Chris Hemsworth made lots of sacrifices during his Thor: Love and Thunder prep. Not only was he eating a lot, but Hemsworth was selective with when he had his meals.Like for instance, when it was time for an intimate scene with Natalie Portman, he made sure not to eat any meat prior, given that the actress is a dedicated vegan. Ultimately, the actor himself revealed he'd never put himself through such a diet again.We'll take a look at what his eating and training was like on the road to the film, while also taking a look at why the classic chicken and broccoli was not included.
Chris Hemsworth Took Part In On-Set Workouts With Tessa Thompson
As if being the star of a massive MCU flick isn't enough pressure, Chris Hemsworth is expected to look a certain way in his portrayal of Thor.
The road to the film was not an easy one, as the actor had to maintain his look over a four-month journey, typically eating 4,500 calories a day.
In addition, while on-set, he had to keep the pump alive, and that meant still eating clean while working out regularly.
Along with focusing on his on-set workouts, Hemsowrth was also focused on recovery. He'd train alongside co-star Tessa Thompson and two would also test their dedication, jumping in the dreaded ice bath.
"We had a big ice bath there, which we'd rotate through, and that became... the real test of strength," he recalled.
"I'd done it a bit, but I sort of was keeping my time in there to a minute or two, and [Tessa] came in the first day and did three and a half minutes. So then we all had to try and do three minutes."
There was a lot more to worry about for Chris Hemsworth, but one of those things, did not entail smashing down chicken breasts regularly... Here's why.
Chris Hemsworth's Trainer Did Not Include Any Chicken And Broccoli Given His Overall Caloric Demands Of 4,500 Calories Per Day
Luke Zocchi discussed some of Chris Hemsworth's Thor: Love and Thunder prep alongside Centr. As expected, the actor had a lot of food to consume, we're talking 4,500 calories, coming from healthy foods, no joke.
The breakdown was an equal split, with protein a little higher, while the carbs and fats were evenly distributed calories wise.
Now sure, chicken breast packs a lot of protein but in terms of overall calories, it doesn't cut it for Hemsworth given how low in fat the food is. The actor needed a bigger punch in terms of fat content for his protein, so his main go-to foods was usually meat or something like salmon.
"Chris’s goal while filming Thor: Love and Thunder was to eat 4000-4500 calories a day. If you were doing the old-school boiled chicken and broccoli muscle-building diet, you’d be looking at around 16 large chicken breasts every single day," Zocchi explained.
Hemsworth also had a structure of eating more meals per day, which was often times ten! This was done in order to ensure the foods would be properly digested, and that the actor wouldn't feel sluggish.
"We set up a structure where Chris would eat smaller meals more regularly – that’s what he found works best for him. Eating larger meals while he’s working would slow him down and make him feel heavy. The slow and heavy Thor is the one from Avengers: Endgame, not this Thor!"
Although Chris succeeded in his goal, the process was a lengthy one and not easy to sustain.
Chris Hemsworth Had To Maintain His Physique For Four Months, Which Turned Out To Be Quite The Struggle
We're exhausted of eating and training like Chris Hemsworth for only a day, now imagine having to hold that for four months... while planning for an entire year...
“This was particularly hard because the target weight we aimed for was quite above where I’d been before. This was probably the biggest and fittest I’ve ever been. We had 12 months where I was at home just training and puppeteering the body and manipulating," the actor stated.
The entire process was not easy especially having to hold it his look for the next four months, “We’d try more swimming, then try more martial arts, and adjust calories. It was a really fun exploration. I got really big and fit, but then just had to hold it for four months, which was very hard."
Props to Hemsworth for getting it done, but it doesn't seem like the actor is interested in creating such a look again in the future.
