Chris Hemsworth’s workout routine for getting Thor muscles in the Marvel Cinematic Universe was pretty intense. I mean, he went through quite a transformation to play the God of Thunder. His upper body is absurdly ripped, and you can’t look at him without thinking that you’re really looking at a Norse God in real life.

Now, I do have a 30 minute workout if you’ve got kettlebells, but what if you don’t? How do you get muscles like Thor without a Mjolnir-like stand-in?

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Never fear! You can  look like a real life superhero and those Thor muscles with some bodyweight exercise and typical gym equipment, too! Pretty soon, you’ll be on your way to tossing around a barbell like its your very own Mjolnir.

Keep in mind, this isn’t Chris Hemsworth’s Thor workout. We aren’t that intense, nor do most of us have a Marvel-quality nutritionist and trainer on payroll. But you can still get hella ripped by doing this.

How to get Thor muscles and Be Worthy of Mjolnir!

First of all, you’re going to want to focus primarily on your upper body — at least for this circuit. You will have leg days, but getting your awesome, giant, frost-giant killing, Thor muscles is all about whipping around that magic hammer, ya know? And that means arm and chest strength.

Pull-ups (6-8 reps)

Grab the bar, put your hands wider than your shoulders, and pull yourself up!

As you move through the sets, alternate your grip. Do one set pull-ups with an overhand grip, one set with an underhand grip, and your final set with a cross-grip (one over, one under).

Farmer’s Walk

I do Farmer’s Walks with kettlebells, but it’s just as easy to do with dumbbells. (And hey, you’ll learn how to use your Thor muscles because the dumbbells are shaped kind of shaped like Mjolnir!)

Put your weights on either side of your feet, make sure that you have a clear space of around 15 feet ahead of you, bend at the knees to pick up your weights. Then, walk the 15 feet in front of you with straight arms, turn around, and head back to your starting location.

Landmine Trunk Twist (10 twists per set)

If you’ve never used the landmine in the gym, you’re missing out. The landmine trunk twist is my favorite exercise of them all because you can do it kneeling on either leg or standing. Remember, the kneeling option is easier for beginners to learn the right form before moving to standing.

Medicine Ball Slam

I suggest timing this one, as opposed to doing a particular number of sets. Stand about 6-8 feet from a wall, put a timer on for 2-3 minutes, grab a medicine ball that feels good in your hands, raise it above your head, and slam it into the floor. Hard.

You’re working on your Mjolnir heft with this one, so make sure you’re really making it count. Smash those Frost Giants, Asgardian!

Bodyweight Squats or Goblet Squats

All the upper body work in Asgard won’t help you defeat Ymir if you don’t have solid legs and a good core. So you should finish out each stage of the circuit with some good, old-fashioned squats.

Yeah, squats aren’t upper-body, but that’s why I like goblet squats. (And hey, I’m sure there’s a Thor or Chris Hemsworth workout out there where you act like him by lifting a pretty stout goblet of wine, ya know? If there’s not, there should be!).

Just grab a dumbbell (the same one you used for your Farmer’s Walk will be fine), hold it with both hands in front of your chest, and get to squatting like a god!

For Thor Muscles, Repeat This Circuit 3x. For Loki Muscles, Repeat 0x.

Be sure to rest 20-30 seconds between each exercise, and then rest 2-3 minutes between every circuit.

I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised by this workout. Not only will it get you sweaty and your heart rate up, but you’re well on your way to looking like a Norse god. Those Thor muscles will be there in no time.

Like I said, it’s not a crazy intense one like Chris Hemsworth’s workouts to prep for an MCU movie, but it’s totally a superhero workout that anyone can do. Even mortals like you and me.

Looking for more of the best superhero workouts? Check out my bodyweight Tony Stark circuit or my 30 minute Thor kettlebell pyramid.