the likes of Bad Times at the El Royale, Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame.
All of which means that his training has adapted to suit his needs and currently lifestyle. As a father of three, two-hour long workouts are no longer a possibility for Hemsworth, which means that short, sharp sessions are his go-to.
For this, Hemsworth turns to PT Luke Zocchi. His long-term coach (and friend), Zocchi forms part of the team for Centr, a new fitness app headed by Chris Hemsworth and his wife, Elsa Pataky. To get Hemsworth in the best shape of his life, Zocchi swears by two training methods — HIIT and HIRT.
HIIT, as you'll know by now, stands for high-intensity interval training, a method that combines short working periods with a high work rate. Lasting for anywhere between 10 and 30 minutes, HIIT is an ideal format for burning fat quick-sharp. HIRT, on the other hand, is a variant of HIIT. It stands for high-intensity resistance training. HIRT uses strength movements to get your heart rate spiked and muscles firing and is purposefully designed to keep burning energy long after you hit the showers.
To give you a taste of both, Zocchi pulled together one of Hemsworth's go-to workouts to start getting you in superhero shape. It's an intermediate workout to build full-body definition, but with an added twist to redline your lungs and build muscle on your arms.
All you need is a pair of dumbbells. Oh, and some water and a towel. You'll need those.
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
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
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
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
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
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
Maintain lower body contact with the ground for the duration of the movement
Rock forward, then back – this is one rep. Repeat
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