The personal trainer responsible for whipping Chris Hemsworth into ‘superhero’ shape before his biggest movie roles has shared a 15 minute workout you can do in the comfort of your own living room to keep you fit and healthy while working from home.
Celebrity fitness coach Luke Zocchi is renowned for his simple but intense bodyweight routines, which are performed without any weights, mats or gym equipment.
The Melbourne-based trainer broadcast a live session on Instagram on Thursday morning, coaching viewers through a quick warm-up followed by three rounds of exercises to tone the stomach, legs and glutes.
The personal trainer responsible for whipping Chris Hemsworth into ‘superhero’ shape before his biggest movie roles has shared a 15 minute workout you can do in the comfort of your own living room
Luke has worked with the likes of best friend Chris Hemsworth (pictured), as well as A-list actress Cate Blanchett
The demand for simple home workouts – particularly bodyweight exercises that can be performed anywhere without machines – is skyrocketing as a growing number of Australians work from home and self-isolate amid the global COVID-19 pandemic.
Luke encouraged viewers to start each day with a short workout to boost mood and energy, calm the mind and de-stress over the coming weeks.
Luke started with a three minute warm-up, jogging on the spot lifting his knees as high as possible, and performing five squats in quick succession to gently raise heart rate and stimulate blood flow around the body.
He followed this with five walkouts, which involve squatting onto your hunkers, shifting bodyweight onto your hands and walking them forward until your body is in line from your head to your heels – similar to a basic plank.
Luke started with a three minute warm-up, jogging on the spot lifting his knees as high as possible (left) and performing five squats in quick succession (right) to gently raise heart rate and stimulate blood flow around the body
This tones your core and shoulders, making the upper arms and abs leaner and stronger.
Luke finished the warm-up with 10 ‘ice skaters’, a type of lunge which involves jumping from side to side and landing on a single leg to build muscle in the hips and glutes, making your bum appear larger.
‘Okay it’s time for the jumper to come off – I’m feeling warm already, I’m sweating!’ he told the more than 800 viewers who tuned in to the session.
The main part of the workout involves three rounds of five simple exercises which should be performed for 40 seconds each, with a 20 second break in between to drink some water and catch your breath.
The movements can be altered each round to add or remove difficulty, depending on your fitness level.
Luke kicked off with 40 seconds of squats, walkouts and ice skaters, all designed to tone the lower body and build strength in the legs.
He followed these with 40 seconds of bicycle crunches, which target the tricky to tone abs and lower stomach area.
Bicycle crunches can be performed by lying on the floor with your lower back pressed to the ground, holding your core tense to work your stomach muscles.
Place your hands behind your head and bring your knees into your chest, lifting shoulder blades slightly off the ground without straining your neck.
Straighten your right leg while turning your upper body to the left, bringing your right elbow towards your left knee.
Bicycle crunches (as demonstrated by Luke) can be performed by lying on the floor with your lower back pressed to the ground, holding your core tense to work your stomach muscles
Switch sides and repeat for 40 seconds, focusing on slow movements and keeping your core engaged.
Luke finished the first round with a 40 second blast of mountain climbers, a high intensity bodyweight exercise which burns considerable calories while also toning the abs and arms.
Start the move in a classic plank position, with your shoulders over your hands and weight on your toes.
Ensuring your core is held taut, bring your right knee forward under your chest and then return your leg to the basic plank.
Walkouts (demonstrated here) involve squatting onto your hunkers, shifting bodyweight onto your hands and walking them forward until your body is in line from your head to your heels
Do the same with your left leg and continue alternating between legs, picking up the pace until it feels a bit like running in a plank position.
Repeat this sequence of five exercises twice more for the full 15 minute workout, adding slight variations to each if you want to make the second and third rounds more challenging.
Instead of straight squats, incorporate 40 seconds of jump squats, which begin just like a regular squat but end with an explosive jump upwards instead of returning to a static standing position.
Walkouts can be made more challenging by adding a push-up at the end.
Luke (pictured) often trains on an empty stomach, but then re-fuels with the likes of sweet potato and brown rice to feed his muscles
Mountain climbers can be switched for other ab toning exercises like a classic plank or flutter kicks, which can be performed by lying flat on your back and using your core muscles to lift your legs up and down without touching the ground.
The workout can be watched for the next 24 hours on the Instagram story of Centrfit, the official training app created by Luke and other members of Chris Hemsworth’s fitness team.
Luke prides himself on creating short, easy-to-follow workouts which are just as effective as long hours in the gym.
‘I just want to do what needs to be done in the most efficient way possible,’ he told Men’s Health in February.