I tried Chris Hemsworth’s Furiosa workout using just a couple of dumbbells, and it was more effective than I expected
Find out how to try this surprisingly accessible workout for yourself
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Celebrity exercise regimes are often characterized by cryo chambers, saunas and state-of-the-art gym equipment. But the latest Chris Hemsworth workout is refreshingly accessible.
How accessible, you ask? Well, I was able to tackle it in a garden using a single set of old-school spinlock dumbbells. It ticks the “time-savvy” box too, taking just 40 minutes to spike my heart rate and pump up the muscles in my back, arms and shoulders.
How to do Chris Hemsworth’s Furiosa workout
There are six parts to this workout. The first two involve one exercise each, performed in straight sets – perform all sets of the exercise in a row, resting for the prescribed amount of time between sets.
Parts three, four and five are supersets. These are pairs of exercises (labeled A and B) which are performed back-to-back with a minimal break between them. Only after the prescribed reps of both exercises have been completed do you take the allotted rest.
The final part of this workout is a high-intensity resistance training (otherwise known as HIRT) finisher – a four-move circuit designed to spike the heart rate.
Perform the exercises in order, with a 10-second rest between moves. Once you’ve finished all four exercises, take a 20-second breather, then repeat the circuit one more time to complete the workout.
1. Dumbbell shoulder press
Sets:4.Reps:8.Rest:40sec.
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2. Wide-grip bent-over row
Sets:4.Reps:8.Rest:40sec.
3A. Dumbbell lateral raise
Sets:4.Reps:8.Rest:10sec.
3B. Standing rear delt dumbbell raise
Sets:4.Reps:8.Rest:40sec.
4A. Alternating cross-body hammer curl
Sets:3.Reps:12 on eacharm.Rest:10sec.
4B. Standing dumbbell curl
Sets:3.Reps:6.Rest:40sec.
5A. Alternating dumbbell overhead triceps extension
Sets3Reps12Rest10sec
5B. Dumbbell triceps kickback
Sets:3.Reps:6.Rest:40sec.
HIRT finisher
6A. Dumbbell thruster
Sets:2.Reps:10.Rest:10 sec.
6B. Dumbbell swing
Sets:2.Reps:30 sec.Rest:10 sec.
6C. Jumping jack
Sets:2.Reps:30 sec.Rest:10 sec.
6D. Dumbbell pyramid plank switch
Sets:2.Reps:30 sec.Rest:20 sec.
How did Chris Hemsworth train for Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga?
Hemsworth initially considered “losing a ton of weight” to play Dementus inFuriosa: A Mad Max Saga, hetoldBrandon Davisof Comicbook.com..But director George Miller told him the character was a “powerful, big, impressive figure" who “needs to hold a lot of space”, putting paid to that idea.
To achieve this, Hemsworth’s long-time trainer and Centr expert Luke Zocchi prescribed lighter weights, lower rest times and three to four full-body workout per week, often capped with short circuit-style bouts of cardio.
“There were no body fat percentages to hit, he just wanted to be lean and strong, and not overly bulky like Thor,” Zocchi explains.
“Thor training is more like the classic Centr Power program approach – we would train to failure with heavy loads and take longer rests in between sets.
“For Furiosa, we were lifting a bit lighter, but balancing that with shorter rest breaks to keep the heart rate up. And not quite pushing to failure, so Chris still had something in reserve for the cardio.”
They did this for two months. Then, when filming began, Zocchi took a “day on, day off” approach to the actor’s workouts “so Chris had energy for the long shooting days”.
Centr is now offering its 14-weekFuriosa-inspired Power Shred program and nutrition guide to members, with the tagline “cut body fat and gain muscle”.
However, it can take military planning to hit these goals at the same time, with a calorie surplus optimal for muscle-gain and a calorie deficit imperative for weight loss.
As anyone familiar with theThorfilms knows, Hemsworth is already flush with muscle, so he instead aimed to maintain brawn and cut fat. He did this by eating considerably less than he did when preparing for Thor, with “three meals a day, whole foods with a decent serving of protein in every meal”, Zocchi says.
Hemsworth also loosely followed a 16:8 fasting schedule, aiming to eat all of his meals within an eight-hour window of the day. This included skipping breakfast and eating his first meal at roughly lunchtime.
My experience trying Chris Hemsworth’s Furiosa workout
There’s no such thing as the perfect workout, and you’re not always going to have a gym filled with equipment at your disposal. But that doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy an effective session with minimal kit.
This workout is a great example of that – I hit it while visiting family, after finding a rusty set of spinlock dumbbells in their shed. Pressed for time, I wanted something that was fast and fun, so I dragged the weights into the garden and set to work.
The first thing that struck me was just how short the rest times are. I usually take a two or three-minute break between strength-focused sets, allowing my muscles to recuperate enough to hit the next set with renewed vigor. But Hemsworth’s workout gave me just 40 seconds to recover before my hands were back on the dumbbells.
You might need to lift lighter weights than you’re used to with this approach, so it isn’t the best if gaining strength is your primary goal. However, it’s sure to work your muscles hard, providing the stimulus needed for growth.
It also keeps your heart rate high (mine was rarely below 130bpm according to myApple Watch Ultra 2), elevating calorie burn and boosting your metabolism.
This intensity was spiked further by the introduction of supersets, and finally a four-move HIRT circuit. Minimizing rest periods meant squeezing a lot of work into a short time frame – I had the entire session wrapped up within 40 minutes, even with the cumbersome process of changing the weight on a set of spinlock dumbbells.
The first of my requirements for this workout was that it was fast, and it nailed the brief. My second criteria was that it was fun, and it did well on this front too.
I liked the exercises, which were mostly bodybuilding staples like presses and rows, and the fast-paced nature of the session left no time for boredom to kick in. The short-rest format inflated my muscles and ego in tandem by delivering an enviable pump (particularly for the arms), and the circuit finisher served up a digestible test of athleticism.
Having tackled the routine first thing, my muscles felt heavy with the unmistakable remnants of hard work, but my body on the whole didn’t feel beaten up, leaving me ready to face the day without suffering a post-workout energy lull.
I also enjoyed how I felt afterwards. Having tackled the routine first thing, my muscles felt heavy with the unmistakable remnants of hard work, but my body on the whole didn’t feel beaten up, leaving me ready to face the day without suffering a post-workout energy lull.
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Harry is a huge fan of picking things up, putting them down again and writing about it, which uniquely qualifies him for the position of fitness and wearables writer with TechRadar.
He’s an NCTJ-qualified journalist with a degree in English and journalism and several years’ experience covering the health and fitness beat. This has involved writing for the likes of Men’s Health, Women’s Health, Runner’s World, Fit&Well, Live Science and Coach.
Harry is passionate about all things exercise-related, having spent more than a decade experimenting with a wide range of training styles. He’s used strength training, bodybuilding, Pilates, powerlifting, gymnastics, rowing, yoga, running, calisthenics, CrossFit and more to build a fit, functional body (and have fun while doing it).
When he’s not writing or training, he can usually be found racing his dog Archie up scenic hills in the south west of England or working to complete his NASM-certified personal trainer qualification.
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