Feb

Thor and God of Thunder workout

Did you check out that commercial for the upcoming Thor movie? I did and I have to say I am pumped about it.

Every now and again a movie comes along that can serve as being inspirational partially because of the physiques some of the movie stars show. Sometimes it can be the characters themselves. When I originally heard the casting call for the person they wanted to portray the God of Thunder they described him like this.

physically powerful, very handsome, occasionally egotistical, petulant, and wild” male lead in his mid-to-late twenties and standing six feet or taller in height. They want “a natural warrior with a quick charming wit who must be genuinely and severely humbled before becoming the compassionate, mature her [sic] of our film.

I missed my opportunity for the role because of my height (thanks mom.)

I want you to contrast the description they had with what most would consider a physique for Thor. I think and I could be wrong about this that most people would assume a bodybuilder would take the lead role. Instead they were looking more for a powerlifter type of physique that was mostly lean and would look like a warrior.

Why would they look for one and not the other? Muscle is muscle is muscle right? Not exactly.

When it comes to training muscle there are different types of hypertrophy (when the muscle gets bigger). The one to get bigger faster is known as sarcoplasmic hypertrophy. Sarcoplasm is a fluid in the cells that can make the muscles balloon up but don’t come with an equal amount of strength or hardness. This is the type that bodybuilders are known for though they also try to build the other kind…at least in the days of Arnold they did. (ever notice that the most successful bodybuilders were powerlifters first?)

Myofibrillar hypertrophy is an increase in muscle density and can make them grow larger though not nearly as big or as fast. It takes is harder to the touch.

Though this is all happening under the skin where you wouldn’t be likely to see it it does come out in other areas. Pavel talks about the “presence of power” which is sort of the way you carry yourself when you are aware of how strong you are. Strength brings a confidence in a way that inflating the muscles doesn’t but there is more to it then that. According to a university article I found a short while back, upper body strength can be predicted by looking at a person’s face and that it was more accurate then not. This was supposedly a way to determine fighting ability which would be sexually desirable females and would be a deterrent for males to not want to engage them in battle.

Thor had some serious upper body strength

So if strength can be predicted by a person’s face with relative accuracy where else might it be able to be felt? The sports arena? The bar? The office? A party? The beach? Every where you go? Strength isn’t just seen when your shirt is off (though that doesn’t normally hurt either.) but I am going off on a tangent.

Thor is a symbol by many to be a symbol of strength. His big badass hammer is supposed to be the thing that caused thunder in the sky and only he could wield it. Using a hammer can be extremely beneficial for building wrist and grip strength which is a major portion of upper body strength. Recently I got a dvd in the mail by Jedd Johnson (who I’ll be interviewing right here on my blog pretty soon) that shows how he builds upper body strength using the sledgehammer as a tool so that he can bend steel more effectively (badass) and set even more strength records. Actually while I am on that check a picture of him out and you can tell just by his face that he has some serious strength hiding in there.

Alright so let’s build some upper body strength with a basic workout. Here will be some exercises in your arsenal. A sledgehammer, pullup bar and a kettlebell will be required.

Kettlebell snatch then press 3 reps (of your 5 rep max)
sledgehammer leveraging (singles but try to work your way down the handle)
pullups 3 reps (use additional weight to make it your 5 rep max)
repeat…a lot but don’t go to fatigue.

As for rest your breathing will be elevated somewhat after each movement. Wait until it is at about 20% before moving onto the next exercise. After about 45 mins of that call it a day. Do the same thing again later in the week but just make sure it isn’t the same in terms of total volume, density or intensity. You can change the reps too just don’t go too high there.