TAKING OVER FROM Henry Cavill was never going to be easy, but Liam Hemsworth has been up to the task – at least, physically. Season four of The Witcher is now streaming and no one can argue that the star of the series hasn’t met the physical expectations set by his predecessor.
Simply put, Hemsworth looks great in The Witcher – about as great as anyone can look in a bleach blonde wig. On a physical level, Hemsworth put in a lot of work to prepare for the role. Speaking to The Mirror, Hemsworth revealed that he was initially unsure about taking the job, “because it’s challenging to take on a lead midway through a series. But as a massive fan of the video game, I felt I could bring something new to it.”
The 35-year-old threw himself into three months of intense training. He relocated from his home to prioritise strength training, rehearsing with the cast, and learning how to wield a sword.
“Physical training started almost immediately in Australia before I moved to London,” he said. “Then came the sword-fight training – figuring out the nuances of movement and shape. By the time I stepped onto set, I felt great. The sword felt like an extension of my body.”
“My grandpa used to make swords for us when we were kids,” he told Today. “So I’d done a little bit of sword fighting back then – but I’d never had any real training.”
“I was told by the martial arts sword-fighting instructor that I picked it up pretty quickly,” he added. “But there were definitely hours upon hours spent coordinating those incredible fight scenes.”
Hemsworth has broken down his training principles to Men’s Health in the past. No doubt, he applied the same method when preparing for The Witcher. “I’ve been trying to spend as much time outdoors as I can,” he told us in 2022. “Cycling, playing soccer or basketball, going for two-hour hikes and doing as many push-ups as I can on the way.”
“I really enjoy Tabata,” Hemsworth continued. “High intensity, timed workouts where you do a bunch of different exercises like burpees, bodyweight squats, pull-ups, push-ups, dips. You just cycle through those and see how many reps you can do of each in 20 minutes. Or you try to do 100 of each and see how quickly you can do it.”
Hemsworth also prioritises functional strength over aesthetics. “Liam wanted to be fit, strong and functional,” said Luke Zocchi, who has trained all three brothers, in 2023. “When I trained with Liam, we never did any squats or deadlifts – we weren’t doing any real heavy lifting or even isolation work. It was more like circuit training with kettlebells or supersets of body-weight exercises.”
As for nutrition, Hemsworth employs a diet that’s heavy on vegetables. “I was always the weird kid who enjoyed eating Brussels sprouts,” he said. “Now it’s beans, legumes, lentils, nuts and seeds. And I have a lot of plant-based protein shakes. When I was eating meat, I’d feel sluggish after meals and constantly want to lie down and have a nap. Now I feel like my energy levels are much more consistent.”
Clearly, Hemsworth’s hard work has paid off. He looks every bit the feasome monster hunter in The Witcher.
