God Maker: Get to know Chris Hemsworth’s trainer, Luke Zocchi

The man behind the muscle

We spoke to Chris Hemsworth's right-hand man, Luke Zocchi, personal trainer for Thor and health and fitness app Centr, about working with Chris, finding motivation and fitness post-40.

Since first gracing our screens as Kim in Home & Away, Chris Hemsworth has gone from strength to strength. Yes, professionally, but equally - if not more so - physically. And that is thanks to the man behind the muscle, his trainer of 12 years and best mate, Luke Zocchi.

Now a celebrity in his own right, the charismatic Zocchi is known worldwide as the face, arms, and abs of Hemsworth’s wellness app, Centr, and has amassed a dedicated fan base all on his own. He’s built a brand on positivity, motivation and authenticity, always forthcoming with tips and tricks to get your own Thor body.

His fame is well deserved. For Hemsworth himself, Zocchi has become the gold standard by which all others in the industry are measured. “His personality, there's such an accessibility around him,” Hemsworth told Body + Soul. “He has been the benchmark for years and he's done an incredible job.”

Their partnership started almost 4 decades ago, when Zocchi first met Hemsworth in primary school at the age of 6. They later attended the same high school, where Hemsworth often watched Zocchi spar in the gym. Zocchi remembers asking Hemsworth to jump in the ring, but as he tells it, Chris was already set on becoming an actor and didn’t want to ruin his face. They remained close after school while Zocchi worked as an electrician, running boxing circuits out of PCYC on the side.

It wasn’t until 2012 when the pair were on a trip to Costa Rica, when Hemsworth asked Zocchi for some help shedding some Thor bulk for his next role. The pair did sprints and circuits using Zocchi’s boxing background, and the results were so effective, Hemsworth invited Zocchi to the US to continue training. As they both tell it, it felt natural, and Zocchi never returned to his work on the tools. Instead, he found a place as part of Hemsworth’s entourage and extended family (yes, he does babysit on occasion).

"From embracing mindful breathing techniques to ditching traditional high-impact, high-cardio exercise methods, they’ve each found what works for them and their tips are total game changers".

Zocchi now trains with Hemsworth on all his films, going rep for rep with the screen legend. It requires him to retain a state of physical preparedness that provides a launch pad for whatever roll Hemsworth takes on next. As it turns out, that ‘baseline’ is far from base; he has recently ‘ran a marathon by accident’ the morning after ‘a couple of schooners’. His time? An enviable 3hrs 40mins. 

And much like his boss, Zocchi has also recently entered his 40s, and so has had to reconcile youthful ambition with changing physiology. As he tells Body and Soul below, there’s a lot to ponder at this milestone, and it’s his duty to apply hard earned knowledge and experience to ensure Australia’s most successful export remains physically prepared to conquer all of the worlds his characters demand.

On working with Chris

"Chris and I have worked together for 12 years now and we’re in each other's pockets, yet for how much time we spend together, we’re actually still good friends.

"I know other mates who work together, and it just doesn't gel, but we're like a little family. We know each other well enough to know when we're annoying each other, and so we don’t get on each other's nerves, which is ideal because he’s stuck with me.

"The drill sergeant kind of thing does not work at all [with Hemsworth]. He's super competitive. If I said we're going to do 50 pull-ups and 50 push-ups, he'd give me some made up injury as an excuse to not do it. So, I’ll tell him ‘It's all right, you don't have to do it, but I'm going to’. And then if I go do the pull-ups, he will always do more than me.

"I'll do the exact same training as Chris, but we don't eat the same way because it’s not one-size-fits-all. Chris just lifts weights and eats and he explodes. But I come from an Italian background. I like a bit of pasta, and if I do it that way, I just get puffier. For me to stay lean, I still need to just do a little bit of cardio. I can't stand it, it's so annoying."

Luke Zocchi is the man responsible for Thor's muscles. Image: Supplied

On finding motivation 

"I look at people who are leading the charge in their field and people who are doing new and cool and interesting things. Ross Edgley is a guy who comes to mind, he blows my mind in his training and understanding of sports sciences. He's like a mad scientist. Similarly, Andrew Huberman - that kind of curiosity and attitude is what I truly admire - whether that’s understanding nutrition or training, I admire how devoted and obsessed they are with their work.

"I'm not getting any younger, I want to live a better life and be healthier and feel good, and so I try to live like that. I'm always looking for new and different ways to train, to explore nutrition, and ways to feel better. And Centr has become a journal of that inspiration and learning as well. Everything that we learn and adopt gets put into the app."

On fitness post-40 

"As Chris and I get older, there are things we did a few years ago that were more aggressive and harder on the body. I used to believe that going hard all the time was better but completely wrecking yourself as you get older is not the best thing to do all the time. I'm more mindful now. I think about recovery and rest. 

"When we do the Thor stuff, it's slowed down, lifting heavy weights. But in general Chris and I like to do circuit-style training - we like to do quicker, 40 minutes of bodyweight exercises; chin-ups, push-ups, squats. Not going super heavy and not doing super heavy lifts where you're resting for five minutes. Just in and out, like to get it done.

"I train four times a week as a minimum, and I always prioritise the body weight stuff. I always do chin-ups, push-ups and bodyweight squats. I've probably done more running than I've done recently, and I ran my first marathon last year – I’ve ticked that box and will never do it again.

"However, I think it's good to do stuff like that and challenge yourself. It’s good to know I can do it, and bring it out when I need to."

Originally published as God Maker: Get to know Chris Hemsworth’s trainer, Luke Zocchi