Celebrity trainer Luke Zocchi’s secret to looking like an A-lister
CELEBRITY personal trainer Luke Zocchi — who trains stars including our very own Chris Hemsworth — tells us mere mortals how to look like an A-lister. And it’s not as hard as you may think.
Fitness
Don't miss out on the headlines from Fitness. Followed categories will be added to My News.
IT’S hard to find a canvas more beautiful than Chris Hemsworth’s tall, toned muscles.
But celebrity personal trainer Luke Zocchi certainly does the Hollywood heavyweight’s physique justice.
The Thor star called him: “The world’s best trainer — and a flat out legend.”
That’s a big call for the man who’s confessed to waking Hemsworth up at 5am for a torturous onslaught of boxing, running and weights in high-intensity interval training. Hemsworth’s trainer of six years is known to whip the star into the shape his latest role demands — however hard that may be.
“I’ve done everything from starving him for Heart Of The Sea to working him hard
to get big and muscley for Thor,” Zocchi tells BW Magazine.
He gets two to three months before each role to mould the actor and hasn’t missed a deadline yet. It’s this success rate that’s seen his exclusive clientele extend to fellow Aussie Cate Blanchett and New Zealand director and actor Taika Waititi.
But can the man behind the God of Thunder transform the average Joe as well? When you put this question to Zocchi, he says it’s possible, but within reason. It’s why he’s launched his new book — The A-list Diet & Fitness Plan. It is a foolproof 12-week plan that includes recipes and a range of high-intensity workouts. And health conscious Australians can see it as the mere mortal’s bible to looking like Thor — sort of.
“Celebrities can do whatever they need to make it work but I tried to bring it back to a more realistic approach, to create something that normal people can stick to,” he says.
“Not everyone has a private chef or the time to come up with crazy diet plans so I tried to create meals that are healthy but also easy.”
Zocchi also realises that most Australians cannot commit to five days of training every week or buy expensive organic produce.
He considers the book a stripped back version of a celebrity fitness and diet plan.
Hemsworth and Blanchett may work out early in the morning for an hour, but Zocchi’s substituted that to easy 20-minute workouts you can do before work or throughout the day.
And although he feeds the stars organic produce and superfoods, he’s compiled 30-minute meals for the time-poor generation that are made from wholesome but more affordable ingredients. It’s less of an unrealistic guide to getting a celebrity body and more a practical way to getting fitter without breaking the bank.
“When you can, I encourage you to pick organic and good produce but you have to make it work for your lifestyle,” Zocchi says.
“Some people can afford to pay for organic meat and vegetables, but not everyone can.
“It’s all about doing things that are reasonable and things you can continue.”
One look at his Instagram account, and it’s evident that the trainer practises what he preaches.
Zocchi has carefully curated a feed of pictures of his feel-good meals, tutorials on how to make them and plenty of videos of the tattooed young trainer working out
in the gym. The health focus has also prompted him to co-found Sipp, an instant coconut coffee and tea. It has probiotics, organic grains and is vegan — a product perfectly aligned with his health-obsessed following of 178,000. At a time when raw, vegan, gluten-free diets are the flavour of the month, Zocchi says it wasn’t hard to cater to the world’s dietary requirements.
“I’ve based this book off my program and I first started with ‘normal’ meals, I brought out vegetarian and vegan-friendly diets as well. I’ve been across the people who are going vegetarian and vegan for a few years and I’ve just worked it into the book.”
The new release argues the plan is suitable for anyone — men, women, young or old. And Zocchi is prepared to explain how.
“I’ve tried to put a mix of meals that would work for everyone. There are recipes that would appeal more to women and those that guys might prefer. I tried to cover all areas,” he says. But in his experience, while Australians love to try out healthier diets, where they stumble is consistency — the average person seems to lack the celebrity determination.
“If something’s basic and simple it’s easier to stick to and that’s the key part,” he says.
Zocchi is quick to point out following the plan will lead to a healthier you but jokes that looking “Hemsworthy” is a little more elusive. “You need to be six-foot tall, blue-eyed and extremely good-looking. The height and the looks I can’t guarantee,” he says.
The A-list Diet & Fitness Plan, Pan Macmillan, $34.99, is available on Tuesday.