Train your core like Thor.
Chris Hemsworth has been sharing a series of workout challenges on Instagram over the last several weeks, all filmed on the deck of a ship in the middle of the ocean to demonstrate just how simple it can be to fit in a workout no matter where you happen to be in the world.
In the most recent video, Hemsworth demonstrates his “go-to core workout,” consisting primarily of bodyweight exercises, making this an accessible—if tiring—routine. The only piece of equipment you need is a medicine ball, which you can easily substitute for a loaded backpack.
“Try at your own pace but keep pushing yourself!” The actor wrote, encouraging his followers to perform each set one after the other, without resting until they’ve completed at least 50 reps. He recommends performing the following circuit in full a total of five times, with 60 seconds of rest between rounds:
- Bird dog, 10 reps
- Bicycle situps, 10 reps
- Alternating Supermans, 10 reps
- Scissor kicks, 10 reps
- Butterfly situps, 10 reps
- Medicine ball crunches, 10 reps
- Crunches, 10 reps
- Flutter kicks, 10 reps
The different exercises in this routine ensure you’ll be hitting every area of the core, with the flutter kicks working the lower abdominals with movement driven from the bottom up, and the bicycles incorporating that all-important rotation to engage the obliques. However, the crunches that Hemsworth is doing here aren’t necessarily the most best way to train your core.
Crunches aren’t hugely effective when it comes to flexion of the spine, with the neck all-too-often doing most of the work, which can lead to strain. Also, compared to some of the other exercises here? They’re a little too easy. A good bodyweight alternative you might want to try instead is the hanging leg raise, or if you’re in the mood for something more challenging, the V-up.