Centr, the fitness app from Chris Hemsworth-approved trainers, is one of the best workout apps. It does require a lot of commitment to get the most out of it, but it’s a real bonus to be able to pick and choose from some of the excellent workouts the trainers and Hemsworth himself share on Instagram (and, ahem, with Coach, such as this Centr Unleashed workout).
In the past two months the Thor actor has shared eight challenging workouts on Centr’s account (opens in new tab), performed aboard a naval vessel for reasons which remain unclear.
One of our favourites uses just a pair of adjustable dumbbells – a Bowflex pair that feature in our selection of the best dumbbells as it happens – but still manages to work the legs, chest, back, core and more with a combination of free-weight exercises and challenging bodyweight movements.
It consists of nine moves to be performed back to back as a circuit, though mercifully there are 30-second rest periods after every third exercise and 60 seconds of rest after a full round. Once you’ve completed four rounds, you’re done.
Watch Hemsworth’s video below to find out which exercises await you, how they should be executed, and how many reps you have to perform of each one.
This workout is an example of high-intensity resistance training or HIRT – a training method Hemsworth is known to endorse and which features in the Centr app. We’re sure you’re already familiar with similarly-named HIIT workouts, which combine intense bouts of exercise with short rest periods to spike your heart rate, burning calories and improving your VO2 max. HIRT applies the same principle, but weaves in more resistance exercises to build muscle and strength, all while burning fat, making it a great way to develop a lean physique.
Other workouts in the series target your core (opens in new tab), combine strength work with cardio (opens in new tab), or ask you to struggle through 200 straight reps of five different exercises to join the 200 club (opens in new tab).
If you find these workouts hit the spot, now’s a good time to sign up to Hemsworth’s app, because there’s a 25% discount running until 5th December (opens in new tab). In fact it’s well worth signing up at full price, although bear in mind you’re getting more than just a workout app – rather a holistic exercise, nutrition and mindfulness plan. You can find out more in our Centr review.